Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1879-11-27
NY OWN SUICIDE
How | Hanged Myself for That FaithleSs
Jl!t-What Was Her Name, Anyhow.

had resolved to kill myself; Their
was 10 longer any doubt that Ameli
was faithless to me.
Let me be sure about twas it Amelia
her name was? To think she once held
my life, as it were, in her little hand,
and I can't recollect, to save my soul,
what her name was.
Anyhow, whoever she was, she had
proved false to me, and, as [ was very
young at the time, l had promptly come
to the resolution to destroy myself. My
first intention was to go blow out my
brains all over the stair carpet, but then
| reflected that everyone would know
that Henrietta-come TO think of it, her
name was Henrietta-had infatuated
and turned my head. "No," said [ to
myself, mo scandal no publicy!" Let
me initiate the wounded stag, which,
seeking to hide its fatal hurt, betakes
itselfto the most secret thickets there to
perish far from all human eyes"
II.
In this elegiac disposition [ took the
$50 train for Melum, which sat me
down just at dusk within q few steps of
he Golden Lion, q very well-kept inn
with clean beds and capital table.
what will monsieur have for sup
peri" said charming little mistress
Nothing would be mock
cry. Show me to my tomb-my room,
| mean.
| retired to my couch, but not to sleep.
IN my fevered dreams beheld Victoria
i am now confident it was Victoria
after all-passing, leaning on the arm
of my hated rival. Iclutcbed madly at
his throat and seized-the iron railing
of the bedstead, or the marble slab of
the little table by my bedstead. rose
unrefreshed, but what matters that
was about to die-ha! ha! to die.
Having dressed myself I went in
search of a rope. You may think that
when person wants to hang himself
nothing is easier than to find a rope,
but | had to hunt the hotel high and
low before / could find one.
what on earth do you want Of q
rope, monsieur ?" said the pretty mis-
tress when finally she found me one.
With the precious bit of hemp in my
pocket, took my way toward a thicket
not far from the hotel in a little wood
whose paths were familiar to me.
There was one lonely and gloomy copse
there where | we'll knew my lifeless
body would swing for weeks ere it was
discovered.
Upon the road [ thought of Bertha
| was wrong before; come to think of
it it was Bertha-and cursed her with
all the bitterness of which my soul was
capable, then tested my cord. 1t
was not such an agent of self-destruc-
ton as [ would have chosen had | an as
sortment from which to make selec-
ton. 1t seemed to me both short and
not up to my weight. [ was annoyed.
You cannot tell how s. trife like that
will affect q persons temper at such g
moment.
A further disappointment was in
store fer me. On arriving at the spot
| had selected in advance [ was disa-
greeeably surprised to find somebody
else there. An individual whose back
only | could see, was occupied in fast
oning rope to the most eligible branch
Of my tree.
Hello! what are you doing there? '
cried.
He turned round. "What business
is that of yours, any way?" he said.
Bah; don't you think | know what
you intended doing ?"
"Well, and supposing | wanted TO
hang myself-its my own funeral
suicide, mean"
Regarded him narrowly. He was a
handsome and manly young fellow OF
about my own age, with frank and
winning countenance. He was deadly
pale.
"This young man." said 1, lifting my
hands to heaven, "was going to take
his life-his own precious life-all for
the sake of a worthless jilt."
"Sirl" he cried.
Poor, silly fool, " / went on, commun-
ing with myself alou1, "he would I'M
dertake to defend her. All lovers are
the same. Will you," [ continued,
take my advice-the advice of a well
wisher? Just leave that cord there lit
was a stouter rope than mine, had OBJ
served, and go quietly home like a
good fellow. When you are yourself
you will thank me for having given you
such good advice"
He shook his head gloomily. 81 de-
sire to die" he muttered.
Don't let yourself be goaded into
taing step that if you were alive you
would regret tomorrow" 1 went an,
with a benevolent persistence-(You
see the fellow had preempted the only
eligible bough in the wood "When
you are dead ii will be too late to change
your mind"
''You speak to me without knowing
what misfortune has happened to me.
81 can guess it."
''No, you can not guess it. Sir, a
woman that loved; a woman for
whom
And he went on to tell me his story
which, singnlarly enough, was precisely
like mine. The coincidence made me
pause a moment to collect my
thoughts.
~ see," said Charles the had told me
in the course of his painful story that
his name was Charles), "that. your
silence justifies me-"
by no MEANS" L cried. you will
observe that it wouldn't have been Dig
nified for me to abandon at once my TO
mer position on the subject of suicide
There is nothing whatever in all that
you told me to justify you in taking
your life. Come, my FRIEND said l,
becoming really interested in his case.
come, let us reason the matter out
Why should you complain because you
have been unfortunate in love? Don't
you know what the poet says?
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