Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1872-06-12

returned 70 Louisiana and Beltot wen
When / came hack to my early
home l found my father living as reck.
lessly as ever.
"Among the young men who came tc
this house was Armand Landry. he
was two years younger than /, for he
had not completed his twentieth yeaI
When / first met him. He sOOn forsOok
the gaming table to linger near me, and
IZwell-I was mad enough TO give him
the heart my husbandh had never tried to
win. Iloved him TO that degree that
thought life would be worthless unless il
vas shared with him.
Armand seemed devoted TO me, but
he never asked me to marry him. He
knew that his proud old father would
look with scorn on the daughter of such
a man a my father was.
my father swore that Armand should
yet be my husband, and for that purpose
he Obtained q divorce for me from Bel
tot. / was 3 Infatuated that / cared
Little by what means Armand was to be
ensnared, provided / became his wife.
i entered into his plans, shameful as
they were and allowed myself TO be
united TO a man who had been lured
again to our house, and when incapable
OF acting for himself, was pronounced
my husband by missionary who had
been so short a time in the country that
'he knew nothing of the wrong he was
helping to carry into effect. He was
brought TO the house a few minutes be-
fore the ceremony was performed, and
left it Immediately afterward.
ga time had been chosen when the
elder Landry was absent from home. /
believed that Armand loved me as truly
as / did him.
'It was several weeks before he re-
covered all the natural energy of his
mind, and I began once to fear that he
would be permanently injured by the
drug [ had permitted to be administered
to him. But the time came when he
fully understood the position in which
he was placed, and then-such scenes as
passed between US l cannot describe.
He fercely resented the part l had
taken in entrapping him into a marri-
age that would be odiOus to his proud
and declared that he could never
me.
"Vainly 1 tried all my powers Of fas-
cination to enthrall him, and win for
gfveness from him.
LAS soon as he was well enough to
the house, he went off in search of
his father, in spite of all I could do to
detain him. His father instituted pro-
ceedings for a divorce, after sending Ar
mand to Europe to makea tour, in COM
pany with Mr. Russell and his two
daughters.
''When 1 heard that, / was devoured
with jealousy; for Ellinor Russell was
the yOnng lady who had been chosen by
Mr.. Landry for his sons wife, and re-
port said that she was both rich and
charming. / afterward learned that he
betrothed to Miss Russell.
when this happened, you were but a
weeks old, and / was left with you
take care of, and little enough to do it
"Ah! how 1 hated that fair beauty
who had caused me so much Woe!
Many a night, after you were asleep,
l stolen from my cottage, and
made my way to the stately home in
which that woman dWelt, surrounded
" loving care that of right belonged to
Concealed in the shrubbery, / have
listened to his voice speaking to her in
ccents of deeper tenderness than hehad
yer used to me, and vowed within
~ soul that / would find means to
light the happinessthe seemed to find
4 each other. They were married.
'Ny hate eliminated when a daugh-
ar wa born who was destined to I'LL {
ne place in your fathers hOuseof which /
had been defrauded.
Your half-sister is two years younger
IAN you, and in your childhood you S
ere % much alike that but for the
Inference in size you might have been Q
ken for twins. t
"Armand's joy in his new treasure '
as soon turned to sadness, for the
ealtE Of his wife OOH began to fail.
he fl led slowly away with a myster- {
US disease. Everything was tried that a
'omised relief, but the spell of an evil b
re was upon her, and there was no 6
for her.
''The doctors said it was the climate C
at did not suit her, but I knew better v
an that. n
''She was taken away for change of o
r, but Zelma, the woman that went s.
it'll her as nurse, was one Of the slaves K
Iat had belonged to my father, and de- b
Jted to me. a
"Mrs. Landry fingered for many C
onths, but she at last died, when you 4
ere five years old. b
''The years passed on, and Armand V
as travelling in Europe, rarely writing v
)me, and never sending me a line. g
"YOu were ten years old when he k
me back. Zelma was dead, and / felt y
fe now that the only one who could &
cuse me of instigating the death of [
llinOT Russell was gone.
"But all my hopes were fearfully s.
shed to the earth; for he brought with Il
m a young wife, a cousin of EIlinor's, a
ID also an heiress. They stopped in b
ew Orleans, and from there Armand
rote to me the following lines: b
NEW ORLEANS, october 30, Is. 81
I write to you, Hagar, to say that no option a
II be allowed you as to your removal from
vicinity of me and mine. q
i came back TO my native land, bringing n
me a cousin OF my lost one as a wife, v
3 resemblance in person and character be- e
cen the two attracting me irresistibly TO N
len. n
1 might have taken her to LIE Bocage to 81
'et the same terrible fate, had ! not here IL
the priest who attended Zelma M
last illness, and recetued her confession. n
An, my heart, l cannot write il! u
far away-take our daughter. IN
/ am not rich in my own right, but when n
is old enough 90 marry 1 viii give her a !.
table dover. This is all ! can or VIII do. Ju
"ARMAND LANDRY.
Il had nothing to do but obey Ar 10
lnd's. commando continued Mrs. pl
axe. HaQd so / came hithpr with VOu Sa