Year: 1876

A gentleman not uncOnnected with the
Boston press was in st. Louis recently
saws the Republican, of the latter city
and while here confded the details to a
friend of an adventure in a Boston hotel so
remarkable as to deserve a life in print.
The story is brief, but with an immense
moral as showing how in some things love
" woman will always come to the relief OF
a sister in distress to outWit the tyrant
man. The journalist above referred to,
stopping at hotel, a private one, where
the guests were accustomed to the entire
freedom of the house, felt, late one night,
the imperative duty of eating some fruit be
fore retiring. 1t was too late to send out
to buy any; he did not want to arouse the
servant of the house at so late an hour, and
yet fruit or preserves or something tooth
some of the kind seemed to him personal
necessity. He knew where the store-room
was, he knew that the door was left open,
and finally resolved to go down quietly
and prig enough sweetmeats TO satisfy his
need. No sooner was the thought conceiv-
ed than acted upon, and within five min
ntes he was in the store-room hooking pre-
serves out of jar and enjoying himself i'm
mensely in satisfying the craving which
had come upon him.


For few moments the enjoyment of the
man. at the preserves was complete. Then
he was startled by light, quick step in the
hall, there was whiSh and rustic Of gar
ments, the door opened, and some one
bounded in with such suddenness as. com
ing. squarely against the form of the mid
night raider, to knock him half way across
the room, and fairly off his feet. Leaping
up at once, he closed with his unconscious
assailant, to be startled by a subdued shrek
aud to hnd that he had captured woman!
Though trying, the occasion was not one of
unmixed horror, by any means, and in
moment the gentleman's nerve returned
and his curiosity rose to fever heat.


''WhO is thisi" he demanded of the fig
ure in his arms. No answer.


''Who is it," he repeated. ~''Youn not
get out of this until you tell. " Still no an
swer, but a struggle in the darkness, the
figure trying hard to get away.


Again thequery was repeated, with equal
lack of response, but this time a resound-
ing slap in the face from a hand that was
doubtless pretty, but which hit with decid-
ed force, was the reward of the questioner.


He was put on his mettle at once.


''YOu think you'll get off unknown! We
will see about that, F." he exclaimed. "Tve
a device that will work, | think. - And then.
after a silent and determined. struggle. he
caught little bit of the lady's cheek be-
tween his teeth and bit it-not badly so as
to break the velvety skin, but sufficiently
hard as to leave mark which he knew
could not disappear in day or two. Then
he released his unknown prisoner, and she
fled like the wind along the passage, disap-
pearing in some room impossible to locate
in the darkness.


The next morning the gentleman with a
mystery to solve came down to breakfast
early. No ladies had yet appeared, but at
his table were one or two intimate male
friends, and to them he confided the story
of his adventure in the night, relating also
the means he had taken to secure the iden-
tifcation of the unknown lady. The most
intense curiosity prevailed at the table, and
the advent of the ladies was awaited with
an impatience scarcely to be controlled.
Five minutes later the belle of the hotel en-
tered demurely, glided across the room and
seated herself for breakfast. Eager ewes
followed her, and, as her face was fairly
exposed, there was a sensation among the
gentlemen. Upon her right cheek was a
strip of court plaster an inch long! The ex-
cited men exchanged glances and whispers
and smiles. The mystery was solved early.
But Just then another lady entered-this
time dignifed matron. As she seated her
self there was disclosed upon her right
cheek a piece of court-plaster identical in
appearance with that upon the face of the
belle. Another and another lady entered.
Upon the right cheek of every one Of them
appeared piece of court-plaster. The ta-
bles filled up, and not lady at one of them
but wore court-plaster on her right cheek.
And then-the gentlemen looking confident
ly expecting a revelation, wilted. They
comprehended the situation. The lady who
had been captured in the night had confid
ed her extremity to her friends, and they
had come to the rescue to outwit male hu-
manity. They had succeeded. too. The
discomftted men at that particular table
knew that beneath one of the many pieces
of eourt-plaster in the room were hidden
the marks of teeth, but which was the iden-
teal bit of court-plaster they could not tell.
And they never learned.