The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1881-08-04

moment 4 can only manage To trao
these lines By placing on the sensitiv
part piece of lighted finder, to serv
as cataplasm- As long as the tinde
burns | do not feel the other pain-an,
II Is nothing in comparison.
six months ago | was still ! vor,
happy man. | lived, without care. o,
my income | was on friendly Term.
with all the world, and | took pleasur,
IN everything that can interest a mar
Of thirtyfve. | had married for love
a most beautiful young girl. Of cultiva
ted mind and with the best heart in III,
world. who had been companion To J
certain Countess, my neighbor. Nv
wife had no fortune, and the love she
had for me was not only gratitude. but
also the genuine affection of a child
i Six months passed in such way thai
| the morrow always seemed TO me ham
+ pier than the eve IF sometimes | was
obliged to 90 to Pesth, and leave NV
home for day my wife had not mo-
! ment's peace. She would come two
miles on the road to meet me. If I
was belated she would stay awake all
night waiting for me, and if, by dint
of entreaty, she was prevailed upon to
90 and see her former mistress. who
was still very fond of her, no power on
earth could keep her there more than
half a day, and even then her regrets
for my absence put the Others out Of
temper. Her fondness for me went so
far as to make her give up dancing, so
as not 10 De obliged to put her hand into
strangers; and nothing caused her
such grave displeasure as the compli-
ments she was apt to receive. In a
word, | had for my wife an innocent
child, who had no thought but for me,
and who would confess her dreams to
me as enormous crimes if she had not
dreamt Of me.
Zone day | know not what demon
whispered in my ear, 'supposing all
this were only dissimulated ? Men are
mad enough to seek how they can tor
ment themselves in the midst of the
greatest happiness.
Ny wife had work table the draw
er Of which she kept carefully locked
l had noticed this several times She
never forgot the key, and never left
the drawer open.
The question ran in my head, What
can she be hiding from me there p
had taken leave Of my senses. | no
longer believed either in the innocence |
Of her face or in the purity of her eyes,
in her caresses or in her kisses. Sup
posing all that were nothing but hypoc-
risy2
Zone morning the Countess came
again to fetch her, and after much en-
treaty succeeded in deciding her to
spend the day with her. Our estates
were some miles apart, and | promised
my wife to go and join her.
AS soon as the carriage had left the
courtyard | gathered together all the
keys of the house and tried them in
-he lock of the little drawer One of
hem opened it. felt like man com
hitting his first crime. | was thief
about to surprise the secrets of feeble
woman. Ny hands trembled as | drew
rom out the drawer, prudently, care
ully, one by one, the objects contained
herein, 50 that no confusion should
1etray that a strange hand had ran
sacked them. My breast heaved;
vas well-nigh suffocated. Behold, sud
lenly, beneath MATS Of lace, | had
placed my hand on packet of letters
felt as if flash of lightning had
passed from my head to my heart.
Alas one glance told me what these
etters were They were love-letters!
The packet was tied by pink ribbon
With a silver edge.
CAS- ! touched the ribbon the thought
occurred to me. Is this right? Is this
work worthy Of an honest man? To
teal the secrets of q woman Secrets
which belong to the time when she was $
young girl Can ask her to render
N account of the thoughts she had be-
ore she belonged to me ? Can | be ieal-
'us ola time when she did not know
ne? Who could suspect her of fault.
Who? was base enough to do so, and
he devil again whispered in my ear
that these letters were Of
ime when | had already right to all
Ter thoughts, a right to be jealous even
# her dreams, when she was already
nine?" [ united the ribbon. No one
aw me- There was not even mirror
n the room to make me blush for my
cit. / opened one letter, then another,
nd read them to the end"
ooh. what fearful hour that was
or me! What did these letters contain {
Hhe vilest betrayal Of which a man was {
yer yet the victim and they were
written by one of my most intimate
friends And in what a strain what l
passion what certainty Of his love be- |
ng shared How he spoke Of secrecy {
What counsels he lavished on the art of {
leceiving a husband. And all these let {
ers were of time when | was married
nd perfectly happy Shall | tell you
What | felt? Imagine? Imagine the in &
caused by a deadly poison.
drank deeply Of that poison. ] read {
il the lettere all Then ! refolded l
hem. retied the ribbon, replaced the
Jacket, and shut the drawer.
Il knew that if did not 90 for her at
2 o'clock she would come back from '
he countess in the evening. And so |
t happened. She got down hastily
rom the carriage and ran toward me as
stood waiting for her on the steps. {
She kissed me with extreme tenderness, {
md seemed to be very glad tcc De with
ne again. let nothing be seer Of my
ace. We talke9. We supped together
.nd then retired to our separate bed
ooms. | did not close my eyes. Wide
wake, ! counted every hour. When
he clock struck quarter past midnight
got up and passed into her bedroom.
There vas the beautiful bonde head
luried in the white pillows. 1t is thus
hat angels are depicted in the midst
# white clouds. What frightful lie :
vas this on the part of hature-vice {
With face of so much innocence My II
was taken. had the stub {
'ornness OF the mailman haunted by !
ixed idea. The poison had corroded i
~ whhccIle soul J
/ placed my RICH; hand gently under I
er throat and hastily strangied her.
ihe opened for one moment her large, !
ark blue eyes, looked at me with as 8
then closed them and died. j
he died without struggling against me,