The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1882-05-04

ngs. No woman Is who loves self first
and husband afterward."
This seemed hard language to use
about so pretty woman as Mrs. Mars
ton, but 1 could not deny that the old
fellow was right.
Occasionally afterward I met Mars
ton, sometimes at his shop, where he
always was glad to have me and cigar
drop in unexpectedly; oftener, however,
| saw him at the door of the theater or
Opera-hOuse waiting for his wife. He
once explained to me that he could not
afford to close the shop and accompany
his wife.
One night, however, returning from
club dinner at an hour when many peo-
pie were already awake, / met Marston
on stre6t-car, with an immense load
of newspapers from Printing House
Square, and without an Overcoat, al
though the weather was bitterly cold.
He seemed somewhat ashamed of his
appearance and work, but chatted about
books more brilliantly than ever before,
and as we got off the car at the same
street, / insisted, when we reached my
door, that he had been very imprudent
to expose himself, and that he must wear
my overcOat for the rest of the night;
indeed, he must keep it, if he would, for
rough work, and save the better one
that bad seen him wear, for mine was
old, and too tight for me, who was much
stouter than he. Then / went to bed
and lay awake for an hour wondering if
there Was no possible way of doing any
thing for Marston.
/ soon found that there was. His bill
came in en- the first day of the month,
and that evenings very fine-lOoking boy
g,f oil, Aar, nd fef alyn1 al
Marston's son, called to say father was
quite sick, and would be glad to have
the amount of the bill that evening if
convenient.
As had never been able to learn that
MarstOn had any friends, / sent him,
with the money, Il note expressing re-
greet at his illness, and asking if [ could
be of any service to him.
Within an hour the boy returned with
a note expressing MarstOn's thanks for
my sympathy, and saying that if L had
an hour 10 spare, and would not object
to chatting with a sick man, who, new
ertheless. would promise not to talk
about himself, he would be very CRATE
full. His wife was going to the theater,
and his son was temporarily in charge
of the shop, so he would be quite alone,
and would not object to tobacco smoke
if / would excuse him for not smoking
with me-
1 accepted his invitation, and found
Marston on lounge in the parlOr of
little fiat in an questionable street, but
everything about the room indicated
comfort and good taste.
Marston told me that he had suffered
by sudden attack of pleurisy. but be-
lieVed himself now out of danger, al
though he felt very weak. / compIi-
mented him on the charming effect
of his room, and he was so pleased
that he chatted about one thing
after another on the walls, brack-
cts and mantels, until 1 learned,
without his intending it, that he, and
not his wife, had selected and arranged
the decorations. His conversation was
as bright as ever, so l soon forgot he
was a sick man, and neglected to look
at my watch. l was therefore surprised,
by the return of Mrs MarstOn from the
theater, to learn that midnight was not
an hour distant.
Marston introduced me to the lady,
who gave me gracious smile, and inn
mediately began talking of the play she
had just seen, asking me if | did not
think that certain actors in the company
one familiar to all New Workers.
were not splendid, and whether the
leading lady's dresses were not eX-
quisite Her enthusiasm was charming,
and 50 was the play of her features
while she talked of the performance;
but when ten minutes after her
arrival, she asked her husband how
he was feeling, she did it so listlessly
and mechanically that l departed with
distinct conviction that MarstOn' S
home-life was not what it should be.
Two or three days afterward, as I
left home before daylight to catch an
! early morning train, the newspapers of
the day struck the front door as l
| opened it, and 1 recognized the figure
of the retreating carrier as that
of Marston. | also heard a cough that
made me apprehensive as to the health
of my newsman. For a moment l was
inclined to follow him and warn him
| against imprudence, but | had no time
! to spare, so | hurried to my train.
On my return, two days later, found
that Marston's son had called several
times within few hours. Immediate
| ly hurried to the shop, but finding it
| closed, went on to Marston's residence.
Mrs. Marston received me at the door.
g | am afraid your husband has suffer
ed relapse" said l.
Eyes" said she, land isn't it too
/ bad? He was to have got me a pass to
Us benefit tonight. Pm dreadfully
disappointed. y
The moment l saw MarstOn / feared
/ that the end had come. His face was
strained, his eyes bloodshot, and he
I breathed with difficulty. His boy knelt
/ by the bedside, with one arm thrown
across his father, and with more sor-
row and apprehension in his face than
\ l ever saw in human cOuntenance be-
I fore
'sWhere is the physician?" I asked.
sHe-why, Ellis did not think he
/ needed one, and l agreed with him; he
seems only to have u heavy cold, and
| has been doctoring himself.
/ / sent his boy for my own doctor.
who lived only two or three squares
away. The little fellow was 10th to go,
but something that l whispered to him
! sent him off in haste, only to return
with word that the doctor was not in.
/ Meanwhile responded to an invitation
| from Marston's eyes, and leaned over
him.
Excuse me-" he gasped, "but L
have no friends-no relatives-any
where near. VIII you-be-my ex-
ecutor?"
..Certainly." 1 replied. He drew
from beneath his pillow piece of paper
! that proved to be will, very short, but
/ to the point.
''Witnesses-quick! - he whispered,
hoarsely.
l turned quickly toward his wife, but
/ he seized my arm and said: Don
| brighten - her, Let me - die - in
peace"
1 excused myself for a moment to
Mrs. Marston, who was reading the
evening paper, and hurried downstairs