DEC. IS 
THE 
AL WEW-YORK 
lie went away when he saw you coming with a 
gentleipan.” 
The mother and girls turned the conversation 
to something else, and soon after the gentleman 
and young lady left., both a little more silent than 
berore. But soon Royston began talking In a 
new style, slightly, sarcastic, and yet. humorous, 
which set unsophisticated Edith off laughing, 
When half- way, she was leaning on his arm, 
and looking up with Innocent admiration, with a 
beaming smile on her face, when the bushes 
slightly parted, and the fierce, gloomy face of 
Jack Clayton peered at them. 
They were too occupied to see him. 
“ Misery be hU! ” the boy said, aloud, as soon 
as they were out of sight; “ bur, he shall not rob 
me or her ; l will kill him!—I will shoot him 
dead first! " 
This sort of thing continued somo days, during 
which time Edith saw nothing of Jack. She 
ceased asking for him, unable to explain his ex¬ 
traordinary conduct. 
She did not suspect that she never took a step 
outside the door but what he was on the watch. 
Royston was always with her. 
The fact is, about this time, Mrs. Marshall be¬ 
came so unwell as to be obliged to keep her room, 
while Martha had to devote much time to her 
mistress. 
Though Edith never left her at night, her moth¬ 
er would not prevent her walks. She knew that 
they were necessary to keep up her health and 
spirits. 
One day Royston had to write some letters; 
and, as t.lndr dally walks did uot partake of fixed 
rendezvous, Edith went out, leaving the young 
man busy. 
sue took the usual way, certainly rather slower 
than her wont, while we will net say sao did not. 
look back now and then ; but still she went on, 
until she reached the half-way oak, where there 
was a seat. 
She had a book in her hand, and made a pre¬ 
tence of reading it. 
Suddenly she heard a rustling, as of some one 
pushing through the greenwood. 
She started up, slightly alarmed; and, looking 
round, saw Jack before her—but Jack slovenly, 
with puffed face and blood-shot eyes. 
“ Why, Jack,” bIio said, “ what Is the matter 7 " 
“ Matter t" he answered, in a hard, savage tone. 
“ Why, have you not utterly forgotten me—have 
you not given mo up for a strange man, who may 
be a runaway convict for.what you know ?” 
“What on earth do you moan?” cried Edith, 
alarmed Into dignity. ** 1 have not forgotten you; 
It Is you whohave kept out of my sight.” 
“ Because It breaks my heart to s;e you always 
with that fellow, whose mincing ways make one 
sick !” ho exclaimed. •• I could kill him 
“ What for 7" she cried, opening her eyes In 
utter amazement. 
“ What lor 7 Why, Edith,” ho said, approach¬ 
ing nearer, clutching her arm, •* do you not know 
thatl love you., that 1 always have loved you— 
that I had hoped, in the bright days to come, to 
make you my wlfo 7 I am to have the Home 
Farm when I am twenty one. And now this 
myslc-playlng, singing dandy comea.between us! 1 
“ lie has not come between us," she said, re¬ 
covering herself. “Ho has never said to me a 
word you might not have heard. Indeed, I am 
sorry, Jack, but nothing could have made me 
think of you lu the way you wish. I never 
thought of any bucIi thing.” 
“Ah, so you say, Edith,” he answered, half 
fiercely, half tenderly ; “ but 1 swear I will not 
bear my disappointment tamely. One of us must 
die.” 
“ I think, Jack Clayton, you are mad !” was the 
cold response, as alia added, “Look at his face, 
his disordered dress, Ills bloodshot eyes! Have 
you-” 
“ tteen drinking ?—no,” was his fierce response 
“but I soon shall.” 
At this moment Kit came barking and leaping 
along the road. The dog had stopped behind for 
the friend who was always kind to him. 
“ Hang him ! ’ said Jack ; and darted away, af¬ 
ter shaking his fist In Ids direction. 
Edith reseated herself, pale and confused. As 
Royston Yorke came up. she appeared re*dy to 
faint, and tears started from her eyes. 
“ What alls you, Miss Marshall ?”bo said. Over¬ 
come by complicated emotions, she would have 
fallen from the bench but for his support. 
“ My poor darling, ” he said, “ what. Is the mat¬ 
ter 7 Speak, my owu love."—[To be continued. 
SHORTEN SAIL. 
BY S. U. T. 
The good sblp N -lay at her moorings at Gar¬ 
den Resell, Calcutta, one hot evening, and the 
officers were sitting on deck, under an awning, 
smoking their .Manillas, and chatting over their 
varied adventures in all parts of the world. As 
may be Imagined, some of the stories took a sup¬ 
erstitious turn, and the more robust of us were 
laughing heartily at the fears of our shipmates, 
wuen our m-ui agent, good old Lieutenant R-, 
who had been silently enjoying his weed, sud- 
dsnly broke In with— 
“ Wefi, boys, there’s no harm In laughing at 
such things, perhaps, but I can tell you aa Inci¬ 
dent that happened to me when 1 was a young 
man, which was anything but a laughing matter. 
I can’t satisfactorily aeoouuc lor it to tuts day ; 
but it is every word true, as 1 could bring several 
who were with me at the time to prove.” 
We were aU ears for the story, for we respect¬ 
ed the teller of it more than I can well describe. 
He was truth and honor themselves. 
“ Ton most of you know,” began the lieuten¬ 
ant, “ that all .sailors have the credit of being 
superstitious. I must own I never believed much 
In what people call supernatural events, as I 
think there must always be some natural cause, 
whether understood or not, to account for them ; 
but this that I am about to relate, seemed to me, 
and to all who wen? in the ship with me, as some¬ 
th ng * passing strange.’ 
“ Well, then, many years ago I was a lieuten¬ 
ant on board the old A — frigate as she was 
then, I believe, commanded by Captain F-, 
and we left Norfolk In company with the T- 
frigate. 
“ As you all know, I dire say, it Is the custom 
on board ship, when carrying off troops, for a 
watch of soldiers to be told off to keep on deck 
for certain hours, and make themselveR usorul, 
In case they might Da wanted, by tailing on to 
braces, ticks, sheets, or any rope that may be 
put Into their hands, and with them certain offi¬ 
cers are also told off, who keep watch with the 
lieutenant on duly. 
“ Well, it often happened that one particular 
man. Lieutenant B—, kept, watch with me, and 
we grew to be great cronies, and running down 
the Trades, we used to pace the quarter-deck to¬ 
gether, keeping ourselves awake by telling each 
other our adventures aud experiences In life. 
However, It very seldom happened that we got an 
entirely quiet watch, for we generally had some¬ 
thing to do in the shape of shortening sail. It 
was very odd. when any other man was on watch 
with me the weather was generally fair, but no 
sooner did B—'slum come than we were sure 
to have a squill once or twice In the watch, and 
sometimes so heavy that we were obliged to re¬ 
duce sail considerably. At last it became so reg¬ 
ular an occurrence that I used to joke B-about 
It, and tell him that I would not have him kef p 
watch with me, as he always brought me til luck. 
The other officers noticed it also, and they finally 
determined wo should no longer keep watch to¬ 
gether, us they said wo always brought foul 
weather, and they arranged. It so that I entirely 
lost my watehmate- 
“ TUlngs went on In this way till we left Rlo- 
Janelro, where we had put In to water, and ob¬ 
tain fresh provisions for Lhe troops, when one 
night, at twelve o’clock, coming on deck to keep 
the middle waleh, l rouuq my rrlond B—. there. 
The officer who was to have kept watch With mo 
had fallen sick, and B-had taken his place. 
“ In spite of them luck ho generally brought 
me, 1 was glad t.o find my old chum on deck, and 
told him laughingly that l hoped, now we had 
been separated so long, the spoil was broken, 
and that wo should have a comfortable watch, 
“ [then went forward to look for our consort 
IhuT-. There she was; I could Just, discern 
her broa*l on our starboard bow, running before 
a light, steady breeze, with, like Ourselves, every 
stitch of canvas she could carry set—Including 
stuusalls on both sides. It was as fine a night as 
you could wish, to see. not dark, though there way- 
no moon, bur, the sky looked hard and settled, 
and the stars were peeping through the light, 
fleecy Clouds. Everything tooked favorable fora 
quiet watch, aim after muttering the men and 
giving a look to the sails, getting a tack close out 
here and there, etc., I came on the quarter-deck, 
aud commenced walking up and down with 
B-. 
“ We were soon deep in conversation, aud I was 
telling him an adventure that had happened to 
rue In my wanderings many years before, when, 
to my astonishment, I heard aa It were a voice 
close to my ear, only on the Opposite sine to which 
B— was. say, in an earnest and emphatic tono, 
‘Shorten salt,' It was not loud : It was a sort of 
hi-sing whisper, very clear—there was no mistak¬ 
ing the words. 
“ I turned to B—, and Said, ‘Come, old fellow, 
none of that nonsense; you're not going to rrtght- 
en me.’ 
"•What do you mean?” asked B-, looking 
fairly puzzled. 
“ ‘ Do you mean to tell me seriously,’ said I, 
‘that you did not try to playoff a Joke on me, 
and whisper some humbug about shortening 
sail?” 
“‘Certainly not,’ said B—. ‘nave you not 
been looking at me all the time you have been 
telling your yarn; how could 1 have spoken with¬ 
out your knowledge ? What has put such an Idea 
Into your head?’ 
*** Well, it is very strange,’ said I; ‘but 1 dis¬ 
tinctly heard a voice utter the words, “ Shorten 
salL” 1 
“ Hardly had tho words escaped my lips when 
again came the voice, this time more earnestly 
and beseechingly, as It were, ‘Shorten sail.’ It 
seemed co come on tho wind, but It was distinct 
and clear, 
“ • There it la again,' I said; ' some one must be 
playing me a trick, B- 
“ • On my honor, I ain not,’ said B—; * and 
there Is no one else about; It must he fancy, 
R-.’ 
“ ‘ It's somebody,’ I said; and I hunted all over 
the quarter-deck to see if any one was concealed. 
Sly search was lrultless. Except the man at the 
wheel and the quartermaster at, the conn, there 
was nobody on the quarter-deck but B— and 
my sell. 
“ So again we commenced our wulk, and gath¬ 
ering up the thread or my narrative, 1 soot forgot 
our interruption. This lasted, I suppose, about 
eight or ten minutes, when to my startled and 
alarmed ear came again the same earnest voice, 
but now much louder and In a more Imperative 
tone, ‘Shorten sail.' 
“ 4 Good heavens I B-, I exclaimed, ‘ did you 
hear that ? I cannot stand this any longer; I 
must obey It.’ 
“‘What nonsense,' said B-. ‘You surely 
won’t give way to what must be only your fancy, 
from some unsettled state of your rnlnd or body 
most,likely. See how fine the weather is, and no 
chance of a squall. What will Caplain F-say 
tr you reduce sail, and fall astern of the T-?' 
“ * 1 don't eare what, ho says,’ 1 replied; • shorten 
sail I must and will. Lay aft here the watch. 
Take In the main topgallant stunanlls. and see all 
the stuns,ail geir clear for running fore and aft.’ 
“ I saw the men, us t hey were obeying the order, 
looking to windward, evidently wondering vfhat I 
could be shortening sail for on such a clear night; 
but of course my orders were obeyed, and the sails 
taken In. 
“ When this was done, B-and 1 resumed our 
walk, though I was much too excited to go on 
with my story, 
“ We had not been walking many minutes, 
when again came the voice walling past me, 
‘ Shorten sail.’ 
“ 1 was nearly "beside myself. What was 1 to 
do? ir I stripped the ship of canvas In this light 
breeze, I should Incur the captain's displeasure, 
and the laugh of my messmates; but how could I 
resist the warning ? After I htuktng for a mlnlllo 
or two, I gave orders to take in all llio atunsnlls 
and clew up (lie royals, and sen the topgallant 
and topsail halyards clear for running, and the 
fore gear ready to haul the foresail up In ease of 
need. 1 then went below and called the captain, 
aud told him what I had done, and the reason, 
“ He laughed at me, though 1 could see lie was 
Inclined to be a.igry, and Said, * How can you be 
so foolish, It-? This is only one of your super¬ 
stitions. Goon deck, and if the weather contin¬ 
ues the same for half an hour longer set every¬ 
thing again. Why. wb shall have the T-run¬ 
ning right away from us.’ 
“ Well, on deck I went, sadly distressed, and 
trying hard to think myself a gre.it fool tor giving 
way to these feelings, when, as I came aft and 
hid Just, got abart the mlzzeu most, 1 again heard 
the warning voice. The words were the same, 
but tills time It sounded like a passionate en¬ 
treaty, as ir harm must follow were the warning 
not heeded, and I determined, whatever might 
come of it, to obey. 
“ 1 Immediately bad tile topgallant sails clewed 
up, and went straight down Into the captain’s 
cabin again. 
“ ‘Captain F—-,'sald T, ‘I can bear this no 
longer. 1 must beg you to come on deck yoursel f. 
Either I am going mad, or else something is going 
to happen.’ 
“Growling at my stupidity, and devoting mo to 
a place which Shall be nameless, out turned the 
captain, and proceeded to dress himself, saying, 
‘Go on deck, Mr. R—, I will bo with you di¬ 
rectly.’ 
“1 left his cabin, and was ascending tho com 
panlon ladder to the quarter-deck, when I heard 
a sound as If ten thousand cavalry were galloping 
overhead. 1 rushed on deck, shouting, • Lot go 
<ho topwtl halyards! Man tho ton-gear! t’p 
with i,he foresail!’ when the squall burst upon us, 
touring through tho rigging with u crack like 
thunder, and away went the foresail clean out of 
tho bolt, ropes In a. white Cloud ahead. 1 Turn the 
hands up!’ I cried, and with a strange sensation 
I added, ‘shorten Ball i’ after tho manner of my 
mysterious monitor, 
“By this tlmn the captain was by my side, and 
the men came tumbling up from below, ’l he top¬ 
sail halyards had been let go, but, It was with 
great, difficulty we could get tho yards down, aa 
the lingo satis bellied out before the squall. For¬ 
tunately, It had taken us right aft, and the pre¬ 
cautions 1 had used in obedience to the voice had 
saved our lighter sails and spars. The strength 
of the squall gradually passed away, but the 
breeze freshened rapidly, and before eight bells 
we were scudding under close-reered topsails and 
reefed foresail, before a heavy gale. Tho squall 
which Struck us thus sud leiily was a white squall 
the danger of which you all know, us It gives no 
sign of its approach till It, la almost upon you. 
“ After all had been made snug and the hands 
piped below again, I turned to Captain F-and 
said, • What do you think of my superstition, Cap¬ 
tain F- V 
“ * Well,' said he, ' I think the less said about It 
tho better; but whatever it was that induced you 
to shorten sail, l am very much obliged to It, for 
we should certainly have lost every stitch of can¬ 
vas wo had set, ami all the lighter spars at least.’ 
“ When the fight came, we found ourselves up 
with our oonsort, which had forged ahead tn tho 
night, while I was shortening sail; but the same 
kind warning had not. It. seems, been vouchsafed 
to her. The squall struck her suddenly, ami liter¬ 
ally took clean away everything that she had sot, 
aud all her Ught spars went also. She lost top¬ 
gallant masts, and every stun sail boom she had 
out. 
“This adventure took great hold or my mind, 
and 1 thought a long while over It, racking my 
brain to find some clue lo the mystery, but, as 
you may suppose, without success. The only ap- 
ptoach to a reason tint. I could Imagine was Li its 
—I think that the nerves, and perlmps the min i, 
are like a very sensitive barometer; and though 
there may be no appearance of bad weather, yet 
the approach of It will often cause one, particu¬ 
larly when lu charge of the ship, to feel nervous 
arid anxious, and that this may malm one fancy 
voices or sounds In the same way us a sick person 
often sees spectral Illusions. Even this theory, 
however, does not explain why wo always had lo 
‘ Shorten sail when B-was on the watch with 
me.’ ” 
-- 
ANOTHER ONE CAUGHT. 
It would seem that the prostration of legitimate 
business, acts as an extraordinary stimulus to 
tho inventive Ingenuity of clover rascals, and wo 
hope that the following Information, condensed 
from an article that appeared In the New York 
Sun, will put our readers on their guard, If, per- 
adventuro, some of them have not already had 
occasion lo lament, their knowledge of this 
villain, and hts operations, from sad personal 
experience. 
It. Is anent tho “ITn ted States Secret, Service 
Company.” Tho confidential circulars sent out 
by this company announce that Us headquarters 
are In Cincinnati; that It Is a newly organized 
detective agency, and that it is desirous of en¬ 
rolling a lew good Officers In different parts of tho 
country. The terms of membership require that, 
the applicant, shall first subscribe to the Ameri¬ 
can CrLmlnaJjUazetter, which is published by the 
company, the sum of S3. (in. This amount pays 
for the paper for onu year, and also for “a lino 
German silver badge.” The commission Is not 
sent until the money is received. As an Induce¬ 
ment to become a “detective,” the circular 
makes tills offer: 
All cages of crime committed m your State, whore 
there I* a reward offered for tho criminal, if yon ro 
port riicU crime flint at till* olllce. you will receive 
One-third of (he reward, oven thou 1, -aid criminal 
should ho eamrlit by any other member of nnr force 
without your aid. For Instance, a crime in comadttfii 
In your comity for which there in a reward uf *9,000 
offered, you urn the Oivr. to report the cam to llin 
yc-ucriil office, wlieo wo fin mediately notify every 
ntan on one force in the United Staton hy eirrti'nr 
The en ... IS caught m another State hy one of our 
men. The officer ho ni.-ikiny the iierent will receive 
000, you Will receive 4I3 DOC, usd &UOO0 soen to tiin 
general office. * • •• • The ad van time., of he. 
coining a competent detective under one discipline is 
obvtoiiM. A 111111 is brought to fully appreciate vig|. 
lance aud to dull lie villainy with an over turtle? deeTro 
to see. know, aud hear. Unit, cultivate* hi* natural la. 
tolliguioe, iiutil he can rend facer— yen. can even pen... 
(rate, mind« by a well.cultivated am) acontc nenw> of 
itiataiilum on-. eompreaeiiMOti.. tf after 
a veunonable tune yon ^att-fy tut by yonr work that 
you are a wuceftHHfijl and competent detective, we will 
place you on a regular salary of $!ui per month. 
The following is a aample of tho kind letter 
sent out by this " Company.” 
All Communication* Itrfcfft/ confidential. 
OFFICE OF THE 
UNITED STATES SECRET SERVICE CO. 
ptfBl-ISH hits or TftE 
AMERICAN CRIMINAL UA7.F.TTER. 
Incorporated] Teems: I Capital, $r. 0 , 000 . 
$2.00 per Annum. C’nsh in advance. 
230 Walnut Street. CrNCiNXA ff. O , Oct. 5,1377. 
Dear Sis; Yours With certificate slynrdlH received 
we accept your rofcrtnc*- am) appoint, you a member 
of our regular force. Your commi-sion. badge, and 
the American Criminal Ctazelter will lie sent tn >011 
upon receipt ..f ,$;i 60, which pays for min year's sub. 
Script ion lo nnr pai ry, and tlie cost of budge and cutu- 
tuit'iunn. You wnl observe in our private circular 
every man ou one force unH c-inforni to the above 
requirement*. lu*tru«i ions. mice and ugulationii for 
your guidance "ill he «ent with llir cninmii-Nii.u .uni 
Image. T 1 you are vtaiio nl and ilhcreH you will doubt.- 
less receive $1,000 in fa ,cmki nay during the next year, 
and rnsaihly more. Y 011 Mill let your connection with 
thin office be Unobserved by ut.br ib only to that extent 
w hich the ende of pnd ioc demand. Read the Inclosed 
confidential circular- wall great cure, and let u< hear 
from you without delay, a* wo liavo hut a few appoint- 
meats to malic. Very rospocttidly. 
I Seal, I United States SitrmtT service Co. 
Au imposing red seal representing t,he American 
eagle with the wjHea of justice in bis beak Is 
affixed to t he letter. 
In all tho correspondence the signature to 
letters Is “ United states Secret Service Com¬ 
pany,” the name of no officer being given. A few 
weeks ago one or the Cincinnati newspapers 
spoke of tho “United States Secret, Service Co.” 
as a fraudulent, concern, anil this provoked a 
reply from "B. H. Robb, President,” who pro¬ 
nounced the statement false. Mr. Robb’s was 
t ho first name that, had ever appeared in connec¬ 
tion with llio company. 
A dispatch received from Cincinnati says that 
Robb and his associates have been Indicted for 
sending letters through tho mall with Intent to 
defraud. 
The record shows that, fifteen years ago Robb 
lived In Parkmann, Ohio, and styled himself Pror. 
Robb. Ho then advertised a preparation which 
he called “ Curltque,” warranted to transform 
tho straight,est and wiriest hair into a mass of 
silken curls He next, an mu need a “ magnetic 
comb” for the sunu purpose. Agriculture was 
his next, pursuit, aud advertisements appeared In 
all the religious and agricultural papers, offering 
for sale tho seeds of a specie* or a mammoth 
gourd, from which water pails, wash-tubs, eta, 
could be made. Among his customers was Mrs. 
Harriet Beecher Stowe, who Sent to tho Professor 
from Florida for a package of seeds. The gourds 
not, coming up, Mrs. Htowo sent him another 
dollar lor seeds, with nice results. The Professor 
also discovered a rare breed of poultry, and sold 
eggs at. several dollars a dozen, but the eggs 
wouldn’t hatch. Turning fils attention to chom- 
Lstry again, Robb went to Cincinnati and begin 
to make an article tor the hair, called “ Quclno.’ 
This preparation was warranted to cover the 
baldest head with a mass of curls in a few weeks. 
A “Ore klndlur” was tiled for a lime, and tho 
“Monitor Manufacturing Company ” was organ¬ 
ized. This was another lamp company. 
The following epistle, which carries Its own 
mark of fraud, has been received by The Sun 
from a subscriber, who desires further Informa¬ 
tion: 
New York, Nov, fi, 1877. 
Mv Dear Km; Boiny rniituufcr of (tie Kentucky 
State Library tor Ui« Middle and Ea-d'-rn Staten, t 
make you the followingproposition, with a view to < ur 
inntUul benefit, viz. . If you will H.-nd m- at once by 
express $10 for twenty ticket*, I will niter llin number 
on one i t tin: tickets drawn from the win cl to con e'« 
pond wivh ;hc n.miner utt nu« of your tickets, wh-ch 
will -Blow yon to draw a |>rtro worth tiusiiny lo 
your honesty when you get til.- pn/e that you wilt 
divide tbo H&tna with uip. I ilo not care lo malm ilia 
prize larger, aa it might create humi c- on. beuali-tt, if 
you Contplv with my proiMndtioo ami keen the Mocret 
to your-elf, we.can repeat this at every alternate dr«w- 
iuir. and no one will suspect a y Ibitu' wrurnr. This is 
a iroldi-n opportunity and 11 * the Extra Clam drawing 
takes place ou the ie b im>L.you will pleneo remit to 
me al mice the- $10 by expre u, - . a , to he in lime for 
the drawing, Do not write or send mooev by m ill, as 
it inivlit came suspicion. The only \> a\ I can yet it is 
by express, then no one will be the wiser, and as noon 
as I rect-iva jour money I will innni oiatelj-semi you 
twenty tickets. By your keeping this a secret, and 
