Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1909-06-24
CHAPTER VII.-continued.

lIeH Al years Oh age. IIleS was ItlcdSSu'
CHAPTER Wl.-contnued.
"And how l am to live until | get
another ship l am at loss, my boy"
Giles cried quite cheerfully. Two
courses are open to me-play and run
ming away with an heiress. Do you
know of a charming girl, Dicky, with
something under 100000, who could
be reconciled to a penniless lieutenant
in his maiesty's navy? And remem-
ber, she must be as beautiful as the
dawn besides, and of good family, and
keen of wit-no lunkhead of a woman
for me- To this, fate impelled me to
reply that Lady Arabella Stormont
was still single.
Faith" cried Giles, slapping his
knee, "she is the girl for me. | al
ways intended to marry her, if only to
spite her"
/ was sorry ! had raked up the en-
bers of his passion of five years be-
fore and attempted to cover my step
by saying:
"She is still infatuated with Overton,
whom, however, she sees rarely, and
that only at the houses of others; but
he has ever looked cOldly upon her"
She'll not be coldly looked on by
me And let me see: There is her
cousin You used to tell me about-the
Carmichael girl-suppose you, Dicky,
run away with her; then no two lieu
tenants in the service will have more
of the rhino than WEI"
1 declare this was the first time |
had remembered Daphne's 100000.
She had the same fortune as Lady
Arabela. The reflection damped my
spirits dreadfully.
Giles saw it directly, and in a mo-
ment he had my secret from me. He
shouted with delight, ard Immediately
began a grotesque plslning for us to
run away with the two heiresses. He
recalled that the abduction of an heir
ess was a capital crime, and drew
fantastic picture of us two standing
in the prisoners dock on trial for
our lives, with Lady Arabella and
Daphne swearing our lives away. and
then relenting and marrying us at the
gallows' foot. And this tale, told with
the greatest glee, amid laughter and
bumpers of hot brandy and water had
a singular effect upon me. 1t sobered
me at once, and suddenly | seemed to
see vision, as Macbeth saw Banquo's
ghost, passing before my very eyes
just such scene as Giles described.
Only | got no farther than the spec
tacle of Giles a prisoner in the dock,
on trial for his life. My own part
seemed misty and confused, but | saw,
Instead of the lodging house parlor, a
great hall of justice dimly lighted
with lamps, the judges in their robes
on the bench, one with black cap on
his head, and Giles standing up to re-
ceive sentence. | passed into a kind
OF nightmare, from which | was
aroused by Giles whacking me on the
back and saying in surprised voice:
What ails you, Dicky, boy? You
look as if you had seen a ghost Rouse
up here and open your lantern jaws
for glass of brandy and rid yourself
OF that long face"
came out of this singular state as
quickly as | had gone into it, and
ashamed to show my weakness to
Giles, grew merry, carried on the joke
about the abduction, and shortly felt
like myself, light-hearted lieutenant
of 21 | proposed that we should go
to the play the next night-or rather
that night, for it was now about four
in the morning-and shortly after we
tumbled into bed together and slept
until late the next day.
Giles and went to Berkeley Square
in the afternoon, protesting just to
have arrived from Portsmouth. Giles
expressed his thanks in the hand
soonest manner to Sir Peter for his
kindness, and made himself, as usual,
highly agreeable to Lady Hawkshaw.
Neither Lady Arabella nor Daphne