American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1873-01-18

2 expression of his face. There was some
thing familiar to me in his large brown
| eyes. He wore a velvet dressing-robe
: trimmed with fur. for which he apollo
4 gized, stating that his health was delicate
{ and that he came from a warm climate.
81 am from the island of Martinique,
he said, land | hope soon to return. and
with your permission, take with me you
picture.''
''That can not bell replied. 81 vii
not part with it."
con, pardon me-" he exclaimed, witt
leave it in the possession of an other"
81 can:Ot part with it," repeated.
''Will you pardon me- he said. ''anG
not deem me impertinent, if ask why|
because it is dear to me-" l replied
frankly. sits, l may say, necessary tc
me-"
'As-as thing of art?'' he asked.
Yes answered land as a thing Of
Affection
He started, and locke at me earnestly
{ "Will you do me the favor, the very
great favor, to explain what you mean ~
he said.
NO. replied; ''for the simple rea.
and would consider me madman.''
''Ah, Sir,' he said, ''if 1 could induce
you to give me your confidence! Tell
me. Isis the picture portrait?"
"No-yes,' 1 said, scarcely knowing
how to reily 1T is. and and yet it is not
''the original of that picture can be moth
ing to any one but me-to me she is every
thing ~
''Ah, great Heaven!'' he said grasping a
cane and leaning heavily upon it "Yo u say
| She Tell m :, then, who is she? What
and where is she now? Let me look upon
her. in the name of God ~
''That would be impossible said. 81
cannot.''
You cannot." he said, rising from his
seat and approaching me. care you,
4 then, determined that my life shall be the
sacrifice to your Obstinacy and cruelty
Since have seen your picture have mel
ther tasted food nor slept, ard you will
not in pity answer these few simple ques-
tons p
''Sr,'' replied, also rising from my
seat and confronting him, :. L will do that
which you desire Of me: but warn you
it will only lead you to consider me Il
mailman. l do not know who is the orig
inal of my picture. 1 do not know her
name or her country. l found her first in
the dead of night, in a dark, bare, gloomy
garnet, lying upon q few boards in the
middle OF the room, and covered with a
like cloth. but cannot describe it accu-
rateiy, for | could not see it-could only
feel. She lay quite still and motionless,
for she was dead.n
The old gentleman trembled, and fell
back into his chair. He looked at me with
horror that seemed tempered with pity.
Did not tell you,'' said, interpret
ing the expression of his face, ''that you
! would think me n mailman %
May" he replied, gently, eve are all
a little mad. Is it not so? You have a
good and noble face, and will not think,
refuse me your picture, when l tell you
why desire it. Listen, beg of you,
and you will see that you cannot withhold
| it from me. My name is Antoine Gervase.
live at the island of Martinique. Twen-
ty years ago Heaven, in giving me a
daughter, took from me beloved wife.
This little one was the only tie that bound
me to life. We lived together in our be au-
in paradise. But we may not be too hap
py here, lest we find life too sweet to re-
sign it. My daughter fell into delicate
health. and the air of our island was not
found beneficial for her in summer. We
determined to spend the hot months at the
/ North. Four years ago we embarked for
New York. The voyage was unusually
was afraid to take my poor Athalie to a
public hotel. A fellow passenger direct
ed me to quiet place near the landing.
1t was kept by a Frenchman, and although
his appearance was calculated to inspire
| distrust, he was afterward of great SER
| vice to me. Although the place was a
poor one, 1 was enabled, with plenty of
money, to give my daughter every luxury
and care that her hi alth demanded. All in
vain; she grew worse and died.
NJ. Gervase was silent for time. Over
come with emotion, he leaned his head
upon his cane. 1 looked upon him with
unspeakable yearning.
| 1 caid la1
to remain with your daughter during her
illness? Was she under your immediate
care ~
II never left her for Moment said
M. Gervase, ''until-until she left me.
Then l became for time utterly helpless,
and was confined to my bed, while they
prepared my child for her last sad Journey
for l took her home with me to Martin
ique; her last words, her dying prayer
was to sleep there under her own sunny
sky. She rests there now, in a strip OF
land by the sea that she loved well. But
before she was shut away from my sight
forever | was carried to see her, and l
swear to you, sir, as she lay there upon
her velvet shawl, pure and beautiful as an
angel, Just so she lies in.your picture. The
dead girl created by a fantasy of your
brain is the exact prototype OF my daugh-
ter Athalie. Will you. then, still refuse
to me the portrait of my daughter?''
''No," 1 said, slowly getting upon My
feet and leaving the room; ''you shall
have it,
Then l stumbled out into the street.
Staggering along like a drunkard or a
mailman, faint with hunger and excite
ment, L saw suddenly before me little
mean shrunken figure of a man. His
parchment-like skin, his loose, thin lips,
his long, hooked nose, doomed upon me
like figure in a magic lantern. He moved
like an autOmatOn.
"Ihave been waiting for you,'' he said,
clutching my arm with his long, bony
fingers. ''If l tell you where you may
find her, will you swear not to harm me
That is her father in there. Does he
know that | took away the body of his
daughter? Has he come after me ?''
''He knows nothing, Baptiste Perret. -
But you are the DEVIL" he went on )"
''yOu put her in a picture.'
''Tell me where 1 may find her," l de
manded.
Eyes" he said, eagerly; 'swhat harm
did do? Wasn't it a wicked thing to put
away all those jewels? When folks are
poor AM starving-she was covered with
gems, and the shawls were worth for
tunes of mOney-what matters it after
one is dead, so long as ground enough
covered her? | sent the box and L kept
the body, but buried it atterward de-
Gently in cemetery. I'll tell you where.
if you promise not to hurt me.''
You see,'' Paul Wade said calmly, ''she
was stolen by this miserable man for the
Jewels she wore-stolen, and put away
. among strangers, while her father took
the empty casket to the dear land she
loved SO well. 1t was more than she
could bear. She came to me for help, anC
that is all, Antoine. l brought her t6