Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1872-12-20
kissing Mrs. Marksby most atfection.tely

kissing Mrs, Marksby most atfectionately
i could hear the report whore / stood.
80 delighted! Really, how nicely,
how beautifully YOU arrange everything
/ cant have things so nice, with all my
servants land--'
"Run upstairs, dear, do" said my
wife: "veu know the roem-my room,
right hand at the top of the stairs"
heard fiutter of female wings on the
stairs. What was / to do? If / could
have managed the other leg, wouldn't
have minded, but / couldn't. / hadn't
worn those dresssthings for a good while,
and don't get any thinner as grow Oh
err. No, for the lie of me, couldnf as
pose Of that other leg at such show notice,
What could do ? could onlyfush 70 tne
door, and set my back against IT. Dlu l
tell YOU this was our house-waiinlng party;
think not. Did tell ron our iahuioro
had altered the house for us, making our
bedroom larger hy adding sip thar had
formed a sepsrate room! l think nor.
And YETI ought to have told you all these
circumstances, to enable you to under
stand the catastrophe that followed. In
word. the door opened outward Id Tor
gotten that peculiariiy-neyer having had
. room so constituted beforehand never
will again. The door went open with
crash, and bounded backwards into Mrs.
Marksby's arms. Smelling-salts and sal
volatile, was there ever such an untoward
affair.
Rum-tid-itimity- tum-de-de! The music
struck mp for the dances as hoped back
into my room. hid my head amongst
the holsters and NUTS, and almost cried :;
for I'm such delicate minded man. Yes.
It hurt me good deal more than it did
Yrs. Markby, tor. would you believe II =
she told the story down below to the whole
company, with pantomimic action, and
when showed myself at the door oil the
drawing room, | was received with shouts
of distinguished laughter.
think called the Yorkshire people
dense Just now, didn /? Well, Ill add
another epithet. coarse, dense aud coarse.
| told 'em so; but they only laughed the
more.
The guests were gone. the lights were
out, slumber had Just visited my own eyes,
when right into my brain, starting me up
as if I'd, been shot, came noise, sort
of dull bursting noise. wasn't really
certain at first whether had heard q noise
or only dreamed of it. | sat up in bed
and listened intenily. Was it only my
pulse humping in my ears, or were those
regular beats the tramp of somebody's
muffled feet! Then heard an unmistaka-
bic sonnsl-creak, creak, creak--a door
being opened slowly and cautiously. All
in moment the idea flashed into my
head---twenty-two thousand pounds. You
see all this dancing and junketing and
laughing and chaiing, had completely
driven out of my mind all thought OF the
laf1e sum / had in my possession. | had
lsft IL "a my greatcoat pocket, which was
hanging up in the hall down stairs
Puff gust of wind came through the
house, rafting the doors and windows;
and then heard door slam, and q foot
step outside of some one stealing cauti-
ously away.
AWAY down stairs | went like mad
msn, my one thought to put my hand on
that greatcoat 1t was brown greatcoat
with long tails. and two pockets behind,
aud O little cash pocket on the left hand
side in front, and it was this breast pocket
10 which ! had put the money This
pocket wasn't as is usual. on the left hand
side, but on the right. There was no 9TH
er coat hanging on those rails, only my
wife's waterproof. What whoop made
to get hold of that coat Great heavens
it was gone.
| had carefully barred and chained The
front door before went to bed--now it
was unfastened | ran out into the street,
and looked up and down, hopeless and
bewildered. 1t was dark, damp night;
the lamp at the corner threw long sickly
ray down the streaming pavement, but
there WASH soul to be seen. Every
thing was still. and cold and dark.
The money WAS clean gone, yes, ii was
gone repeated these words mechani-
cally TO myself, as | crawled up stairs.
All the results of this loss pictured them
selves before me---dismissed from the
bank, ruin of all my prospects, utter ruin,
in fact! What could I do to what turn?
The blow that had fallen upon me was SO
heavy that it had benumbed my faculties.
ssas2t CONCLUDED TOMORROW