Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-10-07
LOVES SOUVENIR.
WEIRD TALE THAT MIGHT INSPIRE
THr PEN OF POE OR HOFFMAN.
Fantastic. But Yet Authentio-A Dying
Woman Bequeaths Her skull
TO Her Lover.
,r,.eipn,,I commcrcIal.Gszotte.l


o,Y;ce fable of n Boston physician is hu-
man skull that once formed part OF
beautiful girl of New Orleans. She was
afIianced to the physician, but soon after,
being taken down with yellow-fever, and
knowing that she must die, she begged
her 6onc{e to take her skull after death, to
dissect is. and keep 1t with him always.
He promised, and that promise he has
most faithfully kept
had been absent about two months
two short months. and yet they, seemed
years. Slowly and with inscrutaDie weaTi1
ness assembled the creaklng' narrow oiu
stoirJvav TO nv Office. Pausing on the
landing moment fer breath glanced out
through the dust-cOveTed panes down
unon the busy street beneath. A rev
streaks of bright July sunshine struggled
through the window and fell upon the
floor in long strips of dusky yellow hgnt:
Then / went on. IL seemed that II had
never taken me so long before to CLIMB
those two flights. An, but then was
younger-two months younger. ! reached
my door, and the next moment had TURN
ed the KEY and entered.
How dark everything seemed. could
scarcely see my hand before me, ana,
moving cautiously along, | reached the
window and undid the shutters. In sec
ond the room was filed with light and l
could look about me. Yes. yes, the place
il very much as | left it. There Is the
heavy antique bookcase that had
been NV fathers, and behind ITS
half-raised curtains / catch sight on
sombre volume OF his school. ABOVE
on a little shelf rs an array or Vlals' tne
labels Of which bear his handwriting. lt
was years since he placed them there WIN
his parting advice, and yet 1t seems out
Yesterday. and now he il gone. On the
other side of the room stands my book
case. and through the glass doors read
the titles OF many books of our modern
school of medicine, and above, under an
oval globe. is my microscope.
AN UNSEEN yIsrTANT.
How vividly recall the day, but three
years AGO when / had bought 1t with my
I. own~ money-the first money that / had
earned myself. As look over the room
thousand recollections pass through my
mind Of things long gone by, thousand
forms and faces troop III endless confusion
before my eyes, pictures appear ana VANISH,
and reappear again; the breath that enters
at the window seems TO WHY them. then
il rouses me, and with sigh drop INTO
GDHlT, anu Nllu lily IhhN'
me. my head sunk upon my breast, L re-
main motionless and in deep thought.
Suddenly start. No. no; heard moth
thing. Ii was only the leaves rustling
among the trees outside my window. per
baps. And yet! there it Is again. An, l
hear it plainly now. 1t Is coming nearer
and nearer, that rustic again and at my
door. Slowly the door swings back on It's
hinges. then closes again. as If one had en-
tered, vet | saw nothing strange feel
ing steals over me that penetTates through
every fibre of my body, teellng OF name me
less dread: il exerts itself upon me and
soon am completely in its power. Now
as / look up start indeed.
"Ah. YES. YOU have come. You startled
me. did not know at first. All, you have
come TO see if have kept my promise. NO
fear of that Mani. Ha. ha, you shall see;
Won will think il beautiful as | do, per-
haps. but you must not love ~ tor IL Is
mine now-mine, and You no longer nave
any right TO il. No. no; you must not Ior-
Get IL was your dying wish. Hark! Ire
member vour very words: Mani, love
Won more than my life, and yet can DO
nothing. nothing, but after ! am dead
promise me that you will do that Yes,
those were your words, and have Kept
that promise. oh, so faithfully. You
doubt-but no, that can't be; and yet
well, Will show you"
CHASTITY RELIC.
I arise and approach the table on which
lies a large handbag that ! had set down
there on my entrance. Springlng back the
closns | opened il and drew forth an OBJ
iect carefully enveloped IN linen. he
moving the wrapping with the greatest
care. piece by piece. at length the OBJECT
itself appeared in view, and second later
lap1 human Gg1Ill
II is a small skull. and of perfect pro-
nortiops. The bone is polished almost to
rafIection: the teeth are set In perfect SYM
metry. and CLEAN like the purest pearl. l
hold 1t 10 my face and press my lips 70 the
teeth. kiss those stony cheeks and those
hollow cayerns. where once had burned
the lights that flashed into my very soul.
Still holding the skull tightly clasped IN
nv hands | sink back INTO my chair.
Two months-two years-two centuries.
1t Is oil the same.
itself upon me and once more l give way
To its pressure. feel like one fascinated
bv a fatal charm. lift my head. Astrange
picture meets my gaze.
The dusty old Office is shrunk into long
and narrow room. Two rows OF seats line
the sidss and there are many, many WIN,
dows. looking through which L behold
Notwithstanding scenes. There are forests,
meadows, long stretch OF sand with the
sea beyond. and then the roofs and steeples
OF n treat city. All pass so quickly before
new ewes. Now am in that great city. l
see II all-the broad. sunny avenues, the
stately mansions, the walks shaded with
palrnettos. the carriages passing. the chill
dren PLAYING under the trees, and above,
the pale blue sky. Yes, yes ITemember
have called myself an invalid, and now IN
tbis far-off southern city | will ENJOY lie
and will live as fancy pleases. go TO the
theatre, 7 90 to the opera; there are md
nieht scenes over the green table. there are
luxurious drives in the park III the alter
noon. when the sun, struggling through
the yapors which arise from the river, ap,
nears like a blood-red ball, and cool
breath Is waited northwqrd from the gulf:
/ have letters, too. and | soon find myself
attending receptions, calling at beautiful
villas. or slipping tea in some shady nook
among the oranges and palmettos.
THE FArRD MEETING.
One night. amid the flowers and the
music of the ball, she comes. She for
whom | have been waiting so long and pa
tiently: she, my ideal. Her dark eyes
search for q second into these gray ones OF
mine. for an instant her lingering hand
trembles.
We nave lltU, tutt 10 all
Yet again and again we meet, we Walk
together through the old garden by the
sullen river. The atmosphere is dull and
heavy; the sun beats down with unrelent-
inc fervor; my brain seems stited IN the
mists of doubt and hope.
The sun sinks out OF sight behind the
leaden banks of copper-tinted clouds;
These sink with it, and suddenly a lurid
light creeps over all then the edges OF the
clouds are tinted and streaked with parti-
colored flames. light floating masses APP
near of various shades and tints; dazzling
beams flash forth across the sky and illu-
inmate with rich orange light the eastern
landscape. All, the glory of that southern
sunset! And in the calm and peaceful
twilight we retrace our steps.
A moment we pause and look over the
water TO where the cOttOn-trees rise like
phantoms from the rivers bank. We hear
the wall of the curlew sounding forlorn
and mournful on the night air; breath
steals upon Us from the young willows,
filling the atmosphere with a delicate per-
fume as OF lotus flowers. Far away on the
western shore are the swamps OF the cy-
press. and below is the bright light of the
boat as it turns the bend in the river. We
can hear the throb of her engines as she
steams away toward the lower levee.
There at my side she stands, my ideal.
All doubts and fears are over now, and with