The true cause of the disturbance was not at once disclosed, but its progress and bearings were easily determined by the eye and ear of the spectator. Such a reign of confusion and roar of voices; such a Babel of tongues, it had never been the fortune of the operative to see or hear. In the center of a considerable group of persons stood the young husband, Julius Krozenski, brandishing a long stiletto and loudly swearing that he would take somebody’s life. Meanwhile a friend, less under excitement than the bridegroom, firmly held the angry man back by the collar. Facing the Pole, somewhat in the shadow of a large tree, stood an athletic Irish miner and his equally muscular wife, both much wrought up, but neither exhibiting or employing any more deadly weapon of offense or defense than their unusually acrimonious tongues, which they exercised with all their strength. Soon Mrs. Krozenski made her appearance, and, walking straight to the side of her newly-made liege lord—but by no means, as the sequel will show, her master—she scientifically seized him by the left ear, told him to “put away his knife,” and then, with an affectionate and effective twist of the imprisoned auricular appendage, hauled the irate man away. The burst of laughter which followed this evidence of power on the part of a wife was highly exasperating to Julius, and he slipped his tether, again drew his knife, and rushed back toward his opponent. Once more Mrs. Krozenski caught him by the ear, once more he had to replace the weapon in his belt, and once more the victorious lady led him in the direction of the house. This escaping and catching process was repeated several times, and on each occasion, the peacemaker succeeded in capturing and carrying away her husband. At last he was safely returned to the kitchen and seated on a log of wood at the wife’s side, where, for some moments, he remained as mild and quiet as possible. Now the reception ceremonies were continued, and nothing more occurred to disturb the usual routine of proceedings until O’Neill and his wife ventured to enter the apartment. This was too much, and Krozenski burst out afresh, worked himself into a new frenzy, and quickly rising, again reached for and produced his long-bladed knife, which, unfortunately, his spouse had permitted to remain in his possession. The detective soon learned the cause of the difficulty.