Wilmington daily commercial., 1875-08-07


passive figure. and then 1t the street. No, they
were not yet near home, What should she do
make scene, or endure the infliction quietly
| Tor five minutes more? Making scene would
justify her aunt forever in her objections to this
expedition. Margaret wavered, however, for just
| here the Frenchmans hand again pressed hers,
| and he leaned closer. She recoied, and the
| Prussan breath touched her check on tho 9TH
| er side.-This unbearable-a real Scylla and
Charybdis-and 30 absurd, too, that Margaret
could have laughed had she been less anxious.
| Not near home yet, and the Prussians hand in
the mnf again Margaret WAS suddenly seized
with bright idea. Her muf was held by cord
around her neck. Softly withdrawing her hands
| from it, she clasped them under her cloak, leav-
ing the muff in position, and trying hard to be
| sober as she watched the progre, ,s Of events.
Two minutes OF quiet then the muff was ag-
tated on both sides at once, and two hands stole
In from opposite directions. Finding nothing
| between, they clasped each othcr, then were
dropped as If each had been redhot, and two
| owners sprang to their feet simultaneously with
two exclamatons, one shrijl, ono deep, which
brought all eyes upon them, aud produced a
seconds silence that forced Margaret to check an
imprudent laugh.
" Bonner und-"
"Sacre-re-re ~
A storm of indistnguishable words followed,
above which rose Mrs. Somers's voice. crying,
Oh, Margaret, come-come here !"
In u moment the words and menances, that
| rapidly grew shriller, changed to blows. The
combatants were desperately unconscious Of any
but themselves. The carriage was in wild con-
fusion, the women screaming, the men shouting
hoarsey. 1t seemed an age, though it WAS hardly
two minutes, before the carriage wsi stopped
and two authortative-look individuals collared
the belligerent parties. Mrs. Somers, managing
to gain Msrgaret's ride, uttered a relieved ex-
clamaton.
'.Oh, policemen -
The carriage, already motionless, became still
within two lines OF expectant faces turned to
In net fpyoI Ii,,ao ~ Ua
suspiciously at Margaret, whose veil and bonnet
had been knocked Off in the struggle, and who
presented flushed and disordered appearance,
which size had not thought OF aging to remedy.
The Prussian and Frenchman stu growled at
each other under their mustaches. The police
put some short and stern questions in German,
which oliclted clamor of answers. Nobody, i'll
fact, know quite what it WAS had happened, and
each hazzarded conjecture. The inquirers
grew impatient, and silenced the clatter OF in
formers The glance that ran up and down the
row OF faces was arrested by Margarets aspect,
and one policeman, consigning mis- prisoner to
third, stepped to Margarets side, and laid a hand
on her shoulder, at the same time saying some-
thing in German. Mrs. Somers screamed.
"Oh, pray don't Shed nothing to do with
it. They only knocked her bonnet off,"
The officer did not comprehend. Margaret, in
mortal terror, began i'll French;
"Ce nest pas moi, monsieur, vraiment Je
he connnis pas Cos hommes la, je-"
Her voice was drowned in her aunts vouble
speech. The policeman looked polite, but firm,
and again laid a hand on Margaret's shoulder,
condescending to French
Pardon ma aamsele, mais il faut que vous--"
"Oh !" cried Mrs. Somers catching the drift
OF this speech, 'you mustn't, you can't Oh
won't somebody help us2 l told you how it
would be, Margaret knew something would
happen"
Her niece made no other comment than to
burst into tears, which failed to soften the Off
cor Of the law but just here another voice made
itself heard, and the young American who had
Sat opposite stepped forward removed his cap to
the ladies, and spoke some rapid French senten-
COS TO the policeman, who listened less doubtful
ly. Margaret mado out that he told the man
she was '.Anglais CONNIE moi, that it was not
tho s'faute do mademoiselle," " but that of ices
facheux Ia" A deal more he said, at whose
meaning Margaret could only guess. At any
rate, it was effectnal, for the guardian of the
law withdrew his hand, bowed low, and left the
carriage, upon which every one looked relieved,
and the stranger, turning with smile to his pro-
tegees said
s'If you will allow me TO see you to your hotel,
shall be very glad to putmyself at your service.
am countrymen Of yours, and il am not
mistaken, neighbor."
Mrs. Somers took the card extended to her,
and read upon it edward l.. Tracy" then ex-
claimed, in genuine amazement.
"What one of the Tracys Of P-street
Boston 7"
"a son of Merrivale Tracy, 81 P street."
was the response.
'Indeed How strange this is and how fortu-
nate l never WAS 30 relieved in my life Mar
garet never shall"
"If you please put in thatyoung lady that
is, think we had better get out. know we've
passed the place we ought to have stopped at
AMI don't know where we are"
They had gone quite distance beyond their
destination, and during the walk back Margaret
acknowledged to herself that it WAS pleasant to
have an escort, and that pantaloons were not
such bad things after ALL 1t may haye been her
relief that rendered her more gracious than
usual to the owner of those particular pantaloons
that defended her that night. Even the influx
of strong -mindedness that came on her return to
Boston could not make her ungrateful or un-
gracious to Mr.. Tracy, who followed her thither.
And when, az they walked to church in the Pu-
ritanical procession one calm summer morning,
Mr.. Tracy said, gravely, that he wanted the
right to protect her for life, and added, laugh
ipglv, " on steam. cars aud in public conveyances
as well as withindoors, it might have been graf
itude that made her blush and hesitate, or per-
haps self interest, since her final answer showed
that the had been converted to belief in the
uttyof antaloons.-Harper's Bazdr.