The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1882-01-18

young lady, much troubled by the
strangeness of the query.
.'Aviss? Why, that means a bird
in Latin. What class of birds do you
belong to-nightingales, wren2 In
any case, / should call you a bird Of
paradise
The young lady blushed, but made
mo answer.
VI mean, Of course, that any place
you inhabited would become a para
disc, explained the young rector,
growing more hilarious. II is the
curse of shy men that, getting SO lit
tie practice conversing with women,
they never know where to stop;when
preadventure they do get a chance Of
talking. 1t is by shy men that the
rudest things are habitually said and
done through sheer inexperience.--
Mr. Gloam had no idea that he was
transgfessing the pFoprieties. He
thought he was making himself very
funny andagreeable. He remember
ed that Mr.. Yaddy, his fellow curate
in the last parish where he had sery.
ed, used to say the most startling
things to girls, who only giggled, as
if they liked it. Yaddy had assured
him that they did like it; and Yaddy
was. not an improper man by any
means-much the contrary, and he
was trusted by mothers Of all denom-
nations. Thought Mr.. Gloam, as the
train sped along: 81 have heard Yad.
dy joke about mistletoe, and l am
sure if he had been with this pretty
girl, he would have had a little
brotherly fun with her." for it was
one of honest Yaddy's maxims that
we are all brothers and sisters here
below, and ought TO behave as such.
~ say, Miss-Aviss," suffered the
Rev. Jude, with leer, "supposing
there were piece Of mistletoe in his
carriage2"
No answer from the girl, but her
eyes opened wide, and she shrank up
trembling in her corner Of the carri.
age, 4
ell think there is a piece, look
there!" continued the foolish man,
pointing to the lamp in the ceiling,
for he meant to be facetious.
The girl was now fairly frightened
and moved from her seat to the fur
ther corner Of the carriage. She had
heard Of drunken ruffians insulting
ladies in railway carriages, and she
set down her reverend companion as
being 'dlunk-ana possibly q ruliian.
No doubt his clerical ,garb was only
q disguise.
"What are you running away for?'
asked Mr.. Gloam, and he rose 10 fol-
low her with an unsteady gait,
caused not so much by his tipsiness
|Af5r he was not regularly tipsy-as
by the oscillation of the train. But
to the affrightened girl who saw him
stagger it looked as i he were dan.
gerously.inebriated.
"lf you approach another step, sir,
1 shall scream!" cried She, starting
up with all the color fled from her
face.
>~What for?" asked the Rev. Jude,
and putting out his hand to steady
himself, he quite unintentionally
rested it on her shoulder. The
movement of recoil which this ap.
parent assault caused the girl to
make, threw Mr.. Gloam off his bal.
ance, and he pumped into the seat
from which she had risen. This on.
ly increased the girls fright, and
wildly opening the window OF the
carriage, she screamed "Help! helpl
murderp
In an instant Mr.. Gloam was So
bered. The girls shrieks cleared all
the fumes of wine from his brain,
and showed him in what a desperate
position he had placed himself
"For Gods sake, don't scream like
that" he implored, "you'll ruin me,
and seizing the girl by the waist he
wrenched her from the window.
"Help!" she gasped, as she fell or
to one of the seats, and struggled tc
regain her footing.
"Miss Aviss, for God s sake, let INT
explain" entreated Mr.. Gloam, seiz
ing her hands; but the horrible fea,