The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1879-01-16
THE VICTOR AND THE vANQUISHED.

THE VICTOR AND THE VANQUISHED.
Simon Stacy had married a pretty
little fragile thing, girl of not particu-
larly strong mind, not quick at any
kind of work, not by any means wo-
man of "faculty." Only a sensitive,
loving creature, craving nothing in the
wide world but love, and quite untitled
to become the wife of Simon Stacy, who
loved only himself and whatever minis
tered to his selfish qualification.
He was poor man-poor in pocket,
poor in mental attainments, and abso-
lutely bankrupt in his moral nature.
But he had pair of bright black eyes,
an insinuatiDg manner, smooth
tongue; and with this he had made the
susceptible Annie Wright believe he
loved her better than any body else ev-
er could, and she, poor little girl, be-
lieving it, married him, only to find, as
the years went by, how wofully she had
been mistaken.
Instead of her society, he chose that
of bar-room loungers and gamblers, land
instead of providing for her comforta-
BILE home, most of his earnings went for
rum, tobacco, and "Black Crook" en-
tertainments.
Blaming her, instead of these habits
CONTRACTED long before he knew her),
for his poverty and debts, saying to
himself: sits no use, Annie don't
know enough to get decent meal;
wastes more in day than [ can earn in
one; she'll never be any thing but a baby
that wants petting all the time" he
failed to see that she had some good
traits. All! and if only Simon had
tried that remedy of petting for her in
capacity (for, poor little woman, she
did belle her name, for, try hard as she
could, it did seem as though she never
got any thing right, VINO knows but in
time she might have become a tolei able
helpmeet?
At any rate he had only himself to
blame, for her friends had told him be-
fore their marriage that she was no
wife for poor man, and he, with the
perversity of a willful nature, had in
sisted on marrying her, and did, as the
sequel proved, more from wilifuiness
than love.
On this Monday morning of which l
write, he arose responding and reck-
less. He had slept off over the Sabbath
his Saturday nights debauch, and had
to resume work-a thing always dis
tasteful to him. The Goals were out
rent due; and his butcher clamorous.
He had solitery dollar in his pocket
all that was left of a months pay, the
most of which had gone to minister to
his vile habits.
"l'n endure this no longer,'' he said
to himself, as he hastily dressed and
started for the door.
care you going without breakfast,
Simon?' said the pale little wife, who
for week had been nearly sleepless
from anxiety.
:, Les, ne muttered as ne banged to
the door. Slouchipg his hat over his
eyes, lodging around the corner to es-
cape his landlord, he darted into mis-
cradle rum-hole just in time to escape
his butcher, and calling for a glass of
brandy, he gulped it down, tossed it's
price on the counter, and escaped by a
side entrance as the butcher came
through the front door after him.
Rapidly taking the way to wood on
the outskirts of the city, he was soon in
its densest part. Flinging himself on
the ground, he pondered a few minutes
the purpose that brought him there.
He shrank from death with all his wick
ed, cowardly nature. Equally he shrank
from life and his duty; shrank from
giving up the habits he loved and be-
coming an honest man; he took out a
pistol with which for weeks he had ter
rited his poor wife into obedience to his
exactions, by threatening to take his
life with it, dallied with It a moment,
and placing it against his heart, fred.
The report was heard by a farmer at
work in his field the other side of the
wood. A search was instituted, and the
dead body of the miserable man found,
recognized, and buried at the expense
OF friends, as there was not an un.
mortgaged article in the house whereby
money could be raised for funeral ex-
penses. The shock was too much for
the already broken spirit of the misera-
BILE wife, and she was carried maniac
to hnger few months in public hos
pital, when death released her from
life's burden.
James Granger rose that same Mon
day morning on which the suicide took
place, with an equally heavy heart, and
almost as hopeless as Stacy. He had an
invalid wife and two young children.
House-rent due and the months bills to
meet, and very little to do il with. He