Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1898-09-21

aVQ1lSu u1mSelI luliy VI Gue Oppoi 9un
ity to deaden and stupefy the pain of
his disease.
Floyd could not but pity the victim
of his own weaknesses. !, There was
something winning about him. He
could understand how Mary had been
attracted to him. He wondered if it
were not possible to save him yet, and
he tried to- do so, for Mary's sake.
But he was soon convinced that re-
clamation was out of the question.
The only escape from the terrible in
huence that was over him was through
the door of death, and that door was
already ajar for his entrance. Listen
ing to the cough that racked the form
ofthe dying man, Floyd realized that
the end was not far off. Itmight como
at any time.
One day lie saw that Reed was in
an unusually wrought-up condition.
He was weaker than usual. He
coughed more. His nerves seemed
all a-quiver. Time and again, as they
talked together, he got up and went
behind the counter, and poured him.
self out little glass of liquor, which,
for o short time, seemed to relieve
the tension of his nervous condition.
But the effect OF the drug would
speedily wear away, and another
draught was soon necessary to keep
down the torture Of the pain within.
Floyd wondered how mau in such
condition of physical weakness could
stand the usual effect Of SO much
liquor. The pain he felt must be
powerful enough TO counteract it, lie
thought, and again he felt agreat
pity for tie poor fel low. who had made
such shipwreck OF his life. s s
,By-and-bye, terrible paroxysm OF
coughing seemed to almost exhaust
the man. When it was over, he got
up, trembling IN every limb with
great drops of sweat on his CHASTITY
face, and went behind the counter
for another drink. Looking at him
with the pity he felt expressed in his
face, Floyd Gray saw him reach up
for the bottle from which he usually
drank, but he saw, with thrill OF
horror, that he took down one instead
whose label told that it contained o
deadly poison. He poured out some
of it's contents into glass, with an
unsteady hand, too keeniY alive to the
torture of his inward pain to notice
the mistake he was making.
Then it was that the moment of
Floyd Gray's terrible temptation came
to him. If poor Reed drank the
draught he had prepared for himself
he would die. Death would come
speedily. It would relieve Mary's s
life of the burden it was bearing, and
she would be free!. Free for him to
woo and win herl
It seemed to him that it was an age
that he sat there and debated with
himself as to what he should DO.
Should he let tho, man drink the
draught that had death in it, and thus
remove the obstacle in the way of hap
piness, or should he save him from the
consequences of the mistake he was
making, and in doing it, put away
from himself, forever, perhaps, the
possibility of the happiness he longed
for?
Who knew? Reed might get well,
after all. Stranger things had. hap
pened. Now was the chance for him
to make sure of the future. Let the
poor fellow drink the draught, and
die! It would. be better for him, bet
ter for Mary, better for himself.
But-would it not leave upon his
conscience stain almost like that of
mllrder? Could he afford to carry
with him through life the conscious
ness that it had been in his power to
put back death from this man for q
time, and he had made no effort to 10
so? But-death was question of
time, simply. Why not let the man
meet it now? Was it any kindness to
him to prolong his misery? Then
something seemed to whisper to him,
Do not be deceived. The man will
not die. Fate will step in and work o
miracle to keep you and the woman
you love apart. Prevent him from
drinking that draught, and in doing it
you dash away from your. own lips the
draught of happiness you might drink
if it were not for him. He stands be-
tween you and all you have hoped for,
for years. 1t is in your power to
choose between possession and loss =
utter loss, remember, for Fate will
surely bring this man back from the
brink of the grave to thwart you in
your desire for happiness. Fate likes
to do these things. Why should you
hold yourself guilty for the mans
death? Youare not offering him the
deadly draught. You are simply allow
ing him to do as he pleases. Surely
you are notresponsible for the result.
Let him drink it-let him die!
Coward! Murderer! The words
seemed to form themselves in letters
of fire before Floyd Gray's eyes. He
sprang to his feet. He was at Reeds
side before he knew what he was about,
almost, and he dashed aside the glass
that was almost at the others lips.
"What do you mean by that?" cried
Reed, angrily.
"Look at the label and you'll know
why I did it," answered Floyd, his
brain whirling dizzily. He knew,
now, that all I have written down had
passed through. his mind in few short
seconds of tine, But it had seemed