The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1869-10-08

Wood. Pray, be pussctual this time. I an
engaged after tioelpe I trust you scM b
tooaang yo4r 6est, not pale, as o. Mohda.
and Thursday. - - - ~
"There's somebody in the house will
Dinah, there's somebody in the house
kn0,o-" Irushed out with the receipt il
my hand, and the boy snatched it, ant
took to flight, for he saw that I was danger
GUS. What. could this dreadful messag,
mean? or rather what meaning could il
have but one Rupert Merringtonl mo-
at all steady-sounding name, to ,begir
with; the sender, too, was evidently NJ
businessman, or he would not have ex
tceeded his twenty words so foolishly. L
had military smack all over (and didn'
like that notions military smack }
MerringtOn was of course an assumed
name. The handwriting was good, and sc
far unlike the captains; but then people
can't write there own telegraph messages
felt that some immediate action wa!
necessary, or that should be suffocated
In couple of minutes was in Hanson
bound for Cupidon Villas, in state o.
mind easier imagined than described and
yet had often read descriptions of it in
novels which professed to describe aristo
cratic life, and often had seen upon the
stage (although principally in farces) the
husband racked by jealous pangs
What had there been to laugh at in that
wondered now? Why should the
tenderest emotions of the human heart be
made the subject of button But what
a wicked-looking set of houses were these
which l was now passing! If bricks and
mortar-and especially stucco-cdn look
vicious, certainly st. Johns Wood pos
sesses patent f6r-ITfl-f ,
"What number, Sir?" shouted my
driver, through the little hole in the roof
This is Cupidon Villas" WI
II am sorry to hear it." groaned I, pass
ing my pocket handkerchief over my brow.
Don't mind me, my good man" Qor his
countenance evinced much dismay at my
voice and manner); Z" / know it is not your
fault that am miserable. Please to pull
up at No. g." 5g.5.,1e.'r
Of all the wicked looking houses in Gu
pidon Terrace, No. 6 was, it seemed to me,
the wickedest. The round eye which
formed its staircase winked viciously in the
sunlight, and in the garden door was lit
tie grating, as though for the purpose of
reconnaissance before adElittance, which
was not little grating to me. The draw
ing-room shutters were closed. This lat
ter circumstance gave me some satisfaction,
since it might signify that Mr.. Merrington
was dead, but glance at the gay attire of
the servant-girl who answered my sum-
mons cut away this ground of consolation.
"Is Mrs. R. within ?" inquired l, with
a tone of assumed indifference. y -ot
"Well-yes, Sir-but you can't see her
just at present. Mr.. Merrington has a
great objection to-"
"Confound Mr.. MerringtonP' cried I,
pushing my way in. "I want to see my
wife" p ~ .
"Oh, your wife is it, slrs" replied the
maid, with giggle. Then of course you
can go up, if you please, although it's as
much as my place is worth. You will find
them in the drawing room" .afqE
"What! there" exclaimed l, passion
ately, pointing to the closed windows.
:" Yes, of course, Sir! That's the room
they always sit in" .ecs~
They alsoays sit inl Then this sort of
thing must have been going on for years!
cleared the two little flights Of stairs
in couple of bounds, and hurled open the
drawing-rOom door like catapult. d,
found myself in large apartment,
darkened, indeed, upon one side, but, we'll
lit by a huge window Invisible from the
front of the house, at its northern end.
In the centre of the room was raised
structure, hung with purple, and rather
resembling scaf1old decorated for the
execution of royalty, and upon the scat.
fold sat my wife in an uncomfortable at
titude, and with an expression of coun-
tenance that she only wears upon those
occasions which demand what
are called company manners" Between
her and the window stood a gentleman
with mustaches, and in a velvet coat-at
an easel, and evidently painting her por-
trait He elevated his eyebrows at my
peculiar mode ..of entering the room,
and looked toward my wife, as if for an
explanation of the phenomenon.
at is only my husband, Mr. MerriBg-
ton," returned She g" Oh, John, am so
sorry that You found me out, for had
meant my picture to be a pleasant surprise |
to you upon your birthday next week. |
This was to be my last sitting but one
and nobody knows the trouble 1 have |
taken to keep you ignorant of my coming |
here. That stupid Emily Jane must have |
let it out" "s.f 1.I ..7H
"No, my dear, said I al discovered the
fact for myself through the telegraph /; and |
really II couldn't help coming down to
see how the picture was getting on. It
was so very kind of you, And, dear me,
Mr.. Merrington, what charming like
ness!" . on -
g Well, it's not In a very good light, you
see," rejoined he, deprecatingly. "Not
having room with sky-light I'm obliged
to block up those windows, and manage
how can. 1t makes the house dark, and,
I'm afraid, caused you to stumble at the
room door,"
"Yes," said i, that was just it I; very
nearly came in head first. II only |
thought I'd look in on my way to the
city. won't interrupt you another mo-
ment; and, indeed, have myself no time
to lose"'
l gave the maid five shillings, and
thinking it would be more likely to insure
her silence-a chuck under the chin.
Then / wrote to Peabody from Bunhill
Row (where my place of business is situ-
ated), to tell him that Iwould not make
tool of him any longer; but the fact was
hat, during the last few weeks, l had
been making my wife sit for her picture,
which he was to come and pass his judg-
nent on as soon as it was finished there
was question as to whether the flower in
ler hair was an improvement or not.
But l knew that Emily Jane would tell
Anna Maria all about it. However,
nothing was said until my birthday ar
lived, and with it the portrait, for which
he dear creature had saved up her pin
money, and put herself to the greatest in
convenience. l declare my heart smote
ne for my base suspicious when l looked
lpon that honest face, which had never
worn paint before. Upon that day she
aid by -the-by, John, when that tele-
,raph arrived for me from Mr.. Merring-
ON it didn't make you jealous at all, did
ooh dear no, my darling! Jealous of
you? Impossible! Not, of course, that
rou are not beautiful enough to make all
he world fall in love with you; but l
lever dreamed of such thing" r
That's all right, John" said she, kiss
ng me; but there was wicked twinkle
n her kind eyes as she added, dryly ." 1
IN glad to hear you say that, for, do you
NOW, my dear, | almost thought you acre
lust little Jealous" fIa .ls,fa