The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1853-10-12
THE DAILY DISPATCH.
ne New urIeans Flcayane.
4 GHOST STORY,

aass Gre, en- for ghost, who turned out TO be b,
ing OF real flesh and blood We translate It.
"Much gossip during former season took plac
In the Partisan fashionable world, concerning &c,
tain husband who committed suicide in order .
counterhalance in some way the miserable life h
had caused his wife TO lead. This husband WIN
finished his career 80 we'll had commenced 1t il
totally opposite manner Full ofbad qualities. dis
epated, gambler, rone, he had spent all his owl
and wifes property, aud rendered her unhappy
by every means In his power. The wife, woma,
VINO merited better fate was good and beantiiui
witty and charming, and supported with admirable
resignation the unworthy treatment OF her unwor
thy spouse. Her patience and virtue never iateteu
for an instant during this severe trial Sne naa a.
IL customary in French society in certain circles,
number OF male worshippers, and among these wa
ayeuny baron. immensely rich. passionaiely at
tached to the lady, and OF very ainiaoe anu pleas
ing manners.
"Fallen from brilliant position. living on loans
and the wreck of a fortune and driven from Paris
by his debts the husband went with his wife to pass
the summer at the watering places in the Pyrences
The baron followed, but the wife obliged him to
leave the spot This conduct touched the husband
For the first time, as he looked back on his career
he was overcome with shame and renorse He
the accused and condemned himself and his pity for
poor woman, whose cup he had filled TO the hrin
with the bitter tears OF sorrow and humiliation
suddenly became even frenzied in extent Were
dead, he said to himselfA she would be happy;
she would marry this excellent young man, who
loves her, know, and whom no doubt she is fond
OF. Be ii so! | will make up for the past and the
future shall he happy. She shall be free, The
sacrifice will cost me little: am tired of nv mise
rable Lille, IN which am burden to others and to
myself
As as he had taken this resolution. he wrote
farewell letter to his wife praying her to pardon
him all his faults towards her in considera-
ton Of the total expiration. 1t is offered for you,
he wrote; ii is to remove the only obstacle TO your
happiness, that am determined to end my lire -
Inereupon he started out to put his plan into exc
eution.
The next day his hat and memorandum book
(the latter containing few farewell lines hurriediy
written and passionately expressed, as might DC
supposed were found on the brink OF preclplce
IN the mountains He had written and then thrown
himself into the sombre abyss, the depths OF which
no human eye could measure
''What this generous husband anticipated took
place. His widow shed few tears OF tenderness
as legitimate tribute TO so dIslntercsted an act;
had his decease legally proven; passed year IN
mourning, and then became the baron, $ spouse
She knew then wha; happiness was tor hrsf time the
in her life
ssThe trarcal end of the first husband became
the basis Of a poe;cal legend which was all the
fashion for years in the Pyrenees. TIE poets in
spired by Imagination, enriched the story with
many exaggerations; hut even the basis of the
poem was an eXasgeraton, as the real facts were
as follows
BY the time the heroic husband bad reached the
summit OF the mountain, his mental exatation was
disspated by the fresh air OF the morning and the
calnIer, turned to wiser reflections and the sight of
the abyss, instead OF proving attractive, made him
remember Talleyrands pLilosophic axiom: BE
suspicious OF frs, impulse"
Suspicion seized him; and reelection gave him
counsel Why kill himself, i; he could obtain his
object without recourse 10 that extremity? Was it
absurd TO give up life thirty years of age for
a sentimental exaggeration or cowardly weak
ness! Would 1t not be better for him 10 pass him.
self off for dead, and then commence new ca
reer and seek his fortunes in distant countries,-
His purse which he had accidentally taken with
him, contained sixty louis. With plenty OF auda.
city and few .cruples of conscience that sum was
sufficient TO enable him to start out i'll fresh adyen
lures and specula'ions and in leaving his native
country he preceded only by few days the result
which his numerous creditors would have obtained
His decision was taken He contented himself
with playing comedy instead OF drama The
properties and decorations of the scene were
simple and easily arranged-the hat near the brink
OF the precipice-the memorandum book-th, few
eloquent farewell words; and then, instead OF pre-
cipating himself into the abyss at his feet he sim
ply threw down 1t an old log of a tree which
ploughlng the earth and tearing aside the bushes
left indubitabe traces OF his bodys rapid descen
Two young shepherds at distance seeing man
so near the precipice, and then a dark BODY 90
swiftly down its side, believed in their fright that
1t was the human being who had really taken that
r)ute, and they afterwards declared positively that
they saw the suicide committed
ElSlant watchtul, and in good health, cur de-
reached Cadiz, and sailed for America
seven or eight years after this fabulous event
the baron and the baroness were at their seat in
Franche Compile and they were suddenly sur.
prised one evening by the appearance of an unex-
pected guest-a living ghost-the first husband
The baroness fainted-it was the least she could
do. She was taken TO her apartment and the
ghost opened an explanation with his marital sue
cessor. Ihesgentleman had changed his plan of
suicide just as he was about to put it into execu-
ton; that was no crime. He had Travelled and had
not written; 1t was from motives OF delicacy as he
Old not wish to write until he had made fortune
lie had not succeeded in his enterprises coniural
happlness would have to console him for misfor-
tunes. He returned to claim his wife; it was his
lncontestlbe right. He found his wife another
mans wife; but this second marriage was of course
null and avoid.
"The baron was about to answer this rapidly de-
ivered DISCOURSE when he informed that his
wife-their wife-wished to see him.
Go" said the first husband, q permit you to
say farewell; but be SO kind as to have me served
with something to eat am very hungry"
"a servant received the baron's orders, conduct
ed the ghost to pavilion in the park spread col
lation before him, and left him alone; In an hour
the baron appeared pistol in each hand.
"'You must see' said he to his guest, that one of
us two is in the way of the other
"'A duelt" exclaimed the ghost. BAH my posi-
tion is too advantageous refuse positively
"sNothing was said concerning duel monsieur
replied the baron ,codly. My position is also too
advantageous. You have forgotten that YOU are
dead; that will miss you; that the only ser
want who knows OF your presence here is devoted
to me- that we are in a solitary spot; that am arm
ed. and that can kill your with mpunit, That is
what / am going to dor
"'No, monsieur, no. you will not kill ma said
the ghost quietly crossing his and settling him
self more comfortable IN his chair If It had
ben your design and determination to kill me. Won
would have begun by doing it without using so
many worthless words. Confess frankly that Won
have better proposition to make me-
Well, monsieur, since you speak of arranging
this affair, so be it, am rich-you are not
"a CLEAN of satisfaction passed over the ghosts
features. He listened to his hosts proposal with
evident pleasure, and showed himself obstinate
only about the sum total of the arrangement To
expstriate himself second time and forever to
return to chaos and never again come to life he
asked fortune that would allow him to live as
aSreeably as dead man could, and he fixed the
sum at 100000 eeus
"Wliiyou cheaper your happiness'' said he TO the
oaron. Would you insult your wife by estimsting
her at more moderate pricef
Inc bargain was concluded and the defunct
husband kept his word-the more easily that he
maze good use OF his time in America The sum
given MN by the baron allowed him to undertake
extensive enterprises which succeeded adm irably,
ana IN few years he was worth several million
francs. Notwithstanding and although Paris is the
paradise OF the rich, he weuld not have returned
mere mad he not learned that the baroness had died
suddenly and the baron had survived her only a
lew Gays. Then he came hack m Ero,co With h.