Louisiana capitolian., 1881-11-15

Come, my dear sir, sit down and b,
cheerful"
I Man or ghost, the creature evidentl,
knew the art Of making himself at home
He mixed some more brandy and water
then took up my pipe, lit it, and com
menced smoking.
"Janet" whispered, she is not
.ghOst; he is @ mailman!
"Madmanv' cried the thing, looking
up Suddenly, for his ears were evidently
as sharp as his eyes. "Madman! why
4 that is what cousin Tom used to cal
me, but he was wrong. l was mad
when had fierce passions and tried te
strangle him; but then the change
came, and was light, ethereal-a spir.
it. Tom saw this, and knowing that
talked to the ghosts Of our ancestors
gave me aroom to collect them in. That
is the room. Get us some more glasses,
he continued, turning to Janet, more
glasses and pipes; we will be merry"
HE is mad" / whispered. DO as he
bids you ; we must humor him. But
make haste back, Janet"
"Comew that looks WE'LL" he cried,
when we all had some hot grog and
|
was smoking. "Your health, Mr.-I
beg pardon, what names"
"Judberry, sir" replied, sternly,
"Sudberry."
"Judberry, Judberry," he muttered,
absently-don't know the name. So
you are Judbeuy l am Briareur Bal
combe. You know me, of course ~
~ can't say do sir. To tell you the
truth. never saw Or heard of yon till
now-and," l added to myself, Il never
wish to again.
"Never heard of me 7" he cried in as
tonishment. Then lowering his voice
to sweet melancholy, he added, ''then
l will tell you my history. Be silent,
stir not, but listen to the history of
Briareus the poet of the Balconies, the
betrayed lover-he of the broken heart.'
l was in my glory-I was about to
hear the history of the Bluebeard cham
Der.
"When | was but YOUTH" commenc-
ed Briareus, "my uncle returned from
Italy, bringing with him lovely girl.
How can describe her beauty9 It was
the beauty Of a dark. wild night, where
in the placid moon and gentle stars are
shining, yet the signing of the wind
proclaims the coming storm. l loved
her. Time passed on, and at last she
owned that she returned my passion, but
bade me keep our love secret, as she
dreaded my uncle's wrath. just at this
time my cousin Tom procured me lu-
crative position in India, and with q
light heart started for that land of
fortunes, for / believed should soon
amass riches and be able to return and
claim ,Elvina.
"On my arrival in India learned that
my uncle had died, and that Tom
had come into my estates. My un-
Gle dead, one obstacle to my marriage is
removed, l cried, and l worked on with
renewed vigor. But alas! Twas struck
down by snnstroke, fever followed,
and ! was ordered home.
81 Chow long welwere making the pas
sage know not. At length we arrived,
and taking post chaise, we drove to
the 'Yews.' l rushed into this very
room, and embracing Elvina, cried, 8 Ell
vina! Elvina! behold thy Briareus re-
turned to claim his bride!' To my hor-
ror she thrust me from her, and rushing
to my cousin, threw herself into his
arms, asking her dear, dear Tom to save
her from the mailman.
Madam" cried, "are you not not
my aftianced q "Briareus!' exclaimed
Tom, You are mad; this Is ny wifeH
III saw it all at glance" moaned the
poor, mad creature, making my heart
bleed for him. II knew then why /
had been sent to 1ndia--why this wo-
man had made me keep our engagement
secret. She loved my Cousins gold
My passion rose; could not control
myself. Witha cry more like wild
beast than man, ] sprang upon Tom.
| had him by the throat, and would
have killed him. They said l was mad,
and locked me up in the chamber. Not
no, not alone; they can not
shut out the ghosts. They come and
tell me stories-wild, horrible. stories. l
will tell them to you some night. Hark
the ghosts call me. must 90 at once,
or they will come here. Farewell! to.
Slowly he crept from the room, Mrs
Gruesome and I following. Our hearts