The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1875-10-29
A STORY SUCCESSFULLY TOLD.


dear little Laura Is greatly taken with a
tall, thin young man, with a hooked
nose and thin lips, called StUyvesant.
1t Is whispered about the hotel that he
Is very good match, and has the verita-
BILE blue blood of the old Dutch governor
in his veins. | must say it has Il queer
way of showing itself, for the young man
Is rs palC asa spectre and dressed in that
white duck, with his sunken eyes and
bilious skin, is enough to frighten one.
1 have grown to hate him, while Laura
Is growing to do quite the contrary, I'm
afraid. All the evening he leans up
against the wall, never dancing, or open
ing his mouth save to give vent to some
hateful sarcastic criticism upon the scene
around him, and yet dear little Laura S
eyes-as, indeed, all the other pretty
eyes aboUt-are perpetually beseeching
him for attention In the daytime he i
alwavsd rivingw long black horse, that
covers more ground with its legs wheE it
Is going than any animal l ever saw.
When Laura goes out 70 drive behind 1t
and banishcs out of sight with the bony
creature, | tremble to think how dread
full it would be if our dear little girl would
ever become. part and parcel of this
wretchcd man and his wicked beast. So
| think John had better come down at
once; | Just long to see his handsome
face and hear his honest voice, and /
think it Is about time John should tell
H. little story to Laura, and have things
settled comfortably"
Mr.. Archibald Steele smiled when he
put the letter of his wife in his waistcOat
pocket, and picking up the morning
paper, scanned through his gold-rimmed
spcctacles the news of the day. Finding
nothing therein to rufile the exceedingly
satisfactory condition of his affairs, he
put it down, and smiled again as only a
prosperous, contentcd, downtown mer-
chant can smile He was one Of those
happy exceptions to the ordinary rule OF
mortals with whom everything went
well. His whole appearance was an eX-
clamation point to that effect. If he
ventured a little hazardously in trade,
fortune trimmed her sails to favor him.
If he set his heart upon anything relat-
ing TO domestic felicity, all the elements
of art and nature cOnspired TO bring it
about. SO when he stepped to the door
of his office and heckoned to a young
man with a strip of commercial paper in
his hand and pencil behind his ear,
with that general air of briskness and
shrudeness about him that betokened Il
successful merchant in embryo, Mr.. Steele
smiled the third time, with the air of
one who was not at all afraid of any
bilious, blue-bloOded abstacle that might
be thrown in the path of domestic hap
piness which he firmly believed had been
arranged by an Omnipotcnt hand.
John" said Mr.. Steele, closing the
door of his private office, and looking
L. IL. LIT L.
GIVE got an order here from Mrs.
Steele, which | want attended to-"
Certainly, sir" said John. Shall l
go up and get the articles MYSELF"
Why, the fact Is, John" said the
merchant, enjoying the Joke more and
more, Its only one article-a rather
bulky one. 1t was bargained for long
ago. | think you will have to go with
it, John
'Down to the sea-shore," said John,
getting little hot and tiustcred. rs it
Il very valuable parcel, sir?'
"WclI, perhaps your natural modesty
may dcprcciate its worth. John. Mrs.
Steele and think a good deal of it, and
Laura, too-Im sure she does. The com
modify Is yourself, John. Mrs. Steele
wants You to 90 down and take little
holiday there
When the name of Laura was men
toned, the young mans face grew more
tlustered and hot than before.
you are very kind, sir, he raid, "and
Mrs. Steele Is always more like an angel
than a woman
Rather solid and plump for that, - III
terpOsed Mr.. Steele, but liking the phrase
nevertheless.
But it Is simple Madness" pursued
John, Ito dream of further happiness than
/ ENJOY now-yOur affection and that of
your wife, my position here; | don't dare,
/ can't hope for anything more. Oh, Mr.
Steele, ! can't tell her my story, sir. She
would shrink from me with horror and
aversion, she Is 50 young, so beautiful
Let me at least enjoy the present"
And IN the meantime some Cadaver-
Gus, bilious, blue-booded scoundrel will
carry her off from us all
Then Johns face grew pale and stern.
eff there is the slightest feeling upon her
part for-for any one else, then, indeed
Mr.. Steele, my case is hopeless"
The commercial paper tluttered from
his hand, the pencil fell from his ear;
he leaned his head against the desk and
trembled.
"Why, who would suppose You could
be such a Coward?' said Mr. Steele. i'm
PetuoUslv. you shall 90 down with me
this very day. >
All the way to the sca-shore, Johns
face wore the look of one who had re-
solved to storm a deadly breach, but who
didnot hope to survive the attempt
Even the ocean, when it confronted
them, wore a threatening look. Upon
the horizon pile ofcloUds formed back
ground wan and gloomy, a great black
mist lay in the zenith, dense red vapor
almost touched the water.
a very nasty sea- said Mr. Steele.
John snutied it in his eye dilating. his
broad shoulders expanding, his head high
in the Sca-sCented air.
4 tramp on the hard wet sand. and like
a meteor a long black horse shot by. dis
appearing i'm the mist, leaving for John
the memory of charming head crowned
with blonde curling hair, two kind eyes
bent upon his own, white waving hand
extending in salutation.
John said Mr.. Steele, did you sec
the face of that man? | count upon your
saving Laura. Did you see his thin, cruel
lips. his treacherous eyes"'
Il only saw Laura, sir said John,
simply.
Later on, Mr. Archibald Steele and his
plump. pretty wife were alone together
in their private parlor Her dimplcd
hand Law lovingly in his, her shapely head,
fresh from the coiffeur, rested recklessly
on his SHOULDER.
Suddenly the door opened, and there
was heard the rustic of silk drapery. 4
still Shapelicr little head, and fresher from
the hands of the coitfeur,all crumpled up
by the audacious touch ola mortal pecpcd
in at the door. Laura was pale; her lit
tie white hands were clasped together;
her musical voice tremhled
- Into the water, child into the hun
CRY green waves that surgcd up to take
her away from the fondest heart in the
universe; and if it hadn't been for one
of those very vagabOnd boys, who had
been lurking there for chance to escape
from the island, you would have lost Us
both. my dear, for | made an agOnized
plunge after her, though I'm not ashamed
to say | couldn't swim a stroke, and
should only have gone to the bottom
like plummet of lead, but an official
.ar,arIv aud hold mo ,nI