The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1896-03-28


pulsed my first question withi
Romeo, you don't like 10 have me
question you about your love to Juliet.
Let me alone this time-tho thing is
seriouai"
He burst into a roar OF laughter a.
q queer idea crossed his mind, and a.
he was burning TO tell mo something
Of his conquest, he cried;
"oh, you should see tho fellow she's
engaged tot stunted, big-iaced
dwarf-he only needs a hump, to be a
yeritable Quasimodol and for such a
monstrosity 10 possess such Q jewell"
That was all / could learn Of his
new conquest, aud the last words
ever heard from his lipA
The next morning was hurriodly
awakened by the landlord. From his
bewildered manner / knew something
terrible had happened. In fact, he
came to announce that the body OF
Bardoz had been found dead on the
sands at the edge Of the sea, in the
direction Of Pansilippe.
"If you harry you may see him, be-
fore his body is removed by the po-
lice 81"
I hastened to Che spot, a smiling,
sunlighted bay, that gave one an al
most irresistible desire to plunge into
the blue waters, and on the pretty
beach lay my unfortunate friend,
clothed in his costume Of pale gray,
carefully gloved, his hat over his face,
and under the brim his eyeglass still in
place, behind which stared the CLASSY
aud sightless ball-his clenched hand
still grasping his sword cane, his
clothes and hair thoroughly drenched.
His complexion was slightly purple,
bis features unchauged-they wore
the calm expression of placidity
usually apparent in death by drown
ing, and precluded any idea of strug-
gle or violence.
A little group of fishermen and
others we're gathered around him dis
cussing the cause of the accident.
They supposed he had taken too much
wine, fallen into the water, had sue
ceeded in gaining the bank, but the
inopportune bath had caused a fatal
congestion.
To me, however, it seemed that
Bardoz was the victim of crime con-
summated with unusual skill. If he
had fallen into the sea, his hat cane
and eyeglass would have been swept
away by the waters, and in the persua-
sion that he had been assassinated l
sought the criminal.
The death of Bardoz produced
profound sensation in the neighbour
hood. The mother of my dear Juliet,
a widow yet young and beautiful, was
profuse in coincidence, and both
mother and daughter with amiable
solicitude endeayored to distract my
mind from the terrible remembrance.
One bright moonlight night wan
dered on the bank of the beautiful bay
where had last seen the inanimate
form of my friend, thinking of the
joyous existence so mysteriously in
terrupted, and for the hundredth time
pondered who could have been the
murderer. Suddenly man appeared
before me, short, stunted, thick set,
with enormous neck and thick shout
ders The picture drawn for me by
Bardoz was instantly in my mind
"He only needs bump to be a veri-
table Quasimodol" The strange
being eyed me with suspicion, I
walked upon him and cried in his
teeth:
''You are the man that murdered
my friend Bardoz !-Assassin assas-
sin!"
He was not disconnected, but fixing
his little gray, blinking eyes upon me,
he said:
"Young man, you are right
billed the Frenchman and Tn proud
Of it. Do you want to know how? !
will tell you, He stole the love oil
my Marianina from me. surprised
him on the shore and with the aid oil
two Camorrists choked him, hurried