Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-09-26
CHAPTER XIII.
THE SERPENT LET LOOSE.


THE SERPENT LET LOOSE.
Walter Clifford was so distressed at
this OutburSt and the prospect of actual
litigation between his father and his
sweetheart's father, that Julia Clifford
pitied him, and, after thinking a little,
said she would stop it for the present.
She then sat down, and in five minutes
the docile pen of female letter writer
action of the heart. Well, if you still
the action of that heart there, you'll kill
him as surely as if you stilled it with
pistol bullet. Knock off his champagne
in three or four days, and wheel him in
to the sun as soon as you can with safe
ty, fill his lungs with oxygen, and keep
all worry ami disputes and mental anX-
iety from him, if you can. Don't con-
tradict him for a month to come"
The Colonel had terrible bout of it
so far as pain was concerned, but after
produced an ingratiating composition
impossible to resist. She apOlOgiZed for
her apparent insincerity,. but would be
candid, and confide the whole truth to
Mr.. Bell. Then she told him that Colo
mel Clifford "had only just been saved
from death by miracle, and relapse
was expected in case OF any great excite
ment or irritation, such as doubtful
lawsuit with a gentleman he disliked
would certainly cause. The proposed
litigation was, for CdriOuS reasons, most
distressing to his son and successor,
Walter Clifford, and would Nh. Bell be
so very kind as to put the question off
as long as possible by any meaEs he
thought prOperW
Walter was grateful, and said, What
comfort to have lady on ones side!"
II would rather have a gentleman on
mine," said Julia, laughing.
Mr.. Bell wrote discreet reply. lie
would wait till the AssiZes-siX weeks
delay-and then wrote to the Colonel,
postpOning his visit. This he did, and
promised to look up cases meantime.
But these two allies not only baff1ed
their irascible chief; they also humored
him to the full. They never mentioned
the nameof BARLEY, and they kept Percy
FitZrOy out OF sight in spite Of his re-
mOnStrances, and, in word, they made
the ColonelS life so smooth that he
thought he was going to have his own
way in everything, and he improved in
health and spirits; for you know it is
an old saying, always get your own
way. and you II never die in pet"
And then what was still tottering
situation was kept on its legs by the
sweet character and gentle temper of
Mary BARLEY.
We have already mentioned that she
was superior to most women in the
habit of close attention to whatever she
undertook. This was the real key to
her facility in languages, history, music,
drawing. and calisthenics, as her pro-
lessor called female gymnastics. The
flexible creatures limbs were in secret
steel. She could go thirty feet up
slack rope hand over hand with wonder
full ease and grace, and hang by one
hand for ten minutes to kiss the other
to her friends. So the very day she was
| surprised into cOnsenting to marry Wal
ter secretly she sat down to the Mar
| riage Service and learned it all by heart
| directly, and understood most of it.
BY this means she realized that now
she had another man to obey as well as
her father. So now, when Walter press
ed her for secret meetings, she said,
submissively, "Oh yes, if you insist"
She even remarked that she concluded
clandestine meetings were the natural
| consequence of clandeStine marriage.
She used to meet her husband in the
| day when she could, and often for five
minutes under the moon. And she
even promised to spend two or three
days with him at the lakes if safe OPP
| portunity should occur. But for that
she stipulated that Mr.. Hope must be
| absent.
Walter asked her why she was more
afraid of Mr.. Hope than of her father.
Her eyes seemed to look inward dim
| ". and at first she said she didn'tknow.
| But after bordering the matter little
| she said, Because he watches me more
closely than papa, and that is because
You won't tell anybody"
! NO"
| ~ n en,,I ,,,Nor, ,-o,,r
! Not a soul, dearest, upon my honor"
well, then, because he loves me
more"
But Mary would neither resign her
/ opinion nor pursue a subject which
! puzzled and grieved her.
! We have now indicated the peaceful
| tenor of things in Derbyshire for a
period of some months. We shall have
/ to show by-and-by that elements of dis
! cord were accommodating under the sur
face: but at present we must leave Der
/ byshire, and deal very briefly with an
/ other tissue of events. beginning years
/ ago, and running to adate three months,
| at least. ahead of Colonel CliffOrd'S re-
! cOverv. The reader will have no reason
to regret this apparent interruption.
/ Our tale hitherto has been rather slug
! giSh: but it Is in narrative as 1t is IN ma
ture, when two streams unite their
forces the current becomes broader and
stronger.
Leonard Monckton was sent to Penton-
vile, and after some years transferred
to Portland. In both places he played
the game of an old hand; always kept
his temper and carnied everybody, es-
pecially the chaplain and the turnkeys.
These last he treated as his only mas
tiers; and if they gave him short weight
in bread or meat, catch him making
matters worse by appealing to the gov
ernorl Toward the end of this time at
Pentonville he had some thought of
suicide, but his spirits revived at Port
land, where he was cheered by the con-
yersation of other villains. Theirname
was legion; but as he neyeEmet- one Of