The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1882-02-09
THE AVENGER.
A THRILLING TALE.
BY THOMAS DE QUINCEY.
Continued from last week.

Continued from last week.
''That day we received permission to
90 home TO our poor house in the Jew
ish quarter | know not whether you
are learned enough in Jewish usages to
be aware that in every Jewish house,
where old traditions are kept up, there
is one room cOnsecTated to confusion;
room always locked up and sequestered
from vulgar use, except on occasions of
memorable affection, where everything
is purpOsely in brOken-shat-
teTed-mutilated,- to typify, by symbols
appalling to the eye, that desOlatiOn
which has so long trampled on Jeru-
salem, and the ravages of the boar within
the vineyards of Judea. My mother, as
Hebrew princess, maintained all tradl-
tiOnal customs; even in this wretched
suburb she had her chamber of desOla-
tiOn," There it was that and my sis
ters heard her last words. The rest OF
her sentence was to be carried into
effect within a week. She, meantime,
had disdained to utter any word OF fear;
but that energy of self-cOntTOl had made
the suffering but the more bitter. Fever
and dreadful agitation had succeeded.
Her dreams showed sufficiently to us,
who watched her couch, that terror Tor
the future mingled with the sense of de-
graduation for the past. Nature asserted
her rights. But the more she Shrank
from the suffering, the more did she pro-
claim how severe it had been, and con-
sequently how noble the self-cOnquest.
Yet, as her weakness increased, so did
her terror; until | besOught her to take
comfort; assuring her that, In case any
attempt should be made to force her out
again to public exposure, l would Kill
the man who came to execute the order,
that we would all die tOgether-and
there would be a common end to her in
juries and her fears. She was reassured
by what told her of my belief that no
future attempt would be made upon her
She slept more TRANQUILITY, but her fever
increased; and slowly she slept away
into the everlasting sleep which knows
of no tomorrow.
''Here came a crisis in my fate. Should
/ stay and attempt to protect my sisters?
But, alas. what power had | to do so
amongst our enemies? Rachael and
consulted and many scheme we
planned. Even whilst we consulted,
and the very night after my mother had
been committed to the Jewish ellrylng-
ground came an officer, bearing an order
for me to return to Vienna. Seine officer
in the French army, having watched
the transactions respecting nay parents,
was filled with shame and GRIEF. He
wrote a statement of the whole to an
Austrian officer of rank, my fathers
friend, who obtained from the Emperor
an order, claiming me as page OF his
own, and an officer in the household ser
vice. o heavens! what neglect that 1t
did not include my sisters! However,
the next best thing was that | should
Else INV influence at the imperial court
to get them passed to Vienna. This
did, to the utmost of my power. But
seven months elapsed before j saw the
Emperor If my applications ever met
his eye, he might readily Suppose thai
your city, my friend, was as safe place
as another for my sisters Nor did [
myself know all its dangers At length,
with the EmperOr's leave of absence,
returned. And what did find? Eight
months had passed, and the faithful
Rachael had died. The poor sisters,
,clinging together, but now utterly be-
Teft of friends, knew not which way to
turn. In this abandonment they fell
into the insidiOus hands of the TufHan
jailOr. My eldest sister, BeTenice, the
stateliest and nOblest of beauties, had
attracted this ruffian admiration whilst
she was in the prison with her mother.
And when Ireturned to your city, armed
with the imperial passports for all. |
found that BeTenice had died in the
Williams custody; nor could | obtain any
thing beyond a legal certificate of her
death. And finally the blooming,
laughing Marianne, she also had died
of affiictiOn for the loss of her sis
ter. You, my friend, had been absent
upon your travels during the calamitOus
history l have Tecited. You had seen
neither my father nor my mother. But
you came in time to take under your
protection, from the abhOrred wretch the
jailOr, my little brOken-hearted Maria
mne. And when sometimes you fancled
that you had seen me under other cir
In~.
friend, and in her features that you saw
mine.
''NOw was the world a desert to me. j
cared little, in the way of love, which
way turned. But in the way Of hatred
/ cared everything. | transferred my
self to the Russian service, with the
view of gaining some appointment on
the Polish frontier which might put 1t
in my power to execute my VOW of de-
strOying all the magistrates of your
city. War, however, ragged, and carried
me into far other regions. 1t ceased,
and there was little prospect that
another generation would see it re-
lighted; the kettle drums and trumpets
of Waterloo had by this time been heard
in heaven; for the disturber of peace
was prisoner, and all nations were ex-
hausted. Now, then, it became neces-
sary that l should adopt some new mode
AO1 CACCubihS vengeance 'eAtC
more so, because annually some were
dying of those whom it was my mission
to punish. A voice ascended to me, day
and night, from the graves of my father
and mother, calling for vengeance before
1T should be too late took my meas
ures thus:-Many Jews were present at
Waterloo. From amG2 gst these, all irri-
tated against Napoleon for the expeeta-
tiOns he had raised, only to disappOint,
by his great assembly of Jews at Paris,
1 selected eight, whom knew familiarly
as men hardened by military experience
against the movements of pity. With
these as my beagles, hunted for some
time in your forest before opening my
regular campaign; and am surprised
that you did not hear of the death which
met the executiOner, him l mean who
dared to lift his hand against my mother.
This man met by accident in the for
est, and slew him. l talked with the
wretch as a stranger at first upon the
memorable case of the Jewish lady.
n \