Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1878-12-11
Ny Rev.n:s

va NiiNh' %HNAr'-N'N''
that you are guilty Of this forgery?'
I do not deny Il. Mr.. Holland. | re-
piled quietly. L have put sufficient
proofinte your hands to convict myself
oft; now act at your pleasure with me-
From my soul | am sorry for YOU
he said. with some appearance of
en otion. And yet l thank heaven
that you and not my nephew, Haworlh,
are the criminal
For ctr daughters sake? | asked.
tuning my face away.
For my daughters sake? ile answer
cd. After moment Of silence he went
to his desk, ana writing a few words
upon slip of paper, called servant
and seat him away with it. 1t was a
request fora constable he said, re-
gardiDs me sith look Of pity. 1T is
hard but Il must be done, Man,ieid.'
Yes l muitcred, it must be done.
Well, | am prepared.
And this WAS my revenge? Thai
night, as paced the stOue fo0r oi M
cell allotted 10 me in the Jail, tue events
of The past six months arose before my
mental vission a. the scenes Of ones
life are said to haunt to deathbed. /
have made a faithful record Of them.
Haror;h was nephew Of Mr. Hel-
land, and the superintendent OF War
wlch siill. where l was employed az
book-keeper. | hated the man from
the very day he entered tie mill, and
not without reason. He was young,
handsome, wealthy in word, all that
| was not. He was the master, i'll
solently conscious OF his power; | the
poor drudge. He deSpised ne and toOk
no pains 10 hide il, we'll knowing that |
dared not resent his contempt. Bnt the
real cause ofmy hatrs l. lay deeper. lie
had blasted hope that had taken 4
I firm root III my foolish heart. He has
come between me and my love. There
fore | hated him. IL was the old story.
|. the poor unpaid book-keVper, loved
the daughter of a wealthy mill owner.
It seemed that | might have had Il
better chance of success with an angel
in heaYcn than with Virginia IIol-
land. Yet in spite of my better sense.
love her. humbly and silently as be-
comes my position. Oi late something
in her manner had taught me that she
had taught me that she had d scOyered
nv secret, and the Wild hope thrilled
me. that it might perhaps, have in
splred her with little tenderness Tor
me. With the advent of Haworlh'
however, the hope died in my breast.
When the rumor, come as it Shertly
did that Virginia aud her cousin were
engaged. was prepared for il as mau
is prepared for his death blow.
Out Of the depths ol my despair erew
up a great hatred for the man who had
gained the woman whose love would
have died for. and consuming desire
for revenge.
Then my whole life narrowed down
into the one wicked ambition Of in
hcling upon him some portion OF the
agony he had caused me. nor was the
opportunity long i'll coming.
One morning he called no into his
Office. and handing me a check requested
me to have it cashed for him at the
bank.
AL entered the room | observed thai
he Appealed to be excessively agltaIed
und | noticed. too, that he rose and
hastily threw severeral small scraps 0
paper into drawer Of his desk; not.
however, before | had seen that the
signature OF Mr.. Holland was traced
more or less perfectly, rpon all o
them.
| thought nothing Of the matter a
that moment; but when week later
news wa. received that Mr.. HsllanC
had been robbed Of many thcusanC
dsllars by means of cieyerly counter
feitrd check. | saw what it all meant.
Haworth Was the forger! There
could I've no doubt of it.
The scraps OF paper which lie had fnn4
into the drawer cerner contained hi
frat attempts at initiating the signature
OF his uncle.
My good fortune so in my frenzy
do.med it.-seemed almost incredible
1T first. The man who had suppIanle'
me was common thief punishable b.
law.
Here. then. was my revenge ready Il
nv hand. would.fsrget the proof.
would accuse and convict him by m
ssocd unaided efforts. | would degrad
the mau who had scorned nc and dag
him into the before his eyes of his IN
tended vile. How exalted III the pros
pect!
But the proof.
knew that if I could secure III
scraps Of paper upon which he had im'
tated The name Of Mr.. Holland | nee
go no further.
Had he cunnIngly destroyed chem.
, had he, like most criminals, hcedlessl
lefl open tho pit that was destined to e'
gulf HIM ?
Slocc the date of the forgery he ha
RENAME I away from he mill-ill
hsmc thny said. Hal he visited III
, place a, night and made away With tn
1 testimony ofhis guilt?
. 7 would decide hat point cfei