The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1877-06-28

body sitting before the fire, I went to
Harvey Dunlop's room. In the morn
ing it was found by the servants still sit
ting there. On the table were half
empty phial of poison, letter to Mar
garet and one to me.
81 had rather difficult part to play
for the next few days. You see it is
hard for man to give testimony at an
inquest held on his own body, without
laughing. And it is difficult for good
physician to hear other physicians testi-
fy that he died from the effects of an or
binary poison, without contradicting
them, when he knows that all he has to
do to bring them to confusion, is to roll
himself over, and point to an almost i'm
perceptible wound.
"But had prepared myself for or
deals like this, and l sternly repressed
my well-nigh irrepressible desire to
laugh. went to my funeral, and lis
tened quietly to the glowing eulogium
which the clergyman was charitable
enough to pronounce upon ME, and
stood by the grave watching the faces
ludicrous was lost in my fierce anger,
when I saw that Margaret was entirely
composed. Her grief was too great for
tears. heard some one whisper, and
| wanted to tell him that he lied-that
she was not grieved, but happy to be
free. But did not, and every thing
went off decorously, even to the reading
of my will, by the terms of which | in
herited all my own property, excepting
a liberal provision for my widow. She
had life estate in the old mansion, of
course, but she told me in the one inter-
view that l had with her after my flu
neral, that she should not remain there,
at least for the present.
Il told her should travel in Europe
for year, and begged her to remain as
long as she chose, without fear of intru-
sion from me. When l said intrusion
she gave me glance which was almost
more than l could see without losing my
self-command, but she said nothing.
{" was going away on account of my
fear of detection. | had carefully
thought it over, and decided that, if I
remained near her, would be likely to
upset every thing by my precipitance,
and, besides that, wanted to get used
to my new body. SO took her hand
tenderly, babe her goodbye, promised
to write frequently, and received her
promise to reply. And then l asked
her, with as much of the airof nephew
as l could assume, to kiss me good-by.
I" You see, hungered for that kiss,
and, if it had spoiled my whole scheme,
l would have asked for it all the same
But it was lesson in caution. She
looked at me again, and her glance fair
ly scorched me.
$50 l went away without the kiss
But might as well have staid in the old
house, for all I did while / was gone
was to write letters to Margaret. I did
not dare to send more than one in
twenty, for l knew that every thing de-
pended on my caution. And l got a
letter from her occasionally-just
enough to live on till returned, which
was within the year.
"She was living with her parents in
New York, as she said she should do,
and l took lodgings at hotel near their
house, and was with her constantly.
Our relationship, by marriage, was
close enough to afford me every oppor-
tunity for wooiug her the second time,
and knowing her, as 1 did, so much bet
ter than she knew me, l understood how
to WOO. 1t was not long before had
won her consent to marry me, as soon
as two years had elapsed from the time
of my death, and was received at the
house ON the most familiar footing.
'sFor few weeks l was happy. To
be near her, and to know that her love
was given to me at last, freely and fully,
after all had done to win it, was heaven
to me. The most perfect joy of life was
mine for brief time. l was loved by a
perfect woman"
He paused, and, burving his face in
his hands, was silent for few minutes,
while feared to speak, lest should say
the wrong thing. At length he looked
up suddenly, and went on:
"Why is it that when man holds in
his hand the most precious gift of the
gods, he always casts it away7 Think
what had been-what / had done to
win her! When l was Giles Interford,
a grabbed, old eccentric, in cursed
malformation of body, l had coveted her
love, and by some SPELL don't remem-
Der it now-I forgot so many things that
he Knew won her to marry me,
thinking l could make her love me after