The Opelousas courier., 1891-08-15
ALMOST A CRIME.

II seemed as # Providence had deserted
Randolph Perry in his old ace ana m
teriY cast him off. For his was, indeed.
q hard tot. We do not often find i case
g sucn great hardship III human affairs.
1or' although he had begun life with The
brightest prospects, with abundant
wealth, 3 pleasant home, d loving wife
and children, his SEVENTEEN simmer
found him stripped Of all 4 the roof
above his head, and seriously Threatened
with the loss of even that.
Twenty long, weary years back his r..
verses had begun ia the sudden and dis
fresslng death of his dear wife; and th;a
,rreparable blow was soon after followed
~ the elopement Of his daughter Annie.
me pet and darling of his heart. with an
artiul scoundrel with a sham title. who
PAD probably left his native land across
Ife sea upon compulsion. The Door
father heard OF her but once afterward
ana that was when the news Of her sui-
/ II Manchester reached him. This
visitation huinbled him almost to tina
dust, and brought with it d sickness that
lala him PROSTATE for a t-welyemonth
anc nearly cost him his life.
He rose from his sick bed and ~
peared TO the little world of his acouaint.
ance only the wreck of his former man
mood. HIS first inquiries were for Simeon.
ms Doy. No one would ansWe him at
nfst they looked pitifully at him and
Kept silent; but when he aneriIv a.
Inanded 10 know the truth. they wera
compelled to tell him that Simeon. his
only remaining hope. mad heartlessly de-
serted him during his sickness, and. as
was supposed, had gone off to sea. Ran
doiph Perry did not die with this aeon
mutation Of griefs; be lived On ID j
hopeless, morbid kind of way, but no
one had seen him smile since he was fold
OF Simeon 5 desertion. That was nearIv
twenty years back. He had dwelt II
the house where he had been bereavad
ever since, with no society i that 81
the woman who attended to his small do
nestle affairs.
ms beautiful mansion, standing high
up on 4 knoll that overlooked The sea
surrounded with spacious and cultivated
grounds. had been purchased by Perry
ef its previous owner, who was his
triend, and upon whose assurance that
me place was unencumbered and free
from alI legal claim he implicitly relied.
That friend had died penniless two
years after and now, as If to reuoye
from his dTeary existence the last rav az
sunshine, ne found himself threatened
with total deprivation Of his estate. As
unexpectedly as though the heavens had
dropped upon bis beWildered head. IL
was notified BIZ 4 lawyer il London that
held for one Of his clients i MORTGAGE
upon the place, executed BIZ Che vender
9 few months before the sale, unon
which the principal and interest
amounted To quite the value ~ tha
place, and that immediate satisfaction
vas demanded and expected.
ihen followed 4 tedious and ye-xat;ora
'lslgation, which resulted IN establish
ING mortgage and declaring the be-
cunlary ruin of Randolph Ferry. Il
vas the last drop ii the wretched suffer.
ers cup ct gall. The little means that
Y could command from his broken far
lsines had been swallowed up ii his IN.
successful defense Of the suit.
Ihe hour was about TWILIGHT. III a.
'ouehed meal had been cleared away. and
'he old ~honsekeeper had retired ii her
Perry Yet u The front room.