The Sun.
London, England, 1829-09-19 00:00:00

LOVE, POISON, AND DESPAIR.

A short time since, a youth employed as an
assistant in a respectable shop in the High-street,
became enamoured of a fair and interesting
sempstress, to whom he communicated the tid-
ings of his tender passion by the usual artillery
of love ; namely, " soft looks, sweet smiles, pa-
thetic sighs, and billets-dons," which speedily
produced the desired effect on the heart of his
inamorata, who appeared to make an adequate
return to the passion of her sentimental and
love-inspired swain. For some days, nay weeks,
joy beamed in the countenance of our Adonis,
which seemed also to be reflected in the spark-
ling blue eyes of his beautiful young mistress ;
but, alas ! his happiness was doomed to be but
short, for he liad trusted it to the frail and fickle
keeping of " woman's love ;" and when he
thought himself in possession of " all his soul
held dear," his fair charmer proved faithless ;
first looked coldly on him in her presence—then
shunned his society—and finally completed hio
wretchedness by receiving the addresses of ano-
ther. This was too much for the sensitive and
nos% broken-hearted youth. The anguish of his
nand became insupportable, and all his prospects
of a life of happiness and love were changed
into the gloomy anticipations of desertion, dis-
appointment, and despair. What is life without
love ? and life itself became accordingly value-
less in his eyes, " now that his love was gone."
His only study was to end it and his woes at
once—and having rejected hanging as ignomi-
nious, drowning as vulgar, throat-cutting as
dirty, and shooting as calculated to alarm the
family, he resolved to wring the bosom of
" faithless Emma " by finishing his miserable
career with a dose of poison. Accordingly he
sallied forth to buy the deadly potion, and ap-
plied at the shop of Mr. T. Alder, chemist and
druggist, for an ounce of arsenic, with which he
returned to his master's dwelling; and having
mixed it with water, he dispatched the whole at
a draught. Within half an hour the first fatal
symptoms of approaching death warned him of
the rash act he had committed—his love gave
place to repentance and agony of soul ; and not
being able to play the hero to the end of the
drama, he summoned the household, and in-
formed them of the dreadful deed he had com'
mitted, which was amply confirmed by the truly
horror-stricken appearance of his face, and the
violent symptoms that soon became apparent in
this victim of disappointed affection. Violent
retchings, groans, and convulsive throes, terrified
all who saw the devoted and unhappy lover, and
the alarm of his friends increased on observing
the paper which had enveloped the drug lying
on the floor, with the words" Poison—Arsenic !"
written upon it in large letters. Medical assist-
ance was immediately called in, and the symptoms
which had previously been so violent became more
tranquil. This cessation of agony allowed a medi-
cal attendant time to inquire where he had bought
the poison. The unfortunate youth replied,
"at Mr. Alder's." Mr. Alder was sent for im-
mediately; but not being within, a young man
belonging to his establishment attended, and his
presence brought life, happiness, and joy to the
house of mourning, for he informed the love-sick
swain, that in consequence of having suspected
his intention, he had sold him a powerful dose
of cream of tartar, which had evidently been at-
tended with the most beneficial effects. Re-
morse and repentance soon fled from the breast
of the dying patient, who shortly became conva-
lescent, and after thanking his deliverer a thou-
sand times, he assured him in the most joyous
tone that he was perfectly cured of love, poison,
and despair. However we may ridicule the
folly of the young man, we cannot sufficiently
commend the prudence of Mr. T. Alder, who
had made it a regular custom in his establish-
ment to sell an active emetic or aperient, on all
occasions, instead of poison, unless he was per-
fectly satisfied that the customer required it for
no improper purpose ; and if his example were
copied by the chemists and druggists generally
throughout the kingdom, a great sacrifice of
human life might be prevented.—Cheltenham
Chronicle.

BLISS AND IGNORANCE.—A dandy was im-
portuning a grave gentleman fur some information, and the
latter, not being able to gratify his companion's curiosity,
pleaded his perfect ignorance of the whole of a certain
transaction—" Ignorance, ignorance," exclaimed thejop,
" allow me to say, where ignorance is Wis., 'tis fully to
be wise.'" " Sir," said the old gentleman, " allow me to
congratulate you--' If ignorance is bliss,' you are one of
the happiest of men."