New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-11-05

s . sa: = So: :sss s s: ssss
u And The leaves sss turning brown.
Breathe, sweet children, soft regrets
sing, you levefs, the delights
u the golden summer nights
4 Never \ the summer hours,
n On ny way such radiance showers.
II - from heaven falls softly down,
When the leaves are tuln1ng brown.
e essss you, = id, s as. :, ed FAY
!; Twit yeur chaplets in young June,
Walden, they vim fade too coon:
io ~ans rigs rose. re !sl Sr s:d ss.
vW weave my richer crown
II When the leaves are turning brown.
DR.. sPENCER's GREAT CRIME.
Story TelA By . Physaeaan.
was sitting in my Office, half doing owe
an interminable article ON defective muir
ton in the last Medical Reriesc.
The hre in the Crate was low, the nigh
was stormy and the clock was on the strok
Of eleven. was just about to turn of tn
gas and retire, for, being bachelor, slep
In . room connected with my office, whel
there was . pull at the beh.
started mp suddenly, for this was some
thing new. Aiddlebury was decorous sor
Of place, and people usually managed t
be taken sick ct reasonable hours.
Old Mrs. Jerome had been threatening t.
die for the past five years, and at every
visit paid her she solemnly informed me
that, when the decisive moment did come
she desired me present. But a. nothing allied
the old lsdy beyond now and then an indi
gestion from too much high living, had
never yet been called upon to be present al
Now, I thought, it must be old Mrs. Je
rome 10 going.
took up my night lamp and went to the
door: A strong gust Of damp, sheety wind
nearly extinguished the light, but shading
it with my hand, dimly aiscerned the form
| Of q woman.
"Come in" said, holding open the door,
but she declined with u gesture of i'm
| patience.
"You must come out" she said, in q sharp
| incisive tone, land be quick about it -
I put on my OvercVat without demur,
locked the surgery door, and stepped into
the storm. As did SO the woman laid q
firm hand On my arm, and putting her fxce
close to mine, said:
DIR; lockwood. can you keep secret 2"
think go, madam"
''Swear it,"
/ lis this secret of yours of professional
to contide to me as q medical man
1T it,"
Very well, then, swear it."
THAT IL right"
A man respects an oath, though why he
should 10 mystery, since mems mouths are
running over with them.
..'Whither are You taking me, and for
what purpose r.
ITO the Clifton House to see the mis-
tress.-
l started.
Clifton House was the old mansion re-
Gently taken by DR.. Spencer, Q stranger to
every one in Middlebury. Spencer vas q
tall, dark, rather distinguished looking
man, who had hung out his sign in the vii
lAge, only . few doors above mine, but a.
yet he had got no practice.
his neighbors persistently, and when he did
speak, it was in such . curt, half savage
way that one was not likely to attempt pro-
longing the conversation.
The doctor had q wife, it was said, but no
one ever saw her. She was an invalid, and
Miss MelrOse, q friend of the family, pre-
sided over the establishment and sat ut the
head of the table.
Miss Melrose was vet beautiful, and won
the admiration Of all who visited Clifton
House by her grace Of manner and her fas-
cinating conversation.
las We walk along" said my companion,
''let me explain to you just what it is neces-
sary you should know. MY mistress is very
II beg your pardon-is it Mrs. Spencer or
Miss MelrOse T.
She laughed bitterly.
Miss Melrose! would stab her to the
heart sooner than own her as q mistress.
My mistress is lady-nOble, royal and Of
gentle birth. 1t is an honor to serve nv
mistress"
"And is she i'll How long since p
Ever since she married him-curse
him. che muttered in fierce tone; "but
must not get excited. Unjust tell my story.
Or rather hers Two years ego. through
don became James Spencer's wife. Before
that she was q healthy, blooming girl; i'm
mediately after this marriage she began to
fail. DO you see anything strange in that 7"
she said keenly.
mot necessarily"
LET me enlighten you further. DR.. Spen-
Ger was ut one time engaged to Miss Lu-
ellie Melr0se, but he broke the engagement
and married my mistress instead. Miss
Herndon was an heiress, and DR.. Spencer
was deeply in debt, and hard pressed by
his creditors. Do you see anything singu-
lar in thatr'
Perhaps. Go on
when my mistress married Spencer she
was only seventeen, and she had been
taught to obey her father in everything.
She was gentle, affectiOnate child, and it
would have been easy for Spencer to have
won her love. But he did not care for that.
1t was her money he wanted. 1t paid his !
debts and brought him fast horses; it set
his table with nice, costly dishes, and put it
in his power to keep Miss Melrose rObed |
like queen. And all this time my mistress
had been slowly but surely sinking. And |
look you, DR.. Lockwood l believe that she !
ID not dying Of disease, but 0f'-she low |
cred her voice to a whisper as she spoke the
word-'poison."
Impossible! This is grave charge"
''Of poison given her by her husband, |
who, at her death, will have sole control Of !
her property, and be free to marry Miss
MelrOse. There is no time to explain to
you in detail the thousand and one circum-
stances which have led me to the belief, for
We are almost at the door. 1t is never the !
ease that Miss Melrose and Spencer are out
At the same time, or l should have called |
another physician before; but tonight they /
are called away by the death Of Miss Mel
roses sister, and will not be back till to-
morrow. With the consent of my mistress, !
came for you, and oh! DR.. lockwood, /
pray you, save my dear mistress. l nursed
her when her mother died and left her q
helpless infant; all through her innocent
youth she was like an own child to me; and
low to see her fading hour by hour before
nv eyes! Good heaven! if / knew beyond
I doubt that he was guilty, his life should
1ay the forfeit"