The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1892-08-25
THE PHANTOM.

| Jan. / to Dec. 81 they were unable to SLEEP
| on account of the heat and the mosquitoes
they lost their appetites and they ruined
their purses by the purchase of artificial
ice. DAD, .,s. ......... ..I..r... .Lt
One day they learned that the admiral
had died, leaving Pujol all mis- fortune and
his chateau of st. Landry, one of the
most elegant in Touraine. 1t is needless
to say that the three sailed for France by
the first steamship that sailed at Saigon.
| The vessel, was crowded. a cabin was
found, however, for the two ladies; as for
the new millionaire, he was glad to share
a stateroom with a young gentleman who
came from the neighborhood of st. Ian
| dry. This traveller was named George
Seineport, and he had just made pleasure
| trip around the world. ......... ....... .
| The voyage began badly. Pujol's wife,
| Antoinette, was taken ill, and the ships
| doctor advised her not to quit her berth
during the passage. The almost constant
attendance of her husband, the devoted
care of her mother-in-law and occasional
visits from Seineport, who was an agree
able companion rendered her sequestered
existence bearabe 4. na..F#t
During the short stay of the steamer at
went on shore and dined with the French
consul They returned about II o'clock
and the vessel, having finished coaling,
continued on her voyage. ........ ..... ..,..
The next morning Seineport, who occu
pied the lower berth, prepared to get up,
and in the movement he made his cheek
grazed Pujol's hand, which hung down
from the upper berth. The hand was icy
cold. Seineport was startled and called
out to the sleeper He got no reply, for
poor Pujol had died during the night from
heart disease. a"' ."..IN l'-o' 80. .'1
The captain and the doctor were at once
notified. N.'.s.s ."" a.a.
"What are we going to do?" asked
George anxiously. nu.#"' .''Tl
1--WE have no choice" replied the cap
tain. "Everything must be over by the
time the passengers begin to come on deck"
"How so?" said the young traveller, who
did not quite catch the captains meaning.
"We have terrible responsibility, eX-
planned the doctor. "Weare now entering
the Red sea, which is pre-eminently the
country of cholera; we shall soon have to
endure 112 degrees of heat; there are sick
persons on board. Under these conditions
to keep corpse an instant longer than is
absolutely necessary would be criminally,
imprudent Besides, it's the rule" ,,sH.I
,"Ahl l understand. Poor Pujol! But
how shall we notify the unfortunate wife
and mother?" B. 't '.I''7f ego. ''.
"We must keep the news secret until all
is finished. 1t would kill the young widow
in her present feeble state to be present at
the preparations for the burial. All, if she
could learn of her misfortune only on land
ing in Francel' l.H5's ".T r1.5rr.
Seineport protested against this plan.
but the captain and doctor convinced him.
An hour later Pujol reposed at the bottom
of the sea with 200 pounds of lead about
his feet. The sad ceremony had been &C.
complished with such secrecy that scarce
ly any passenger ON board suspected the
drama that had just taken place.
Pale, but affecting smiling dir, Seine
port went to see Antoinette and related
that his companion had missed the steam
er. The captain declared that, seeing one
of the two friends on board, he thought
that the other had also returned. He made
all sorts of excuses for his thoughtlessness
Besides he added, Pujol would simply
have to pass a week with the consul at
Alden, and would return to France by the
following mail steamer. The two women
were in great distress, but were obliged to
make the best of it. ................ ..
'We shall have a telegram at Suez, at
Port Said, or at Naples" said Antoinette
to console herself. ..... ....... ..
But i'll neither of these ports nor ut
Marseilles did they find the expected dis
patch. From hour to hour Seineport be-
nnY rr1,,r l,
self upon the quay at Marseilles with two
sick ladies on his hands and the mortuary
certificate of his friend in his pocket he
cudgeled his brains to think how he should
make known the frightful truth to them.
He decided that he must first of all send
the two women to st. Landry. He made
all the arrangements for their journey
with touching solicitude, and quilted them
only at the departure of the train.
Il shall remain at Marseilles," he said,
'and look out for Pujol Have no anxiety
about him. Leave everything to me. To
morrow, or the day after at latest, shall
certainly be able to telegraph you some
thing" And in fact the second day after
ward Seineport telegraphed to the two
ladies at st. Landry, "Pujol leaves Alden
on the OXus." Later he sent second dis
patch, "Puiol landed at Naples on account
| of illness"
The following day the unhappy Seine
| port started for St. Landry. When the
mother and the widow saw him arrive
thus unexpectedly with serious face they
guessed the sad news he brought.
| Tears, sobs, nervous cries and fainting
fits followed in rapid succession. Seine
port wished to leave the ladies alone in
their sorrow, but at the first word he said
| PuJo's mother clung to him.
"Do not abandon u.s." she said; "you
were his friend, and are now ours. Alas!
4 cruel duty remains to be fulfilled. The
body of my unfortunate son must be re-
stored to us"
Poor George had not thought of this.
Bring back Pujols body to st. Landry!
1t would have been easier to revive him
He made objections showed the difficulty
OF the enterprise and pretended that the
campo santo at Naples was the finest
cemetery in the world None of his argu-
ments prevailed. Partly through kindness
Of heart and partly to obey the fatal chain
Of circumstances which henceforward
weighed upon him, Seineport was obliged
himself to goto Naples and look up a body