MOORE’S RURAL MEW-VOBKEB. 
•35JLY 6 
PERSONAL ITEMS. 
Horace Greeley is a teetotaller. 
U. S. Grant, Jr., has pone to Europe. 
Gov. Hoffman has gone to Newport with 
his family. 
Gov. Vance is stumping North Carolina 
for Greeley. 
Senator Cameron of Pennsylvania is 
nearly 74 years old. 
Parke Godwin of the Evening Post has 
been made I,L. 1). by Princeton College. 
M. Yictorikn Sardou, the celebrated 
dramatist, is about, to be married to Mile. 
Soulie. 
Miss Clara Louise Kellogg, the Ameri¬ 
can prirna donna, sang in Buckingham Pal¬ 
ace last week. 
Rev. E. G. Rorinson, D. D., has received 
the degree of LI,. 1). from Brown Univcrsi- 
t}', of which institution he is President elect. 
W. F. Storey of 1 he Chicago Times, while 
stepping upon the train at Springfield, ill., 
one night last week, fell, and his leg was 
broken. 
Gen. Wm. T. Sherman was entertained 
at dinner by the Hon. Horace ltublee, the 
Minister of the United States at Berne, on 
the 27th ult, 
-- 
THE PLOT AGAINST HAWLEY. 
CHARTER I. 
HOW THE PLOT ORIGINATED. 
Near noon, the 5th of September, 1852, a man 
laboring under great excitement was walking 
hurriedly up Broadway, New York. His lea- 
lures were flushed and convulsed, his glances 
wild and restless, his whole mien indicative of 
keen anguish. 
Turning to the right into Bloeekor street, he 
soon reached a plain three story and basement 
brick house, to which he gave himself admit¬ 
tance. 
“Are you there, Ruth?” lie called from the 
hall. 
A step was heard overhead, followed by the 
rustling of a dress, and a young lady descended 
the front stairs. Despite several points of mark¬ 
ed contrast, there was a family likeness about 
the couple that proclaimed them to be brother 
and sister. 
“Why, what’s the matter, Luke?" cried the 
latter, starting at sight of the disturbed coun¬ 
tenance that met her view. "Are you ill?” 
"I've just received bail news," replied the 
brother, leading the way into the parlor “news 
which has given me a terrible .shock," 
“Shocked? You! What has happened?” 
“ In a word, Clara Aytuar is married!” 
" Married t" echoed ttie sister, recoiling. 
" Clara Aytnar married! Is it possible ?" 
" Yes, married' the girl I've been laying siege 
to for years past i lie only girl I ever eared a pin 
for. Imagine the* shock this event gives me. 
I’m nearly crazy." 
“Then you really loved her?" 
" Lornl her! I must have worst tipped her, or 
else this thing would not have SO completcly up¬ 
set me." 
“ Oli, as to that, the loss of a tiling always gives 
us an exaggerated notion of Us value," said the 
Bister philosophically, as she sank languidly into 
an easy chair, and smoothed out a fold in her 
showy morning robe. " You are simply shocked, 
as you say. lint by to-morrow you will laugh at 
the whole matter." 
"Don’t, Ruth!" implored the brother,sinking 
heavily into the nearest chair. "Clara Aymar 
is more to me than my life! My love for her is 
u delirium! It’s no such passing fancy as you 
suppose, but an everlasting passion a rage -a 
Hood of molten lava! And I’ve counted all 
along upon marrying her. True, she has reject¬ 
ed me twice, but 1 thought she’d change her 
mind—” 
“She was in no way committed to you?" 
“ No, of course not. She has never given me 
any encouragement. Hut I am none the less 
surprised. I supposed that everything was fa¬ 
vorable enough to my wishes. 1 knew that she 
was still young to marry an orphan without 
money and without friends -presumably with¬ 
out suitors; ami 1 Pattered myself that she 
couldn’t always remain insensible to my atten¬ 
tions." 
"You reasoned wisely enough, of course, 
Luke; but reason never decides these matters," 
declared the sister, with a sort of contemptuous 
compassion, "A whim—a clianec meeting—a 
smile or a word a moment’s weakness—any tri¬ 
be—those are the things by which marriages are 
brought about. Rut who is the bridegroom?” 
" Ah! that ’s a point that will touch you a litt le, 
I think. Can’t you guess who he is?” 
•• I haven't the least idea." 
“Well, then, lie's Will Hawley." 
The sister sprang abruptly to her feet, clasping 
both hands to her heart. The changing colors of 
her brot her, his agitation, bis anguish, all passed 
to her own features. 
"Will Hawley?" she gasped. "Oh, you don’t 
mean it, Luke!" 
“ But I do though. It's God's truth. (jam Ay- 
mar and Will. Hawley are husband and wife." 
A heavy fall succeeded. The sister had faint¬ 
ed. She lay Upon the floor as one dead. 
"Didshe think that much of Hawley?" mut¬ 
tered the brother, astonished. “I didn’t sup¬ 
pose—" 
L 
He hastened to bring a pitcher of water and 
bathe the white features, and t hen set himself to 
chafing the clenched hands. 
Capt. Luke Rodder was twenty-seven years of 
age, with an originally light complexion, which 
had reddened with generous Jiv ing and bronzed 
with exposure to wind and amt. Ilia form was 
of I lie average size and hlght, and his features 
of the most ordinary type. He was singularly 
selfish and unscrupulous, hut of gentlemanly 
manners, being well educated and used to good 
society. His ability as a navigator was fair for 
a man of his age and experience, but lie owed 
tils position as commander of a fine Australian 
clipper, more to respect, for Ills late father and 
to sympathizing favor than to his own merits. 
Miss Ruth Redder was two years youngerthan 
her brother, and consequently twenty-five years 
of age. although she owned to only twenty. She 
was tall, thin, and a little inclined in her outlines, 
as in tier temper, to angularity. She was not 
particularly bright, but she was bold and un¬ 
scrupulous, and possessed a fierce energy which 
was Capable of compensat ing in any emergency 
for lack of genius. 
The father of the couple hud been a prominent 
ship-owner and merchant, lint in his lilt ter days 
the senior Redder hail been Unfort unate, and hail 
finally been broken up completely a result has¬ 
tened, it was whispered, by the wild ways and 
financial Irregularities of his son. The old man’s 
failure had soon boon followed by bis death, and 
already— for such Is fame! ho was generally for¬ 
gotten. 
" How odd it is!” ejaculated f ’npt. Redder, as 
he rubbed his ulster’s cold hands. u She madly 
hi love with Will. Hawley, and T crazy after 
Clara Aymar! And now Will, and Clara are mar¬ 
ried, and Ruth ami I are left Out in the cold." 
Under the vigorous treatment he had adopted, 
Mix* Redder soon recovered her senses. 
"Are you sure they’re married ?” she demand¬ 
ed. 
“Perfectly. I learned the fact half an hour 
since from Hawley’s commander -Captain 
Greggs, you know. Captain Greggs was at the 
wedding. It took place last Friday evening—the 
very evening after Hawley's return from hfc last 
Voyage to Rio. It wn*a Quiet affair. Only a few 
friends were Invited. Hut let me ask you a ques¬ 
tion. Did Hawley ever propose to you f" 
"No. But 1 expected that he would soon do 
so. He lias been here often enough—" 
“Yes, he came several times to ask me for a 
berth in my clipper. 1 promised to think of him 
al th<* first opening, and I really meant to help 
him. for I knew in a general way that you liked 
him.” 
"J thought he’d realize that you could be of 
service to him," explained Miss Redder. "I 
thought he’d remember that mother left methts 
house and a fow thousand dollars to doits I pleas¬ 
ed with. lAvaS conscious, loo, that I puss* ‘rye] a 
fair share of personal attractions. And a- I sup¬ 
posed him to be entirely heart-free, I took it for 
granted that I should get him. His attentions 
seemed marked enough—" 
“He treated you politely, of course,” inter¬ 
rupted Redder, “and he couldn’t have well done 
less, after asking me to befriend him. Hut lie 
never made any format declaration?" 
"No, 1m didn’t. As mate of a Rio ship, he was 
away seven-eighths of the time, and I didn't ex¬ 
pect a regular courtship. But I took it for grant- 
oil-" 
Redder made an impatient gesture. 
“We've deceived ourselves," he muttered. 
“We’ve been carried away by our feelings. The 
girl's rejection of me was really intended to be 
Una), and Hawley’s visits here were merely vis¬ 
its of business and friendship. But. why Clara 
should prefer Hawley to me I can't imagine," 
added Redder, drawing himself up haughtily. 
“ Hawley has neither name, nor money, nor posi¬ 
tion !" 
“Nor can I see why Hawley should prefer 
Clara Aymar to me !" said Miss Rodder, as she 
glanced at her rotleetioix in one of the long mir¬ 
rors near her. "She’s a hired attendant, orsomc- 
tliing of that kind—the creature." 
“ I'd no idea that you thought so much of Haw¬ 
ley,” observed Hie brother, as he strove to calm 
his painful emotions. 
Miss Redder moaned. Her eyes tilled with 
tears. 
" l thought all the world of him," she mur¬ 
mured. 
A long silence fell between the couple. 
"Well, well, they’re hUsbtuid and wife," at 
length muttered Rodder hoarsely. "And this, 1 
suppose, is all there is to be said." 
Miss Redder compressed her lips until they 
bled, staring at her brother with a fixedness 
amounting to ferocity. 
" No! no 1” she breathed fiercely. " The mut¬ 
ter shall not end here. That marriage—that 
abominable marriage—” 
She clutched at her heart again, as if suffocat¬ 
ing. 
Polder opened his eyes widely. 
" Why. whute-un we do?" he queried. "You 
wouldn't have me murder Hawley, 1 suppose? 
That wouldn't make him your husband; and, on 
the other hand, it wouldn’t do me any good if 
you wore to kill Clara A.vinar." 
“But there is a way, Luke, of undoing that 
marriage." 
Pedder started toward his sister as if elect fi¬ 
lled. 
"Do you mean it ?" he demanded. 
"1 mean it, and f swear it! I’ll never consent 
to thut. girl's having lluwley! I’ll dig a gulf be¬ 
tween them as broad as the occun! I’ll undo 
that marriage, or tiUzl ” 
**»01tly! Where is Kate? 
He referred to their single servant. 
"Nhe'sotlt for the day, answered MlssPoddor. 
arising and planting herself iq a chair. "There 
was little to do, you know, us I did not expect 
you home until dinner.” 
“Then no one will hear ns." 
He drew a chair nearer to that of hissister, and 
sat down beside her. 
" What's your Idea?" lie asked, in a whisper. 
"My idea is to separate them; to turn their 
love to hate; to dig a pit beneath their feet that 
will vemain open forever!" 
" But how?" 
“ Will Hawley is poor, isn't ho?" 
"Certainly; there is no mistake about, that. 
His mother was a linlples* Invalid for the last ten 
years of her life, and Will insisted on her using 
tor her comfort every penny he earned. It hasn't 
been six mouths since he was relieved of that 
burden, He’S poor, therefore, us you say poor 
as Job's turkey!" 
"Then lie'll have to leave his darling Clara." 
sneered Miss Redder, venomously. " He'll have 
to absent himself from his deary in order to earn 
their mutual bread and butter. In short, he’ll 
have to go to sea again ! " 
“Well, yes: I suppose he will,” assented Red¬ 
der. " He can get better wages at sea than else¬ 
where. He will sail again soon, no doubt." 
"I thought a* much. Ami the sea Is full of 
terrible dangers! When do you sail again for 
Australia?" 
“In about two weeks possibly ten days, as 
the ship's filling up rapidly.,' 
" Hawley Is thoroughly competent to be your 
first mater" 
Redder looked wmideringly at his sister a mo¬ 
ment. and then answered 
"Of course. 1 know of no holier man for the 
post." 
"He must lie your first mate, then. You have 
influence enough with your owners, I hope, to 
turn out the present incumbent?” 
"Why, the post Is already vacant. Mr. Jar- 
dlng—yon have seen him Mr. Jarding has just 
been called homo suddenly to Ohio, on account 
of Ids father's Illness—'" 
“Good! That's fortunate. You must recom¬ 
mend Hawley for the vacant place to your own¬ 
ers, and get them to engage him. The thing can 
bo dong? " 
“ Without the least doubt, ft was understood, 
you know, as I Just now remarked, that I was to 
help Hawley at the first opportunity. We'll ac¬ 
cordingly suppose Hull he sails with me as first 
mate t no next voyage. What then ? ” 
“ You must lea ve Him not dead, but a prison¬ 
er—oo some desert island between here and Aus¬ 
tralia!" 
Redder looked his astonishment, 
"If It can be done," he said, after a pause, 
“what next?" 
" You must eome back and report that ho is 
dead, furnishing full details and good proofs. 
Those details and proofs will not bo difficult to 
manufacture. Then you must lie all kindness 
and sympathy to the young widow, as she will 
suppose lierself to be, and in less than a year 
thereafter she will be your Wife." 
“Oh, if this thing wore possible?" sighed Red¬ 
der, beginning to look relieved. 
" Pnwfhk! It's as simple a« kissing. And the 
moment you are married to Clara, I will taken 
trip to Australia for my health, and naturally 
enough stumble upon the very island where you 
have left Hawley; effect his rescue; tell him bin 
wife is dead: condole and sympathize with him 
like an angel; and conclude the whole comedy 
by becoming his wife and settling In Australia. 
You'll thus have your Clam on lids side of Hie 
ocean, and I shall be happy with Hawley on the 
other." 
She was smiling now. with every sign of anti¬ 
cipated triumph. 
As to Redder, he twisted nervously in his chair 
scarcely venturing to breathe. 
’• There's just one difficulty." he muttered - 
“that of getting Hawley on the desert island 
without lib - uspecting anything." 
“ It can bo done." and the lips or Mis* Redder 
oame together like the Jaws of a vice*. "There’s 
no difficulty about finding a suitable island ?" 
"Not the least. 1 saw the island In my mind's 
eye the moment you uttered the word, ami a 
glorious one* it is for our purpose." 
"It will be* easy fen* yon to get Hawley upon 
it," suggested Miss Redder thoughtfully. "If 
it’s noaryour mute yon earl call tlictv for water. 
If it’s out of your way, you can be hluvvn there 
by adverse winds, or be drifted there by un¬ 
known currents, or fetch up there by a mistake 
in your reckon lug or a fault In your chronome¬ 
ter. And once there, you can have Hawley 
seized by some trusty agent, while he is ushnre 
upon business, or you nan send lmn ashore un¬ 
der some pretence, such us looking fora desert¬ 
er from tlte aliip or for a shipwrecked sailor,ami 
then sail away without him ” 
"Say no more," interrupted Redder, with wild 
exultation. " 1 see how to manage the affair 
Iron) it* beginning to its end." 
"And you now see that wc can undo that 
hateful marriage?" 
" Perfectly perfect ly. The affair will require 
a little time ami patience, of course, and a little 
expenditure ol money, but wo are sure to tri¬ 
umph. Capital! glorious! What a load you 
ha* e taken from my soul, Ruth! What a genius 
you are!" 
He leaped to Ids feet and begun pacing to and 
fro rapidly, with the most extravagant signs 
and exclamations of joy. 
"First to get Hawley on his island," resumed 
Miss Redder musingly. " Next for you to marry 
the pretended widow. Then for me to rescue the 
prisoner and marry him. And finally for you 
and me to be happy, you in your way and 1 in 
mine you with Clara in New York, and i with 
Will in Australia, You comprehend the whole 
project! clearly?" 
“ From the first step to the last. There’s only 
just one possibility of failure 
“And Hail one!" 
“A refusal on Hawley’s part to accept the 
post offered him—n refusal based upon his mar¬ 
riage.’’ 
Miss Redder turned pale sit the thought. 
" But lie won’t refuse," she soon declared, re¬ 
covering her equanimity. “He has long been 
wanting just such a place Married or.single, he 
can't neglect his bread and butter." 
" Well raid, Ruth. I think we can count upon 
him. The post lie came here to ask me for is 
now vacant, and l will accordingly have it ot¬ 
tered to him, just, to? if nothing hail happened.” 
" Exactly. You needn't sneak of a is mar¬ 
riage, nr serm to know anything about it. You 
could simply offer hint the post in question, in 
accordance with the old under*binding. And he 
will accept it. He can't poaailily have any sus¬ 
picion of anything wrong. Outwardly and np- 
jiarenily we are all on good terms with one an¬ 
other, nod will remain so. Let the wages offered 
him be liberal. Possibly he may object to leav¬ 
ing his young bride so soon, but the next, voyage 
after tHiss one 
Rodder interrupted the remark by a gesture ol 
impatience, lie was all eagerness now-all de¬ 
termination. 
“That next voyage after this ono will not 
answer,” he declared, " lluwley shall acoonv- 
pany me on my very next trip. To make all 
sure on this point, I M ill have him engaged this 
very day. In fact 1 will see to this nine. 
He seized his hat and gloves, addressed a few 
words to his sister, and quietly took his depar- 
ure down town. The last glances the couple 
exehnngod at the door were full of jubilant 
■wickedness. 
The next three or four hours passed slowly to 
Miss Redder. She was beginning to fear that 
the whole project had miscarried at its very 
commencement, and war fretting herself into a 
fever, when Redder suddenly made his appear¬ 
ance. One ghuieo at his vivid flushes. ;it his 
dancing eyes, at his airy manner, was sufficient. 
" We triumph then?" she cried, throwing her¬ 
self into his arms fur the first time in years. 
“Completely! I eatvmy owners on the sub¬ 
ject, and they sent for Hawley. He at first 
ottered some objections, as was natural, but the 
high wages, the great stop upward, the klndlv 
interest we all manifested, soon brought him to 
a grateful acceptance 1" 
”Splendid!" murmured Miss Redder, with a 
rippling laugh. " I knew the thing was feasible. 
And so in two weeks more our fond bridegroom 
will lie plowing the sea again " 
"In i wo week* more, Ruth! We shall be off 
in six or eight day,. The cargo!* fairly tumbling 
aboard the t'lyiny Chillier* , to say nothing of a 
fair list of passengers. The honeymoon of our 
loving doves will be abridged to six short days 
more, you may lie certain." 
CHARTER II. 
A CHEAT ST HI* TAKEN. 
In the midst of the Antarctic ocean, a little 
off the route from Now York to Australia, there 
lies a large island named Kerguelen's Land, or— 
as Capt. Cook called it—the Island of Desolation. 
It. was discovered just a hundred years ago, 
(in 1772.) by the French naval officer whose name 
it bears. It was uninhabited then, and is to-day 
as deserted as ever. 
The smallest school-boy among our readers 
can find it upon his map of the world, about 
midway between the south end of Africa and 
Australia, well up toward tile HouIh Role. 
It is a hundred miles in le ngth by fifty in 
breadth, and is. consequently, three or tour 
times as large as Rhode Island. 
Its coasts are so wild and dangerous that its 
discoverer, during the two expeditions that he 
made to it, did not once bring his fillips to 
anchor in any of its hays and harbors. 
Its shape Is very Irregular, but something like 
that ol an hour-glass, it being nearly cut in two 
by a couple of large bays: but those two divis- 
sion.x are unequal in size, t he nort hern peninsula 
being much larger Hum iln* southern. 
Its coast, line is wildly broken and jagged, its 
innumerable gulfs being long and narrow, and 
its promontories are correspondingly sharp and 
slender, reaching out Into I nc ocean like fingers. 
Tin? body of toe island indeed resembles that 
of some huge monster of the antediluvian world, 
even as Its capes and headlands resemble such a 
monster's unsightly limbs and claws. 
A more terrific solit ude than this isle of Deso¬ 
lation does not exist upon iair wrecked planet. 
Neither the snows of Himalaya nor Hie sands of 
Sahara can outvie ns rerrors. 
No inhabitant is there, not even a savage — no 
house, no tree, no shrub, no fence nor rond, no 
field nor garden, no horse, no <log not even a 
snake or wolf. 
Lone, blasied and barren, it looks like the 
skeleton of a land that has perished. 
It may Indeed be that Desolation is the relic— 
Hu* surviving fragment of a continent that 
went down hero countless ages ago, with liosta 
i>f inhabitants, in some wist convulsion of nu- 
t u re. 
It has certainly undergone dreadful visita¬ 
tions ; been rent by earthquakes, pulverized by 
Hosts, lashed and wasted by fierce tempests. 
Its inotitiluiiis are only of nualeruteliiglit, but 
are cupped eternally with snow. 
It* vegetation is limited tci|U few dwarfish 
plants, Including some mosses, a species of lich¬ 
en, u coarse grass, a plant resembling a small 
cabbage, and a sort of cress. 
Its winds are raw and piercing, its summers 
cold arid frosty, its winters those of the Rolur 
Circles. 
The Interior of the island la occupied by Im¬ 
mense boggy swamps, where the ground sinksnl 
every step. 
The rains In Desolation are almost Incessant, 
in their season, and the island i< accordingly 
veined with numerous torrents ot fresh water, 
some of which have worn out ol t lie solid rock 
tremendous cavities ami gullies. The only other 
season than that ol' the rains is one of almost 
constant snow*. 
The fogs • if Had ghastly region are well worthy 
of Hie rains, being of a cloud-like density and 
hovering almost continually over the whole lace 
of tin* Island. 
The sun of Desolation is usually hidden by a 
canopy ol'load-colored clouds, and appears, on 
tin* rare occasions when it is visible, scarcely 
brighter than the moon in other latitudes. As 
to the moon itself, and the stars, the clouds and 
fogs rarely permit them to betray their exist¬ 
ence. 
No fish worthy of not e, not even fishes of prey, 
abound in the adjacent waters, by reason, per¬ 
haps, of their containing poisonous minerals or 
deadly exhalations from tin* volcanic tires be¬ 
neath them. 
Yet the dark, grim sea inclosing Desolation 
has done something to repair the sterility of the 
island. 
Penguins, ducks, gulls, cormorants and other 
marine birdsure plentiful iusouicof its harbors. 
Seals also abound. 
Strange and terrible land ! 
Not a single human being, so far us is known, 
lias ever lived there, save* as is now to be record¬ 
ed in these pages. 
Near the middle of a dull, dismal afternoon, 
some eleven weeks later Ihuu 1 lie date of the 
preceding events. Hie good ship h'lyiny CliihUrn 
drew near to tHo island ol Desolation, shaping 
her course toward its northern most hay, called 
by Captain Cook, Christmas Harbor. 
A fair breeze wax blowing from the north, and 
the ship was carrying every stitch of her canvas, 
including studding-sail*, 
Her crew both watches - were busy about 
the deck, and her passenger* a score m'mnnber 
—had gathered in groups, mostly forward, and 
were gazing with great interest upon the wild, 
rugged shores before them, so tar as the fog sus¬ 
pended upon those shores permitted t hem to be¬ 
come visible. 
The ship had eomo here for water, nearly all 
her water casks having been shoe or started 
during a squall of ten days previously, and every 
soul aboard ot her Hating been since that date 
upon short allowance. 
Cpon the quarter-deck stood Capt. Luke Red¬ 
der, looking unusually happy, with Will Hawley 
beside him. 
“ I mean to get our water aboard before dark. 
Captain Rodder, and so avoid losiuga night here," 
said the young executive, totally unconscious of 
the plot to leave him alouoou Hu* desolate island, 
and of the extraordinary adventures which were 
before Him. The strange event* that happened 
there, and indeed Hu* whole of this thrilling 
story, will be found in tlte New York Ledger, 
which is now ready and for sale at all the book¬ 
stores and news-depots- Ask for the number 
dated July Id, and in it you will get the continua¬ 
tion of the story from the place where it leaves 
off here. 
