Newspapers / Weekly Commercial (Wilmington, N.C.) / Aug. 31, 1849, edition 1 / Page 1
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f j ' i ' j ' '. , i : r- - - - . - - "i ' I f f ' 1 f-1 ill ii T.I ).Ll S . L 0 It I NG, Elitor and Propriety : Devoted to Literature, Seience, ForeiKn and Domestic, Agriculture, Trade, Commerce, -DOLLAll Per Annum, invariably in AdvatuJ VOL. 3. WILMING 'ON. FHU) Ar,' AUGUST 31, 1849. NO. 3. I '.t L V' I V i - ft : i A A A 1 V oa i H nltjd ext iiit, wiil. re irnerte-I in he C rfntrcuil, at the following rats : sJ nre, I ifH-Hrtion. 40,39 di. 2 d. 0,35 dj,- 3 do. 1,00 do. .1 m mih, I ,"i5 I square, 2 months, $2.00 1 do. 3 do. . 2,50 I d;. G do. 4.00 I lo. I year, ' , 6,00 Ten lines, or le . make a square " If vi a Ivertisenunt exceed ten line, the price will 1kj in proportion. All !' .iriMeniarits are payable at the time of their insertion. jj" All jdver(U;inerii3 Inserted in the- Weckbj Co nmercial ire entitled to one insertion in the 1 ri- Wc-eklv fr:of charge. TUB SMil(jiiLER'S LEAP. A PASSAGE IN TilE PYRA.N'EES. 'Oh ! there's not in this wide- world,' I exclaimed, quiic unintentiorially quoting Tom Moore ; -there never has been, -nor can be. again, so charming a qieature. No nymph or sylph, or winged Ariel, or syren wiih song and mirror, was ever so facina ting no daughter of Eve so pretty and provoking ' This apostrophe, which certainly appears,! now that in cooler moment J recall it, rath er rhapodical, was not uttered viva voce, nor even sotto voce, seeing that its object, Miss Dora M'Dermot, was riding along jonly three paces in front of me, whilst her brother walked by my side. It was a ' mere menial ejaculation, elicited bytne .surpassing perfections of the aforesaid Dora, who assuredly was the most charm- inir girl I h d ever beheld. Bui for the Pyr :'' scenery u'ouitd us, and the rough, ill-cwiniucK'd mule, with its. clumsy sid'i saiitie':of discolored leatueer. oil which she was mounted, instead, of the Spanish jen net or well-bread Englis"h palfrey that would best have suited so fair an equestriaD, I could without any great exertion of fancy, have dreamed myself back to the days of the M'GregoT, and fancied that it was Die Vernon riding up the mouutuin side,J gaily chattering as she went wiih the handsome cavalier who wa ked by her surrnp, and who might h.ve beeu Frank, iJsbtildistone. only that he wt s too manl y-ldok ing f r Scott's somewhat effeminate hero. How; iUeautifulIy1 moulded -as" the form which lier dark -green habit set off to such ad- - vantage ; liow fairy-like the foot; that press ed the clumsy stirrup; how slender the fingers that grasped the reign ! She had discarded the heavy riding hat and sense less bonnet, ihuse gruceless.inventions of -sornc cunning milliner, and. had 'adopted a head-dress noi unusual in the country in which she then was. This was .a fere or ildX cap, woven of . sno w: white wool, and jsuimounied by a ci imeson tassel spread ;ot -over the -top. From beneath ibis ele gant coif ! re her dark eyes flashed and spark n i, whilsL her luxuriant chestnut cuds i'ell down ever her neck, the alabaster ifairnesss of which made her wnite head dress look almost tawny. Either because lhe air, although we were still in the month of September, was fre'sh upon the moun lainsjor else because she was pretty and a woman, and therefore not sorry to show herself to th best, advantage, she had twisted round .her waist a very long cash mere scarf, previous ly passing it over one shoulder in the manner of a sword-belt, the ends hanging down nearly to her stirrup ; and this gave something peculiarly pic tuiesque, almost fantastical, to her whole .appearance. Upon i he second day of my j arrival at ihe baths of St. Sauveur, m the Pyreness, i had fallen in. with ,rny old friend and col lege chum. Jcrcfc M'Dermot, who was tak ng his sister the round of the French wa tering places. Dora's health had been del icate, the faculty had recommended the jex tjursion ; and Juck, who doted upon his on ly sister, had dragged her away from the gaieties of London, and brought her off to the Pyrenees. M'Dermot was- an excel lent fellow ; neither a wit nor a Solomon but a good-hearted dog,, who had been muchrhked a Trin Col., Dublin, where he thought very little of his studies, and a good deal of his horses and dogs. An Irishman, to be sure,- occasionally a slight touch of the brogue was perceptible, in his talk but from this his sister, who had beer! brought up in England, was perfectly free. 3 Jack had a snug estate of threS' thousand a year; ivtiss Dorai had twenty thousand pounas irom ner matter. She had passed two seasons in London : and if sh was not -already married, it was because not one of tne htty aspirants to! her hand had found favor in her bright eyes. Lively, and high- puiicu, wiiq a siignt turn for the satirical, she loved her independence, and was diffi cult to please. i had been absent from England for near ly two years, on a coritineutal tour ; and although I had heard jnuch of Miss M'Der mot, I had tierer seen W till her brother introduced me to her at . Sl Sauveur. I had not known her an our, before I found myself in a fair way to' add another to the llst of lhe poor moths Irho had signed their Wrn m T iun& iuai, uKc mem- selves, i was op a .desultory sort pf ruroUc and had not marked out any -particuia route, ottered ms a seat in their carnage and urged'me to accompany them, instea of prudently flying'from t e danger, I fool shly' exposed myself- to it lo ! what migh have been anticipated, cathe to pass. Bp fore" I1 had been two" days in Dora's society my duom was senled - i had ceased to bp lon to myself ; I was her slave, the sla of her sunny smile and bright eyes talis man more potent man any lamp or nnsr that djinnor fairy ever obeyed. , 1 . A. tortnignt naa passea. ami we ere at B . During that time, the spell that bound me had been each day gaining strength. As an intimate friend ofherbro ther, 1 was already, with Dora, on the foot ing of an old acquaintance ; she seemed well enough pleased with my society, and chatted with me willingly and familarly : but in vain did 1 watch for some s4ight in dication, a glance or an intonalion, whence to derive hope. None such were percepti ble ; nor could the most egregious coxcomb have fancied that they -were:. -We-onceor Twice fell in with -other acquaintances of hers and her brother's, and with-them she had just the same frank, friendly manner, as with me. I had 1 not sufficient vanity however, to expect a wom-an, especially one so much admired as Miss M'Dermot. o fall in love'at firts;ght with mv humol personality,. an. 1 I, patiently waited, trusting 10 time anu assiuu.ty to advance my cause." r-. i lungs, were in this state, when one mor nin, whilst taking an early walk to the sprinirs. I ran up aarainst an English friend, bv nil me of Whiter Ashly; Her was the sou of a coantry gentleman of moderate fortune, at whose house I had more than once pass ed a week in the.shooting season. Walter was an excellent felljw, and a perfeet mod el of the class fo which he belonged. By no means unpoiUhed in his manners, he had bonhommie, which was peculiarly agreeably and preposessing. He was not a universi ty man, nor hail he received an education of the higest .order; spoke no language bui his own with any , degree , of ,v correctness neither played the fiddle painted pictures. nor wrote poetry. On toe otner hand in all manly exercise, he was a proficient; shot, rode, walked anddanced to perfection; and the fresh originally, and pleasant tone of his conversationy redeemed any, deficien cy of reading or accomplishment. In per sonal appearance he was a splendil fellow, nearly six feet in his Ipoou, strongly, but, atJhe same time ymmatrically huilt ;. al though his size of limb an'4 width of shoul der rendered him, at six-and-tewnty, rather what is called a fine man, than a slender or elegant one. He had the true Anglo Saxon physiognomy, blue eyes"; and flight brown hair, that waved, rather than'curled, L round his broad handsome forehead And then, what a.mustache the fellow had! (He was an officer in a Crack yeomanry corps.) Not one of the composite - order, made up of joa um end lamp blacky sucli" as may be seen? sauntering down Si. James' street cn a spring afternoon; with incipient guardsman 'behind them but worthy 'of an Italian painter or" Hungarian hussar full well grown, and glossy. Who was the id- . , , , j - ,- t. , j mcv, n.ami.,7 n? i mustaches were unseemlv I lo nine Ine I . c . - . u vldeptn, and extending tor a consuieranie dis out often they. aref a most becommmg ad-l a. ,t dition, increasing physiognomical charac- ier. almost riving it wnere i ifrft is nnno relieving , the monotony of brbad, . flat . i n - 5 jh checks, and abridgintr the abomination of a long upper-lip. Uncleanly, say vou? iXot a bit ot it, it rudiciously tnrhmed and trained. What, sir J are they not at. least as proper looking as those loxy thickets ex tending from. jawbone to temple, wmch you yourself, each morning jt your, fiifej take such pains to comb and curl into shape ? Delighted to meet jVshley, I dragsred him off to the hotel, to introtluce" him to M'Dermot and his sister.' 3As 'a - friend of mine, they gave him a cordial welcome, and we passed that da3r and the rollo wing I ones tosrether. I soon,'nowever, 1 must 1 confess, began to" repent a little havihjr brought my handsome friend into the so ciety of, Dora. She seemed better pleased witn mm man i aitogetner liKeni nor couiu I wonder ' at it. 3Vailer Ashley was ; ex- actly the man to please a woman of Dora's character ; She was of rather a romantic vuiii, mm auoui mm mere was a uasu oi the chivalrous, well calculated to captivate her imagination. -Ai Although' perfectly fe- mimne, she was ah excellent horsewoman, 1 and an ardent admirer of feats of address and courage, and. she had heard me tell I her brother of Ashley's perfection in such I matters, un ms part, Ashlev, like every one else who saw her, was evidently great-1 iy struck with her beauty and fascination of manner. I cannot say that I was jeal- J ous; i naa no ngnt to be so, tor Dora nad j never given me encouragement : hut I cer- tamly more than once regretted having inJ troduced a tntrd person mto what -honest J noting - - hac! previously beerr a; rt of d tete - a - tete society. I ben to fea thar. 1 hanks to myself, my occupation tfas gon tud Ashley had got it. v ;f -' : ? . It was the fifth day ufiefffi" meeii.t. with Walter, and we had anod mdy i the morning upon an t xcursion to a neiir!: -or'no lakef the scenery around which, we were. told, was pari icularly wild and beau and on the top of a mountain, which wh could see from the hotel window. Th distance was barely len miles, and the road being rough 'and precip itous, M'tJer mot, Ashley, and myself, had chosen to walk rather than to risk our neeks by ri ling the broken knee'd ponies 'that were onered o us. ;tl sore-tooled mule, and m diflerent side-saddle, had' been procured for vliss M'DerraOT, ami was attended by a wild-lookitig Bearoese boy, or gossoon! as her brother called hiui. a creature like a irrass-hopper," all legs and arms; with a scared countenance, and long. hnk, black hair, hanging in irregular shreds about" his face. There ls'no season"more agreeable in he Pyrenees than the'month of September. People are very apt to expatiate on the de lights of autumn, its fnellew beauty,r4i)ei , sive charms, and such like. I confess thar I na general way I like nhe-: yputh :- of" the year better-than iti decline,? ahftl prefer he bright green tints f at spring,' with heummer in prospective, to Uie melan choly au'umri, pits russet -hues-nad falling leaves-; "its regrets for fine AVeather.. past, and anticipations of bad to come. '' liu if there be any place where I should be. temp ed to reverse my judgment, it would bo in. Southern France, and especially its Wes tern and central portion. The tlear, cloud- ess sky, the rnoderate heat succeeding to sultriness, often overpo wing, of the summer months, 'the ; magnificent j vineyards' and merry vintage time, the noble groves of cheBttiitr, clothing the lower slopes of the mountains "the bright streams- and flower spangled, u eadows of Eearn and Liingue- loc, render no part ot the year more, de lightful in those countries, than the-months of September and October. As before mentioned, i J)ora rod a little ill front witrf'A'sh ley be si d e he r, po i n t in g out the beauties of the wud scenery through which .we passel. and occasionally laying a hand upon her bridle tb ruide the - mute over some unirsually rugged portion of -the almost traciuess mountain, m 'JJermotand Iwere walking behind, a little pLffifed by the steepness of the ' ascent otir guide, whose name was 4 Cadet, a namo answered to 'My every sedond man one meets hvihnt part of F ranee, strode along beside its, like a pair of co npasses withdeuthero lungs, Presently the last named individual turned to mc '' :" .- " " - ::.- I. ' . Ces messkufs veulcnt-ils voir le Sautrklozt, Contrabaniste?1 said he, in the barbarous dialect of the ' district, - half French, half Patois, with a small dash of Spanish. ' " f Jus Saut an. Uontrebandter, tne femu gler's Leap what- is that?' asked- Dora, who had overlieard the question, turned round her graceful' head, and dazzling, us me at least by a sudden view of her Q lovely face, now glowing with exercise and tie mountain air. The smugglers leap, so Cadet informed us, was a narrow cleft in the rock, Of vast . ' . '.. tance across the flank of the mountain It ov?ed its name to the following incident: Some five years previously, a smhggler, known by the name of Juan le Negre, or Black Juan, had for a considerable perrod set the custom-house officers i'at defiance and brought great discredit on tliem by his success in passing contraband goads trom Spain. In vain did they he ill ambush and set snares for him they could never cmV near nim, or it tney.uin, it was wnen ne was backed ny sucn a urce or tne narny deso 'spa'radoes "carrviiig1 on the sime' lawless tra'fic, that the douatiiers were eitheTTbrced to beat a retrerit of got fearrullr inauled iti the contest that ensued. 'f One day howev- er,; trlra 6f these" green-coated guardians of the French revenue Caurht a sisrht of alone and unarmed. I hey pursued hini and afrarefacehe led them, over cliff and cra," Across rock'and ravine funtirat itt&i mey saw wim exuuaiion mat fzc mue right for the chasm in question "and there they made sure of securingHitm;1; It see;ri- ed as if he had forgotten the2 'position of we uieii, ana oniy remeuiuereu ji wueu ne got within a hundred yanisor 'thereabonts, for then he slacked his pace. . The douan- iers gained oh him, and expected' him to desist from his, fliffht., and . surrender- What was tneir surprise and consternation when hey saw him, on reaching the edge ot tne cnasm; spnng from tne ground witn izard - like agility, and by one bold leap clear tne yawnmgr abyss.' ? The douaniers uttered a shout of rage and disappointment, ana wo qi .tnem ceased :running; nut tne third, a man of; great activity" and courage. and wno nad frequently sworn to, earn the rewara sei or tne Dead ot Juan, dcired tne ashed lagain the opposite rock, ancl his horror - struck companions, gazing dawn m- ' ' ' " ' ' ;'n- ' " 1 ; I - r-r ' mmtm MtlH? ?'frk depth bebeath, saw his body rhte against the crags, on its way to the "Uoui of the abyss. Ij The smuggler esca ed.and the spot where the tragical inci- Hni occurred was thenceforward known .! f;Sattt, 'Conffalandier. , i.a'.f0 ..pur' guide; hljitd finisheil his narra li VJBSV e wereiyiajpimous in our, wish iq vis it, its scene, which w0 reached by the time he had brought his tale to a conclusion. it was certainly a most remarkable chasm, vnose existence wasj only to be accouutel for by reference to th yolcai ici agency, of vlncn abundant traces exist in Southern France. The wludejside of the mountain .vas cracked and rem asunder fortnitig a . i it r row ravine of vast depth, in the manner if the famous Mexican barrancas, j In some ,'lacfs might be traced a sort of corres ponilence on the opposite side ; a recess on one side, into which: a. pr-jeclion on the omcr would nave nearly hi ted, could some Amarus have -cloej the fissjic.. This, however, was only here and ihkrd y rankr- .i - - y q ally speaking, the rocky blink was worn' by thcaction of time. aii,cl water,.andthe rock composing it sloped slightly downwards. The chasm was of various width, but was narrowest at the spot; at which we reached ij, aia reaiiy mu uoiii appear so very tern . t, . - 1 - I - I - - . ; - . - " ole a leap as Cadet m tde it out to be. On looking duwn, a confitsion of bush-coverec crars was visible ; was higha parrowjstream was;to be seen aowmg, nice a imc ot; silver, at the bottom the ripple and rush of the water, repeated lv the echoes of the Jravme, ascending to our ears with a noise li like that; of a cata raci." . On "a large fragment of rock, a fe w yards from the brink, jj was rudely carved, a date, and below it two, letters. 1 hey were lhe initials, so pur guide informed us, o the ti n fqrru n ate douctnier who , had there met his death., : : We had ' remained tor nail minute or so, gazing .down into the ravine, when Ashley, who Was on (he rit,ht of the party broke sile .ee. .' : '". i Pshaw!' said ho. Ilsleppino, bfvck from . . , . -;:. ; . ...... ihe eiige, 4 that's no. leap. Why,- Vil jump across" it myself.' r , " T Forhexiven's skker' cried Dora7 'Ashley I' I exclaimed, -don't be a fool ! But it was too late.!) What mad impulse possessed him 1 cannot say ; but certain 1 am," from my knowledge of his j character that was no foolish bravinlo orjschooTooy desire to siiowoir, mat setiucei ptm to so wild a fieak. The fact was,- but for -thft tlepth befow, the lettpldid not look at all formidable r not above four or "fiye feet, but in reality it was a deal widel.' It was probably this deceitful appear-ance, and perhap.the feeling wjfiich Englfsumen are a'pt'to entertain, that for feats oTs strength and agility no men surpass theoi, that con vinced Waiter of the case with jwhich he cduhl jump, across. - Before we ?ould stop him, he took'a short njn, a"lid jumped. ' A sere am from Dora was echoed 'by an extl mation of h o fro r; from M'Dermot and' myself. Ashley liad cleared the chasm, and alighted on the opposite edge, but it was saelriiTir - and ''sllpperv, and his feet lin from it'ti Ier him - For the moment it appeared as if he would -instantlj be dash ed to pieces but in fairing he m it-aged to catch 'he edge of therock whicfi ar that placed formed an angle. Theref he hung by his hands,- his whole body m the air. without a possibility of raising- himself; for below the'edge thev rock was -smooth and receding, -and even could; he have reached it. he wouldhfive found no fbothold. One desperate effort he made to grasp a ctunted and leafiest; sapling that grew in acrevice at not more than a foot from the edge, but it failed,. and nearly caused his instant destruc ion. -Lesistinr iroin lunner effort, he hung motionless, his hands con vulsively cramped to the edge of the rock which afforded so slippery and. difficult "a 1 hotcb that hi-rsti5tainirt5rhlmself by it at all seemed" a tniracle, andf could only - be the result of uncommon muscular power. It wasevrient that no human si redgth could possibly maintain him for more tljan a min ute or two m that position ; belov was an abyss, a hundred or more feet deep to all appearance his last hdiir was coiiie M'Dermot and I stopd aghast and help- less, gazing witn open mouius ana strain ed "eyeballs at cut uhhiippy friend. -What could welo ? Were we to dare! to leap, which one far more active and viirorous than ourselves had utis lccessfujly attempt ed ? It would have been courting des- tnictlonr without a ch4nce of savmg; Ash- ley But Dora put - us to shame. One scream, aiid 'only one, she uttered, and then gathering ?up heri habit, she sprang linaued from her mulej ; Her crieek was pale as the whitest marble, but her pres ence of .mind was unimpaired, and - she seemed to "gain courage and decision in he moment of peril, i : ! 4 Your cravats, your handkerchiefs !' cried she uniasienmg. as she spoke, her long1 cashmere scarf. Mechanica and myself obeyed. -With lightuing- and a woman' knotted together her scarfl vat which-i gare'-her;: MrrSofJhantH kerchief and mine, ami secunnir horv. know not a stone at either extremity r c he rope thus formed, she threw one end oi it with sure aim and steady hand, acros the ravine and round the sapling! already referred 'to. Then leaning forward till 1 feared shewould fall into the chasm, ; and pr.aK-forjiy ard tQ hold )ir baols she Jet go oftlie other end. Ashley's hold was idreadyj growing feeble, his fingers were torn by the rock, the blood started from uu- der his nails, and ho turned his faco to- wards tjs with a mule prayer for succour. At that moment the two -iida of the shawl fell against him, and instinctively jgrasped uem. li was a moment ot tearlul sus pense, j Would the knots so hastily made resist the tension of his. weight? They did so ; he raised himself by strength of wrist. jThe sapling bent and bowed, but his haud'was now close to it. He grasped it: another powerful effbrt. the last effort of despair, and he lay exhausted "and almost senselessupon the .rocky brink; At the same moment, with a ory of joy, Dora fell '.- faintinj into her brother's arms Of that day's adventures little remains to tell, j A walk of a mile brought Ashley to ;i pi lie where a bridge, thrown over the ravine, enabled' him to cross1 it. j V omit ins thanks to Dora, hts apologies for the; alarm he had caused hr, and his admiring eulfjgy to her -presence of mind. Her. man- ner of receiving them, and the hok she gave-him when, on rejoining us; ho took her hand, and with a natural and' grateful courtesy that prevented the action from appearing theatrical or unusual, pressed it to his hps, were anything but gratifying to me, whatever they may have been to him. She seemed no way displeased at his free dom, li was most confoundly, but that Walter did not seem to observe. The incident that had occurred, and Dora's request, brought our excursion to an abrupt termination, and we returned homewards. It appeared as tf this r wtre doomed to be a day of disagreeables. On reaching the inn, I found a letter which thanks to my frequent change of place, and to the - dilatoriness - continental oust town durmir tne nrevious thfee weeks. It . . .1 was from a lawyer, informing!, me of the n .i a . 1 . . death of ?a relative, and compelling me in stantly to return to England, to arrange some important-business concerning dis? puled Will. The sum at stake .was too coiisidera-bie for me to neglect the- sum mons, and with the worst possible-grace I prepared! to depart. I- rriade some violent attempts jto induce Ashley to accompany me, talked myself hoarse about fox-hunting and I pheasant-shooting, and1 other.de- ights of the approaching season ; but ail FT s in vain. Jriis passion tor field sports seem ed entirely cooled ; he sneered at forkes. reared pheasants with contempt, tnd pro fessed to be as much in love with the P- reness asj 1 began to tear ne was witn Uo ra. There was nothing . for it but to set out alote, which I accordingly did, having previously obtained from M'Dermot the plan of their route, and the name ofthe olace whe e be and his sister thousrhtof wintering. 1 was -determined, so soon as I had settled my affairs, to return to the continent and propose for Dora. Man proposes and Ltod disposes-, says the proverb. In my . case I am prepared o prove that. the .former part of the prov erb lied abominably. Instead . of a fort- nisrht in London being, as i had too sart- guinely hoped, sufficient for the settlement Dermal, and had one letter from, Kim but no more Jack was a notonusly bad correspondent and .1 .scarcely wondered at ms silence ' Summer came -my lawsuit was decid ed, and sick to .death of briefs and barris ters, parchments and : attorneys, I once more found? myself my own master.:? iAn application to ..'Derraot's Londlon banker procured me his. address. . He was then in Switzerland, but was expected down the Rhine,and letters to Wisebanden t would ftnd mm. ;l nat was enousrn tor mc, my head and heart were, still full of Dora.M'? Dermot ; and two days after I had ob. tained information, the Ant werpen steam er deposited me on' Belgian ground. YhsV; 'Mr. MlDermouf is stopping here ?' I en n f thff nilci n naa ttifit t nitLr mo Inithnr T u.-ao I j . . " u probably, be the last resource of many. detained several months, and compelled Vhe baroness, however, conducted heVse:f to make several journeys to the North of in a jiffcrent manner. , v - f England. -h I wrote several times to M'- t A . rnil t' ,nmA;At L-. it LiL.t quired of, or rather affirmed to the head my own heart, and neither you nor 1 shall waiter of the Four Seasons Hotel at Wise- have5 any reason . to repent it, if you will banden. If the following - had told me he listen for two minutes to what I have s to was hot, I believe I should have' knocked say.' '' : ' .;';' him dowr . 1 n j 0 ,. Speak j speak V cried the whole com- lHe is, sir. You will' find him in the pany. '... ." ?" Cursaal gardens ,.with Madame sasaur ' But be quick,'-added one of the fiercest Off I started to the -gardens. - lliey of them, Jfor we shall not make much ccr were in full bloom and beauty, crowded emonytwith you either.' with flowers and frauleins and 4 foreigners 'Nevertheless, I , hope you may. if you of all nations. The littlp lake sparkled Iltr AIM termor i Ul ilie buiiuiuc. auu iuc wai iuwi buui- i v. ,uc euic, iuc who ui iuc uuicjii the speed" of' ed over it wAi:airecuoiw;;-j tne' wire .ipvtemv : sh carel for sucn matters. ;rwasJ 100 King qi ine meanest Deggar car.cot ne more u-- a long Isilk era- mJff -.aw vet- ua. , ; .ia-a . comer of a walker I met Tier oil brother. Jack ! I exclaimed, grasping" his hand with the most vehement affection, I am delighted to se you.' And Pin glad to see you, my boy,' was the enjoinder. j I was wondering you did not answer my last letter, but I suppose you thought to join us soooner.1 'Your last letter V I exclaimed. l have written ihree times since I heard from you.' - j The devil you have V cried Jack, Do you mean to say that vou did not et tho I letter 1 wrote you from Paris a mouth ago, announcuiff- l did not hear another word, for just then, round a came Dora herself, more charming than ever, all grace and smiles and bcaut3. . But I saw neither beauty, nor smiles, nor grace ; all 1 saw that she was learning on the arm of that provokingly handsome dog, i Walter, Ashley. For a moment I stoop petnhed? and then extending my hnnd, ; Miss M'Dermot !' I exclaimed. She drew back a little, with a smile and a blush. Her companion stepped for- ward;t4 : f -; lf.'l ' ': ' : ' i; " . My dear fellow,' said he," 'there i no such person.4 Allow me to introduce you to Mrs. Ashley.' If any friend : wish to : be presented to pretty girls with, twenty -thousand pounds, they had better apply elsewhere than to me. Since that day I have for j sworn the, practice THE LADY AND TOE ROBBERS. In a charming village, situated m a truly romantic country, but at a considerable dis tance from the high road. Baron U. was accustomed to spend the summer. Hu mansion. built on an eminence. was per fectly adapted to hw forum?, i tt ,wa-i'a r spacious building elegaut vvitUin and with out, and displayed a gootl style of archi tecture. It was about two hundred paces from the village. Business obliged the baron to take a J J J & miirnev nt a lew. riavs Hi i.'if n vnm-in. and beautilul woman searei lv twentv - . .j ... j years of age remained at home. Ho took with htin.two of his, servants, and two others were left with the hardness. No vi olation of the public security had ever been heard of in that of the country; arid ns the baroness jlid not belong to the timid portion of her sex, the idea of danger was far from entering her mind. ,1 The second evening after the baron's de par: ure, a3 she was stepping into bed, she heard an alarming noise in an apartment near 'the chamber. She called, but recciv ed. no answer, The noise, screaming, and confusion jrew louder every minute. Sho was at a loss to conceive what was tho m ilter, and hastily putting on a garment went lo the door to discover the c4use.- What a horrid spectacle presented itself Her two servants, half naked, were extend ed lifeless ; oil the flodr ! 'The 'room was full'of strange and ferocious-looking men, the baronqss chambermaid was kneeling before . one of them and instead1, of the mercy she implored, received tho' fatal stroke. No sooner did lhe door open than two of the barbarians,' with drawn 'swords, rushed toward;? it.4 What man not to say what woman would not have been struck with the utmost terror and given tip life and every thing as lost ? A loud nhriek of despair a flight of a few paces would, she, with a tono of heartfelt joy, and ad vancing towards her two assailants with a haste which highly astonished them both, jihd fortunately stopped their uplifted wca- Are 'you come at last 1' repeated she ; 1 such visitors as you I have long wished to see.' ' Wished,' muttered one of the assassins. ' What do you mean by that? but stay, I will' :. .;.';.'"'"! '.. ,' ; " ;-. . : He hacV already raised his cutlass, but hi3 comrade averted the stroke 4 Stop a moment, brother,' said he, let us first hear what she would have.' 1 , 4 Nothing but what is your pleasure, brave C0inrade3. You have made charm ins: work" here 1 see. You are men after but grant mc, hearing. Know then that I I At tb l ill"" tvu vuiuu IUOI rAlllllulVU K' - . ' . ', "' "' - ! . 1 1 ; . - v ' ' i. j 1 . 1 .
Weekly Commercial (Wilmington, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Aug. 31, 1849, edition 1
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