New Orleans daily crescent., 1860-09-17

= pathy that You withhold your conttdencef 10 yo
doubt my love, that you will repose in me no trust
The last six months of our welded love have sure,
been months of trouble and grief to us both-snaI
the cord that divides US, Yira, and let us stans
r heart to heart as of old"
: Victor, you will call me idle and foolish il tel
you why pine-rest content to know my aifectic1
= for you is unaltered-my trust in you redoubled
shall leave yon, loving you as fervently as wheI
a you put the wedding ring upon my finger"
aWhy do you say when you leave me why
must YOU leave me- unburden your heart Of its
. dead secret, or both of us must suffer. What have
ever done or failed in doing, Vira that you allude
: to some approaching calamity without giving me
, the power to prevent it,
Victor, victor!" she cried, interruptng him
) and rising to throw her arms with sudden passion
about his neck you cannot prevent it, you can
not save mel laid down my life for your love,
have been blest, been happy; but | must wake
from the drean-I must die. Victor, | am an
ARSENIC EATER! a.=.m- .=s=.. ...-
For one wild moment Victor Lagrange held his
wife from him, gazing hard into that sweet face he
had loved SO well. Then he released his hold and
she crouched like culprit at his knees, giving no
evidence of emotion, and then wild shudder.
'.Forgive me, victor,a she said at last trying to
tear away the hands which hid his face from view
I knew not what was doing until it was too late
now, to go or to stop is certain death. Do not
hate melt was that might seem fair in your
sight that began the fatal practice. NY beauty,
which you have praised so often, hung upon this
4 pernieious drug-my very life-let me confess it
now, upon your love Oh, Victor, Victor, do not
look SO pale and cold; speak 10 ME, look at me,
4 implore you'll
i Grow us to yonder flight of stairs, Victor said,
4 addressing the gondolier, and answering his wife
only by pityingly stroking her hair-"See, there,
if DR.. Benvoglio be within, and let us know
| In few minutes more he stood with his pale
young wife in the presence of man whose face
| bore the marks Of deep and earnest study, and
whose whitened locks were turned back from
forehead shadowed by some early sorrow, though
| beaming with benignant kindness as he turned to
greethis visitors.
/" Have courage-ber reassured he said, kindly,
as Victor poured out his hurried tale. The popu
lar belief that the arsenic eater reaches point
where to progress or recede is in either degree
fatal, is erroneous. l would not approve of the
practice Of eating arsenic beautfer, but there
are cases where health and long life depend upon
its judicions use. T. sir, have been an arsenic
eater for thirty-fiY years.
He rose as he spoke, displaying as fair speci- |
men Of heathful hardy manhood as Victor had
ever looked upon.
al began its use by the advice Of a professor of
chemistry and mineralogy, who declared it neces-
sary to my life while my business of assayer ex-
posed me to the injurious effects of the fumes of an
arsenic factory. Isuperintended the arsenic works
near Salisbury, in Germany, for many years, daily |
swallowing my potion Of the poison in coarse white
powder and carefully abstaining from all spirituous
I fo1-a a N tive q
dose, and have never suffered weeks illness from
its effects yet"
As he spoke, he took his new patients dimpled
wrist in his hand, and stood with the same reas
surfing smile upon his lips noting its motions.
"You tell me, my dearest lady, that of late you
have suffered from loss Of appetite, broken sleep
mental weakness and great depression Of spirits"
's All these, sir, and more.h
Which symptoms so to prove you have been
endeavoring to giye,,u the use of the drug-am
right?"
g You are. felt that if / must die, it should
not be as the abject slave of my destroyer.
/ strove to break my bonds, and never realized
until then in what durance vile they held me-
Your only safety lies now in the continuance Of
the practice. On no account allow yourself to be
sedueed from it. Take your few grains day,
gradually increasing the dose until you have
reached the age of forty years, and then gradually
diminish the potion to the original number of grains
with which you commenced. Your health will not
suffer from it. rest assured and your present
gloomy apprehensons will, / trust at once take
wings to themselves and fly away
With full hearts did Victor and his wife
express their gratitude for these blessed assur-
ances.
1tGome to us tomorrow" Victor urged, as he
turned to 60 away. would like You still to CON
slider my wife as your patient, and, in truth, /
eel as if you had already restored her to me
rom the grave"
he drew his card from his pocket as he spoke
md laid it upon the table,
aLagrange!n cried DR.. Benyoglio, glaneing at
the name, Lagrange! stay moment, young man
that name strikes q chord yet warm in my heart.
Tell me- did you ever know in America, among
the genial hearts and homes of Louisiana, Mad
anne Victoria Legrange?s
.'That sir, is my mothers name.h
stYour mother! can it be? Yet when saw her
last she was so blooming and so young, and little
Victor, her only child, mere infant!'
g am inclined to think, sir, am the same child,
and that the patient for whom you have just pre-
scribed is the only youthful Madame Lagrange
whom can show you
DR.. Benvoglio stepped aside and rang the bell.
Let me dismiss your gondola, he said, and con
3der you my guests, for at least this evening I
,tand to you in the relation of very old friend
% the family. Pedro, extra lights aud refresh
nents.n
Glad of the prospect of genial companionship /
or the wife whose spirits were already growing {
lighter. Victor cordially accepted, and the trio
we're soon on apparently as familiar footing as if
little boy had not had time to spring up to mar
led manhood since DIR. Benvoglio last addressed
limself in person to 6 Madame lagrange
!" Tell me, my dear lady, he said in the course
# the evening, "by what means you were first in
uced to become an arsenic eater. Unless you de-
ire to keep it secret, would be glad to know
he history of such STEP
After little hesitation, Vira said Z" / consider
a singular coincidence, Doctor, that SO unusual
case as mine should have found its way to so
Unusual an adviser as yourself. Most physicians
would, think have declared my hopeless
me, and endeavored to offer consolation in the
lear prospect of my laying my bones to rest in
lassic Italy. Withholding nought, but promising 5.
hat you two shall each and seyerally forgive be-