The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1886-12-10


word meant-one of them having that
day heard it uttered for the first time
by his parents. did not know what
it meant either but felt it.
Il may state that was one of the
most intelligent boys in the school. I
would have been an upright man your
honor--perhaps man above the CON-
mon run--lf my parents had not com
mitted the crime of abandoning me.
"That crime was committed against
me. | was the victim-they were
the criminals. ] was helpless They
ought to have loved me--they flung me
from them.
81 owe them life--but lie life gift
Mine, at all events, was simply curse.
After their shameful abandonment of
me, owed them nothing but revenge.
They perpetrated against me the most
inhuman, the most infamous the most
monstrous act which it is possible to
commit against human being.
"The man who s cursed at strikes
back ; the man who is robbed seeks to
wrest back from the robber by force
that which belongs to him. The man
who is duped, Knocked, martyrzed,
kills the man who has his face slapped
in public, kills the man who is dis
honored, kills. l have been worse
robbed, worse duped, worse martyrized
worse insulted and dis honored moral.
ly than any one of those whose anger
you might condore.
81 have avenged myself have kill
ed. That was my legitimate right
l took their life, their happy life away
in exchange for that hideous life which
they imposed upon me.
"You can talk of parricide Were
they even to be considered my parents
these people by whom | was regard
ed merely as an sbominable burden, a
terror, load of infamy 7-those people
for whom my birth was calamity, and
my life perpetual menace of shame
They sought only their own egotistcal
will they had child they did not
want. They suppressed that child,
And my turn came at last to Suppress
them likewise
"And, nevertheless, 1t is only a little
while ago that l was ready to love
them.
"About two years ago, as nave al
ready told you, the man who was my
father entered my shop for the first
time. l had no suspicious then. He
ordered two articles of furniture made.
He had previously-as ! afterward
llearned--made inquiries about me of
the parish priest, under promise of
secrecy, as you may we'll imagine.
"He came back often; gave me
plenty of work to do, and paid me well.
Sometimes he would even converse
with me about this topic or that topic
different things. | felt an affection
ate regard for him.
about the commencement of the
year, he brought to my place, for the
first time, his wife-my mother. When
she came in she trembled so much that
l at first supposed her to be afflicted
with some nervous disease. Then she
asked for a chair and a glass of water
She said nothing; she stared at my
furniture like a crazy woman and
when he asked her anything she could
only answer, Yes No. at random
BY the time she left had begun Ia
thing that her mind was slightly affect,
ed.
'She came again the following month
That time she was calm and self-po
sessed. They gave me quite large
order, and chatted with me for quite 6
considerable time. l saw her three
times more after that without suspect
ing anything but, 10, and behold one
day she began to question me about
my life, about my childhood, about my
parents,
"'Madam, I said, my parents were
miserable wretches, who disowned me.
"When / said that, she pressed he
hand over her heart aud fell senseles
to the floor. thought to myself a
once, THAT is my mother ! But knew
better than to betray myself, / wait
ed to see her come again.
"You may be sure made inquiries
l learned they had only been married
the July before ; my mother had thel
been a widow three years, There wer
whispered rumors that they had love-
during the lifetime of the husband
but there was no proof. l, was tn
proof-the proof they had begun b.
hiding, and had afterward hoped t
destroy.
| l waited. She came again one even
ing, accompanied, as usual, by m,
father. That day she seemed to b
very much affected. ! do not kno,
why. Then, just as she was goiu
away, she turned and said to me,
"'l wish you well, because you az
pear TO be good young man and a
industrious one. You viii be thinkin
about getting married one of tbes
days; want to help you to ohoos
yourself wife that you know will su
you. | myself was once marie
against my will, and know how muc
, suffering an unfortunate match ma
cause, Now 1 am free, without Chi
dren and rich-mistress of my ow
. fortune. Here is your dowry.'
"She handed me big sealed env
. lope, / looked at her very hard.
said TO her
Q "You are my mother
!. "'She shrank back little and b
r her face with her hands, so as not
y see me. He-.the mao-my father,
I caught her In bis arms aud shouted