The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1869-02-10
FOULPIAY.
by suAs. READE AND DION Bouc1cAu1r.
a N o " E l..

pressed with equal confidence. The
note, you are to understand, was forg.
ed that admits of no doubt; and l
passed it; the question was whether l
passed it knowing 1t to be forged. How
was that to be determined And here 1t
was that my own familiar friend, in
whom I trusted, destroyed me. or
course, AS soon as 1 was put in prison,
wrote and sent to Arthur Wardlaw.
Would you believe it? he would not
come to me. He would not even write.
Then, as the time drew near, 1 feared
he was a traitor. I treated him like
one. told my solicitor to drag him
into court as my witness, and make
him tell the truth. The clerk went
down accordingly, and found he kept
his door always locked: but the clerk
OutWitted him, and served him vii IN a
subpoena In his bedroom; before he
could crawl under the bed. But he baf-
the Witness-bOx; and, when my coun-
sci asked the court to imprison him,
his father swore he could not come, he
was dying, and all out of sympathy
with me. Fine sympathy! that closed
the lips, and concealed the truth; one
syllable of which would have saved
his friend and benefactor from ca
lamity worse than death. Is the truth
poison, that to tell it maks a sick man
die? Is the truth hell; that dying
man refuses to speak 1t? How can II
man die better than speaking the TRUTH
How can he die worse than withhold
ing it.? believe his sicknes and his
death were lies like himself. For want
of one word from Arthur Wardlaw to
explain that I had every reason to ex-
pect note OF hand from him, the jury
condemned me. They were twelve
honest but shallow men-invited to go
inside another mans bosom and guess
hof
knew and understood thing which to
this hour / neither know nor under
stand, by God!"
He paused O moment, then resumed:
81 believe they founded their con-
lecture on my knocking down the OIL
Ger. There was reason for you! Why,
forgers aad their confederates are rep
tiles, and have no fight in them. Elk.
perience proves this. But these twelve
men did not go by experience; they
guessed, like babies, and, after much
hesitation, condemned me; but recon-
mended me to mercy. Mercy! What
mercy did I deserve? Either was in
me. No; in their hearts they doubted
my guilt; and their doubt took that
timid form instead of acquitting me. |
was amazed at the verdict, and asked
leave to tell the judge why Arthur Lud-
low had defied the court. Had the
judge listened for one minute, he would
have seen 1 was innocent. But no. 1
was in England where the mouth of the
accused Is stopped, if he is fool; enough
to employ counsel. The judge stopped
nv mouth, as your father Just now
tried to stop it, and they branded me as
a Ielon.
up to that moment my life was hon
orable and worthy. Since that moment
| have never wronged human crea-
| from vice to crime; this is the ladder a
soul goes down but you are invited to
believe that I jumped from innocence
into filthy felony, and then jumped
back again none the worse, and was a
gardener that fought for his employer,
and a lover that Controlled his passion.
1t is Il lie,-a lie that ought not to take
in child. But prejudice degrades a
man below the level ola child. I'll say
no more; my patience is exhausted by
wrongs and insults. 1 am as honest a
man as ever breathed and the place
where we stand is mine, for l made It,.
Leave it and me this moment. Go to
England, and leave me where the ami
mails, more reasonable than you, have
the sense to see my real character. 1'u
not sail i'll the same ship with any man,
nor any woman either, who can look
mo in the face, and take me for a felon.'
He sWelled and lowered with the just
wrath of an honest man driven to bay;
and his eye shot black lightning. He
was sublime,
Helen covered; but her ,sp irited old
| father turned red, and said haughtily,
| we take you at your word, and leave
you, you insOlent vagabond! Follow
| me this instant, Helen"
And he marched out of the cavern in
| q fury.
But, instead of following him, Helen
stood stock still, and covered, and cow
cred till she seemed sinking forward to
the ground, and she got hold Of Robert
Pentold's hand, and kissed it, and
| moaned over II.
Marty! Martyru she whispered, and
still kissed his hand, like a slave offer
ing her master pity, and asking pardon.
Martyr! Martyr! Every word is true
true as my love-"
| In this attitude, and with these words
on her lips, they were surprised by
| General RollestOn, who came back, as
| tonished at his daughter not following
him. Judge ofhis amazement now:
| 'What does this mean?' he cried
turning pale with anger.
1t means that he has spoken the
truth, and that shall initiate him. he
is my martyr, and my love. When
others cast shame on you, then 1t is
time for me to show my heart. James
SeAton, love you for your madness
| and your devotion to her whom you
| had only geen at distance. AN! LnaI
was Lowell John Hazel, l love you for
all that has passed between US. What
can any other man be to me?-or wo-
man to your But, most of all love
you, Robert Penfold,-my hero and my
martyr. When 1 am told to your face
that you are felon, then to your face
I say you are my idol, my hero, and my
martyr. Love! the word is too tame,
too common. 1 worship you, adore
you! How beautiful you are when you
are angryI How noble you are now
you forgive me! for you do forgive me,
Robert; you must, you shall. No; you
will not send your Helen away from
you for her one fault so soon Lfepented!
Show me you forgive me; show me you
love me still, almost as much as love
you. He is crying. o my darling, my
darling, my darling!' And she was
| around his neck in a moment, with
tears and tender kisses, the first she had
ever given him.
ASK yourself whether they were re-
turned.
snort of fury, interrupted the most
blissful moment either of these young
creatures had ever known: 1t came
from General Rolleston, now white with
wrath and horror.
"You william! !" he cried.
Helen threw herself upon him, and
put her hand before his mouth.
''Not word more. or shall forget