Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-03-08

l
ened until he burst into q uproarous fit o
/ laughter.
"vereksr, by Jove !" he yelled. "What
ever have yeu been doing to yourself ?"
l looked down at my own costume ant
was forced to acknowledge that there wa
very little to choose between us. VIVA
with the wall and the ditch and the under
wood aud the briars, there was hardly al
article of clothing which was fit to be worI
again. The two of us looked more like
couple of scarecrows on tramp and il
search of employment, than two prominen
members of the Junior Bar.
"What are you doing here, Elliott ?"
asked.
Exploring" he answered, evasively
"what are you ?"
"Explor-. No, hang it. why can't W,
be frank to one another. Bob? You know
very we'll you came altar that girl"
My companion looked sheepish. "Well
I suppose you did the same 2" he said.
''Of course did. What fools we wer,
to try and bamboozle each other. If W,
had stuck together we might never havt
got into such plight.
"Pm very sure l should never have tum
bled into that internal ditch if had seer
you 90 in, said Bob, ruefully.
sob, you've been in the ditch, too, hav;
you?" l remarked, with the first approach
| to satisfaction 1 had felt since LEFT
O'Keefe's hospital roof.
"Yes," groaned Bob. 81 think have
been through the whole performance. Die
you see any notices on the trees ?"
81 did,"
"Has old Dennis been round to you yet 2
"No; have you seen him p
"Yes, he passed within ten yards of me
| a short time ago. At least l suppose ii
was him-a big gaunt fellow with great
stick.
"Heaven save US !" calculated.
"However, he has passed now, and the
question is what are we to do?"
"Persevere, responded manfully. at
would be more dangerous to go back than
to 90 on since that truculent gatekeeper is
behind US"
fright you are, said Elliott, with a
melancholy attempt at cheerfulness. on
lead on and I'll follow"
"No, you go first" answered, not,
am bound to say, from any innate courtesy
or feeling of politeness, but with an idea
that dangers from the abomirations men,
toned on the placard would be lessened
thereby.
We threaded our way through the forest
in Indian file, and after advancing for
about half mile were evidently close to
the edge of it. The trees were smaller and
the implanted spaces larger. Suddenly
Bob pulled up and pointed in front of
him.
There's the house" he said.
There it was sure enough, stern.look-
ing edifce of gray stone with large num-
Der of small, gllmmering windows. There
was lawn in front of it, very tastefully
laid out, which somewhat relieved the
gloomy and prison-like appearance of the
building. No one was to be seen either
outside or at the windows. We held a
council of war as to what our next step
should be.
"We can't walk right up to the house
under some excuse or other, can we?" said
Bob.
SIT would be too dangerous" l re-
marked. There is no saying what they
might do to US. They seem to be very saw.
age people.
"Besides it would be the very last way
to have any chance of saying few words
to the young lady" added my companion.
1.-THE whole thing makes a deuced ro.
mantle situation, observed.
81 wonder what Pendleton would think
of US if he saw us ?"
"Poor shy Pendleton think he would
put us both down as madmen."
"It's a pity he is 80 retiring" said Bob.
"But l say, Jack, what do you intend
to say to the young lady when you see
her ?"
"Why, I propose to tell her of my love
straight of, and ask her to fly with me. 1t
must all be done to-day. I'm not coming
in here again on any consideration. Pc.
81 les, l think it will not be difficult to
carry romantic girl OF that sort by kind
of coup de man."
But that's exactly my plan, said Bob,
plain.ively.
1.-THE deuce it is :" 1 calculated. "By
George There she is !"
The last exclamation was drawn from me
by the appearance upon the steps of the
house of an elegantly dressed young lady.
Her features were invisible, owing to the
distance, but her erect carriage and the
long, graceful curves of her figure showed
that report had not exaggerated her
charms. She turned as she came out, to
address an elder woman, her mother pro.
badly, who followed her. The latter
seemed, as far as we could make out, to be
weeping, for she raised her handkerchief
TO her eyes several times, while the girl
passed her arm round her neck as if to con-
sole her. In this she appeared to succeed,
for the elder went back into the house, and
the younger sprang down the three steps at
single bound and hurried away, with
long, elastic steps, down the path which
led into the shrubbery.
"We must follow her !" cried.
"Take your time" said Bob. "We
must come to some agreement before we
start. 1t would be too ridiculous for the
two of US to plunge at her together and be.
gin pouring out two confessions of love.
I" 1t might startle her, l remarked, "es
| pecially as she has never seen either of u;
before"
"Who is to have the preference, then ?
81 am the elder" l observed.
"But then l left the inn first" objected
Elliott.
"Well, suppose we toss for it.
81 suppose we must" said Bob gloomily,
producing penny and spinning it up il
| the air. Heads, SO it is. Just my luck
! OF course, if after your proposal the young
lady thinks fit to refuse you l am al
liberty to do whatever l choose. Is that
agreed?'
Certainly" l answered, and we both
pushed on rapidly through the shrubbery,
gaining confidence as we saw some pros
pect of attaining our object.
"There she is" whispered Bob, as we
saw the futter of pink dress among tine
! trees in front OF US.
"Theres a man talking to her."
impossible !"
"There is"
II there was he must have disappeared
very rapidly on hearing our approach, fol
when we got near enough to her to see hel
whole figure she was alone. She turned
with start of surprise, and seemed in.
clined for moment to run away from us,
but then recovering herself, she came
toward us. As she advanced l saw that
she was one of the most lovely girls that
! had avar aaan in NV Efe-nnt at all the