Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1873-03-21
''Herbertl Herbertl my dear Herbert,

Clara had gone to him, and he was
clasping her in his strong arms, while her
face was hidden in his great beasd.
my own, my darling, my own true
darling, she loves me still.
But why describe their meetingP Mr..
Blake said to me at once:
"My dear sir, / am not wanted here,
and l doubt If yQu are" and we left
them. i 90
In half an hour we thought It possible
we might be less in the way, and we went
in. They sat on the sofa ct suspicious
ly great distance from each other, and
looked as happy and foolish as possible.
And now, my dear Herbert, please to
explain to us what has taken you at least
half an hour to make clear to my niece. I"
well, my dear Uncle-I may call you
UncleW rf-.. r-
"oh, yes. A month sooner is not much
consequence"
Don't, Uncle" said Clara.
"You know how went away, with
Just enough to pay for my tools and out
at and passage. / went to California, to
the diggings, and was lucky, and got a
good claim, worked it, made little
money, took shares in machine, worked
the claim, improved the machinery, be-
came manager, director, and got rich,
started six months ago to come home for
Clara, took the fever at Panama, was
down for two months there, not able to
move hand or foot, and arrived only last
night in Liverpool. There met an old
friend and heard all the news OF poor
Websters g death, the promise, the rest,
and, above all, that tomorrow was the
day. / started by the first train to get to
London, thinking that the marriage
would take place there, and that should
be in time. Looking out of the window
of the carriage as the trains were passing
each other at Peterborough, l saw Clara
with her mother. did not see you. l
was mad; they had both started; coHld
not get out. There was Clara going from
me, and going from her, as fas: as ex-
press trains could take us. What could l
do? knew nothing of where she was
going, and yet my information was posi-
tive that she was going to be married to-
morrow, solely because she would keep
her promise.
"Can you wonder at my doing as didH
The train did not stop till il reached Lon.
don, and found that by the time had
hunted up the address to which you had
gone from the servants at home, l should
have lost the last train and not been able
to get here till long past midnight. What
to do could not think.
In the carriage in which I sat some
body had been talking about the murder
of Tawell, and the telegraph, the police
on the doorstep, and so on. 1t all flashed
on my mind in an instant.
81 went to the telegraph Office and
looked in. There was only young lad
there.
81 went in and called him.
"'Can you telegraph to York for met?
GO Certainly, SIR
al wrote the telegram you saw
&c You must sign this, sir.
No, l must not, young man, and /
drew him toward me by the shoulder.
"'M My names Field, Inspector Field;
you understand?
"' Oh! certainly, sir. Did you catch
that man the other day9 l heard Of it
from one of our clerks
"Oh, yes; caught him safe and sound;
he's in Newgate now
&c Indeed, sir, said the lad.
Z" You'll send that at once; the trains
due in less than an hour. I'll see you do
it
"He did send it and as ! heard the
click, click, click, it was like the throb of
new heart circulating fiery blood in my
arteries, for knew it would enable me
to see you, Clara dear, and then came
down, as you see, by the train, and feel
disposed now to embrace all the telegraph
clerks in the kingdom"
"Well, young man, it's dangerous
game; suppose you are aware it's an
offense not lightly punished to pretend
you are an officer of police?" said MIR.
Blake.
MY dear Mr.. Blake, if it was death on
the instant of discovery, and | was in the
same strait, l should do the same thing
over again"
"You must find a prosecutor, Mr..
Blake" said Clara, 'and as /, the princi
pal person concerned, am not going to
prosecute the officer, l think he will
escape"
"And why" said I, 'did you not tele-
graph to Clara directS"
Because feared that Mrs. Webster
might possibly have prevented our meet
ing"
Mr.. Blake left us with his eyes twink
ling and muttered something to me about
''servitude for life"
A month after this / had the pleasure
of giving away my niece to Herbert, and
in two months more had the pleasure of
reading In the Times the announcement
of the marriage of Mrs. Webster to
Francis Tredgar, Esq, OF Tredgar Hall,
to which ceremony, l need scarcely say, l
was not invited.
Clara, Herbert and live together, and
to this day he is spoken of among his in
Inmates as Herbert Langley, ''that active
and intelligent officer"