The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1899-05-06
THE PURPLE EGG.
Z omened an Emperor and Created a Suicide.
By ANAToLE FRANCE.

woman who had been driven to a
strange suicide by terror and remorse.
She was highly b ID and cultured.
Suspected of comp city in crime OF
which she had be mute witness,
in despair at her i.reparable coward
ice, tormented by perpetual night
mare that showed her her husband
pointing her ont with his rotting fin
ger To the magistrates, she became
the helpless prey of her overweight
nerves. A trifing circumstance de-
termined her fate. Her little nephew
was living with her. One morning, as
usual, he was learning his lesson in
the dining room; she was sitting near
by. The child began to translate,
word for word, some verses from
Sophocles He said over the Greek
and French terms as he wrote them
out: "Kara teton, the divine head;
Iokastes, of Yocasta; letneked, rs dead
Sposa konnen, tearing her
hair; kalei, she calls; Laion nekron,
dead Lais. Eisedomen, we
saw; ten gunaika kremasten, the
woman hanged He wound up with
flourish of his pen, stuck out his
tongue violet with ink and sang:
"Hangedl hangedl hangedp The
wretched woman, her will-powsr ut
terly destroyed, obeyed the sugges-
ton of the thrice-Eeard word. She
rose without word, without . glance,
and fastened to her room. A few
hours later the commissary OF police.
called in to investigate her violent
end. made this rejection: Il have
seen many woman who has cQm-
mitted suicide. This is the first one
I've known to hang herself.
This case recalled similar one to
my mind, that of my unfortunate COM
rade and friend, Alexandra Mansel.'
In the foregoing story the heroine
was killed by verse of Sophocles;
my friends life was brought to an end
by q sentence Of Lamprides..
Mansel, who was schoolmate OF
mine at the Lycee of Avranches, was
different from all other boys. He
seemed both older and younger than he
really was. Small and slight, at fifteen
he was afraid of all the bugaboos that
terrify children of five. He had . hor-
ror of the dark. We were not fond OF
him; he would have become our butt
il he had not impressed us by GER
tain fierce pride aud his record as
clever scholar. Though he worked
spasmodically, he often stood at thu
head of his class. They used to say
that he talked at night in the dormi
tory and walked in his sleep. None
of us could swear to it, for we neve
woke after our heads once touched tn
pillow.
For a long time I was more curiou
pbout him than fond of him. We sud
denly grew great friends on an excur
sion that we all teok together to tn
abbey of Mont ST. Michel. We ha
walked barefooted along the shingle
carrying our shoes and our luncheo
on the end of our sticks. all singin
at the top of our voices. We crosse
the drawbridge and sat down side b
side on one Of the old cannon, rustic
by Ave centuries Of rain and spra.
Looking with his dim eyes from IL
old stones to the sky, swinging b
bare feet, Alexandra abruptly spoil
to me:
sT should like to have been q knigl
in the old wars. Iwould have take
a hundred cannon. would ha'
fought single handed on the rampant
and the Archangel st. Michael won
have stood over my head like viii
cloud.
From that day on Il understot