Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1896-03-13

enter Harvard, I told my little sweet
heart-she was then but l5-that l
would marry her upon my return. This
was my first love and hers. I had cous-
in, older than myself By ten years,
handsome and wealthy, but a gambler
and addicted to heavy drinking. This
woman Montalbon, as you know, Kept
gambling den, and naturally my un-
fortunate cousin was constant visitor
at the house. One night, while intoxi-
Gated with wine, she persuaded him to
marry her, q clergyman being called IN
and ceremony privately performed.
He became entirely sober only after sew
eral days had passed and then had en-
tlreIy rorgouten about the marriage.
The scheming devil, Montalbon, did not
remind him of it, but by patient work
insidiously persuaded him that he
should be a married man. She even
suggested bride. none other than my
little sweetheart. Her object in this
was twofold, money and revenge. BY
leading my cousin into bigamous alI-
ance, with her own marriage certificate
as a weapon, she could readily extort
money from him. Her revenge was to
be against the family Of my little sweet.
heart, against whom she thought she
had a grievance. Her plotting was en-.
tirely successful My cousin was hand
some, was away, and once be had be-
come thoroughly acquainted with the
young creole's charme he became 80 ar
dent suitor that at length she listened
to his pleading and married him. Then
he was in the power Of the Montalbon,
and she bled him for five years, by
which time little Rose had been born.
Meanwhile I had completed my col
lege career, but had not returned to
New Orleans because Of my deep disap-
pointment upon learning that my sweet
heart had married another man. At
this time I was in Paris, when one day
I received piteous letter from the girl
wife, telling me that the blow had fall
en-; that the Montalbon had produced
her marriage certificate and claimed her
husband, thus dishonoring the daughter
of her enemy. The letter also begged
my forgiveness for the wrong done to
me. I read between the lines and recog.
nized the cry of broken heart, the
bleat of lamb left to die on the frozen
plain. I hurried home with but one
thought uppermost-to have revenge up
ON my cousin. arrived too late. Not
only was the girl dead, but my cousin
had disappeared.
II heard that be had gone out west,
and thither I followed him. would
get track Of him from time to time, but
it seemed fated always that he should
have just left place when I confident
" expected to come up with him. Thus
five years passed, and at last I did meet
him. I at once charged him with his
crime and asked for revenge. He laugh
ed at me and refused to fight. then
warned him that I should take his life
at the first chance that offered, when I
could do so either under seeming provo
cation or else where I could not be sus-
pected."
care you not admitting" interrupt
ed Mr.. Barnes, "that you harbored a
murderous spirit?"
"Mr. Barnes, if all men were punish
ed for their thoughts, the criminal class
would be greatly enlarged. You cannot
call me to account for anything except
my acts. At last my chance came. I
followed him one dark night as he went
off prospecting in an entirely new di-
rection; we were in mining country.
He tramped most Of the night, and l
pursued. By dawn we were miles away
from habitation. I then made myself
known to him and once more asked
him to fight it out. he saw that I was
in earnest and that he was simply COM
PEELED to battle for his life.
Under these circumstances, Of
course, he fought as the worst coward
would do when driven to desperation.
he decided to use pistols, though l
Wished to try our cause with knives. /
confess that I wanted the satisfaction
of stabbing him again and again. l
wanted to see his life's blood flow at
each stroke It seemed to me tame to
stand off at distance and send one lit
tie leaden ball in his direction. Still /
admitted his right of choice, and deter
mined to aim as accurately as possible
and to send my bullet straight You
see, did not think of my own life. /
had made this vengeance my one OBJ
ject, and after accomplishing that l
thought there would be nothing more
for me to do. Consequently expected
to kill him easily, and I did not care if
his bullet found my heart or not. Per
haps I hoped it would. Just as we were
standing up and preparing to fight,
something occurred that almost COM
pletely unnerved me and changed the
whole result. He lowered his pistol and
said:
"sWait moment; have favor to
ask T feel certain that you will kill
me. You have been seeking my life SO
long that I am sure you will get it. 1t
is fate. But I, too, have suffered in the
last five years. The favor that I ask is
that if l die You will promise to get my
child out Of that fiend's clutches.
"'Your childp I gasped. I thought