The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1868-04-15

where The, bandage Wasl removed assadst
denly froin my eyer: !. Z, 3
- The spot was very familiar to me-
a ruinous cottage lone ainna: at,an 4
doned to decay, In the heaft OF "a
dense; swampy wood. How the car
tiags had ever: reached il, T was at a
loss, to know. Upon, a pileo of straw,
hufTiedly thrown into a corner OF the
,molldering floor, lay O. prostrate
figure, moaning at every breath. His
face was concealed with q handker2
chief, and the blood was slowly drip
ping from q gnn-shot. wound just
above the kle.--a, ,Wound which had
been clnmsily dressed by some I'M
,skillfhl hand. Moreo over, there was
. dark red stain on the straw where
his head lay, and the Iighb brown
hair was matted with coaEulated
drops. Two Tor three men stood
around, with rude masks OF : black
cloth drawn over their faces, in which
+ three slits were cut for the eyes and
mouth; and female figure knoeled
behii da heap ofistraw, yelled close
r. The men silently made. way, for me
as 4 advanced into the apartment,
and held their lanterns 30 that the
lurid light should fall upon my
strange patient, as silently I stopped
and examined both wounds. -
10 .Wel2"s asked my carriage COM
panion. ..st. -. {,
Il can do nothing. The man must
"Nonsense! "A mere bullet through
the leg-what does that amount top,
sIn itself, nothing; but that blow
upon the skull must prove fatal"
a low, half suppressed cry broke
from the woman opposite. She tore
the veil from her face, as if she could
not breathe through its heavy folds.
revealing features as white and beau
tiful in their marble agony as SO
much sculptured stone. She did not
seem more than thirty, but after
wards knew that she was indeed ten
years older But, in spite of her
anguish, how grandly beautiful she
was. Large dark eyesAhair like
coiled gold, catching strange CLEANS
from the shifting Ianterns--and
broad, smooth brow-it was q face
you see but once in q whole lifetime.
And, yet, in the midst of her dis
tress, she never spoke. ~
SAT least, yon can do something
for him, doctorP" said my interlocu-
tor, impatiently. Don't let us waste
time here" ~ ~ =
AS proceeded in my ministra-
tions, the moaning grew fainter, the
convulsive movements became scarce
~ perceptible. A faint gieam of hope
lighted up the face of the woman,
who knelt with olasped hands oppo-
site; she looked appealingly at me.
He is better-he is surely better2"
"He will be better soon, T answer
ed, moved to pity in spite of myself.
CHE cannot live half an hourlonger."
The horror of that sepulchral 81
lence that fell upon us as my accents
died away-shall I ever. forget 1T?
And five minutes afterwards the
breathing, spasmodic and painful to
bear, died into eternal stiffness.
The young woman lifted the corner
of,the handkerchief, and gazed into
the ghastly face. It was that of a
young man about twenty-five, and
who had evidently been marvelously
good-looking. s. - 49,
/ "Ohl heavens, he is deadp'
Her clear, agonized voice was ring
ing in my ears as they led be back
into the darkness of the night. I
felt a ,bank-note pressed into my
hand as I entered the carriage once
more. 49, >6r!0a' g. u.
'Doctor, yon have done your best;
it is not my fault that your efforts
have not been more successful. Re-
member, you are pledged to secresy.
The next moment I was whiriing
swiftly through the November mid
| NIGHT with tho atroy,tyni mn n,,,;ak fooI.