The Beaufort tribune and Port Royal commercial. [volume] (Beaufort, S.C.) 1877-1879, 1877-10-11
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family"
"The very depth of selfshness for me
not to sacrifice my whole life !" And
then there were tears again; for, in
fact, little Alice's whole life, between her
naturally joyous temperament and her
daily .reverses, was quite resolved into
April weather of sunshine and showers.
It was only that afternoon that, as
Alice was parting from Eugene. just be-
tween daylight and dark, he added to a
different class of remark some other OBJ
servations. "By-tbe-way," said he;
"the greatest joke of the season hap
pened at our house last night; the house
was broken into."
ooh, Eugene |! burglarsl Oh, Eugene!
did they attack you?''
"Attack me ?-no; they attacked
uncle's old desk there, burst open
drawers and compartments, found secret
places that I never knew before, and left
them open, and cleared out much as they
came, I fancy, except for the old silver
tankard that the directors had over
looked. Battered up the house little;
but as that belongs now to the Blind
Feejeeans, I don't feel the active in
terest might if it were mine. I was
just going to move out, though, any
way"
"Oh, it's a wonder they didn't kill
you, dear !" she cried, still dwelling on
the danger.
"Kill me? I slept beautifully through
the whole, and I should never have
known it but for Bridget's cries this
morning, and I ran down to find her
bowling over the open desk. 1t was
great joke, the idea of robbing me, as
should have told them, if had seen
them"
Alice went home trembling; and, as
she never kept anything to herself, took
the occasion at once to make herself
tremble again with indignation at her
mothers scorn of burglars SO stupid as
to try and rob Eugene Descamps, and
at her sisters satirical amusement.
Perhaps she trembled still more when,
three or four days afterward-during
whose space she had not seen Eugene
the door-bell rang, and that young
gentleman was shown into the Magilvray
parlor.
"Mrs. Magilvray," said Eugene,
standing hat in hand before the Roman
woman, ga week ago I should not have
dared ask you for the hand of your
daughter Alice" Mrs. Magilvray was
slowly drawing herself up to one of her
awful heights. "But," continued
Eugene, "thanks to a heaven-directed
burglar, who found, some nights ago, in
a secret compartment of my uncle's old
desk, his latest will-which, being of no
use to him, he politely returned to me
I am now to beput into possession OF my
uncle's estate"
ooh, the blessed burglars % cried
Alice, with clasped Enthusiastically
turned upon by her mother.
OF my urcle's estate" continued
Eugene, (Which the Institution for the
Blind Feejeeans has relinquished into
my hands without a contest. Under
such circumstances, said he, with a
sedate elegance of manner that only
self-reproach could have translated into
sarcasm, "I feel that it isnot impossible
you may find in me the qualities you
desire in a son-in-law."
"I am confident, Mr.. Descamps,"
said Mrs. Magilvray, " that you can not
hold me blameworthy if, with Alice's
beauty, and sweet temper, and accom-
plshments, and attractive"
"Oh, ma ma you needn't cry up
wares in this way!" cried Alice, with a
burning face. "Tell him he's welcome
to take such baggage"
"And the sooner the BETTER" cried
Eugene, catching the redeemed little
maid in his clasp, and holding her fast.
"I should be the last person to blame
you, Mrs. Magilvray, for setting high
value on what I find to be beyond price.
And there the Roman melted; and
Mrs. Magilvray tried to lift her eyes
benedictionwise, and stammer out some
thing about blessing little children, and
only succeeded in tumbling over into
hysteric.
It was some weeks later that Alice
came into the parlor with a little long
flat tin box in her hand. "It's Eugene's
bonds" said she. "He's just left them
at the door to take care of. He only ne
gotiated them yesterday, and got home
too late to deposit them in the bank. 1t
frightens me to death but he's been
telegraphed for, and has no time to 60
to the bank this morning either, and so
he leaves them here on his way to the
station. I sha'n't sleep wink. What
would you do with them, ma? Just
think Bonds in our house,"
81 should sit up all night and watch
them," said Maria.
Put them between the mattresses"
said Mrs. Magilvray, with the air of hav-
ing solved every problem, and having
been used to the presence of hundred
thousand dollars worth of bonds In the
house as mere pin-money. And between
the mattresses Alice put the box, having
first taken the precaution to tie one
end of a cord in the little paddock, and
the other end about her wrist.
It was little after midnight that Alice
woke wide-awake with one of those
starts in which you are sensible of an
unseen persons neighborhood. She sat
straight mp in bed and put out her
hands; one of them fell on a lump of
ice. It was Maria's face stone-cold with
terror.s She too was awake. ooh,
Alice" she contrived to whisper in q
ghastly whistle, "there's a man in the
room % At the same moment Alice felt
sharp tug at the string round her right
| wrist. There was man in the room.
He had been searching the house over
for the box, having never lost sight OF
Enoepe from the dav of the Wills prov