Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1883-03-07

famed Righi, above the lake of Lucerne
watching the sunset. For single half
hour OF rapture the combined influences
OF the glorious panorama completely
absorbed the sense of my painful sub
jectivity. Oh "could bnt have KEEP
my spirit to that flight !'' But M,
demon was at my elbow. Not long afte1
[ happened to be walking up and dowr
the now deserted plateau, with my sis
ter, expatiating on the beauties Of the
surrounding landscape. Suddenly VIZ
were overtaken by two young English
men, tourists like ourselves, whom w
ha not hitherto taken notice of. Al
they passed by, one of them exclaimed
to his companion, in q sort of stage
whisper: "By we no we have seer
something worth looking at. For the
life of me couldn't keep my eyes of
that odd.looking fellows face all the
time we were supposed to be watching
the sunset! In single moment al
the sweet and loving influences of that
divine vision faded out of my mind l
can suggest no better comparison thar
that OF a man suddenly walked out Of {
dream Of paradise by the scathing scot
of Mephistopheles. Again felt my
self under the ban of my fellow-crea
lures! Again doubted Ct heaven anc
humanity
Reader! pity and pardon me for
invent nothing, but am telling a plain
unvarnished tale-"an over true story.
On our return to England I had t
mourn the loss of m affectionate moth.
or, who died almost heartbroken at The
failure OF all the hopes she had built or
her tirstborn, and, as was generally sup.
posed, her favorite child. Hencefor.
ward | resolved to bury myself in my
books, and turn my back, once for all,
on world which had hitherto greeted
me only with contempt and ridicule.
For year or two steadfastly adhered
to this plan, when it was temporarily
suspended by one of those mysterious
chances which occasionally befall the
most unobtrusive and secluded Of lives.
SO with myself. 1 made acquaintance,
quite accidentally, with young lady OF
personal attractions, and yet more re-
markable talents. circumstances threw
us much together; and 1 soon began, for
the first time in my life, to realize the
tender passion. Strange to say, the feel
ing was reciprocated, and, with the con-
sent at least, if not appreciation, of our
mutual families, day was fixed for our
union. But whether through accident
or dispensation of Providence. an IN
expected hitch occurred at the eleventh
hour. Suspicious were awakened of a
loose screw somewhere. And, finally,
was compelled by stress of circum-
stances, to make a clear breast OF it,
and the engagement was amicably ter
minated. will only add that this lady,
eminently fitted by her talents to shine
in the social sphere, subsequently made
a worldly and better assorted marriage,
and is now the mother of numerous
family.
Relapsing once more into silence aud
solitude, l pursued my favorite studies
to the detriment of my physical health,
hitherto excellent. The doctors unlucki-
~ prescribed stimu!ants, and with the
Hnlooked-for result that I, who, up to
my Both year, had been remarkably alb
stemious, and, indeed, water-d1inker
during the earlier part Of my life, now
speedily became confirmed tippter, not
to say an ''habitual d1unkard!" I do
not attempt SELF justification, nor dare
allege moral responsibility. 1 can
only plead extenuating circumstances.
All 1 can affirm is that an abnormal
nervous organization, from the very out
set OF this new phase OF my life, found
instant and inexpressible relief from
copious alcoholic llbations. Rather.
perhaps, it was the substitution of one
phase of temporary insanity for another.
Alas! how often and how fatally have I
practically parodied the Shakspearean
aphorism: "There's pleasure in al
cohollc] madness none but alcoholic
know!" My constitution grad
ually gave way, until chronic state of
nervous exaltatlon was finally capped by
D smart fit Of delirium tremens. Provi-
dentially rallying out of the jaws OF
death, l made repeated VOWS of abstemi-
BUSINESS and even abstinence. But was
continually relapsing. The latter stages
were even worse than the former. 1 lost
all interest for study, and spent days and
weeks in lethargic state ve1ging on
moral paralysis. It was neither the
dreamy paradise of the lotus-eater, nor
even the esthetic hallucinat1ons of the
opium. eater in the earlier stages of his
fatal indulgence. Rather did I expert.
ence that chronic sense of conscious
delirium and Of almost demoniacal pos
session which is said t . haunt the victim
Of opium in the later stages of his
progress.
Zone by one all my friends had re-
luctantly ''cut him whom they consid.
cred the "dlsgrace of the family" /
found myself alone in the world. My
married sister, residing in the south OF
France, had throughout maintained an
atectionate and sympathetic correspond
ence with her erring brother, and now
kindly urged me to spend winter sea-
son under her roof ! accepted CRATE
fully; and, thanks to her watchful inhu-
ence, regained, for while, the mastery
over my passion. But after brief spell
Of reform, we were again forced to sepa-
rate, for fear of public scandal and
bad example to the household.
The slop of the Maritime Alps, it is
we'll known, abound in health resorts for
summer tourists. So soon, then, as 1
found myself once more cast adrift, I
resolved on seeking out the most remote
and least frequented of these mountain
businesses. There it was my fixed pur-
pose to put sure and, as I hoped,
speedy finishing stroke TO useless and
existence. In short, had
deliberately determined On perpetrating
alcoholic suicide. On the extreme from
beers Of France and Piedmont, perched
some 1000 feet above the sea-level, lies
j narrow plateau, or mountain ledge,
an extensive and almost
prospect. The place takes its
name of Notre Dame de la Fenetre from
! window-hke aperture in an overhang-
ing mountain, which a pious tradition
attributes to the miraculous passage of
The Blessed Virgin, bearing the infant
Jesus in her arms. On the site of her
testing place, below the mountain,
chapel has been erected, consecrated to
The cult of the Madonna. 1t attracts
of pilgrims from the distant
owns and villages both of France and
Italy, on the 18th of August, the Festa
If. the Assumption. Here is also a raod-