OCR Text |
Show J-, .ft alr, FtEET MAiinUOB. Bt A ihlSnitAK, liinr Was a bWntiful wdmao, but Lady 0. was n extravagant womait. She was still singfe, thongh rather passed -trcmtyohtli. Like roost pretty females, slid had looked too high, and estimated her own loveliness tqo dtarly, and now she refused to bcliova that sua was noUs charming as cter. .So no wonder she still remained nnmarricd, , Mrs. 0- Imd nbout Dye, thousand pounds I ft the world. She owed Hhont forty thou. Saml pounds; so, with all hep wit and beauty, the aa into the Fleet, and was likely to rctnaiu there. Now In tho time I speak-of, every lady had her head dressed by a barber and the barber of thcr Fleet, was the handsomest handsom-est barber, of tho city of London, l'at Thilan was a. great admirer of the fair Scrj and where's thd wonder?- Sure, lt was ati Irishman. It was ohetcry fine. tnorntngi when Philah was drcsslrtg hef, captivating head, when her ladyship took It into her mind to talk tflflilm, and Tat was Well pleased, for Lady C.'s.toeth.werc the whitest, andher Smilri.llirj brightest in, til the worhL , ; ''So you arenot married, i'tftsafd she; "Ntvcr, attfnchj yonr,honor jadysMp,". says he. "And Woutdrtl yodlike to bcmarricdP'-itgaln bcmarricdP'-itgaln asked she. "Would a dock swfmr , "isthcre any qhe yood lirefcrl" ''Maybe, madame" aid he, "Yott tiivcr hdard dt Kathleen O'KcHly, down beyond be-yond Dooeralle. Iter- father's cdusiri to Donnghow, who's own itewnrd. to Mr. Murphy, tho under agent to; my Lord Kiutfstori, and"- "Ifushr says ahej ;"suro 1 rtoii'f. want to know; who she Id. Hut would she have yoitlfydn otked.he'r? . , -,, .-" ,''Ah, thIit; I'd only wtslt' I'd bef oftcr trying that same-fr , 4-. "And why. don't yd.ul',' i, .- .-' ' Sure., I'm too 'poor.!, ., And .PMlah heaved ri firodfglous sigli, - .., ... J . t. "Wfluld yott like to ho rich?? '" - . "0des it tldg hark?' .... V . 'f r hvoko' you rich wilt you dd;4 1 tcliyon??" . ; . ls- "V ".Mllle;inurtherl yohr honor, aont. be tantalizing a poor boy." "Indeed, 1 am no,"said Lady, 0, "So listen. How would you like to, marry me?' ' "Ah, thin, my lady, I believe, the King Ofltussla. himself would be proud to. do that' same, leave alone a. poor divil like I'at-I'hhW' . '(.Well, , rhilnn; At yqul 'taarry' mo to labrrrW, -111 "givd . yduoitd' thousand ldiinds. F rJ 1 . K' ri'0, vi hllabaIdo.hiqbat0otI sure;l'm nadt iir enchanted 'by..the"godd people," oiired rottlancing.Vouh'd the room. ' llti't'therotfre coridiltbns'saiit Lady.Q, ,fA(ter'thQ first'day 'of our nuptials yoa DiiStVeVpr Mo me again, norctaim me for fbiir wlfej''- c';.''i;dou'tlik.o.that,'?:sald rat; 'for, ho liad been ogling her ladyship rnost despernfely; "Hut remember Kathleen O'ltMlIj With the money I'll give yon, you. may go and marry hfef." 'That's thrne," says he; "But thin, the bigamy?" . -'''-".t'JI.neycr .appear; against jrqu;"says her tadyshlp'., "Ouly ; r.cmetnbcr. y ou "must tako.an, oatf nevcr.-to" call 'me your wife after' lomdrrdw, and: uevcr to go felling all ilio story . " "v" 'Nevcrtt wont l'Il Iyer say.1' "Well, nhcii,".Say4 slie "there's ten, pounds XJo and buy a leccnse.ahd.IcaVo the' rest'ldmc'.uud then shelexptalncil to Mm whero lie; was to .go ahd when he was to come, nnd nil tli'tit. ; - Tde ndxCday was two to liii np- ' pblntmeutf and found two gentlemen already al-ready with her ladyship. V 'llrivo'ifdu got tlio Uecnse?,f says she. , "Here it Is. my lady,fl says tic; arid hr gave It to her. She handed it to one of the gentlemen,, who viewed It attentively Then, culling hi her two servants, she turned to the gentleman who wasreadiug, jnd sure enonghj In ten njlhulcs l'nt I'hilan was the hutbalid,- tliQ legal hds-band,.df hds-band,.df the lovely Lady C. ''That will do, says she to tier hus band, as ho give, her a hearty kiss; "that'll do. Now, sir, give, me ioy mar-riagb mar-riagb certificate." The old gentleman did so, and bowing respectfully to tho five pound note .she gave him, ho retired with Ms clerk; for sure enough, I forgot to till you that he was a parson. "Go and bring me the warden," .says my lady to one of her servants. "yea,' my lady," snyf she j and presently the warden appeared. "Will yott Jjo good enough, said. Lady 0., t,t a voice that Would call a bird off a' tree,'")vll! you be good enough, to, send and fetch me a hackney coach? I wish to leave this prlsou Immediately,'' "Vpur iadysMp forgets replied he, "that you must pay forty thousand pounds before 1 can let yo'n go." "1 am a married woman, Yot can detain my husband, but not me," -And sho smiled at I'hilan, who began -rather to. dislike tlio nppearanro. of things. 'Tardon md, my lady, It Is welt kndwu, you are, sluglo.' "I tell yon l am married." Where' yonr husband?'' "There, sir J" and sho pointed to the astonished barber, "there he stands. Here is my marriage certificate, Which you can peruse nt .yonr leisure. My ser- Vants yonder were witnesses of the ceremony. cere-mony. Now detain me, sir, at yonr peril," The warden was dumb-founded, and no wonder. Foot I'hilan would bayo Spoked, Spo-ked, but ucithcr party would lot him, The lawyer below was consulted. The result was evident. lit half an hour Lady C. was free, and l'at Thilan, her legitimate husband, a prisoner for debt to the amount of forty thousands pounds, Well, sir, for some time, l'at thought he was in a dream, and tho creditors thought they were still worse. The following fol-lowing day they had a meeting; and finding find-ing how ihey had been tricked, awore they'd detain jwor Pat forever. Hut as they well knuw that he had nothing, and wouldn't feel much shame in going through the Insolvent Court, they made the bent of a bad bargain, and let him go. Well, you intnt know, about a week after this, T-ddy Thitw wtri sltHogby his ltttld it and thinking over the wonderful won-derful things hd had seen, wheri assure death, the posfmatt brought tilma letter, ttiCKftrVt lio had dyer received, whkts ho took to ft friend or MS, dftd Itjan, a fruit-seller, fruit-seller, because, yoa see, he was no great band at tending writing, to decipher for, hlra. It fan thus? .. ., "Ott to Iloncralte and .toatry KatMeet, O'neilly. Tlio Instant the knot Is tied I fulfil my promise oT making yon cdmrortft-blc cdmrortft-blc for life. Bui as yott value your life and liberty, never breathe a syllable1 of wjiat is passed, Itcmcmber you urolu my power If you tell your story. The money will bo paid fb you directly, If yoa Inclose md yonr marriage certificate. I send yon fifty pounds for present expenses ' O, happy l'addy? Didn't1 ho start next day lor Cork, nnd didn't ho marry Kathleen, and touch a thousand pounds? Ily th powers he didl And what Is more, he took a cottage, which -pcrhapSi you know Is not. . hundred miles;, from Uruflin, In the county ofLlmtrick; and, I'falx, he forgot his first wife entirely, and never told any, ono but myself under the promise of sqcrecy, tho story of his Fleet Marriage, |