Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1874-10-01
Written for the Helena Herald
scRlesLET0N. AUTHOR.
EN LIEUT.. JAMES II. BRADLEY, L. :. A.
CHAPTER l.

Bang.
Ii WAS the rcpor, of Il pistol up stairs, fol-
lowed hy Shrll cry and sabrc-clash, as if
a terrific combat were raging
"Uh. dear. oh. dear. he's got the fit on
again, The furniture will all he ruined, and
the walls sigh, To look at. There. the bed
pos; got it. Its chopp, d nearly to pieces al
ready. suppose the Disguised Duke is
giving ii to the villain good now. Yes, that's
il: and Carlota is all tight again. What
very peculiar man Mr.. Scribbleton Is.
wonder il all authors arc like him. If so
they are strange creatures. No one would
imagine when the story comes out all nicely
pictured in the .S"ndoy Ltdytr, what 1t had
cost to write it, Well. he don't give way to
his inspiration except in his own room, and
as long as the rest of the boardcrs don't COM
plain. III rot turn him out: and they all seem
10 like him rs well rs do.
1t was Mr.. Scribblcton who fired the pistol;
and the reader has already gathered from
the remarks of his landlady that Mr.. Scrib-
blcton is an author. He is regular contrib
utor to the Sunday Ledger;: and he is at pres
ent engaged in the most thrilling and fascin-
ating story that his pen has yet given to its
columns. The last chapter left the lovely
he :oine in the hands of the principal villain
i'm very ticklish situation; and as Mr.. Scrib-
bleton arose from the breakfast-table this
morning. he remarked to Mrs. Sullivan that
he meant in the next installment to bring
about her rescue in n very dramatic manner
at the hands of the hero of the story, the Dis
guiscd Duke.
Let us take cautious look into the room
whence this uproar proceeded, and thus ar
rive at fuller comprehension Of the remarks
IF his landlady. The room is Mr.. Scribble-
toms. 1t is Il strange medley of the library
and the military. Besides the bed, wash
stand. table and two chairs, perfectly COM
mon things in furnishcdr rooms "to LET, there
is upon the left hand wall the most cxtraor-
dinary collection that ever adorned the Pri-
yatc apartment of a gentleman engaged in the
peaceful pursuit of Notwithstanding less
than All array. perfect museum, of swords,
spears. ba,tlc-aXcs, dirks, crOss-bows, guns,
ristols. armor Of all sorts, and warlikc i'm
plcments of every description, illustrating
every stage Of ancient. medieval, and modern
armament Facing this military collection is
"A set of shelves covering the entire side of the
room, where hundreds of volumes arc piled,
some new. some very old, representing in
fact almost as great lapse of time as that
exhibited in the arms and armor confronting
them. These are principally romanccs of the
sort given to the world in the columns of the
Sunday Ledger: and it was between their
covers that Mr.. Scribbleton obtained that &C.
curate knowledge Of men and things that so
greatly distinguished his contributions to the
excellent and popular periodical above men,
toned
Two nails upon the military wall. usually
occupied by pair of sabres and brace of
pistols. are at this moment empty; but glance
about the room discloses one of the pistols
living discharged upon the floor, another in q
belt about Mr.. Scribbleton's waist, sabre
tied to bctl.post in the position of guard,
while the other is welded in Mr.. Scribbleton's
hand, who whacks away fiercely at the bed
post, his countenance the while exhibiting all
the .ury popularity ascribed to an enraged
demon. This exhibition lasts for some mo-
ments, until at length lucky blow detaches
the opposing sabre from the bcd-post and
whirls il off across the room; when Mr.. Scrib-
bleton levels the point Of his weapon as II at
the throat of an imaginary adversary, and
shouts:
"Now yield thee, crime-polluted wretch