The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1858-03-25
A startling Confession.

Mordecai Psine, seddler doing business in
South Nine street, was called home from his
work shop on Saturday morning, by messe,-
ger who brought the melancholy intelligence
that his wife, Barbary, had taken arsenic for
the purposes Of committing suicide, and wa.
then at the point of death. He hastened to
her bed side, and found her in more agony Of
mind than Of body. She declared that there
was something on her mind which she wished
to confess 10 him before her departure, with
the hope Of obtaining his forgiveness. Mr..
Paine. with great emotion, desired her to 60
on with the disclosure, adding that she might
assure herself OF his forgiveness before she
had made known her offence.
oAh, Mordec ai.' said she, ssyou remember
our large white pitcher was broken some time
ago. pretended to you that the cat broke il,
but that was false, for myself did it."
s.Oh, nv dear,'' said Mr.. Paine, ssdon't con-
cern yourself about such tri1e. had for
gotten the pitcher, and it matters not now how
il was broken"
ssThere is another matter; the six silver
spoons which made you believe were stolen
by the Yankee clock-mender; rawned them
to raise money to pay the millner for doing up
my pink satin bonnet"
"Never mind it, my love-" said Mr.. Paine,
ehcouragingly. "I hope heaven will forgive
you as freely as I do.''
After short pause; Mrs. P. began again:
"Your best razor, which you missed last
summer and made so much to do about.
| swapped it away to pedlar for tortoise shell
| comb"
"The deuce!-well. wells, said Mr. p, ree-
ollect,ng himself, ''that is all done now, ard
can't he amended. Think no more Of it."
"I could not leave the world with such a
thing on my conscience" replied the Fair pen
itent.
eco on, 60 on" cried Mr. Paine, told you
that could forgive everything at such tune
as this" Mrs. P. resumed:
"Yoa remember our boarder, Simeon Drake,
who ran up bill for six weeks, and then went
off in hurry without paying cent. He and
I had agreed to elope together, but he changed
his mind at the last moment, and ran away
without me-"
'Fire and fury! do you dare TO tell me this?"
| cried Mordecai in great excitement. "But as
you are dying. Iwon't reproach you. pll
leave you now to settle the affair with your
own conscience
"Stay and hear one thing more,' cried the
repentant Barbsra. ssThe dose took this
morning was intended for you. put it into
your cup of coffee. but, in my hurry to get
the thing done, gave yoH the wrong cup and
took the right one myself"
'The devil fly away with yon, you jader'
roared Mordecai, as be flung himself out Of
the room. In the entry he met the apothecary
who had sold Mrs. P. the fatal powder. This
medical man had heard of the commotion at
Paine's house, and suspecting the cause of it,
he came to administer hope and comfort to the
afflicted.
"Dort be alarmed, Mr. Paine," said he,
'sthe drug sold to your wife was nothing bu.
magnesia. Judged that she wished TO des.
troy herself, and tricked her in this way to
save her life.',
'"You swindling rascal,'' shouted Paine.
show dare you cheat customer in that shame
full manner and obtain her money on false pre-
tences? Begone.''
! And with this exclamation he violently ejec-
ted the astonished apothecary from the front
door. The man of physic, suspecting, OF
course, that poor Mordecai was deranged, sent
two officers to provide TO. his safe keeping
His relation of the preceding dialogue, how
ever, soon obtained his sdischarge.-[ Philadel-
phia Ledger.
Il