St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1884-03-22
THE TARANTULA's BITE.

seemed happier than Eugene F.
named him Fortune Fayorite He had a
beautiful and highly accomplished wife:
his children were the prettiest and the
best hammered have ever met. All the
women consi dercd Mrs. F rs near per-
lection as mortals can achieve: all the
men voted Eugene F-as clever nan
as one could desire to claim fellowship
with He was rich in associations, in
the integrity of a name that commanded
the respect of four generations. How
few aspiring Americans can say as
muche He possessed the advantages
of liberal edncation; his place was
assured AZ well As it is possible to as
sure ANYTHING in country where the
wheel of fortune ohliterates the accumu-
lations and regulations of generations,
and lifts men and women out of ohscur-
ity in day. That is to say, the COM
pany that employed him was the oldest,
most reliable. and the richest organ iza-
ton of its kind in the country. Final
lv, in addition to a salary of three
thousand year, Eugene had good re:s-
son SC count upon an inheritance IN the
near future that would render hin in
dependent.
The noteworthy trait fellowship, with
Eugene F repealed was his efuab,e
spirits, horn. as he asserted. of content
ment. He was satisfied with his place,
his belongings and enioyments. No
man had more to make him happy, he
said. No man enjoyed life more ph;lo-
sophically, or fretted himself less over
the big or little things beyond his con-
troll. 1t was this equipoise, and,
doubtless, his ignorance of the trials
and bitter experiences of less favored
people, that rendered Eugene F. in
different when the misfortunes and
temptations of the poor were discussed.
Generous to fault. he was unable to
comprehend the dire necessities that
drive the unfortunate to desperation
and death. He was severe-could with
difficulty find language strong enough
to express his contempt of the average
suicide.
A poor man who sought employment
and failed to find it, weary with fruit
less effort, despair.ng under the world $
rebuffs, plunged recklessly into the I'M
known. The means employed empha-
sized the poverty of the wretched Great
ure. The newspapers made much of it.
II WAS the item of the day, and proved
a base for columns. / dropped in on
Eugene one day when his hours work
was done. He had newspaper in his
hand. He threw it down impatiertly,
angrily. as he handed me cigar and
pushed me into a seat, saying:
II am disguised with You newspaper
men. Why do you give so much prom
inence and space to that horrible sui
eide. BY all accounts, the fellow did
all that was left him to do. Ii he haG
only displayed common sense. when he
was about it. and adopted easier means.
If a man must kill himself, why does he
disfgure himself, or impose unnecessary
and horrible agonies such as this poor
wretch inflicted upon himselfg'
Aside from the fact that | have no
patience with the speculation and theo-
ry that cuts ground from under every
Christians feet l was tired. Eugene
worked an hour every day worked,
on an average, twelve at least, and did
more in one hour than Eugene did in
three. Since it was clear to me that he
received at least ten times more for his
mental toll than did, l could afford to
permit him to indulge himself in pro-
longed dissertation of the survival OF
the fittest." 1t pleased him and amused
me.
Now he said. at the end of chap.
ter, tell me why man who chooses to
kill himself, let us say with rat poison,
should be regarded as much above a
rat. Here is another account, in this
mornings paper, of a woman who held
her head in tub of water until she
drowned. Tell me woman who does
that is entitled to the benefits of the
nineteenth century, Why, if such PEG.
pie were fairly balanced on the fence
round Heaven. they would hang with
their heads downward of choice. Hu.
man tadpoles, all of them''
Eugene had horror of death; GENE.
teries were his special aversion. He
was never known TO attend a funeral
He could not bring himself to witness
the ceremonies in the house or at the
grave. He had a prejudice against
burial.
..Why can't everybody have vaults,
with nice. pleasing colors on the wall:
have the interior as we'll as the exte.
rior ornamented, and made SO atrrac-
tive that people going into them would
feel as they do when they enter an at.
tractive chamber with bed in it?''
do you mean the deada"
You know well enough / refer to
visitors the living
Il am afraid. l could not help say.
ing, gravelv. ..you have yet to learn,
Eugene, that not all the religion, all
the learning and all the philosophy in
the world can never make death other
than DEATH
but that is no reason why every
body should make death so horrible and
grfsly- They make il CHASTITY, and in
sle same breatRsell you it is the way to