The Arkansaw traveler., 1886-04-10

as Mir. Bradlaugh is kept out, and rndnv the Orthopedic Hospital to spite me
 But, Mir. Charles, my motba, I fancy, has her suspicious reused and Il would not for worlds have my ds., mother know was concealing any,t;n, from her. She has been about Il ,aa7 deal ill the night of late, has sen, ,oa early to bed, and seems unea., .. though she suspected somethins wa9 going on which ought not to takr rlaca without her cognizance
 And you dare not ask her con>.r,qr
 No,' faltered Miss Mabel ">La so strictly conscientious, and so prin, and old-fashioned in her ideas tl,t am sure she would consider her,alf bound to inform your father of eyary thing. know it is not quite right mv meeting you like this every evenin, In, -but-it would break mv hear, fl were forbidden to sec you and hay. word with you. Hush "
 Miss White started trembled and laid her finger on her lip. >f. md Charles stood breathles>. for they b,,rj d step on the landing near the 1oor
 My mother is proving about wbi>. pered Mabel. "Oh, Charles lea, Charles do please hide She Will L.. coming in here to see that all i, r .Et There, slip through this little conceded door in the corner. You will find sion, descend to the state dining-room below go in there and await me. will conn. down to you when may. l can ,t4n back now unobserved into my room
 She thrust her lover through an ur,.n. ing in the panel, which was not no,ic,- able to cursorY eve and he found him. self on newel staircase of stone in ,b4 thickness of the wall 4 slit in tn, >jd,. l allowed a streak of moonlight to enter and he was able to descend without stumble. Charles was in his stocking soles and his tootfall was noiselc>> as that of cat
 At the bottom was the door into the dining-room which was exactly under the drawing-room The door was aiar | and Charles thrust it open with his fin. gers, and lightly, absolutely, noisclc,slv stepped into the grand apartment. into which, as into the room above, the moon poured its silvery etfulgence. Charle, stood petritied with terror. He had softly closed the door behind him or he would have recoiled through it when he saw-sittlng in the moonlight, on the marble fender, with his back to the fire. place, III pensive attitude, head in hand the sweep.
 Charles uttered an exclamation of horror The sweep sprang to his feet took step forward, saw Charles another Sweep-and recolled.
 .I both casting inky shadows on the pol ished floor, both sooty in garment, in face, ill hand each armed with a sweep, brush, stood these two for full minute silent, obServant as two duelists waiting the signal to fight
 Each was black in hand. with black feet, black suits, black faced, black capped, each as spectral as the other and each for all that casting shadow of consistency as substantial as the other In one only point did they diff fer; the second Deadleigh sweep was stouter in build than the first Thi, was not reassuring to Charles; he had heard that the sweep who had fallen in the chimney was man advanced in life, the father of seven children. He considered moment; was it possible that solicitude for his family left desti- tute, caused him to walk? Charles re- solved to inquire, and took step for ward. Thereupon, abruptly, the other sweep took a step backward and raised his brush as though to protect himself from blow, The raising of the brush startled Charles, and he stepped back Thereupon the other, as though gaining confidence, stepped forward It really seemed as though each was afraid of the other, as though each heartily wished himself to be a phantom, so as to evap. crate and escape the other How long the two sweeps would have stood con fronting each other, speechless, it is i'm possible to say, had not door, opened and female figure entered, with the words, " am late, but Mabel would not go to bed
 Charles Corder looked round, and recognized Mrs White She did not at first observe him; her eyes were di- rected toward the sweep hy the fire place.
 ' am sure we have both been indis- erect, said she-"I in telling you of the way into this part of the house through the chimney, and you in taking advan- tage of the superstitious fears of the servants to disguise your visits to me can quite understand that you are shy of Charles, knowing that you intend a change of condition but still, sooner or later he must know-and Mabel is becoming suspicious, l can see. How ever, now am ready, hobgoblin! let us practice the aspirate again, for l am resolved not to give you my hand till you can ask for it with an II, nor to be- come mistress of your house without an aspirate to it Then she seemed to observe the frozen, terrified aspect of the sweep, and she turned her eyes saw the second, screamed and stag gered against the wall.
 1t that moment, also, second door opened and flush of candle light filed the room. Mabel appeared, holding a bedroom candlestick, with an expres- ,NT, .-.>11 T