The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1900-08-03

their life. There was Don Carlos Aris-
pc, who was a planter, living 60 miles
away, and who had been lodged in the
room of the canopied bed as a due trib-
ute to his social consequence. He was
go years old, and it was believed that
he died of heart disease Then came a
lawyer from the City of Mexico, from
the faroff city of palaces, on his way to
Acapulco to arrange some business.
Surely so grand parsonage as a Ii
cenciado Of the capital of the fedora
ton must be lodged in the grand room!
He, too, died in the night, inexplicably.
Still he was fragile and had been ex-
posed to the sun a great deal, and the
transition from his somber, cool and
smoky office in the capital to hot roads
and coarse fare was believed to have
affected his brain. The servants said
it was case of cerebral congestion
due to ''insolacion," or overexposure to
the sun. For ten months nobody was
placed in the room till there came, one
spring afternoon, robust young man,
a surveyor for a foreign company, ac-
companied by two mozos. He was a
man of consequence, for he wore a
pearl handled Massachusetts made re-
volyer, and so, without giving heed to
the grim history of the room of the
canopied bed, he was placed there, and
as he undressed that April night he
whistled as only happy German may
and sang songs of the fatherland
When old Ponciano house servant,
went to call the surveyor in the morn
ing, he was cold in death. His mozos
viewed the remains, and in haste they
rode off to bring the judge, who lived
20 miles away. He barely got there in
time, for in the terra caliente burial
follows close on death. The judge pro
nounced 1t a case of sudden death (oh,
legal sapiencyD due to organic cardiac
derangement-at least that is what his
high sounding phrase implied, and the
sonorous sound of the words satisfied
the dead mans faithful servants and
all the onlockers. There was no sign
of wound on the fair body Of the
young man. He was buried that night
out in the little cemetery where had
preceded ham two other victims of the
fatal bed
Nearly six years had elapsed since
the first of these sinister happenings
when, just after the close of the rainy
season, the roads having hardened,
there arrived from Acapulco a young
married couple on their way to the
City of Mexico They were accompa-
MED by six armed mozos, and all were
well mounted. The young man, the
Captain Felix Delmonte, and his bride
were most charming people. The Off
Ger had just taken to himself a wife,
having received news of the death of
an uncle, wealthy man in the federal
capital, who had made him his sole
heir. 1t was somewhat unusual thing
to marry at the very root" of kins-
mans death, but Soledad Marquee was
an orphan, and the officer was madly
in love with her and hoped to make ar
rangements to leave the service and
settle down with this lovely young wo-
man in the City of Mexico, there to en-
joy the new wealth. Soledad was a
tropical beauty, daughter of the sun
and the sea, girl of the Pacific coast
and with eyes deep, dark and dreamy,
fit to fascinate king. They asked ac-
commodations for themselves and their
escort for the night, and Don Diego
and his wife We're only too glad of their
company. There were grand supper
that night and much merrymaking,
and all the news of the great and ia
nous port of Acapulco was retailed, to
the intense interest of Don Diego and
his household
How 1t came about that the young
couple were assigned to the room of
the canopied bed is told thus: They
We're first shown to a small room in
which two cots had been placed for
them and expressed their thanks for
the lodging in the gracious Mexican
way when Dona Maria, feeling house
wifely pride In the fact that she had a
grander room to show, remarked, 81
could give you another recamera, but
But what?" inquired Captain Del
monte, and he added For myself
don't mind, but this little woman Is
very tired, and perhaps you have a
mattress on which she could better
rest Excuse the trouble I'm giving
you"
The married pair were shown the
grand room, and Maria exclaimed,
"What very pretty bed" The good
wife dared not relate the story Of the
room, being ashamed, as she after
ward remarked, and then, too, she re-
fiected that the mattress was a new
one and the room had been cleaned
and newly whitewashed. The young
couple seemed so radiant with happi-
ness, so strong and full Of the JOY Of
life, that Dona Maria told them to take
the room and to say well their prayers
On retiring. They laughed and prom.
fsed to do so. Then she went to Don
Diego, who, being a practical man.
listened to her words of foreboding
and laughed, saying: "The spell will
be broken by this happy pair; they
bring love and life and everything
gladstone with them. Don't think
more about it, woman, and let us have
n breakfast fit for our guests. To bed,
to bed, and let us be up betimesT
1t was lovely late October morning.