The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1877-04-28

@N~A LIN SOL
fession l am about to make, you vii
think yourselves we'll rid of one who &C
cepted your hospitality and then turne'
traitor.
eyes, I am a poor, despicable wretch
You, my benefactef, remember that las
evening I asked you to help me in some
money matters, which you said vol
could not do, and you know l had asked
you several times before, and you had
declined; but yesterday night you said
you had given me my final answer.
t~heDgrew desperate Though to your face
fair enough), and determined to steal the
money from you,,if 1 could get it in no
other way.
l. "Early in the evening-before our
conversation in your Study-you may
remember that your daughter (who, by
the way, never seemed to like or trust
me- was seated at her bureau, looking at
some jewelry. An idea seized me that
ifI could only get possession of these
jewels-for some of them were very cost
ly-I could sell them at a price which
would not only pay my debts, hut would
leave me enough beside to enable me to
clear out ofthe country.
"Yeur daughter, in having locked
her bureau, did not take her key, but
left it in the lock; therefore, so fans the
way was paved for me.
II did my best to conquer these temp
t~ations, but alas we are but too weak
creatures, and I at length succumbed,
and resolved to turn (oh! my friends;
pass over the word as soon as possibIe)
thief. So at a quarter past one this
morning l descended to the drawing
room, opened the bureau, and was about
to take the jewels, when, hearing the
handle of the door move, I went to see
the cause, and imagine my feelings at
seeing your daughter before me. l soon
perceived, however, by the fixed look in
her eyes that she was asleep. She began
to talk disjointly of having left the key
M+thef ock of her bureau. went to my
o~vetcoat, which was in the room, and
got a key-that Of the front door which
l had taken from you study, and forced
it into her hand. She believed herself
to be the possessor of what she wanted,
and, turning round, left the ROOM.
For some moments l stood where she
had left me, looking after her as if I my
self were in a dream. When I had seen
her standing before me, with a lace as
pure and innocent as her mind, uncon-
scious ofall evil or danger, / seemed to
realize for the first time what q mean
and guilty wretch l was.
Contrition seized me: / recoiled with
horror from the thought OF the action |
had been about to commit, and thanked
heaven it was not too late to resist the
temptation. After a lapse of a Jew mo-
ments I went up to her room to possess
myself Qfethe key l had put into her
hand, which | found on her dressing ia
BILE. l then went back to your study,
put it back in its place; wrote the pres
letter, opened the window and shut
ters, and babe farewell to the house
where I had spent so many happy hours.
And now that you know what I have
lone, try and forget my ingratitude if
you can.
Ever yours lovingly, my dear friends,
EUGENE MENTION.
So ended the letter. Poor man! I
inquired of my father if nothing could
'e done to trace him, and get him to re-
urn. He replied he would dc what he
'ould. We succeeded in tracing him to 4
New York, and there the clue was lost.
Ne tried every means which occurred s
o us for discovering his whereabouts, '
nd inserted advertisements in the New j
FORK and Canadian papers, begging him I
o let us know at least that he was alive
nd we'll; but all our endeavors were in
ain-we never heard of him again.
We often think of him with pity and a
for, whatever were his faults, o
here must have been some goad in a v
ian who was capable of feeling such Il
rofound and sincere contrition for a '
Utility Observation-Disclosures Weekly. n