The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1891-04-16

mistaken, your leg is quite sound. You
ran up the stairs before me as nimbly
as rope-dancer. What is the matter
with yoUc leg?''
Nothing; l only wish to be rid OF
it."
Sir, you are a fool"
THAT is no affair of yours, Mons.
Thevenet'
I'm what way has your leg offended
you?'
in no way; but l am bound to have
it amputated"
''Sir, l do not know you At least
produce before me some witness who
will testify to your soundness of in
tellect."
'Will you aecede to my wish, Mons.
Thevenet?'
Just as soon, sir, as You give me
some defensible ground for your desire
10 be mutilated."
Il can not at the present moment
communicate to you the truth of the
matter. Perhaps | may do so after the
lapse of a year. But l am willing to
wager you, monsieur, that year hence
you yourself will affirm that the
ground upon which rested the desire to
be free of my leg was the noh.est.
81 will not wager, so long as you do
not give me your name, your place of
residence, your family and your occupa-
tion.''
''All that you shall know in the
future, not at present. pray you,
however, to consider me as a man of
honor. y
San honorable man does not menace
mutilate you without there is necessi-
ty for SO doing. l have duties to dis
charge even to you-a stranger If you
are possessed of a desire to become the
murderer of an innocent man, the
father of family then shoot
Good! Mons. Thevenet," exclaimed
the Briton, seizing the pistol. 4 will not
shoot you, yet will force you to ampu-
tate my leg. What you will not do Tor
me either out of courtesy or love of re-
ward or fear of bullet, you shall ac-
cord through pity
"How so, sir?"
II will myself, here upon the SPOT,
before your eyes, shatter my leg with
pistol shot.
The Englishman sat down, seized the
pistol and held the muzzle close against
his knee. Mons. Thevenet was about to
spring towards him to wrest the pistol
from his hand.
''Do not move, " said the Englishman,
''or l will fire. Only answer me one
question: Do you wish unnecessarily to
|
Sir you are fool! Have your own
way! 1 will take your leg off. "
Mons Thevenet taccomplishedh his task
like master The invalid was
through his skill, in brief time restored
to health. He rewarded his physician,
whom he esteemed more highly every
day; shed tears of joy for the loss of his
limb, and sailed back to England with
a wooden leg.
Some eighteen weeks after the En-
glishmans departure, Thevenet re-
ceived letter from England, the con-
tents of which was the following:
You receive the Enclosure as proof of my
most profound gratitude. 1t is a draft for two
hundred and fifty guineas on NJ. Panschaud,
banker, in Paris. YoE have made me the hap
piest Of earthly morta1s in depriving me Of my
limb, which stood in the way of my earthly
happiness.
Worthy man. now you may know the cause Of
my foolish whim as you then called it. You as
serted, on the occasion referred to, that there
could be no reasonable ground for self-im
posed mutilation such as mine l offered then
to lay you a wager. You acted v isely in not ac-
cepting it.
After my second return from the East Indies
/ made the acquaintance OF Emily Harley. the
most perfect of women. L adored her. Her
, wealth, her family connections were salts
factory to my relatives. To me her beauty and
angelic disposition were alone attractive l
| mingled in the throng of her admirers. Alas.
my good Thevenet, was fortunate enough TO
become the most unfortunate of my rivals. She
loved me-beyond any and all men, me. She
did not conceal it; and for that very reason she
dismissed me. In vain I supplicated for her
: hand Her parents and friends all joined with
, me- In vain! She remained immevable.
: For long time was unable to discover the
ground of her objection to marriage with me,
whom she passionately loved as she herself
, confessed. At length one of her sisters dis
closed to me the secret. Miss Harley was mar
Yelously beautiful, but had the misfortune to
nave been born with one leg, and by reason OF
this imperfection she hesitated to become my
wife. She feared 1 would esteem her less on
account of this imperfection.
1 at once resolved to become like her. Thanks
to you, my good Thevenet, the thing was ac
accomplished.
Ireturned to London with my artificial leg
My first thought was to visit Miss Harley.
had previously written to England that through
a fall from my horse had broken my leg, and
that amputation had become necessary. hao
the sympathyof all, and Emily swooned the
first time she saw me. She was for long time
inconsolable, but she became my wife. The
day following our marriage / confded to hei
my secret how great a sacrifice my desire tt
possess her had cost me- She loved me somuef
the more tenderly. Oh! my good Thevenet, if
possessed ten legs to lose would, without ;
sign of regret, give them all for Emily
shall be grateful to you as long as l live
Come to London and visit US Learn to know
my glorious wife, and then say again Il am
fool.f CHARLES TEMPLE.
Mons. Thevenet showed this letter tx
his friends, and rotated the incident
L and laughed most heartily as often a
r he told the story. Nevertheless, he il
n fool, . said he.
t The following was Mons. Thevenet'i
: reply: