The daily gazette., 1880-03-23
The Happiest Of Her Sex.
BY MARIE AvONMORE.

| VOL VI . WCatbby CpaAA1y kChtiSuidny nut
at the age Of eighteen she married, agree
ably to the wishes Of her father, Cap
tain Gabriel Mercer.
1t was not love match, on Marian'
pail, at least, for all her heart belonged
to Lieutenant George St. John.
st. John was poor, but his family wa.
one of the best in the county.
His duties called him, with his reei
ment TO India.
But before he went he met Marian In
The gardens of her fathers estate, and
by the light of warm June morn theil
parting took place.
And it was such)a parting as only Low.
ers mad with agony and despair car
know.
Marian was an obedient daughter
she had been brought up in that stern
old way which teaches that to the will
Of a. parent Q 1chila must sacrifice
everything-and though young st. John
wonld fainhave taught her rebellion, and
made her his bride before he left her, she
revolted In horror from the idea Of dis
obeying her father.
So they parted.
A little afterward she read bis name
among the killed in one Of the skir-
mlshes with the rebel Sepoys and ncv-
er doubling that The bulletin was cor.
rect. she lost as It were, her hold en-
life, and became inert and sad,
and hopeless.
Still she married him, and from that
time fourth she was his slave.
He had only to command her and
she obeyed.
But shortly after their marriage he
sold his commission, and his wife
learned with horror that he had lost all
his estates by gambling.
However, he managed to obtain a
government Office.
1t was not very important situa-
tion, but it yielded him decent in
come, and it placed in his hands at
times large sums of the public money.
One night late in the winter he
brought home five thousand pounds,
and deposited the package in the iron
chest.
AS he turned the key in the ponder
GUS lock, he remarked to his wife
"There are FIVE thousand pounds of
the country's money. i have to go
away tomorrow, and l shall ride as
far as G. Tonight. / must leave
the money here till / come back. 1t
will be safe, for nobody knows any
thing about it."
"0h p cried his wife, "do not go
till you have deposited it where it be-
longs"
hand. impatieptly. It'll be all right,
and shall be back in three days."
His patient, faded wife said no
more, and at about nine o'clock in the
evening he rode off in the direction of
|'G-.
Marian was too nervous to 60 to
bed. y
And she and her one servant sat up
in the kitchen.
Nettie was soon fast asleep in her
chair, but Marian's eyes were bright
and feverish, and her cheeks burned
with vivid crimson, which brought
back something of the old beauty to
her face.
Her eyes seem fascinated to rest on
the brass key which hung over the
fireplace-the key which fitted the iron
chest. 81.
She was strictly conscientious wo-
man, and she felt it her duty to guard
this money entrusted to her keeping
as she would have guarded he life.
1t was past one o'clock, when the
listening woman heard the tramp of
horses on the gravel road before the
door, and peeping through the curtains
she saw three mounted men.
They raped loudly at the door, ask
ing for admittance, but Marian denied
their request.
They beat the door from its hinges.
They were three stalwart fellows
with masks over their faces.
Marian was brave, but she had moth
ing with which to defend herself.
The leader of the band demanded
the money her husband had left in the
house. Is
She kept an indignant silence.
They told her they would shoot both
herself and her servant, and burn the
house over their dead bodies If she per-
sisted in her obstinacy. v
The cold muzzle of pistol pressed
against her temple did not daunt her,
for she Indignantly refused to show
them where the money they sought
was hidden.
1t was only a moment before they
pounced upon the key above the fire.
place, and directly the iron chest was
unlocked and the money slowed about
the persons of the robbers,
Then they ordered Marian to prepare
them some supper.
SMe went about it with desperate
scheme rushing in her brain.
A day or two before her husband
had brought home large quantity of
strychnine for poisoning the rats, and
this deadly drug she put into the cof-
fee which she presented to her guests.
They sat down to the table in high
glee, cracking their coarse jokes, and
laying their loaded pistols beside their
Their masks they did not remove.
Fortunately for the success of Mari
ans plan, the men were thirsty and
drank greedily. -,
"May God forgive mep' she cried TO
herself. "He knows | am acting
wholly from sense of duty"