Tribune and telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1855-1856, 1855-08-23
NO TO.

upon the table. | declined to play for wager
1t was against my principles. had never play
ed for gain, but simply for amusement, and new
/ or before had staked or won a single farthing
Mr. Clayton was desperate and insisted, and the
result disappointed and astonished him. KS
put the money In my pocket, never saw such
an expression of resolute despair ON any mans
countenance and L believe | never felt so COM
/ pieteiy sei-condemned. 1t was my fixed purpose
TO restore him the money the following dav, hut
we parted with the compliments of the evening
and mutual invitations to exchange calls as OF
old.
Il came home and found you asleep Susie -
You looked to me like white-robed angel lust
from Heaven, sent to Unfold in your arms nv
beautiful child. Such lovely sight sweet wife
Il Will not talk of tit unnamed me then,
and will be one of the very last memories to fade
ont from my heart. You opened your eyes, and
welcomed me with caresses. You uttered no
word of reproof, reproach or distrust--you only
| asked me if loved you, and then you gently fell
asleep in my bosom.
'Remorse kept me awake till morning Ihad
trenehed upon holy time; | had caused tears to
dim your eyes; l had trampled npon my own
principles; Clayton's face haunted me; | had
committed whole catalogue of sins, and the
stings OF my conscience were keen and piercing.
YOU nurscd me all day, o, how tenderly, and
L only covenantcd with myself and God, never
togivc You like occasion again At night went
to call upon Clayton at his hotel. He was sit
ting alone in an upper room. a hottie of brandy,
and a most suspicious looking vial, stood on the
table before him. and he was hastily penning a
letter
He scarcely noticed my entrance, but soon
finished his writing, he deliberately folded the
paper, and said,
"Manncring, you and have been friends from
boyhood-l desire one last favor of YOU This is
letter to my injured wifc-I want you to dcliv-
er it yourself, and tell her l could not survive
both ruin and disgrace. God will bless YOU il
you will be kind to her, lie added, with almost
suffocatng emotion.
Il took the vial in my hand, and playfully
shook its contents, though there was a dreadful
tiuttering at my heart.
''Why my dear Clayton, said /, what sort OF
fifth act have l stumbled upon You are not
going to make OF with yourself, surely! What
| sort of essence have You here 2
Clayton gazcd earnestly in my face, and took
the vial out Ofmy hand.
1T is desperate act he said land take a
plunge into horrible darkness, Manncring. But
| am desperate man-certan disgrace and ruin
| await ME. have squandcrcd my own fortune
my wife was an hcrcsS, and now she is n beg
! gar 1t is n craven thing to tell you, but man
may be pardoncd the disclosures he makes in his
last hours. he money you won from me last
night, secretly borrowed from the vaults of the
bank where am employed, with the vain hope
that one more visit, one more indulgence of my
passions would retrieve my fallen fortunes. l,
is gone, and am dead man =
| lie raised the vial to his lvid lips, but with a
| strength augmented by the horror | felt
wrcnchcd it from him, before he had tasted its
subtle contents, and dashed it against the brick
wall that hankcd the open window. Clayton
| bowed his head upon the table
We'll, this is truly tragic way to make your
self agreeable said /, fcigning a cOmposure
was very far from feeling You are mad man
but not a dead man. Shame on you to add in
suit TO injury, by making your wife the widow
OF n cowardly suicide =
Il put the money had won, with an addition
| al sum, into his passive hand.
fireplace it the first moment where il rightfu
ly belongs, Clayton ! said, before any discov
cry of the fraud can possibly be made. And now
you and wli pledge ourselves, after this mos
tarcical of fac $. What do You sayl
His hand instinctively extended it self toward,
the dccanter.
No, no, Clayton replied to his movement
That Is your worst enemy, and will be your de.
stroycr, unless you break all friendship with it.
Now let MS solemnly, as men, as husbands, As
citizens, as fathers, alb are all association hence
forth with brandy and games of chance
The convusive energy with which he grasp
cd my hand was like the pressure of vice
You have saved me, he said, 'aud l will pro-
mise you anything.
Susie had listened with absorbing interest to
the narration And did he restore happiness to
his wife, and keep his pledge, as my noble hus-
band has done'
Yes dcarest-neithcr of us has since set our
foot within the precincts of temptation. He is
now President of the bank he robbed, aud suf-
tcicnty happy and honored by being your hus-
band