The Kalida venture. [volume] (Kalida, Ohio) 1841-1865, 1851-08-01

feited all claim even 10 that. Oh,moiher
why did you NOT let me die in tha, Las
sickness? |, would have saved wofl,
of woe.n
| Ella stood for moment, her head erec
and her lips white and tremulous, Will,
tears came crowding to her eyes, and he
face worked with emotion; and the mex
she threw herself into the arms Of he
brother.
"Forgive me, Robin! my owr, dear
darling brother! do pity you, | do love
yon, and will forever! But, oh! i. is I
horrible thing TO be forger's sister!
cannot forget that Robert, and | must say
lii, if it break your heart TO hear me, it is
horrible! hcrriblem
"h-is horrible, Ella; I never thought 10
bring il upon you, but"
"Why are you here Robert?" Will they
not find you, and drag you-oh, mamma
where shall wo hide him?-what can we
tdop
II was several minutes before Ella could
be made to comprehend the absence Of
immediate danger; and then she insisted
on hearing all the particulars of the crime,
even though poor Robert appeared TO be
on the rack while giving them. She loved
her brother dearly, and was distressed for
him but she thought, too, Of herself, and
the disgrace Of her family; hers was not
mothers meek and affec,ionate heart--a
mothers aIl.enduring, selfsacrifcing ma.
ture. At last she started up eagerly.
"The disgrace may be avoided; papa
will, Of course, shield his own name. /
will go to him directly"
"But the sin, my child, the conscious
degradation2" inquired Mrs. Lane, with
reproof IN her mild eye. What will we do
with that, Ella?"
"Poor Robert?" whispered the girl,
again folding ber white arms about him
she is sorry for what he has done; and
our kind Heavenly Father is more ready
to forgive than we. You will never do
such wicked thing again, dear Robert,
will you?"
Robert answered only by convulsve
sobs, and Ella, too, sobbed for few mo.
menis in company; then, suddenly break
ing away from him, she hurried up the
stairs. Along The hall she went, as fast
as her trembling feet could carry her,and
passed the room in which she had been
happy while willing hands decorated her
pretty person; but when she reached her
father's door, she paused in dread. She
could hear his heavy monotonous trsmp as
he walked up and down the room; and
his almost repulsive STERN
ness, she dreaded meeting him. "If
had only known i, BEFORE" thought Ella,
''all might have been avoided, but now il
is almost too much 10 ask" A fresh
burst of tears had no tendency to calm
her; and she could scarce support her
frame, when repeating herself,
she must be saved!" she gathered cour.
age to open the door. The old man
paused in his promenade, and fixed his
troubled eye sternly on the intruder,
while Ella rushed forw ard, and twining
her arms about him, buried her face in his
bosom.
"Oh! am so wretched!' she exclaim-
ed, all her courage forsaking her on the
instant, and she sobbed, as Mr.. Lane had
never supposed his daughter could. But
he did hot attempt to quiet her, he only
drew her closer to him, as though he
would have thus have shielded her from
The wretchednes that was bursting her
young heart. AT las! Ella broke forth,
'sCome down and see Robert, papa, come
and save him. They will drag him away
to prison for forgery, and you will be the
father Of condemned criminal, and his
sister. Oh! do not let him 60 away from
us so, papa-come down and see him,
and you will pity him-you cannot help i
it,"
"Forgery, Ella, he has not"
"He has! and you must save him papa,
for your own sake, for all our sakes."
"Do you know this, Ella? 1t is not true
1t is a miserable subterfuge TO wheedle
money from his mother--money to squan-
der among the vile wreiches whom he
has preferred to US. No, send him back (
% his dissolute--
"Is that the way to make him better,
papa?" inquired Ella, raising her head and
fixing her sparkling eye upon him reso-
utely. "You sent him back TO them be-
ore; you shut him away from yourself and
closed the door upon my
,nly brother-there was none TO say take
care RobIn,' none TO give him smile
out those who we're leading him to ruin
ind no wonder they have made him what
ie is. Be careful, papa. Robert has
great crime a dreadful crime
but il was when you, who should have
it, had shut your heart against
lim, when we, who might have prevent
ID il, we're obliged to 60 abroad TO see
lin, and then could give him no more
han few stolen words. 1t was not just
o keep me in ignorance 50 long, for he is
ny own brother, and only one little year
,.der than I; bu, know all about il now,
n II ]