Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1859-05-23
lNortcstcr Daily Spp.
WRITTEN FOR THE MASSACHUSETTS, SPY.
10. OF NIXON,s.

w as tiicTc no mistake There are reSeln-
blances striking in such circumstances you
might easily be deceivedW
"No, / was not deceived-I knew it Just as
well then as l did now, when years lie be-
tween me and my crime. They said l was
mad, even after l recovered my strength, and
perhaps 1 was, for l wandered over the whole
Eastern world, restless as Satan himself. feel
ing neither hunger nor cold, nor pain nor ia.
tigue, insult nor igneminy, nothing save that
was the murderer of my brother-the broth
er had sworn to my dying mother to pro-
tect with my life. l do not know how long
wandered in this way, but at last l began to
be conscious of new feeling which soon took
full possession ofme-the longing to gohome-
to see her. 1t seemed if / could but confess
all to her and hear one word of forgiveness
from her lips, l could go away and wear out
the remainder Of my miserable life in peace"
1T was but the working of that memorable
law that is ever driving the criminal back to
the scene of his crime, but | took it for the
voice of an angel, and in two months time
stood in my native place. No one recognized
me, and asked no questions of any one, but
strobe on towards my home. faltered for
moment at the first glimpse of its white walls,
but within was the angel whose touch was to
ease my torments, and could 1 forbear the
blessing had come so far to win 2
1t was not in my nature to do it, and hur-
ried on. 1t was Spring day, but as passed
up the walk, | saw no signs of life about the
house-all was silent, even the canaries in the
porch, and l remember feeling a sort of fitness
III the aspect OF the place, ever so joyous, for
it was no prodigal, but wretched criminal,
that approached his fathers door.
When l laid my hand on the bell, my dog,
old, bleareyed, and lame, rose from the mat,
and met me with feeble growl; even he had
forgotten me. / spoke to him, and my voice
reached the little parlor on the left and the
next instant, Marion herself stood in the door
way. She neither spoke nor screamed but
stood for second, gazing at me with wide,
startled eyes, then sprang forward, and my
arms enclosed her
'Think you, that, when l released her, and
felt her happy tears upon my hands, it was to
pour into her ear a confession Of my crime
No, indeed guilty as l was, was still man,
and there was that in the look and manner
that woke within me wild delirous hope, and
enabled me to hear without groan of agony,
her story Of my brothers death, and to learn
from her lips that he died not only By me- but
for me, having taken passage for the East,
in hope of getting some clue of me. But
sometimes, my misery would show it
self, IN my face, in spite of all my eff
forts, and she, sweet soul, thinking, i'll her
simple innocence, that it was for grief that |
had driven him, by my long absence and UNI
accountable silence, from his home, at last,
ceased to dwell upon the topic, and, gradually,
his name even, came to be dropped between us.
knew that she loved me-tliat lIer lonely
heart chung to me as it chung to nothing else
on earth; yet, while this knowledge made me
guard still more jealousy my black secret, it
also made me timid, and more than year
after my return elapsed, before | dared to in
wade, by word at least, the delicate reserve,
always peculiar to her, but even more SO then,
in her solitary widowhood.
But there came a time when words could no
longer be avoided between us, and-euough,
that with agony that almost stfled my JOY, ]
learned that she had always loved me first and
best that she had never forgotten the kiss |
impressed on her childish brow, ii having been
to her, as well as me, the seal of possession.
Nothing but my cursed reserve-my silence
my cold inditferenCe-had driven her into my
brothers arms. 1t may seem strange to you,
that, with that burning curse within, | should
dare to dream Of happiness. Your profession,
sir, will soon teach you, that, with most men,
madness is the rule not the exception She
y
low her head on the breast that covered that
heliish secret, and was wildly, deliriously hap
py-deaf, blind to the fact that it was scorch-
ing her very blood. 1t killed her The
men of your profession talked of hereditary
tendencies to consumption : | kne,0 better !!
l was a second time murdererl
"From that hour have been aone-a fugi-
tive and vagabond on the face of the earth
restless as the burning torture Notwithstanding
Sbri,, Solf 1octr
nameless terror, even while conscious that
there can be, even beyond the grave, no pun
ishment worse than that which the selEcon-
demned soul inficts upon itself-a living curse,
unfit for life or death !"
''EdouardP
1t was but one word, and that scarce above
a whisper, yet so full of sorrowtul depreciation
that we both turned in the direction whence it
came and saw the woman Isabel standing
within a few feet of his couch.
He looked at her full a second while his
whole face and manner softened visibly, before
/ he said:
"Forgive me, Isabel You at least, have
bsen faithful; do wrong to forget it. Go,
now-I wish itP
She obeyed, without word or gesture; and
as she withdrew into a small adjoining room,
could not help thinking Of Hagar turning from
her masters tent, and instantly drawing my
conclusions
As | turned, my eye met his, and instantly
dvining my thought he said quickly
''You do us both wrong, Doctor however,
it is but NATURAL perhaps. Isabel is the widow
of young sailor who once belonged to my
ship. He died at sea and the poor thing left
her Sicilian home and came here to seek him.
About that time circumstances compelled me
to visit New York-almost the first person
stumbled across, was Isabel had known
her in her own home, as her husband was
dead and she refused to return to her friends,
/ could not leave her to the tender mercies of
the great city, so brought her here She is a
Catholic and it is her wish as well as mine,
that in case Of my DEATH she should enter
some one of the religious houses of her sect,
either in the States or Canada If you will
aid her to do so, you will save me Of my last
earthly anxiety She has ample means to re-
munerate you for your trouble"
Of course, l promised, but before | had
ceased to speak, a message came with an i'm
perative summons from one of my patients in
the village, and was Obliged to leave him to
the care of Isabel, with a promise to return at
an early hour next morning j was detained
longer than | thought; the sun was some
hours up when ] reached the Lodge. found
him liteless in pool of his own blood and
Isabel hanging over him wild with grief and
terror. Some accident or violent emotion had
disturbed the ligatures, and he had bed to
death. Thus, that poor tortured, remorse.
stricken soul had passed on to a higher judy
mcmillan ours.
Years have passed since we laid him in the
lone graveyard Of the hamlet but j have often
pondered over his fault and queried how far
fh. adiatod innnIlsiva fhnupht that an