The Lambertville press. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1858-1???, 1861-01-23

anu HIS boNt loi gaming, my lhIHtf lGlb
us quite to ourselves, except when he
made visits for the purpose of extor-
ting money from my child mother,
whose ample fortune was rapidly dwin-
ding away before his rapacious ex-
actions. But for these visits, my
childhood would have been all happi-
ness; as it was we were much oftener
in the sunshine than nnder the cloud,
for mother never troubled herself about
the future, but glad to purchase peace
for the present, gave up her patrimo-
nv without thought of the wrong
she was inficting upon her children.
For eight years | was the only child,
then there came to gladden. our house
hold a little fairy sister. Oh, but she
was lovely, as remember her now,
lying in her innocent helplessness upon
my mothers lap, while | knelt beside
them half wild with the great happi-
ness of the knowledge that this pre-
cions little stranger was my own dar-
ling sister, my future pretty pet and
companion We had not long, how
ever to enjoy our blessedness. One
morning after night of excessive heat,
which had forced US to leave every
window open to admit the air, our lit
tie Paulette. was missing She slept
with my mother, and had been left by
her in quiet slumber when she arose.
Stea!thy indeed must have been the
foot that entered that little chamber,
and bore away the treasure Be that
as it may, the babe was gone, and
long years of search failed to give us
any clue to the place or manner other
concealment. From that hour my
poor stricken mother never smiled,
even in her moments of apparent for
getfnlness, her countenance always
bore that look of patient sorrow You
have remarked in tho miniature. I
am inclined to believe she suspected
the truth from the first, for ever after
our loss, she received my father with
a shuddering repugnance which time
never lessened but it was years after
the abduction Of the. babe that I was
made acquainted with facts which, at
once afforded a motive, if not an ex-
cuse for the cruel theft. One of Mon
sienr's q cannot call him father, dear
Blanche, though I have tried to so
far,) frequent opponents, at tie ga
ming table, was a French Jew named
Rovineau. AS far as I was ever able
to learn, there was nothing bad about
the man, for most men gamble in
France, SC. that was no positive OBJ
lection to him, and it has been said
his unfortunate wife possessed the
beauty and the goodness Of an angel.
But | am wandering Rovineau was
perhaps the least sSillful player Of the
two, but what he lacked in skill he
Z
more than made. up in GOODNESS, and as
Monsieur was easily ruffled, time and
again all the funds in bis possession
was transferred to the pockets Of the
impurturbable Jew.
A deep seated hatred was The result
Of this, and when at length by accident
the beautiful wife of his adversary was
thrown in his power, and became the
helpless victim of his unbridled pas
sions, you can easily imagins the rest.
Injured beyond ,reparation, Rovinean
vowed revenge in some. measure
commensurate with the injury, and as
d q - z % f7sta ; :
is, alas, too often the case in this world
the blow fell heaviest on the heads of
tile innocent. 1t has seemed since
then, that the wrath of The avenger
has never slept. Deprived Of our one
treasured idol, our home was robbed
Of all its sunshine. My mother grieyed
herself into a decline, aud wasted 10 a
shadow, lived only it seemed to be a
comfortato her son Two years ago,
the wretched cause of all our misfor-
tunes was bro't home mortally wound
ed in an affair at a gambling hotel,
and Immediately after his burial our
estate was sold to liqnidate his debts
of honor. There remained only for me
to smoothe and ease as much as posi-
BILE my mothers rapid descent into the
tomb, and then leaving one faithful
friend near, to see that the grass was
kept green upon her grave, | locked
within the secret chambers of my soul
the bitter past, and resolved to follow
even to the ends Of the earth this one
clew to my sisters fate. For that
purpose I came TO America having
first ascertained that all who bore the
L ii 1sa
name Of Rovineau, had long ago left
the neighborhood where they formerly
lived My search so far has been
fruitless, but ! do not yet despair Of
finding him, MOTTO ehide him for the
bitter sorrows he has caused us, fol
my own father was the first aggressor,
but to entreat him, instead Of visiting
the fathers sins upon the children, TO
restore the lost one to the arms Of The