Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1874-12-26

the girl; she loves me, or did, kno'
| thisl By heavens his plan shal
amount to nothing. l will battle him
if ! am compelled to kill him on tn
field of honor. They are not fitted 70
one another; the angels in heaven abov
revolt at this match, and the demon
down under the sea rejoice. He ha
charmed her as the serpent charms th,
bird. He drove me from the planta
ton that he might work with none Il
molest or make him afraid. will no
give Viola up without struggle. With
the spell broken, she will return t.
me. She is not sinning-noi no
Marion Rhett has done it all !"
! Maddened almost beyond control
Parke Moultrie stood over his Law
tables, with bloodless lip and clenched
hands. The room was growing dark
and the lamplighter was making his
rounds. The lawyers form was not
visible from the street, but his door,
flung wide, told passers-by that he had
not deserted the Office.
While he stood in the dusk, slowly
recovering from the excitement into
Viola's letter had thrown him, he
heard boys voice at the door.
This is the place, maam, but |
guess Mr.. Moultrie's gone out"
mo, l am here" said the lawyer,
Fastening to the door. IF the lady
will come in | will light the gas"
He saw the door darkened bya form,
clad in female attire, and turned the
gas on. The next moment he closed
the door and turned to his visitor.
He found a woman who had not
passed her twenty-second year. She
was very beautiful, fragile in form, in
tellectual in countenance, but there
lurked the fire of passion in her dark
Southern eye, and it heightened her
loveliness.
She dropped into the chair which
the lawyer pushed to her and looked
him in the face
do you listen to clients after Office
hours ?" she asked in a rich voice,
which tippled over smile that played
over the her coral lips
Yes, miss--or madam"
Madam, if you please, Mr.. Moul-
trie, she said, her eyes flashing hate
fully, aud then she laid a small un-
gloved hand on the table. That
hand" she murmured, you must sep
arate forever from the hand it grasped
before the altar FIVE years ago. DO
you understand, Mr.. MouItrieg'
+" / think | do. You want divorce" "
And | must not want in vain, she
said firmly.
Parke Moultrie drew some paper
from the drawer and sharpened his
pencil
Please state Your case, madam" he
said:
Five years go, come the tenth of
October, |, as Maud Raymond, better
known to the play-going world as
Mademoisselle Beaucampe, was united
in marriage to Marion Khett"
At msption of his rivals name
Parke MOultrie almost dropped his
pencil, The woman did not seem TO
notice his emotion and continued after
a brief pause.
Il don't know why | married him.
Inever loved him. He had no money"
Perhaps he had prospects" sug-
gested the lawyer.
Prospects p echoed the petitioner,
with a smile. "Ah he bad prospects.
He had a rich uncle-Randolph Rhett,
| think his name was. He expected
money there, bat his marriage with me
ruined all his prospects. His uncle
cursed him in a long letter, and told
him he had cut him off without cent.
hold the letter. After that Marion
Rhett soon tired Of me. He basely
deserted me in Mobile. That was
three years ago. 1 have spoken to
him but once since. Ii was in Harris
burg. | was playing my last engage
ment there. 1t was on the night of
the 10Th of October. 1853"
"What, cried Parke Moultrie, start
ing again.
Marion Rhett's wife repeated the
declaration.
Are you confident of the date ?"
Il am. can swear that | talked
with him then and there"
Mrs. Rhett, on what grounds do
you petition for divorce Z"
"On the grounds of desertion, but
there is another charge which | would
to God the court would hear.
will you make it now?'
She rose to her feet and looked the
lawyer in the eye. All the passions of
Cenci burned in her eyes, aud her
voice cutingly indicative and emphatic.
II charge the man who charmed me
IL ol.ar,r,tb tka h.eost kha
crime of murder" she cried
Can you prove it?" cried Parke
Moultrie, spriDging almost triumph
antly from his chair.
II do not know she said slowly.
"Oh, God, if thy angels could speak in
the courts of menl He slew Colonel
Rhett, his uncle. The dagger he car
ried would fit the death wound which
have seen so minutely described in
the papers. | know he killed him, for
have heard him swear that he would
do it. What sweet revenge, if | could
prove it.
"Holdw cried the lawyer. "One of
his lies shall furnish the missing link.
/ have letter which he wrote to the
Colonels child one week after the
murder. In that letter he declares he
was in Alexandria the night Of the
twentieth.
He was notln On the morning Of
the 1lth of October. 1853, | left Har-
risburg for the South. was obliged
to retire from the stage on account of
my health. | reached Cloydon on the
10Th; that night | rambled among the
subsurbs of the town. saw man
approaching, and ] shrunk into the
shade of a palmetto. He passed me,
and | saw the face Of my husband.
He went toward Colonel Rhett's plan
tation. The next day he was not in
CloydOn. | have not seen him since.
Mr.. Moultrie. you can draw your own
conclusions
Park Moultrie was not slow in draw
ing them.
The next day he left Richmond, aud
one night suddenly confronted Marion
Rhett. A gentleman whom he made
known as Mr.. Swail's of Pittsburg, ac-
companied him.
Where were you on the 10th Of Oc-
tober, 1853" inquired Mr.. Swails dur
ing the conversation that followed the
introduction.
The answer came after a moment s
thought. =,
I'm Alexandria and Washington.
"Ahl a fine old town. Alexandria.