New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1873-01-19

| like a dead man. carrying hoiA III my
| breast; and that's the whole damnable
| tale"
He said this with vehemenoe that was
| ferv. and a sincerity that was pathetic.
"Ah," said /, drawing breath and taking
| time to think, "the secret of your pain, then,
| is this, that you have inflicted an injury on
| another. You have broken the heart that
| loved you, and the memory of your crime
| is punishment greater than you can bear.
| The very thought of what you have perpe-
| trsted makes you shudder, and yet you can
not help thinking of it all the time. 1t is
| face to face with you day and night. AS a
physician l know something of the nature
of your anguish. 1t is OF kind which full
| fills the whole measure of possible ven
geance. The human mind is competent to
no higher type Of suffering. God himself
chose it for his supreme penalty against the
slayers of the NaraEene, when He simply
ordained that they should 'fook upon him
whom they had pierced" That looh-they
could not bear it, Yes, that's the true analy-
| sis of your self-torture. You can not say
| an enemy has done this thing 1t is your
own doing and undoing."
Having delivered myself Of these meta
physical observations, to which he made no
other answer than to light . fresh cigar,
I added:
And the lady, presume, followed her
prototype in the poets fable. and died of
| disappointed lOvef"
No; not at all" he replied spitefully.
"Not deadf" exclaimed. why, then,
while there's life there's hope. 1t is not
| too late to right the wrong, and earn par
don. Not dead" ! repeated, dwelling on
| the words.
"No, she's not dead" he answered. ''she's
! married |"
At this sudden change in tho tale, could
| hardly suppress a smile. l then accepted a
fresh cigar, and followed it INTO a new train
of recollectons. Here, thought |, was
love-sck swain, who at first had played the
capricious tyrant with his shepherdess; who
then had ignorantly, but none the less
cruelty, crushed the sweet and hiding violet
of her unobstrusive love; who next had
gone away and left her in her bruised
beauty to be plucked by another hand; and
who finally had nothing else to do save to
punish himself properly with unavailing
remorse and merited despair.
Served you right" l exclaimed, speak
ing my honest mind, and not compromising
with him for moment.
"Yes; | grant it," he replied; served me
right, but not her; she married man
whom she can never love; tor woman who
loved as she did, loves but once and for
ever. Such marriage is a nockery. Ever
since heard of it have been fit only for
q madhouse"
"Yes. at this very spot; it was just here
that first saluted her; it WAS just here that
parted with her. And she was married
last winter at Grace Church, New York.
Her fathers family-bride, bridegroom and
know not who else-have all gone to Eu
rope for two years"
.'i believe" said I, suddenly impressed
with q Renaissance, "that knew the lady
myself; for made the acquaintance of al
most everybody here last summer, and l
only wonder that you escaped me-. Let me
see. What was her namep
LET YOU sect Yes" said he, lyon shall
see Your eyes shall look and peer and
gaze at her name, which will save
your ears from hearing it. That is her
Name" he exclaimed, taking out of his
pocket little French casket resembling a
glove box. and taking out of this dainty
little cambria handkerchief on which was
written in the Chinese ink OF indelibility
the name of "Lucy Rayner."
This disclosure opened my eyes wide
why do you stareF' he asked.
answered evasiveiy.
II was simply thinking, sir, that there |
were two families of Raynors here last |
summer-one spelt nor and the other |
n err"
"Well," said he, 81 never heard OF there |
being two; one was the de ath of me; the |
other may go to the dogs"
Il will wager" said !, "that can recall |
II young lady's looks. She wasn't one of |
the bellies, Too quiet for that. Rather re-
tired and bashfu. just d little under size, |
and very gentle in her ways. Hair light, |
natural, and all her own--no back-stuff from |
the shops. Although q tritie sick, but never |
enough TO need medicine. | remember her |
well. Why, l once wrote for her this pre- |
scrption: "A horse and saddle-to be taken |
once day Isn't that her ladyshipi"
"Well," said he, 'the picture is spmething |
like portrait"
yes" said /, ''Lucy Rayner knew
her. And 50 she's married. What's her |
name now y
"Ske married her fathers junior partner:
his name is Baxter. The firm is Ravner, |
Clay e. Baxter, iron merchants, and would |
like to supply one OF the company with cold
steel"
Taking out my watch, I remarked. as if
in haste,
"Weil have heard the ease. / know q
medicine for mind diseased, and I'll bring
it to you tomorrow. Good day"
The Powelton House, at Newburg, is an
hours easy drive from Cornwall. 1t stands
on high and stately ground, and everlooks
a superb country, intersected by the finest
river of the whole earth Among its sum-
mer occupants were my previous aequaint-
ances, the RAJ ners, who, i'll coming to
BDtuu d btCOHu bSdSOu III bD6 sdIilt pure diT, |
chose Newburg instead of Cornwall. Miss
Lucy Rayner had already been a semi
patient of mine for month. l had visited
her twice. She was not sick, but worse
than that; she was lifeless, hopeless and
ioyless. Some inward frost was nipping
her outward bloom. The fountain of feel
ing had ceased to tlsw, and was stagnant
What arrow had pierced her / could not
tell, but | knew she was hiding wound.
All this witnessed for q month and twice
tried to fathom. ] now drove to the Pow
elton House to try once more.
~ did not send for you." she said. with
her sad, calm voice.
mo" replied, - have not come 90
give advice, but TO get it. | am in per-
plexity, and need wOman's wit to help me
ont of it. have patient who is beyond
all hope unless can contrive to inspire
within him the cheerful heart that doeth
good like q medicine. You know | am a
great believer in my kind of religiOn--I
mean faith and confidence between man
sud man, and especially between man and
Well, | have strong man on my
hands who is on the verge of distraction |
because he misinterpreted woman's heart.
It was a true heart; it was a pure heart; it
y as loving heart; it was a heart which |
was his, his only, his against the world, and |
lis for all time. But he mistook it; he did
lot understand it; he spurned it. At last,
when too late, he came to his senses; he
Jaw the wrong r had done, and he now
himself for his crime, and afflicts {
lis fancy with a perpetual vision of the
,ale, suffering face of her whom he harmed;
res, and he will go mad unless he can be
escued from this perilous state of mind; {
md want yon as a woman to tell me " hat !
-ou think this woman would say to him, if !
hey ever again should meet, for shall or
Ter him to go on a search through the wide :
world till he find her, but first want 10 s
now how such woman would act on l
,ainy found