The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1896-10-01

allowing the material to run through
his fingers. He then went back to the
cupboard and produced a candle,
which he buried half its length in tho
sombre grains, and, striking a match,
deliberately set light to the wick.
Not a bad idea, is it:" he said, ex-
ultingly, addressin. me. The taper
will burn for about half an hour, and
you can anus" yourself i'll the mean
time by watching he tl2me as it gets
nearer and nearer the powder. When
it touches. "no,lby 10 YOU. IIa! Ha!
With Il titu,li>h laugh he Slided out
of the room. and the banging of the
outer door q few seconds later told me
he was in the street, and | was left
face to face with certain death.
Ny brain reels as | recall the awful
time THAT followed Slowly, but sure
", the candle burned away, each
flicker OF lis flame bringing me closer
and closer To The fate | was pOwerleSs
to avert. | W:'ithed and twisted at the
cords which bound me. until my veins
were nigh to burStinw but without
avail can for help could not, for the
| gag tilat the wretch had placed over
my mouth rendered hing itself
matter of difficulty and made shout
ing an impo>siblitv.
Big beads of perSpiration broke out
on my forehead us, more dead than
alive | watched the rrrrding light. Bit
by bit the taper uWindled away, until
half an incll of wax separated me from
my doom. The events Of lifetime
crowded into those last few minutes,
and tranSti1eI me with horror. Before
me was reflected. n. III a mirror every
scene in which | had ever played a part
for good or i'll. Each particular of my
career stood on the canvas, limned
in distinctive outline. and the record
Of an entire existence was re-pnacte1
with as much fidelity as if they were
the original acts | was witnessing. En-
crossed. enchanted. my mind seemed
held by some magnetic spell, from
which there WAS no escaping.
Suddenly :: fiickerng ut one Of the
windows arrested my attention, and,
like the drowning man who catches at
Il straw | looked toward it, half hop
ing to sel reScue from thence But it
was only moth fretting at b" Win
dow pane and sick at heart turned
my gaze away.
Yet, although at the moment | ex-
pected it not, it WAS from that insig-
nticant insect That deliverance came.
There was a fracture III the glass. and
through it The moth presently carcered
into the room. 1t flew aimleSSly about
for a few seconds. until. attracted by
luring light. il sped toward the can
die. IIeSitatinG IN instant. it made a
circle around the burning wick. and
then. with the mad impetnoSity Of the
species. dashed hcadlOng into the
flame The fatuOuS art cost the crea-
ture its own life. but it saved mine. the
impact completely e1tingui>hin@ the
light at a time when it wanted but a
few more moments to reach the DOW
der and explode it,
This unexpected escape from what
looked like certain death had such an
effect upon my uVtrWruugnl nerves
that >wooned right away. and when
consciousness returned to ne daylight
was breaking in1n the room. With re-
ncWch strength struggled at my
bonds. and ri last the ring that held
them gay" way. and | fell exhausted
to the ground. Somehow I managed
to crawl 10 the window. and. after a
while succeeded in attracting atten-
ton. Soon after was free
a clue TO the identity of the wretch
. who had thus diHhulically designed my
. death was furnished by Il sheet of note
paper found in his room. 1t bore the
impress of an address on tn" ut;t skirts
of Paris. and proceeding th1her in due
, course. found it to he the locale of a
private lunAtir asylum. Description
and Inquiries established tn" fact that
my aSsailant had formerly been an in
, mate Of that place. but had succeeded
in making his escape some time pre-
viously. and was entirely lost sight Of.
, 1t tranSpred that he was an Eng
liShman 10y birth, but had lived for a
, time in Paris. where he lost a large
, fortune in gambling. This fact had
, caused his mind to give way. \ fea-
lure of his madness was the belief that
some on" had robbed him of his ''es.
, tateS. and his one cry was for revenge
for this supposed injury. OF course,
p there was no foundation for his wild
! fancy. His ruin was due solely to his
own acts and no one else was in any
, way responsible But the fellow per-
; sisted in his tale. and evidently be-
, lieved in it implicitly. Sane in all
other respects. on that point he was a
, dangerous madman. Nemesis finally
overlook him. for some time later he
, met his death in a railway accident in
Germany. whittier his wandering steps
+ seemed to have led him. and his ca.
ceer is now forever cloSrd.-Tit-BitS.
h, The Common Pea.
l The common pea, which is a fayOrite
7 vegetable in It's season. is not Il native
of the United States, but was brought
+ from Europe by he early settlers. Il
l was used by ancient Greeks and Re-