Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1873-03-06

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whether he shall attack a den of rat
tle-snakes, After while, however,
he consented to go, though there was
a marked manner. He extinguished
the light in his reluctance in his Ian
tern, gazed up and down the long
avenues to see that no spark Of fire
had accidentally been dropped, and
then he followed me to the stone
steps, and having secured the doors,
be signifed that he was at my ser
vice. The direct way to my cafe,
which was on the broad quay, lay
through the heart of the city; but
my companion insisted upon taking a
more circuitous route, and as he led
the way, he took me through the
narrowest and darkest streets and
passages he could find.
Mr.. c." said he, as We were
emerging from one of these dark pas
sages, I" there was an American mer-
chairman arrived yesterday from
New York, and I know not who Inay
have come in her. 1t is for this rea-
son that I avoid the public places" /.
In an instant theEidea flashed upon
me that my companion was convict,
or at least, criminal who had been
guilty of some heinous crime in his
native country, and was consequently
afraid Of detection. The more 1
thought of it the more l became con-
vinced that such was the fact, and I
could now account for his strange
conduct in this fear, and in the gnaw-
ings of,a lt-burdeued conscience.
Yet he was welcome companion for
all that, and l felt sure that had been
full and ample.
> H-gazed furtively about as We
entered the cafe; and, at his request,
l ordered supper in private room.
He laughed and chatted freely, and
the more l saw Of him the more |
liked him. After We had finished
our meal, we started on our proposed
walk. 1t was nearly II o'clock when
we thought OF returning. and as re
were passing the small church of St.
Joseph, l noticed that the doors were
open, and that in the centre of the
church there was o sable Bier, around
which was burning number OF small
wax tapers, 1 proposed that We
should d enter and look for a moment
at the corpse. H-male no OBJ
jections. In one of the confessionals
near the door sat an old monk, and
very naturally I asked Of him who
it was that rested upon the bier, not
knowing that most of the interments
from this church were in behalf OF
charity.
The monk informed me that it was
the body of man who came on shore
from the American ship that came in
the day before. He had been vely
sick and weak when he left the ship,
hnt he- WAS -deterr1ined TO land, and
no persuasion OF the crew could
him in his determination. He ,
reached the quay, but he lived n
cross it. The kind monks O.
Joseph had taken charge Of the :,
We slowly, reverently appro
the sombre scene. Upon the
of the deceased were the vari'
ticles that had been found ip his pos
session, consisting of an apparently
well-flled purse, poctes-comb, a
watch, and a heavy dIuble-barre
pistol, the latter of ynich the mons:
Informed US had }een loaded with
extraordinary clarges of powder,
balls, and buc1shos. 1 gazed upon
the face of tb( dead, and even in its
sunken ma,ole-like rigidity, there
was starting expression OF intense
resolutio4, as though some fell pur-
nose. which death had not subdued
sstill ewelt in the hushed bosom. AS
I stll gazed l heard a stiAed cry at
No, side, and on turning l was half
frightened BY the expression of my
companion, countenance. His eye
balls seered actually starting from
their so@ets, his mouth was hall
open sld fixed; bis hands, which
were xtending towards the corpse
trepoled like vibrating harpstrings,
an. his very hair seemed fretful. He
psved nearer towards the head Of
Ae deceased, looked another moment
into that pallid face, and sinking
down upon his knees. he clasped his
hand toward heaven:
"Great God, l thank thee I thank
thee thanks thanks!" he CALCULATED
in frantic tones, and then be arose
and looked once more upon the fea-
lures of the corpse. Then his eyes
wandered to the heavy pistol that
lay upon the sable pail, and while a
cold shudder passed be took me by
the arm.
"Come, come," said he, "come
with me to yonr cafe, and l will tell
You a strange stops.'
Without needing the nuts acton
isbment Of the monk, | followed Fl,
My companions nerves had become
somewhat composed, and I could see
there Was intense satisfaction depict
ed in every lineament of his coun-
tenanccs.
Mr.. c." he commenced, II
can tell you my story in very few
words, Nearly twenty years ago I fell
ii love With a young girl in the City
of New York. Qn my part the ac-
auaintance soon ripeaed into love
oil the warmest aud most ardent kind
and it was as pure asit was ardent;
and she professed the same feeling to.
ward me. l was then well-to-do in
the world, being a clerk in a heavy
house, and ere long it was
arranged we shopld be married. About
a week previous to the time set for
this ceremony, / accidentally heard
my afianced bride use oorne obscans
anu profane language in company
with one OF her female acquaintance.