The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1884-03-08

slowly spreading belief in the COM
munity, from the extraordinary articles
that continually appeared in his col
umns, that he was growing gradually
insane. This the Eclipse nsiduously
fostered by copying the most remarka-
BILE of them with some such a brief foot
note as this:
The above is from yesterdays Ne,cs. Who
can administer to mind diseasedp
Or.
We do not reproduce the above from the |
Nelos to gloat over a a fact which the pub
lie have long been cognlzant of, but as con-
vincing proof that it is now time for friendsto |
interfere. !
Folks began to shun him on the street.
Old acquaintance would meet him,
shake their heads sadly and walk away,
leaving him speechless with rage Ruin,
the Eclipse remarked, was the only |
thing that stared him in the face, and
then pleasantly called the attention of
the police to the fact that crimes might
be committed in the lonely and deserted |
business Office of the Ne10s, and nobody |
find out about them for weeks and
weeks.
AS the advertising columns shrank,
Miss Nolan grew in proportion into a
hideous nightmare that pursued Ried
in his waking hours and haunted him
in his dreams. She was like an ''Old
Man of the Sea" who had settled down
upon him, and he spent solid months
trying to think how on earth he could
get rid of her. A hundred times he
started upstairs to discharge her, when
that horrible modesty would get the
best of him. He would think of her in
nocent, confding look, and her rosebud
mouth, and then sneak back into the
counting-room. Once he nerved him
self to do the deed, and got as far as her
desk, and blurted out:
"Miss Nolan, are you engagedp"
She raised her beautiful eyes and
transfixed him.
''No, I'm not" she said, blushing
rosy-red. "Oh, Colonel, think you're
awiulr'
He hadn't strength enough to correct
her misunderstanding and she spread
the report, in her confidential way, that
he had been on the point of a declara-
ton. This reached the ears of his fGlece,
the daughter of wealty mine-owner of
the district, and she dropped him note
to the effect that they would hereafter
meet as strangers.
Two dreadful months slipped by.
Ried had sunk into state of hopeless
despair, and every day the Eclipse called
the public to witness that something
should be done, or he might do violence
to himself or others, and simply pointed
to the NeGS to corroborate its state
ments. This evidence was generally
regarded as conclusive.
Meantime another trouble had arisen.
All of the employees of the office had,
as a matter of course, fallen violently in
love with the lady reporter, and this be-
got GOODNESS and mistrust among
them which eliminated IN the pressman
slugging the city editor with an ink-rol-
Ter. and the book-keeper declaring that
he would work no longer in the, same
office with SO depraved wretch as the
foreman. Then they resigned in a
body, and their places had to be filled
by migratory and irresponsible charac-
tiers, who would get drunk at unexpect-
} ed times, overdraw their salary and then
gently and almost imperceptibly fade
away.
! The NeaOs had long since ceased to
pay expenses; enormous paper and ink
bills accumulated, and Ried began tc
seriously. mediate flight One after
noon, while sitting in his deserted
counting room, he happened to see tina
the display advertisement of Golden
berg, the clothier, was running Longer
than the contract time, and, as hardly
, anybody advertised then, it hadn't beer
noticed before; so he turned to thu
, speaking tube, and yelled up to thu
) foreman:
! '.Say, Charley, kill Goldenberg to
| day. He ought to have been dead las
: week."
: Miss Nolan listened appalled,. ant
= tn n slipping ON her dolman ran owe
3 to the store and confidentially told he
: best young man that Ried and his fore
' man were making it up to murder Mr.
Goldenberg. He felt it his duty to tel
9 the old man, who lost no time in get
t ting out warrant for both of them t
e bind them over to keep the peace
!, Nearly all of Dolores was in the court
: room, and when Miss Nolan was place
on the witness stand she told her stor
|. in such a simple, straightforward, child
: ish way that it carried conviction, a
: least Reds conviction, with it,
+ ''lt's a satanic lien' roared tn
a Colonel, when he was sworn, forgettin
II his modesty and everything else in hi
desperation. ''That wretch has fal e
upon me like blight and made hide
D GUS, barren desert of my life! printe
d four thousand papers before l saw he
a and now the NelOs has scarcely MOI
e circulation than last years corpse i
Is the cold and silent tombn' He pause
1t for breath, while the court fined hi
fifty dollars for contempt, and the
Is went on: ''She has branded me as
t. maniac, stamped me as a drivelin
e. idiot; my friends avoid me, and seldo
M or never offer to shake me for the bee
t. AS to this last monstrous falsehood, Il
3. remark she referred to concerned an a
h vertisement, your honor, a plain, u
ut vanished display advertisement, al
in was eouched in technicality as inn
ID cent of bloodshed as the flowers
st May"
t. The foreman said he didn't belle
ne he cared to say anything. He also /
of marked that he was not hog, and HI
Id faint glimmering idea when he h
er enough.
st rs that all the defense you have
Of offer?n inquired the Judge. ~
IL. eft is sir " oaSned the Colonel