Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1886-08-11
CHAPTER XIV.

Now, it was just five months after Michael
Strangfeld had departed this lfr, which
brings US into the sloppy, ingloriouS month
of November, that there hung over London,
close down to the streets. yellow fog.
All about the monument, and where
maze Of streets meet, to pour their crowds
toward London bridge, the fog was thickest
Here were many vehicles at standstill, and
voices belonging to invisible creatures went
through the fog, with the clang Of bells and
stamping and slipping Of iron-shod feet.
A hackney coachman, swathed in a mass
Of capes and looking, with the immense
white shawl around his throat like an arti-
choke trimmed with sauce, suddenly brought
the horse he had been pulling and hauling at
to stand, and, slapping down his whip on
the roof Of the vehicle, leaned over and
shouted into the window:
"There's no movin ag'in' it You can git
out or sit we're you are, hut here stops"
And, saying this, he recovered his u, right
posture, and with great deliberaton folded
his arms under his caps
Tie individual thus addressed. protruding
his head through the window Of the carriage,
took despairing look at the blank 81 enc
around, filled with outlines which grew de-
fined Or vanished, as the folds of the fog cir
cled or released them.
whereabouts are we, coachmanN he
called out:
"If I knew III 20 ahead, and blow tho
odds" replied the man
But the gentleman inside was clearly too
impatient to behave SenSibly: for. catching
hold of q travelling bag. h jumped into the
middle Of the fog, and, giving some money
to the coachman, went steadily in the direc-
tion to which his nose happened to point;
and. luck being with him, he came to the
pavement
He asked man the wav to Cornhill.
"S;raight on" was the reply. And after
twenty minutes of humping and cropping,
and when he had measured some two hum
dred yards the fog lifted the whole space
and scene around cleared. and with rush
and shout London went to work again
1t was short walk to Cornhill. Looking
carefully from sid. to sid. rs h, went our
friend arrived presently at passage. on
which, amid other names. carefully ind-
Gated by a pointing hand, was the scroll,
George Hunter and Company, Second
Floor" He mounted the gloomy staircase,
and reached landing Of four doors, on one
Of which he knocked
Behind a tall, long desk were several
clerks writing by lampight
II WISH" said the gentleman, ITO see the
principal-the owner Of the ship Elizabeth
At the sound of that name the whole of
the clerks looked up like one man and stared
at him
"Certainlv." exclaime one Of them. jump.
ing up. "What nam il you please, sir."
"Mr Cuthbert Shaw
The clerk passed into enother office, and
In a moment returned and requested Mr.
Shaw to walk in. This was done by passing
round the desk; and Cuthbert, followed by
the eyes o all the cl.rkI. entered a large
Office, where at table sat two elderly gen.
tlemen.
One OF them, a gray haired man with
spectacles, Immediately rose.
"Mr. Shaw, think the name wasl"
1Mr. Cuthbert Shaw"
Pray take that chair, sir: My partn'r,
Mr. Atkinson. My name is Hunter"
He resumed his seat looking inquisitively
at the brown, though emaciated face Of the
young man.
at is possible Mr.. Hunter, that you may
have already been arprised of the loss of
your ship the Elizabeth, Off Cape Palmas"
YES, but only one week since, by the
third mate Of the vessel, who was rescued
from boat with four companions"