Morning journal and courier., 1890-06-12
The Brass.Bound Box.
From the st. James Budget.1


From the st. James Budget.1
Jack" said Lady Bargeuont, "I do yer.
now." ' >- -
''Of course am found of you, He.ty."
But you wouldn't have been fond of me.
Jack, If Casterton hadn't been born. can't
think why the peer married the parsons
daughter. Jack, why did you marry met
me of all people in the worldl hadn't
money, and you might have married in your
| own set If you'd wanted TO. Tell me, dear,
why did King Cophetus wed with the Beggar
| Maids"
.sIt's funny tLing, Hetty," said his lord
| ship with smile Of affection, ''that Blue
| boards wife is always hankering after the
key Of the blue closet, and, as the advertise.
| ment says. won't be happy till she gets it.
I'll tell you why married you, little Hetty.
| married you as duty, dear; and because I
was proud and miserable man, hopeless
and childless, the last of my line I didn't
| want the Bargemont title to die out; and
married you, Hetty, because you were the
| prettiest, wholesomest, healthiest, honestest,
| little maid had clapped eyes upon, and be-
| cause there was no nonsenee and nothing
| morbid about you. I wasn't in love with
you, Hetty, when I married you: I don't
| mind confessing that did it as duty; but
I've learned to love you; you healed my
wounds, and well, you're Casterton's
mother. And you agreed to marry me out
OF pity; know you did,"
"But WAS in love with You, Jack, all the
same; for pity, we know, is akin to love;
and know you do love me that you're go.
ing to tell me all about her,"
And then Lord Bargemont sighed. eff I
must tell you, must" he said; "and when
| must tell you, Hetty, you will pity me all
the more. I came into the Bargemoat title
| when 1 was boy Of fifteen; the court of
| chancery took care of me, and hadn't
| real friend in the wide world. I went to
Oxford; l was tosdied ,caressed and fattered,
because was lord and rich. Then went
| the cup of pleasure to the dregs, and I was
blaze man Of the world at Eve and twenty.
People looked upon me just as big fish that
had to be caught at any price. Willy mothers
| and chaperons threw their flies in vain. l
wss absolutely heart whole; and though
they tried their most killing baits-though
| husbands and uncles stood by with gaff or
landing net ready to do their duty-yet the
skilful fishers, men and women, failed to
| hook me. But met my fate at last.
"She was very beautiful to all mems eyes
clever, accomplished and ambitious, well
born and well bred, an only daughter, ready
to do her duty and to cell herself to the
| highest bidder. She was magnificent ami
| NAL. don't believe she had O heart; but
her imperial beauty attracted me, she was
the cynosure of every .eye.ra proposed to
Lady Blanche Middleton, was accepted, and
we were married. For month was happy
happy as q child In the possession of new
and expensive toy; then I discovered that
my handsome wife did not love me. But
she gave me no cause for jealousy, though
became very anxious on her account. She
to severe headaches, so she told me; she ex-
hibited great dislike to society, and was
accustomed to shut herself up with her maid
in her private apartments for hours together.
She grew morose and melancholy, strange in
her manner, and more and more inclined for
solitude. Her appetite failed, and her beauty
faded before my eyes. One day came in
to her boudoir suddenly. She was sitting
with mahogany brass bound box open on
| the table beiore her. When she saw me she
closed the box and locked it with key
| which she wore upon her watch chain.
"My curiosity was aroused. What on
earth have you got in that box, Blanche.'
said. She laid her hand upon 1t jealously,
and with an angry look in her magnificent
eyes-which, though we were not year mar
ried, had already grown dull and lacklustre
she said, Il hate impertinent curiosity in a
man, Bargemont. The little box Ia whore I
| keep my aecrets-the secrets I prize best in
all the world sha added.
"'Aud you won't let me see the contentsa'
| I said. -----.--
'sI was angry at her want Of confidence,
| and, I'm ashamed to add, was jealous too.
"'Id rather die first, said my wife.
s'I turned on my heel and left the room,
for could not trust myself.
"From that day We quarrelled. I dis.
dained to seek further explanation from a
woman who denied me her confidence.
"Several months went by, and Lady
Bsrgemont's conduct became more and more
eccentric. It attracted the attention of the
| neighbors and the servants. The neighbors
said that Lord Bargement's wife was going
melancholy mad.
zone day my wife's maid rushed into my
room, her eyes nearly starting from her head d
| with horror. Ny Lord! she cried, I can't
get into Lady Bargemont's room; she
| doesn't answer me. 1 don't know what to
| think.
"l and the maid hurried to my wife's
room, We hammered at the door for admis-
sion.
'sThen burst the door open, and dread
| full sight met our eyes.
| "There lay my wife, fully dressed, upon
| the bed; her eyes were closed, as though in
sleep; but when looked into her face and
saw what saw there, knew that she was
dead. Her hand still grasped strange
looking instrument of bamboo, mounted in
silver, on one end of which was a curious
disk Of porous clay. Upon the little table al
the beside lay the brass-bound box wide open
aportable spirit lamp which was still burning
and what appeared to be a travelling ink
stand open. The room was filed with q
heavy, strange, and sickly odor, which
almost overpowered me.
"My wife, Hetty, was an opium smoker;
she learned the habit from friend as a cure
for neuralgia, to which she was subject
Those little brass bound boxes, with the
dainty apparatus for carrying out the hideous
eastern vice, are etill sold and advertised
with impunity here in London. Hundreds
of men and women, even now, are deliber-
ately smoking themselves from this world
into the next. Those who know of the hide-
GUS thing say nothing; and when the victims
die by running their constitutions, ,or, as in my
wife's wretohed case, by an overdose of the
accursed thing, sometimes there Is an inquest
and a verdict Of death by misadventure, sf
in her case.
MEN and women with morbid tastes
sighing for forgetfulness or unknown joys
or stimulated by the glowing descriptions OF
the great writer who few to this awful vice
as refuge from physical pain, try it-snd
take to 1t.
"And now you know all about 1t, Hetty,
and why it was that, you found me miser
able man. There is..nothing morbid about you
little woman, anyhow" And then the dool
was Rung open, aud blue-eyed boy, some
three years of age, rushed into the room
The child was picture of health ant
strength and happiness.
"And there's nothing morbid about him,
added Lord Bargemont. "He DOESN'T lool
| much like the last of his line, does he
Hettys"
And then Lord Bargemont submitted tt
the comman fate of fathers and danced tn
child upon his knee toward the haven o
Banbury cross, and as he did 80 he forgot
for the time, all about the first Lady Barge
mont and the brass bound box.
PULSlFRR,S JACK-KABBlT HORSE
How the SwaY-Backed ThOrOughbred
| Developed Into q Wonder.
[From the Chicago Jeurnal.l
DIT. Pulsifer, so we'll known in Chicago
is to. day a younger looking man than wher
performing his arduous task Of cashing Riley
& Co.'s pool tickets in Gamblers alley
Recently, in conversation with an old time
sport, he said that the change from celia,
to the open air had greatly benefited bis
health, and that his new venture of racing
Thoroughbred horses was much more