The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1873-12-11

door, and locked it.
Her husband, perceiving this move
ment, stood petrified.
Emma y he shouted through the
keyhole.
"Well, dear p
"Let me out. Stop this confounded
tomfoolery. I've had quite enough of
evil you promise, if I set you free,
not to leave the house to-night?"
"No" he beloved, dancing with
rage. "I mean to- show you that am
not a child. / am master, and will
have my own way. Open the door,
woman, 1 command you !"
"Never-at least, never until to-
morrow |"
"Agh l' he shrieked, gnashing his
teeth. "pll pay you out for this,
madame. This is some of that con-
founded old Pennewell's doing I've
seen you two together holding confab,
and spying upon me. Madame, I'll
leave you, do you hear ?"
"You can't. The doors locked, you
know"
"I'll break it down. I'll kick the
panels out"
They're oak, Eustace."
every WELL I'll try other means.
First of all, so you shan't see what
means, I'll stop up the keyhole."
This purpose he Immediately exeeu-
ted.
Mrs. Inglesby now began to feel
alarmed. What could he mean? Sui
eide, perhaps!
She hastened to find old Doctor
Protherwood.
doctor, I've locked him in, and he
is in furious rage. He threatens to
escape by desperate means p
Locked him in, and he's in furi-
GUS rage! Good! This confirms my
theory, Mrs. Inglesby, that your hus-
band is insane. Yes, YES. we'd better
put him in a straightjacket, and send
weeks quiet will probably cure him."
"But, oh, doctor that is such ter
rible step !"
"Not at all. You don't want to live
with a dangerous lunatic, do you?"
"What can he have meant by limiting
that he would escape from the room by
desperate means ?"
At this moment there was terrific
yell somewhere out of doors, succeeded
by the sound of struggling.
"Ah what do 1 hear |" cried the
doctor. His desperate means meant
the window. But he cannot have got
free, for my men were posted on the
grounds" ---.. .-.
the darkness without.
The struggle still continued, and there
were sounds of oaths.
A large crowd had already been drawn
around the combatants, and when poor
terrified Mrs. Inglesby, clinging to the
doctors arm, arrived on the spot, she
saw a singular sight.
There was Eustace, it is true, tied
hand and foot; but such figure
| He had dressed himself in hose and
doublet, and wore at his side sword,
and on his head q wi" His face was
powdered, and his cheeks rouged; across
his forehead were drawn thin black
lines, to represent wrinkles.
His wife rushed into his arms, but he
pushed her off.
"No, no" he said "We are hence
forth strangers %
Doctor brotherhood threw up his
hands, and said, in low voice, to old
Mrs. Pennewell, who had just arrived,
breathless
81 was right, after all, you see. He
is hopelessly mad"
Mrs. Inglesby was about to faint, but
the sound of another voice revived her
A lady rode up, her horse covered
with foam, and dismounting, advanced
In the light of the lamps, candles and
lanterns scattered about in the crowd
she was recognized as Mrs. Charlotte
RushtOn.
"What is the meaning of this ?" she
asked, excitedly. "Ah do my eyes de
ceive me? No, no; it is he |"
She flung herself on Mr.. Inglesby'
shoulder. He pushed her off, likewise
"Mrs. Rushton, this is reality, if yol
please, and we are not acting. Every
body seems to have gone mad hereabout
and 1 am the victim, you perceive, o
their first caprice"
"The rehearsal, Mr.. Inglesby, i
postponed till tomorrow evening. w
waited for you until we were tired, ant
at last 1 determined to ride over to Mon
trose. and discover for myself the caus
of your absence"
"My wife was the cause, madame
She locked me up. Determined not t
disappoint you, at once dressed my
self for my character, as you perceive
tore up some sheets, descended b
them from the window, and on landin
was seized by these ruffians, who wer
lying in wait for me-"
"Oh, Eustace |" cried poor Mrs
Inglesby, bursting into tears, 81 thin
/ see it all. You and Mrs. Rushto
have been arranging private THEATRICAL
and"
"And didn't want all the world t
= know the fact till the proper time
"Exactly !" said Mr.. Inglesby, wit
cutting sarcasm. "Wise little W.
: man p
Q "All your love-speeches in the peac
Y orchard were not the signs of insanit,
not realities at all"
"Only the language of my part, De
4 Jose de Calcavelle, in the comedy
n Smiles and Tears" replied Mr.. Il
! glesby. "My peculiar conduct whe
interrupted by you and your frieno
/ was also acting, but the joke has co
me dearly. This modification will ki
me. I shall never be able to show n
S face again."
e "But the letter, Eustace-the lett
I found, speaking of elopement?"
u ga property letter, of course.
you searched my pockets, too, chi
- missed the letter this evening, al
couldn't imagine what had become
n it. Without that letter the dress I
/ I