The Houma courier. (Houma, La.) 1878-1939, 1903-01-17

Paris he had called Smith Smith Az
teE thar he called him NehuIon, and
seemed 10 love The name. On one oe-
casion he had asked Smith where he.
would Like To BE buried iii case 81.
death. and on another had hoped that
he would die without suffering if he.
died at all These things somewhat
worried Smith for q time, but he final
81 dismissed them from his mind as
somehow belonging to the lath and
shingle business.
During the first three days im Swift
erland Smith and Carter met with UNI
pleasant weather and did not wander
from the hotel. IN this interval Car
ter's soiicitousnegs became SO great
as to be almost offensive. He would
even get out Of bed at midnight to see
that Smith hadn't Kicked the bed
clothes off or was lying on his back
He bought the choicest wines and the
best cigars-he told his funniest jokes
and his best stories-he worked hard-
er to give Smith a good time than al if
he was being paid . hundred dollars a
day Smith wondered over it, but he
was soon to know the awful truth.
On the fourth day the two walked out
together in a twin-brother way. In
Switzerland the only way youeam walk
out IS to walk up hill. They walked up
hill. They assembled at least 500 feet
above the hotel roof, when they came
to a bridge spanning a raYine. 1t was
200 feet to the bottom Of that ravine,
with no air cushions on the rocks be-
low The two men sat down to get
breath, and Smith noticed that Carter
was looking at him in a hungry way
the way a wolf is popularity supposed
to look at a baby weighing about pa
pounds Of fat.
Whats the matter now?' asked
Smith, as a chill crept up his back.
Il have you at last?" replied Carter,
as he smacked his lips and shappened
his teeth.
Come off and explain yourselfi"
Then Carter settled down and told a
little story, and as he told it he kept
n eye on Smith and the other on that
dark, dank, deep ravine. While he was
attending to his Iath and single bust
ness at Plum Creek his wife went up
to 0-conemawac on a visit to her sister.
Her sister gave high teas and lawn par
ties, and at one of these the wife met
a suave, sleek villain. She didn't like
his sickness, but the villain pursued.
What arguments he used against the
lath and single business the deponent
couldn't say, but the result was that
Mrs. Carter eloped with him and left
Carter hanging III the air. She hadten
days start, but the wronged husband
set out to secure revenge on the villain
had broken up his happy home
and guided simply by chance he had
found him and was now about to drop
him off the bridge spanning the "a.
vine. He would grant the viii ain just
three minutes in which to prepare for
eternity.
What the devil do you mean by such
talk2' asked Smith as the story was
finished.
You are the villaini" slowly
and impressively answered Carter.
Nonsense! I was never in Ocone-
mawac in my life"
"Ha! You deny it2"
"0f course, I do! What in Texas
would I be smoking around after Mrs.
Carter for when I had a wife Of my
own?"
But it was a man named Smith"
persisted the trembling husband.
well, what of it?"
Then it must have been you. You
are a Smith, and you can't deny it,"
"But do you imagine that / am the
only Smith in the United States2 ~
II never heard of any other"
You ass! Why, there are over 1000
Smiths in the state Of Wisconsin
alonel'
rs it possible ~
And over a hundred thousand in
The United States, to say nothing OF
Canada. Did you follow me here from
New York to wreak your vengeance
on me because / happened to be named
Smith? ?"
4 did. I was sui you were the
al | can't understand it. LEARNED
that it was a man named Smith. and
you are Smith, and
And you are Carter, and the biggest
NSa t1S whit come along back to
the hotel and let's have a drink"
But how about Smith ~ walled
Carter. "You-he-Smith ran awav
with Mrs. Carter
yes, you said SOL
And I've followed you-he-smitb
clear over here to drop him into a RAJ
vine.n
Eyes, / know, but .you-he-smitb,
objects to being dropped. 1t was an
other Smith. It was n of the HIM
dred thousand Smiths. Tt was smith
who has got clear off with Mrs. Carter
and viii never be heard OF again. and
now let's have a eocktan or mint julien
or some thing and be happy.-sunnv
South.
to know that I have held a shiela
NNeTe suns ana fanansSfa has4.