New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1860-05-07

1ne Elo9k 4Nfl iisssst-
Ws1.h ~ 1sSea Ae iii hs blood cnrae in biz
veins ne remembered his oath. Yet Fulmen dId
not complain she dla not eyeEwhe,M Ia vs. ~.
lean her head upon her hand; tear shone ~ heI
eve, ana & SILVER passed through her frame.
81 AM cold'' she said, aud rising from the char
ID which she had seated herssii sns aPproaGsnsea
the halEextinguished flames. The dead are al
Fnys cold, y shc nurnured.
4 Heayel,s,n exclaimed Ralph "you are not
dead but dead Or living, you are beautiful, more
beautiful than any living worsan, and love you as
on the day first saw you.n
!. The dead are never loyed,n she repeated,
But YOU are not dead. The limbs Of the dead
they cannot walk; they cannot speak; you are not
II am dead, repeated Fulmen, in a tone of au-
thority which admitted Of no question; dead
and yet ! suffer-
\ Yes. Because died with guilty thought in
my heart remember the ball where met you.
1t was earthly love, not pentence, that engrossed
my last hours. Yet it you who are alive can love
me still, God will perhaps pardon me, and shall
I Dc love you,'' cried Ralph, gazing at the
young girl so beautiful in her sadness. Yet a
secret voice said within him, !" All! II she were
only alive!''
a pale smile passed over the face of the phan-
tom. It rose and advanced toward him. Ralph
imme diately shrunk back at its approach.
You see,r she said mournfuiy, : II IS always
so. The living fear the dead.
mentary terror; /. nc, Fnlmen, my beloved, come
She extended her hand, and took that OF the
Young man. Ralph uttered ascry. His hand was
pressed BY the cold. clammy fingers of corpse.
She let his hand fall. k4.ES
aNo,w she repeated, in half-suffocated voice,
"you see it cannot be / shall suffer always"
And she fed; while Ralph was so overwhelmed
that he had no power to speak or move. The can
dies went out suddenly silence reigned again In
the chamber; the phantom had vanished.
The next day dawned bright and beautiful. The
Baron do Roche Noire, who did not appear to no
lice the pallor and abstraction Of his guest, pro-
posed hunt. The day was spent in the open air;
and ii, amid the excitement Of the chase the Wis
count thought Of the occurrences Of the last night
they seemed to him only as bewildering dream.
But with the return Of darkness and especially at
the sight of the picture the appariticn again seemed
To him reality, and he determined to ascertain
the truth. Pleading a headache, he retired to his
room, and extinguishing the candle, hc called
softly:
Fulmen! Fulmen " a
There was no answer. Again he called:
"Fulmen! love you, though dead"
Immediately the candles were relighted, and Full
men again appeared. She threw off her winding
sheet and seated herself in chair by his side. Her
face Ind the cadaverous paleness of the tomb; her
T 4 y
exquisite beauty exeTted the same fascination over
Ralph as when sparkling with life and vivacity.
"Fulmen, love you,n he repeated, gazing at
her with admiration. M .4
piled with sad smile, you would utter q cry as
You did last night the dead are always cold. \
g Give me your hand, and you will see,' said
Ralph, extending resolutely his own. She took II,
sensation as before but he had selfcontrol enough
/ To canuuer it. and again to repeat: 8& IA
81 love yon!n
a bright smile illunined the features Of Full
men.
lieve you; but if yenr love would end my suffer
ings 1t must be so profound SO ardent, that it can
conquer even the desire to live. A tomb with me
must have attractions for You. And you are but
twenty-five, Ralph. AT your age life is sweet.
The viscount shock his head.
TO live without you ID death to be united to
you, even in the tomb, would be life.n
Take care, my friend.
OF what, dear Fulmen?n exclaimed Ralph,
over whom the smile Of the young girl seemed to
exercise an oyerpowering fascination.
q Do you know she said, g that If you utter
such wish, God may hear your prayer?o
"Ah il he would An eternity by your side
would be infinite happiness
Ralph, my friend, y interrupted Fulnen, while
smile Of celestial Joy shone in her face, take
care; YOU will die II you love me ~ NJ
!. / wish to die
II
| An exclamation of anger escaped him.
hate her, he said, yehemently.
4 Why 4tsi IA
| 2 Because she is alive, while youare dead. VIVA
sun, the perfume Of flowers, the melody of birds
was she any younger or more beautiful"
Ralph, yon are unjust. Ny sister had no con
troll over her destiny or mine.
aYou are right, perhaps; but I swear to Vol
that / will never marry Hermine. wish to BIZ
yours, and only yours, forever.
8 You are mad my friend; cannot accept hap
piness at such q sacrifice"
She rose slowly. S . s5..s
!. Adieu, Ralph she said. s Marry Hermine ant
aFulmen Fulmen!n exclaimed Ralph, fallin,
on his knees at her feet. DO not abandon me-
| / love y0u.n
/. But your love ia death.n
I. 1t il happiness. 1t Is lfe.a
4 His tone was 50 earnest, SO touching, that thu
/ young girl hesitated.
Let me live eternally with you,' he persisted
Listen, my friend, she said ct length, as i Oh
ket,n pointing to richly carved box which stoo,
upon tho table, there Is phial containing darl
And this liquid?'
i ut is happiness,n exclaimed Ralph, seizing tn
casket.
Fulmen stopped him by q gesture.
q Net yet, shs said; " by.and-by-at midnigh
"A
Immediately the candles we're extinguished, an
he found himself in complete darkness.
If Yiscount Ralph had been a Frenchman, q
soon az Fulmen disappeared, he would have opeI
II ed the window and let the cool night air play upo
his brow. Then, the fever fit being over, he woul
have said TO himself;
- Ali this ID folly. I am twenty-five years oil
an officer in the kings service, and am about
marry 9 young. girl blond as q Madonna, fair as
! lily, who will bring me an income of a hundre
L Thousand
things take their course.n
dreamed no more of Fulmen. But Ralph was
Scotehman, with mind as susceptible of exalt
ton as most of his countrymen of the land
mountain and mist. As soon as the phantom va
ished, he relighted the candle by the aid of ha
extinguished fre-brand, and, opening the cask
, | he took out the phial.
Fulmen. Fulmen wait for me ]! ! am Co
} ing he murmured, and swalled the contents al
| draught.
Ill For moment hc experienced a strange and
, explcabie sensation a GOODNESS In the chest
, heat in the head then his eyes became heavy;
limbs trembed; an extreme languor crept oy
him. and he sunk upon the floor, still murmuri
| | family:
!. /" Fulmen, wait for mel love you'll
I'll When Ralph swallowed the contents of the phi
} | he expected to awake in the other werld. He "
) mistaken. The phial contained only a narcot
! and he was very much astonished, ON opening
. | eyes, to find himself in bed, and to see the s
!. shining through the curtained windows.
!. 4 woman sat by the bedside. 1t was Fulmen!
i, no longer the pale sad Fulmen with livid lips a
Nd fnrua cnvninned a r. Int Fuirnf