The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1870-02-04

| WluuUW VI Tie CdIptulcIS . NOfh TOOuu
I 1t was but the affair Of a moment, ant
the pole was drawn in, and all trace o
the aerial flight was gone.
There was the mystery explained
The houses, among which was the car
: penter's room, were nearly all occupied
in the upper stories by offices ant
working places which were closed an6
deserted loEg before dark. Once the
dusk of evening set in, there was hard.
ly any one there to note the aerial feat
, of the darling lover. On the pavement
in the beer saloons, below, who would
ever have thought of craning his OF
her neck look up at the old church
tower?
Next eveldng Stephen watched, and
saw Elsie enter the church; and he
waited SO long that he began to think
there was to be no lovers meeting that
night, until at last he saw the figure
creep along the beam and fix his pole
in the church window above-the latter
window was higher than the carpen-
ter's room-crawl swiftly up and enter
the tower and draw in the pole. He
darted out of tbe churchyard and into
the house where the carpenters room
was, rushed up stairs, found to his JOY
that the room door was not locked,
went in, dragged back by main strength
the beam from the window, put down
the glass of the window-it had no
! shutters-and ran down stairs, eXclaim-
ing as he went, "I have the rat now
caught in the trapw Then he burst
into the apartments of old ClairOn as
the latter sat pottering over his watches,
and told him story which made Clai-
ronis pulses thrill, and the veins in his
forehead swelled, and his eyes flashed
with maddened light.
Our lovers sat in the darkening
church, and Elsie's fingers sill sent out
their music. The lovers were happier
than they had been for some time, be-
cause Robert Dallas was able to tell her
some news which gave them hope
and they both looked forward to a near
approaching time when mystery and
cOncealment and clandestine meetings,
and the whole system of secrecy, which
was especially distasteful to Elsie's
clear, pure nature, should be at an end,
and the lovers could meet openly, ard
boldly demand the approval of their
love. So, as they spoke together in a
low, hopeful, happy tone, there came
a knocking at the church door, and old
Clairon's voice called angrily to his
daughter.
"Elsie, my dearest" said Robert,
calmly, ait will not do for me to be
found even now. Goodbye, love; give
mejust and one moment-keep on play
ing-and then open the door,"
And he sped up stairs, nothing doubt
ing that he should find the way of es-
cape easy as usual. E,lsie's color was
heightened and her limbs trembled at
the mere alarm of the knocking at the
door; but she, too, never dreamed of
any interruption to her lovers flight.
Robert Dallas sprang to the window
and seized his pole. Suddenly he fell
back amazed and startled, for on look
ing across he saw that the beam on
which he relied had been withdrawn,
and that the window of the room was
closed. A sickening sensation came
over him as he thought of the Odious
suspicious to which poor Elsie would
be subjected if-he were now found there.
Even in that moment OF confusion it
was evident to him that some enemy
was at work, that some exposure had
been planned and intended, and that
the object was to injure Elsie. He knew
what the fears and prejudice-onlyl in
this case too natural-Of old Clarion
were likely to be; and how little he
could blame the poor parent if he
thought the worst. Even if he had re-
mained in the organ-loft with Elsie and
braved the anger of her father it would
have been better; at least have shown
a consciousness of innocence. But now
to have hidden, to have fled, and to be
discovered after all could anything
look more guilty? No-nothing could
seem more guilty; and never were two
human beings in the world more innO-
cent. Elsje's fame was at stake
Every second that passed was fraught
with ruin. Robert ragged and chaffed
wildly he almost thought of f1inging
himself out of the window headlOng.
Then lie gathered his judgement and
resolution about him, and calmly sur
veyed the place. Between him and
the carpenters window there was in
deed dark, wide, awful gulf. But a
daring and athletic gymnast might |
leap across il; and Dallas had been !
trained in the best gymnastic schools
of England and Germany. He held |
his breath, gazed for moment, made |
his calculations, and decided. He
scrambled into the tower window, and
thence, summOning all the strength of
his fibres and frame, sprang feet-fore-
most, and holding his pole as if it were
lance, right at the carpenters room.
He had not Overrated his strength, agil-
ity, and accuracy of calculation. With |
a flight that almost took away his |
breath he crossed the space between |
wall and wall. His feet crashed
through the carpenters window, and |
he might with the shock have fallen |
backward, only that the moment he |
drove his pole through the window, he |
suddenly turned it into a horizontal |
position, and made it a bar which more |
than spanned the window inside, and |
enabled him to hold on safely and
maintain his place. Then he descend |
ed quietly into the room. His hands |
and arms were cut and scratched, but |
his face was quite uninjured; and i'm a |
mere moment The window was open. |
the broken sash taken away the beam
projected anew, and young carpenter
in his shirt-sleeves was planning away |
at the inner part Oft.
When Elsie ran down to open the |
church door she had but one resolve,
and that was-if her father came alone.
and came with any suspicion of her |
lovers presence to throw herself ON |
his affection and tell him all. But her
heart was chilled when she saw Steph-
en- Roseberry, and knew at a glance
that he had played the spy, and had
filled her fathers heart with suspicion.
Indeed, she got no opportunity of
saying anything. Her father only /
pushed her aside, and, led by Roseberry
sprang triumphantly into the tower, |
looked wildly, about him, ran to the
window, glai ed out of it, and then fell |
back utterly discomfited. There was
no one in the tower but himself and
Clairon. In the window of the carpen-
ter's room opposite lamp was now
burning, and the industrious young car
penter was quietly working away in his
shirt-sleves.
Sold J" exclaimed Roseberry, hoarse
and almost breathless with excitement.
"ClairOn, l swear to you he was here
five minutes ago."
And flew out of the window there.
like a bird, suppose" replied Clairon,
grimly, ROseberry, you have been
drinking, or your Jealousy has taken
away your wits. Only that can make
allowance for a disappointed man like
you l would make you suffer for this.
Go down stairs and get away, you fool!
/ was a greater fool still for paying any
attention to your story. Take your
dime romance tales somewhere else
next time"
Dncal,arrx, dacoapIaJ ,;Io,,t a,,<l .,,I