The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1873-10-01
NO. g..
MIR. COyiile'S Second Adventure.

Mr.. COville, while on the roof counting
the shingles, he has been obliged to
keep pretty close to the house. Last
Wednesday he went out in the yard
for the fist time: and on Friday Mrs.
Coville got him an easy chair, which
proved a great comfort to him. 1t is
one of those chairs that can be moved
by the occupant, to form almost any
position, by means ofraclets. Mr.. Co.
willie was very much pleased with this
new contrivance, and the first after
noon did nothing bnt sit and work it
in all ways. He said such a chair as
that did more good in this world than
a hundred sermons. He had it in his
room, the front bedroom up itairs, and
there he would sit and look out of tho
window and enjoy himself as much as
a man can whose legs have been ven-
tilated with shot. Monday afternoon
he got in the chair as usual. Mrs. Co.
vile was out in the back yard hanging
up clothes, and the sou was acroos the
street drawing a lath along picket
fence. Sitting down he grasped tho
sides of the chair with both hands to
settle it back, when the whole thing
gave way, and Mr.. Covilie came viO-
lently to the floor.
For an instant the unfortunate gen.
tleman was henuubed by the sudden
ness of the shock, but the next he was
aroused by all acute pain in each arm,
and the great drops Of sweat oozed
from his forehead wien he found that
the little finger of each hand had
caught iu the rachets, and was as firm
ly held as if in vice. There he lag
on his back, with the end of round
sticking in his side, and both hands
perfectly pswerless. The least move
of his body aggravated the pain which
was chasing up his arms. He scream
ed for help, Int Mrs. Coyille was in the
back yard, telling Mrs. Coney, next
door, that she didn't know what Co.
vile would do without that chair, and
so she diln't hear him. He pounded
the floor Will, his stockinged feet, bnt
the younger Covllle was still drawing
emotion from that fence across the way,
and all other sounds were rapidly sink
ing into insignlicance. Besides, Mr..
Covillc's legs were not sufficiently re-
covered from the late accident to per-
nit their being proGtably used as
mallcts.
How he did despise that offspring,
and how tervently he did wish the OWL
er of that fence would light on that
boy and rednce Him to powder. Then
he screamed again and hOwlcd, and
shouted "Maria!' But there was no
responce. What if he should die there
, alone, and in that awful shape7 The
perspiration started afresl, and tho
pain in his arms assumed an awful
magnitude. Again he shrieked :'Maria!"
but the matinee across the way only
grew in volume, and the unconscious
wife had gone into Mrs. Coney's. and
was trying on that lady's redingote.
, Then lie prayed, and howled, and
, conghed, and swore, and then apollo
gized for it, and prayed and howled
, again. and screamed at the top of his
\ voice the awfnlest things he would do
to that boy if heaven would only spare
him and show him an AK.
3 Then he opened his mouth for one
q final shrek, when the door opened and
Mrs. Coville appeared with smile on
her face and Mrs. Coney's rediugote OH
J, her back. In one glance she saw that
something awful had happened to Jo-
> seph, and with wonderful presence Of
g mind she screamed for help, and the,,
e tainted away, and plowed headlong in
q to his stomach. Fortunately the blow
deprived him of speech, else he might
have said something that he would
2 ever have regretted, and before lie
could regain his senses, Mrs. Coney
dashed in and removed the grief-strick-
u en- wife. But it required q blacksmith
to cut Coville loose. He is again in
bed, with his mutilated fingers resting
= on pillows, and there he lays all day
s connecting new forms of death for tho
Il inventor OF that chair, and hoping no.
: thing will happen to his son until lie
: can get well enough to administer i,
e himself Daubury News.