Punchinello, Vol. 1, No. 14, July 2, 1870
PUNCHINELLO
SATURDAY, JULY 2, 1870.
PUBLISHED BY THE
PUNCHINELLO PUBLISHING COMPANY.
83 NASSAU STREET, NEW YORK.
THE MYSTERY OF MR. E. DROOD.
AN ADAPTATION.
BY ORPHEUS C. KERR,
CHAPTER VII.
MORE CONFIDENCES THAN ONE.
"You and your sister have been insured, of course," said the Gospeler toMONTGOMERY PENDRAGON, as they returned from escorting Mr. SCHENCK.
"Of course," echoed MONTGOMERY, with a suppressed moan. "He is ourguardian, and has trampled us into a couple of policies. We had toyield, or excess of Boreal conversation would have made us maniacs."
"You speak bitterly for one so young," observed the Reverend OCTAVIUSSIMPSON. "Is it derangement of the stomach, or have you known sorrow?"
"Heaps of sorrow," answered the young man. "You may be aware, sir, thatmy sister and I belong to a fine old heavily mortgaged Southernfamily—the PENRUTHERSES and MUNCHAUSENS of Chipmunk Court House,Virginia, are our relatives—and that SHERMAN marched through us duringthe late southward projection of certain of your Northern militaryscorpions. After our father's felo-desease, ensuing remotely from anoverstrain in attempting to lift a large mortgage, our mother gave us astep-father of Northern birth, who tried to amend our constitutions andreconstruct us."
"Dreadful!" murmured the Gospeler.
"We hated him! MAGNOLIA threw her scissors at him several times. Mysister, sir, does not know what fear is. She would fight a lion;inheriting the spirit from our father, who, I have heard said,frequently fought a tiger. She can fire a gun and pick off a StateSenator as well as any man in all the South. Our mother died. A fewmornings thereafter our step-father was found dead in his bed, and thedoctors said he died of a pair of scissors which he must have swallowedaccidentally in his youth, and which were found, after his death, tohave worked themselves several inches out of his side, near the heart."
"Swallowed a pair of scissors!" exclaimed the Reverend OCTAVIUS.
"He might have had a stitch in his side at the time, you know, andwanted to cut it," explained MONTGOMERY. "At any rate, after that webecame wards of Mr. SCHENCK, up North here. And now let me ask you, sir,is this Mr. EDWIN DROOD a student with you?"
"No. He is visiting his uncle, Mr. BUMSTEAD," answered the Gospeler, whocould not free his mind from the horrible thought that his youngcompanion's fearless sister might have been in some way acscissory tothe sudden cutting off of her step-father's career.
"Is Miss FLORA POTTS his sister?"
Mr. SIMPSON told the story of the betrothal of the young couple by theirrespective departed parents.
"Oh, that's the game, eh?" said MONTGOMERY. "I understand now hiswhispering to me that he wi