The Elbert County tribune., 1909-07-22

estedly. Il never saw picture OF him
before. II Is perfect likeness AID
isn't he handsome," Her woman's
delight I'm masculine beauty would
crop out even in these grim circum-
stances.
The doctor stood a moment In
thought. His face was serious.
Madam" he said at length. let
me tell you a short story Once two
very young people. boy and girl.
scarcely done being children. senti-
mental and high-strung. fell In love
see the possibility OF this thought in
their faces. as you can In the faces
OF so many young enthusiasts. II was
not an uncommon thought. SO one
night they lay down on their bed and
he. putting the revolver to her heart.
kissed her passionately, no doubt, and
fired. The muzzle OF the weapon was
so close to the mark that the robe
she wore was burned. She died in
stantly. without pain. heavenly
smile on her pretty, trustful. young
face. Then. trembling with terror at
what he had done. the boy resoluteiy
turned the pistol against himself, but
missed vital spot, The shock of the
bullet added to his terror, and half
insane. he sprang up. clapped on his
hat through force of habit. and dashed
from the house.
For some reason. perhaps because
he saw persons approaching. or sud-
denly realizing the condition of his
dress. or more likely because the
open air Of the wide world gave him
feeling of desoiation greater than
ever. now that she was no longer by
his side, he turned almost immedi-
ately and rushed back to the house
where the body of his loved one lay.
He had no key, but the night being
very hot the window was raised. and
easily reaching 1t from the steps he
crawled into his room, mechanically
and married each other under difi-
culties of some kind. Probably the
chief difficulty consisted in the fact
that the youthful bridegroom's fam
lily objected utterly and with finality
to the match. and cast him on for
consummating It, for 1t was easily to
be seen that the girl was of social
sphere very different from his. There
was one relative, perhaps a sister.
who pitied him. and visited him
once bringing money. which his
pride would not allow him to
accept while his adored wife re-
manned unrecognized, and 30 the rela-
tive, after weeping out her pity and
affection In his arms. went away TAX
Ing the rejected offering with her.
And they needed 1t very much. Proud
with inherited pride. with no money.
no profession, no trade. unable to
fight the world with any chance of
success, through his youthful ignor-
ance and sensitiveness, yet thinking
1t absolutely necessary to keep up
appearances. he finally. after a year
of failure. disappointment and per-
haps some downright want, having
pawned all their valuables, came to
the agreement with her that II would
be infinitely better for them to die to-
gether than to attempt to struggle.
any longer in the cold world with no.
happier prospects than theirs. 1t would
be beautiful to die. both OF them
at the same instant. and remain in
peace and great love together there
after through all eternity. You could
closing and fastening the sash behind
him. and collapsed on the sofa One
of the boarders had seen him come up
the steps. and on account OF the loose
flowing pajamas had mistaken him
for a woman. The same boarder had
also In the excitement he was labor
ing under. placed the sound of the
shots he heard after. instead OF be-
fore the entrance Of the person he had
observed. The hemorrhage from the
boy-husbands wound, being mostly
internal, left only few blood drops
here and there. which escaped the
eyes of the police; but one investi-
gator discovered them at once by aid
of a magnifying lens. on the steps and
on the Notwithstanding where
Mrs. Phiipots, whose eyes had been
growing wide with horror as under
standing crept In upon her. exclaimed
In faint voice at this point and
sank upon a chair.
"B-but," she stammered. "he said a
thief-and he called him a coward"
Having no settled course OF action.
Mortified by the realization OF the
crime he had committed, his sensk
tiveness, even more than his lack OF
brute courage, filled him with an
awful fear of detection. he said what
ever promised to send investigation
asfray. II seemed easy to charge the
deed to an unknown thief. In reality
he had nothing worth stealing but n
bundle OF pawn tickets in bureau
drawer. Despising himself for his
failure to follow his wife at all costs.
1t was at his own head. not another'sl
that he flung the epithet of coward"
The boarding mistress sat weeping
softly into her handkerchief The