West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1914-02-05
The Bullet That
Killed a Man
BY MARGARET ELDRIDGE

Ing OF marrying the oldest son OF a
marquis, Lord Tinterton.
a heardless boy OF my acquaintance.
Ralph Chester. not more than nineteen
years old. took Il into bis silly head
To fall In love with me The worst of
. Il was that his father was a stro.is. ad
herent of the parliament. aud this fired
the sympathles OF the son. Ralph had
joined n troop of the psalm singing
Roundheads and was preparing To 40
with them Ia a rendezvous where the
parliamentary forces were being col.
lected The evening before he left hc
came To see me To say goodby. ! sup
pose. for we had been neighhors and
our now being on different sides did
not affect our friendliness. What was
my aStonishment when he told me that
he loved me.
shall never forget the boylsh look
ON his face as he spoke the words.
seeming Go feel that he was presump-
tuous In addressing one he considered
so superior To himself. A woman is
pleased with any mans devotion. be
he respectable. and confess that
was secretly pleased. made my re-
fusal as easy TO bear as possible. but
my young lover took IL hard
The war had been fought out I'm ENG
land. and Cromwell went to Scotland
to suppress the movement against him
there. one day n trooper returning
from the war stopped Mt the gate and
dismouuting. tramped into the ground
and. knocking mt the portal. handed Ia
letter FOR me. | opened Il and.
glanclng at the bottom. saw the sigma
ture or Ralph Chester. The letter was
accompanied 10y little box. Ralph
wrote that he was dying. surgeon
had extracted n bullet from his wound
and had promised the poor hoy that hc
would send II to me. IL was I'm the
box.
! did not at first realize the effect
this grewsome gift would have on me
n wns some time before opened the
box nud did So nt last from strange
desire that came over me To see the
bullet that had killed man and that
man my lover. II was like any other
bullet hut not 10 TO me. u seemed 10
he tnllting Ia me-. telling me u myrin
of things. all about the young mnu
who had loved me. but whom had
not loved ! replaced II I'm the box. re-
solving TINT ! would put II away aud
never spr II again.
IL was not long before u desire cam
To me To take IL out and look at H.
resisted the desire. I endenvorrd tn
interest myself I'm other subjects. Lord
ffn "a hf H.rl.
der Prince Rupert. returned nnd rc
newed his suii. To help me ret rid of
the effect of my dead lovers Gift
tried to listen To him. But my heart
was not with Tinterton. and ! put him
on ! yielded To NV desire to see the
bullet and. opening the box. took II
ont. II seemed TO reproach me. and
for my life could not consider II what
ii was nothing hut an inanlmate lump
OF lead
My mind every day came under the
strange Influence Of this inanlmate OH
ject II was constant repronch To
me that ! had turned away love.
What right had TO reject that which
was so sacred? Before the mcmpnto
came ] had considered marrying Tin.
terton though was Indifferent TO him
personally. to he the most natural
thing In the world to do. He had fine
estates and by skillful diplomacy had
saved them from being cOnfiscatpd by
the protector. My future position as
marchiOness would he all that could
he desired And yet I was deferred
from giving him an affirmative an
swer 10y this little lump OF lead Or
was II not rather what that lump OF
lead represented? II did not seem so
to me. though ! do not doubt that IL
was.
AZ last determined 10 try TO break
the spell by accepting Tinterton. The
evening after doing so. when went
to my room. ! tried to keep away from
the drawer Of my dresser. where I
kept the bullet. I stood looking at the
drawer. using all my will power TO
avoid going 10 g. All 10 no purpose
! was drawn like resisting animal
by rope 10 the dresser. opened the
drawer and took out the bullet It
lay there iu It's box. inanimate. yet II
was 90 me reproof. held IL I'm my
hands till the tears came into my eyes.
Then ] pnt II back in its place and be-
gan tO wonder how I should recall all
! had said to Tinterton.
! am growing old. King Chnrles H.
has reigned ana been succeeded by his
brother james. / arm spinster ana
shall always remain n spinster Tin
terton never forgave me for accept
INK and tlrcn rejecting him. for had
no excuse whatever 10 offer him Toll
him that had been forbidden TO mar
rs him by bit OF lend, impossible.
broke with him without giving him
n reason and have since been consider.
ed by him . weakIing. lie has long
been married 10 another
have often wondered wherein lav
the power Of the bullet that killed my
lover Was u merely an expression Of
my feelings? Was it endowed with "a
subtle power that came from the man
II kiiled7 Upon this ! still wonder
But whether the spell II exercised is
Itself IN me or the man whose H
it terminated. II IL remOrseiess Rath
or. It was remorseless. for II changed
the course ~ my life at that period
when J would but for e. have nnrriof
and lost ms identity in that of nv
hnshand and children
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