Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1860-10-12
9eIrfteo AlistrIIanp.
THE POISONED DRAUGHT.
BY W

/" AS surely as l speak this sentence,
Antonio, so surely shall / wed her p OK
claimed a 6ery-tempered Spaniard to his
companion, at the conclusion Of their
interview one evening.
/" You promise we'll. ALTO" responded
his friend "but it is one thing to threa-
ten, and quite another affair to get rid of
the willy and handsome American"
/" We shall see, them" replied ALTO.
And the friends separated for the night.
The American thus alluded to was the
Oldest son of rich gentleman Of Boston,
who was then abroad making tour of
Europe. Henry Ellsworth was twenty
four years old, and had met the daughter
of wealthy Spaniard at Lisbon, some
months previously, of whom he had be-
come enamoreG at first sight. The la
dy's name was Estelle, and her father,
Don Carlos Morelle, was the descendant
of on ancient and honored family in
Spain.
ALTO Croix was high-strung fellow /;
valiant, determined, desperate in his
likes and dislikes. and was a young man
not easily turned fyom bis purposes-al-
belt, he was extravagant and unreasona-
bic in his follies. In the present in
stance, he had long been the favored ac-
quaintance of the Morelle family, and
was as deeply in love with the old Don's
daughter as it was possible for such a
tempered man conveniently TO be. From
the fact that he had known Estello for
many years, and had long intended, at
some time or another, to declare himself,
in the confident expectation that the
young lady could not refuse an alliance
with him and, moreover, entertaining
that no rival-much less a foreigner
should every displace him, he was not a
little piqued, when he suddenly learned
that Ellsworth had forestalled him in Est
telle's favor, and was actually her ac-
cepted lover.
The threat made to bis companion,
Antonio, was serious one, and he re-
solved to carry it out at any hazard His
first business was, however, to get rid of
Ellsworth; then he believed he could
execute his object the more readily with
Estelle. But how was this TO be ac-
complishcd?
lie could challenge the American, he
thought, for some trifing cause. He
could insult him, and thus bring about a
meeting, and slay the foreigner. This
was promising, but for one simple rea-
son. Alio Croix was coward; he feared
lest he himself should be slain. No, that
would not do. He might waylay lin,
and let the Spanard do the work but
young Ellsworth seldom went out after
dark, and when lie did he was always
armed.
While the envious and INSCRIPTIONS
rival contemplated his chance Of success
with Estelle, he learned that the Ameri-
can was to be present at supper on the
third day afterward. at the residence Of n
friend Of his own, where Estelle, too,
was to be guest. Here then, was an OPP
portunity for the certain accomplishment
Of bis will--stealtbily, surely, and unex-
pcctedly. 1t was an easy matter in Lis
bon to produce a subtle poison, and ALTO
Croix went to the evening feast prepared
to finish his rival, who had not the least
suspicion Of the spaniard's feelings or
designs against him.
The belle Of the feast was the delight
full and always charming EsteIle, whose
beauty aud grace of manner bad long
come to be known in the fashionable cir
Giles in Lisbon. Since it was current that
she was the afiianced Of the gcntlemanly
and generous American, more than one
Of the sons of the lordly mobiles who had
] fitted about her had cnyicd his enjoyment;