The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1878-11-13

II. Nhi' -thVSPhAAuH RtoN5HtSA SSVi'
cut a 6gurein Pit.sbur
He exchanged his.sl bby clothes
flor others Of fashionable cut and ex.
cellentquality, placed 4 gold watch
in his fob, put on clean linen and
appeared to be a gentleman.of forty
,or something under, well-manneied
and well educated.
\ Heneeforth Masblehepd's business
was advertised ascondicted by Mar,
blehead & Broughton, ind the peo-
pie wondered Why theiSld man took
a partner at,all. q.
Very soon Ralph RsAtOn found
that everything, save AliceN was
changed. Ike Mafblehead sommepc-
ed TO drink deeply, neglect his bust
ness, aud avoid the society. Of his
clerk, who hstinetiyelf discovered
in Mr.. Theophilus Btqhs shtop, a bold
bad man, and an,enen1y That gen
tleman proved to be an excellent
man ofbusincss, and hnder his man;
agement the store became SO profta-
BILE that Marhlehead, recovering, his
confidence and feeling convinced that
Broughton for his own sake would
not betray him, becamB teconciled 70
fthe possessor of his terrible secret,
Fleft of drinking, and thought alone
Of making money.
The year expired, and Ralph de.
manded the fulfllment of Marble
heads promise, but he was put OF
for another six months, and.the fem-
barassed manner oftheold man made
him fear that there Rsssonie under
hand work going on.
Broughton wished todischarge the
clerk at once, but MarBlehead would
not permit him to carry out his wish
es for sometime.
"The lads done no harm,n,, he said,
"let him stay" e-%
But Broughton washot to be thwar-
ted. One fne morning Ralph found
note on his desk, telling him that
the firm of Marblehead aud 'Brough-
ton had no further need Of his ser.
vices, and that an engagement exist
ing betweenh him and Alice was there.
by rendered null and void. Angry
and wild with despahs q you may
ludyehemas salplll ID HsUagi-
ton with malice and treachery, and
asked to see old Marblehead, and was
finally tumbled headlong out Of the
store after spelling Mr.. Broughton's
face, and breaking things generally.
Alice, ignorant of all this, was
kept carefully out of the way until
nightfall, when, receiving a letter
from Marblehead, who stated that he
was awaiting her ina town not
fur from Pittsburg, she got into q
sleigh and was driven offb by Theoph.
illus. who showed considerable famil.
iarity with the ribbons. 1t was a
bright cold night in the commence
ment of winter, and Alice, warm
without, enjoyed the ride greatly at
first. Just as the sleigh reached the
outskirts of Pittsburg, then an insis-
nifcant town, and the foot of the old
bridge, which, raised on wooden piers,
once upon time spanned the Alle-
ghany river, a man sprang to the
sidewalk and called OUT in tones Of
agony, "Alicel Alicel"
She knew that voice, and guessing
the truth all at once, would have
thrown herself from the sleigh, but
Broughton's strong arm was around
her waist, keeping her down in the
seat. He seized the whip with the
hand that heldthe reins and lashed the
trotting horse savagely. A splendid
roadster, able to do its thirty miles q
day without losing flesh, and there
fore altogether unaccustomed to the
whip, the anitidl swerved violently,
threw its fore feet into the air, and
brought the vehicle TO the very edge
of the bridge, Broughtcn jerked out
an oath, pulled the nearer rein, and
once more brought the lash down on
the horses. .Aanks. In a moment
the strident cry of fear escaped him.
Once more the horse reared, dragging
the vehicle half over the dizzy edge,
and then leaped right over.
Ralph came up just in time 10 see
the terrible accident, and was breast
ing the cold waters Of the Allegheny
in u few minutes, determined tosayo