New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-10-04

that his principal in distant part OF the
field was also suffering aud in great pam
The symptoms were such as medical man
would pronounce ''choleraic." say would
have pronounced, for, ON examination, sur
pecn was also found to oe-er-in pain,
and, regret to say, expressing himself IN
language unbecOming the occasion. his
was that some powerful drug
had been administered. On referring the
question to Mr.. Hawkins, he remem here q
til at the bottle of whisky partaken by them
contained q medicine which he had been
10 the habit of taking, but which. having
failed to act upon him, be had cor
cluded to be generally Ineffective, and
had forgotten. His perfect Willingness ~
hold himself personally responsible to eaeh
of the parties. his genuine concern at the
disastrous effect Of the mistake, mingled
with his own alarm at the state Of bis sy g
ten, which er-talled tO-er-respon0 10
the peculiar qualities Of the medicine, was
most becoming to him as a man OF hono1
and a gentleman! After an hours delay,
both principals being completely exhausted,
and abandoned by the surgeon, who was
unreasonably alarmed at his own condition,
Mr.. Hawkins and l agreed to remove our
men to Markleville. There, after further
consultation with Mr.. Hawkins. an ami
cable adjustment OF all difficulties, honor
able to both parties, and governed by pro-
found secrecy, was arranged. believe,
added the Colonel, looking around and set
ting down his glass, mo gentleman has YET
expressed himself other than satisfied with
the result"
Perhaps it was the Colonel's manner, bu;
whatever was the opinion of Five Forks re-
garding the intellectual display OF Mr.
Hawkins in this affair, there was very little
OutspOken criticism at the moment. liz a
few weeks the whole thing was forgotten
except as part of the necessary record OF
Hawkins blunders, which was already a
pretty full one. Again, some later to!lies
conspired to oblit crate the past. until.
year later, a valuable lead was discovered
in the "Blazing Star" tunnel, in the hills
where he lived, and large sum was offered
him for q portion OF his land on the bill top
Accustomed as Five Forks had become te
the exhibition OF his folly. it was with as
toBishment that they learned that he reso
lutely and decidedly refused the offer. The
reason that he gave was still more ast0und
ing. He was about to build
To build a house upon property avalla-
BILE for mining purposes was preposterOus
to build at all with a roof already covering
him was an act OF extravaganza; to build a
house of the style he proposed was simply
madness.
Yet here were facts. The plans were
made and the lumber tor the new building
was already on the ground, while the shaft
Of the "Bla ling Star" was being sunk be
low. The site was, in reality, very pictu
rescue one-the building itself of style
and quality hitherto unknown in Five
Forks. The citizens, at first ekeptlcal
during their moments Of recreation and
idleness gathered doubtingly about the
locality. Day by day, in that climate OF
rapid growths, the building. pleasantly
known in the slang Of Five Forks as 1.-The
Idiot Asylum" rose beside the green oaks
and clustering frs Of Hawkins hill, as it il
were part of the natural phenomena. A,
last it was completed. Then MI. Hawkins
proceeded to furnish it with an expensive
ness and extravaganza OF outlay quite in
keeping with his former idiOcy. Carpets
sofas, mirrors, and finally a piano-the onl,y
one known in the county. and brought al
great expense from Observation-Disclosures curl.
Osity at q fever heat. More than that, there
were articles and ornaments which q few
married experts declared only fit for women
When the furnishing Of the house was com.
plete-it had occupied two months of the
speculative and curious attention Of the
camp-Mr. Hawkins locked the front door
put the key in his pocket. and quietly
retired to his more humble root. lower or
the NH 6lue.
Itave not deemed it necessary to indi.
cate to the intelligent reader al! of the
theories which obtained in Five Forks dur
ing the erection of the building. Some OF
them may be readily imagined. That 1.-THE
Hag" had by artful coyness and systematic
reticence at last completely subj ugated the
for the auptial bower Of the lpredestinedl
unhappy pair. was. of course, the prevail
ing opinion. But when, after reasonable
tune had elapsed. and the house still re-
NAMED untenanted, the more exasperatin2
conviction forced itself upon She general
mind that the Fool had been for the third
timo imposed upon. When two months
had elap.e ed. and there seemed no prospec,
of 8 mistress for the new house. think
public indignation became go strong thai,
had 1.-THE Hsg' arrived. the marriage would
have been publicly prevented. But no one
appeared that seemed to answer to this
idea OF an available tenant. and all inquiry
of Mr.. Hawkins as TO his intention in build.
ing house and not renting it or occupying
it failed to elicit any further information.
the reasons that he gave were felt to
be vague, evaslte and unsatisfactory.
He was in no hurry to move, he said; when
he was ready, it surely was not strange
that he should like to have his house all
ready to receive him. He was often seen
upon the veranda Of a summer evening.
smoking cigar. 1t is reported that one
night the house was observed to be bril-,
liantly lighted from garrett to basement:
that a heighbor, observing this crept to.
ward the open parlOr window and looking
in espied the Fool accurately dressed in
evening costume, lounging upon a sofa in
the drawing room. with the easy air OF
llxp a rfy
this the house was unmis-
takably vacant that evening, save the pres.
ence of the owner, as the witness atterward
testified. When this story was first related
a few practical men suggested the theory
that MIR. Hawkins was simply drilling him.
self in the elaborate duties Of hospitality
against probable event III his history. A
fe yentured the belief that the house was
the imaginative editor OF t'.e Five
Forks RecOrd evolved from the depths of
his professional consciousness story that
Hawkins sweetheart had died, and hat he
entertained her spirit in tt. beau.
tifully furnished mausoleum. Tn, occa.
sional spectacle OF Hawkins tai. figure
pacing the veranda on moonlight nights
lent some credence to this theory. until an
for incident diverted all specula-
ton into another channel.
I. was about this time that certain wild,
rude valley in the neighborhood of Five
Forks had become famous as a picturesque
resort. Travellers had visited it and declared
that there were more cntic yards Of rough
stone cliff and waterfall of greater heigh:
than any they had visited. Correspondents
had written it up with extrayagant rhetoric
and inordinate poetica! quotation: men and
who had never enjo'ed !. sunset. a
tree or a tiower-who had never appreciated
the graciousness or meaning ~ ID. yellow
sunlight that Hecked their i.ii.ely door.
WAYS. or the tenderness of a midsummer's
night. to whose moonlight the, barred their
SHIRT sleeves or their tUlle drsss es-came
from thousands Of mixes away to calculate
the heigh: Of this rock, to obseyv. the depth