Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1871-05-04

ing my coat, was conscious OF peculiar
stir and tumult astonishing the quiet inn !;
clatter and clank, q ringing Of steel
accOutrements, and the sharp clash of
hoofs on the paved court yard. I heard,
too, the rush Of pattering feet, which be-
tokened that the London gamin was awake
TO the prospect of little excitement
Now, looking from my window, saw a
small detachment Of hussars drawn up
outside our Office. Opposite the door was
a cab, a policeman on the box. Halfa-
dozen mounted police were drawn up on
either side, and the British public massed
itself behind the cavalcade.
heard clerk flying up the stairs, and
he burst into my room, exclaiming 90,
Mr. Brown, you're wanted Immediately
by the Chief Commissioner of Police.
Had it come for me, then, this caval-
cade: Was to be carried off on the eve
of my wedding-day. Was to be spirited
away to join my poor friend Chubbs l
remembered such things in weird stories
Il had read, as boy; and was really 80
much shaken, that had found myself
crammed into the carriage, and disappear
ing in thundercloud, | shouldn't have
been much astounded.
Ne, not more astounded than / was,
when, going to the window of the cab, /
saw, sitting beside police officer, and
heavily ironed, Chubb Jacksonl
He wasn't bit altered, only Drowned
and more manly.
Med, old fellow, I can't shake hands
with you for these COMPOUNDED handouts
but you're looking jolly. l want you to
come with me to the police Office, to iden-
tify me. They want to make out that l
am Colonel Brady, the head center Of the
Fenians; but you can tell them better than
that, eh NedS Come, jump in"
l got into the cab in maze Of bewilder-
ment.
How did I stand! Was I going to be
married tomorrow, or would Chubb usurp
my place? Who did the house in Regents
Park belong to? and the portmanteau
ready packed at my lodgings? No, that
was mine, at all events. And the months
holiday? Good heavens, why didn't the
fellow stop another day? What did he
mean by sitting there grinning at me,
looking so happy? Happy; Of course he
was happy. Wasn't he going home to his
Letitia?
Why should I be bail for this man
what did l know about him? The last
two years might have made a Fenian of
him Was / certain he wasn't Colonel
Brady? Was it fiend which whispered
in my ear, keep him locked up till the
day after to morrow"
But the fiends may whisper as they will
the habit Of truth and honesty is the best
exorciser of demons. When we arrived
at the police station, and when shown into
the magistrates private room, my course
was plain, Mr.. Pusslewit, the magistrate,
knew me well enough.
could answer for the man in custody;
he was not Fenian at all. He was
Chubb Jackson; was an intimate friend Of
my own. His detention would be very
serious affair for the police; but released
now, / would undertake that no action
should be brought against the government.
The upshot was, that half an hour saw
Chubb and myself walking toward Char
ing cross arm -in-arm.
had made up my mind as to the course
/ should adopt. Chubb had satisfied me
that he had not Intentionally left us in the
dark as to his fate. His Iaclses were not so
great as to debar him from equity. felt
that he had the prior claim; that l could
not resist the decree of the court above.
/ would take him to Letitia; tell her in
half dozen words that resigned her to
him; leave them to be happy together;
and then, all, time enough to think of that
when then came.
"Chubb, we'll have cab, and go to
your aunt's at once"
"But, Ned, I'm SO horribly hungry.
I've had nothing to eat since breakfast this
morning on board the Hamburg; and if 1
remember right, aunt has tea about this
A. la 81 1nt Gre nod for
emergencies. Let's go to the Wellington
and have jolly good dinner; FL stand
the sum, for I'm flush to degree"
We went to the Wellington, and Chubb
took great pains in ordering the dinner.
l couldn't taste it, nor had it any percepti
BILE effect upon me.
Chubb was full of his adventures. He
had sailed for America from Southampton
on the day of his disappearance; he had
posted letters to us all, explaining the
cause of his exodus; we afterward found
the letters in the breast pocket of the old
coat hanging up in his atelier. He had
found out at New York some relations Of
his own, who, it turned out, were people
Of influence in America, some of them be-
ing high in office. His desire being to
ScItC Ill tuC Wal VA oCScroioh ehSh SoAb6
on, his friends procured him commission
in a fighting regiment and Chubb had
seen good service "Ask anybody who
knows if there's anything said about the
Forty second Pennsylvanians and English
Jackson" said Chubb, with a flush of
pride in his face. He'd written home
several times, he said vaguely, but postal
communications were irregular, and Chubb
wrote such a shocking scrawl, that
wasn't surprised his letters never came to
hand
Wouldn't his aunt, all being explained,
really 90 down on her knees and worship
the young heroS Her own nephew one of
the braves in the great war! And Letitia
too; he'd gone through all this for her, to
make himself worthy Of her love.
How happy they'd ali be! Only l, a
miserable pale faced lawyers clerk-only
in the way.
"Come, Chubb. let's 60" said hoarsely.
"Let's have c7tnsss cafe and smoke
before we go, Ned"
mo, no; come now, come now"
If didn't get it over soon should
break down.
"But I've something to tell you, Ned.
Come along"