Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1883-06-01

cerne, WatcD1DR the sunset. FOR
single half hour of rapture the COM
bined influences of the glorious piano.
rama completely absorbed the sepse of
my painful SUFFICIENTLY. All, could
I have but kept my spirit to that flight"
But my demon was at my elbow. Not
long after happened to be walking up
and down the now deserted plats with
my sister, expatiatiRg on the beauties
of the surrounding landscape. Sud-
denly we were overtaken by two young
Englishmen, tourists like ourselves,
whom we had hitherto taken no notice
OF. As they passed by one of them said
to his companion, in q sort of stage
whisper: "By Jove, now we have seen
something worth looking at. For the
life of me l couldn't keep my eyes off
that odd-looking fellows face all the
time we were supposed to be watching
the sunset" In a single moment all
the sweet and loving influences of that
divine vision faded out of my mind.
| can suggest no better comparison
than that of man suddenly walked out
of dream of paradise by the scathiEg
scott of a Mephistopholes. Again l
felt myself under the ban of my fellow
creatures. Again | doubted of heaven
and humanity.
Reader, pity and pardon me, for 1
invented nothing, but am telling a
plain, unvarnished tale-"an over true
story"
On our return from England, 1 had to
mother, who died almost breken-heart-
ed at the failure of all the hopes she
built on her first born, and, as was sup
posed, her favorite child. Henceforth
resolved to bury myself in my books,
and turn my back once for all oI a
world which had hitherto greeted me
only with contempt aud ridicule. For
year or two | steadfastly adhered to
this plan, when it was temporarily sul-
pended by one of those mysterious
chances which occasionally befall the
most unobtru.iye and secluded Of lives.
So with myself. / made acquaintance,
quite accidentally, with young lady
of personal attractions, and yet more
remarkable talents. circumstances
threw us much together, and / soon
began, for the first time in my life, to
realize the tender passion. Strange tC
say, the feeling WAS reclprocated, and,
with the consent at least, if not appro.
baton, of our mutual families, a day
was fixed for the union. But whether
through accident or dispensation Oh
| Providence, an unexpected hitch oc.
CURED at the eleventh hour. Suspic.
ions were awakened OF a loose screw
somewhere. And finally l was com.
PEELED, by stress of circumstances, tC
make clean breast of it, and the en-
gagement WAS amicab!y terminated
| will only add that this lady, eminently
fitted by her talents 10 shine in the SO.
cial sphere, subsequently made 8
worldly and better assorted marriage
and is now the mother of numcrOu;
family.
Relapsing once more into silence and
solitude, | pursued my favorite studies
to the detriment of my physical health
hitherto excellent. The doctors I'M
| luckily prescribed stimulants, and with
the unlooke.. for result that | who, uI
to my thirtieth year, had been remark
ably abstemious, and, indeed, a waite r
drinker during the earlier part of M
life, now speedily became a confirmed
tippler, not to cay an "habitual drunk.
ard" do not attempt self ustt ;ation
nor dare allege moral irresponslbility
| Can only plead exteuuatlng circum.
stances. All | can affirm is that all 40.
normal nervous organization, from the
very outset of this new phase of my
life, found instant and inexpressible re.
! lief from copiOus alcoholic libations
Ra her, perhaps, it was the substitution
of one phase Of temporary insanity for
another. Alas! how often and how IA
tally have l practically parodied the
Shakcspearean aphOr!sm, There's q
pleasure in lalcOholic) madness none
but (aicehollc) madmen know" My
constitution gradually gave way, until
II chronic state of nervous exaltatior
was finally capped by u smart fit Of de.
lirium tremens. Providenlially rallying
out Of the jaws of death, [ made re.
peated VOWS of ahstemousness,and even
abstinence. But | was continually re-
lapsing. The latter stages were even
worse than the former. | lost all relish
for study, and spent days and weeks in
Il lethargic state, verging on moral par.
alysis. 1t was neither the dreamy par.
adlse of the lotus eater, nor even the
dreamy authorizations of the opium
eater i'll the earliest stages OF his fatal
indulgence. Rather did | experience
that chronic sense of conscious delir.
ium, and of almost dcmoniacal posses
sion which is said to haunt the victim
Of opium in the latter stages of hi.
progress.
One by one all my friends had reuc
family "cut" him whom they considered
the disgrace of the family" ! found
myself alone in the world. My married
sister. residing in the south of France
had throughout maintained an sf1ec
tionate and sympathetic CORES pond.
enGe with her erring brother, anu now
kindly urged me to spend winter sea
son under her roof | accepted CRATE.
fully; and, thanks to her watchful in
tlueuce, regained, for n while, the mas
terry over my.passion. But after brie
spell of reform, we were again forced
to separate, for fear of public scanda
and a bad example to the household.
The slopes of the Maritime Alps, it
is well known, abound iu health resorts
for summer tourists. SO soon, then,
rs | found myself ouca more cast
sdrift, | resolved upon seeking out the
mosts remote and least frequented OF
the mountain Businesses There it was
my fixed purpose to put sure, and
Ms | hoped, speedy finishing stroke tC
u useless aud humiliating existence
In short, had deliberately determined
on perpetrating alcoholic suicide. Or
the extreme frontiers of France anC
Piedmont, perched some 1000 feet
above the sea level, lies narrow
plateau, or mountain lodge, command,
ing an extensive and almost unrivaleC
prospect. The place takes its name
of Notre Dame de Ia Fenetre from s
window-hke aperture in an overhang
ing mountain, which Il pious tradition
attributes to the miraculous passage o.
the Blessed Virgin, bearing the infant
Jesus in her arms. Ga the site of hel
resting place, below this meuntsin, s
chapel has been erected, consecrateC
to the cult of the Madonna. 1t attracts
thousands Of pilgrims from the distant
towns and villages, both of France and
Italy, on the 10Th of August, the Fesa.
of the Assumption. Here is also 8
modest but comfortable auberge, fol
the accommodation of the numerous
who visit this spot during the brie
summer season.
l took my abode in this little hotelry
in the month Of July, IS, with the