Sugar planter. [volume] (West Baton Rouge [i.e. Port Allen, West Baton Rouge Parish, La.]) 1856-1925, 1867-07-13
THE VAMPIRE AND HER LOVERS.

What Not of Hester Amaury, the
belle and toast Of Paris I"
"Upon my honor, never |" sad Lowell,
"Of Maud Loyett, then, the beauty Of
London ~
"Nor of her. either said Lowell.
Hush I" said Arthur, impresslyeiy.--
"Listen. Lowell. They were one and
the same. She had other names in other
places. I shall tell you about her as
Hester Amaury, She was a lovely girl !;
wondrously lovely all day. The most
beautiful woman that ever trod this
earth could not have ~eciipsed her beauty,
not Helen, nor Psyche, nor Dido, nor
Cleopatra. Her face was like the angels,
which looked down upon Il painter IN his
dreams. All day, | said But at night,
ah p he pursued, lowering his voice mys
teriously, sat night she was the most
hideous bag conceivable by human i'm,
agination."
"Great heavens Y said Lowell in a low
tone, and moving nearer the speaker as
well as he could.
cher beauty attracted every one who
gazed on it,' Arthur pursued, and from
the day she entered Paris tilI-from the
first day, | say, no other beauty could
contest the field with her. All competl-
ton was absolutely useless. Her wit
was equal to her charms, she soon be-
came as celebrated for her talents as for
her exceeding beauty. Hundreds Of
young men were ready to die for her,
Alas many of them had to die for her !
But it WAS noticed that she would
never stay in any company, or see the
most admired Of her favorjtes after night
fall. She used to say she wished to keep
the roses ID her cheeks that, as they
were natural, and therefore unlike those
of minor beauties, and have those roses
which fold their leaves together when
the sun goes down, to reopen them when
he rises. But, as I said, the real vision
was, that at nightfail, her beauties all
vanished, and she became q loathly bag.
Are you listening
Eyes, yes,' said Lowell, almost in a
whisper the tones of bis voice in full
sympathy with those in which Arthur
told his tale. "Go on, 60 on"
IS 1t was not noticed howeyer-at least
in connection with her-that one Of the
very flower Of Der admirers was found
almost periodically, in som lone place,
murdered. So it was, however. Every
six months one of the young men who
thronged after her was taken but where
Death made one vacancy, Love brought
twenty recruits. The fact was that this
was one of the terms Of her existanCe,
all of which were sufficiently revolving.
She was obliged to have two victims
every year, for she was a vampire"
"Ah - exclaimed Lowell, almost be-
low bis r eath.
"she was only able to angle for her
victims by daylight" pursued Arthur,
for, at nighttall, as | have said, she as
sumed the most repulsive shape that hu-
mainly can wear, But her very existance
depended upon this: that once in every
six months she sacrificed a young man
who loved her upon sucking whose life
blood she was kept in being, Hitherto
che had never failed ia her frightful pen
atty. Youth after youth had persisted.
and she lived on. But at the time Of my
tale q term had nearly expired and she
had no victim.
The reason was that she herself had
fallen a victim to love. Philip Spence
was a most amiable and accomplished
young man. He had been drawn into
her magic circle, and loved her ardeutly {;
loved what be could see Of her mind, as
well as her person ; had won her love
too. She could not sacrifice him His
brother, Edward, was among the herd of
her followers, and, at last, finding that
he, too, loved her well, she hit upon a
scheme for satisfying the necessities of
her being, without sacrificing the mar she
loved.
She appointed to meet Edward in a
garden not far from Paris, on a certain
evening in May, The youth fanoying that
be had won her from Pbilip-from all the
~rest-could not avoid disclosing his hap.
piness by words and looks, and Philip,
wild with jealousy, watched him. The
evening came. The sun was sinking in
the western sky, within an hour of set
ting. The trees cast their long shadows,
fringed with mellow light, aloag the path,
when Philip, who lay concealed there,
saw his brother Edward slowly walking
up it, towards the bower where-what'a
thatt?" said Arthur, suddenly breaking
off. g.
Nothing, nothing" said Lowell, excit-
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