Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1893-04-04
THE DEPOSIT.

L A9Ou1uofI SHtIIl1ttny OWe16 C4e Lazy 4Cia,
fatherless and lnotherless daughter of the
highly reyered Burgomaster Trotten.
helm. Beautiful, rich. herown indulgeni
duenna, she could not want for adorers
conspicuous among whom were thret
youths unequally endowed with. the
| gifts of fortune. There could be nc
question of the wealth of Walter. SON OF
the most opulent jeweler of the city;
or of the poverty of Alexis, who seemed
to possess nothing but the paper on
which ne was continually inscribing q
new draft of his one sonnet, never to be
finished in this world
But OF Adelbert's property men only
surmised that it was risked in adven.
turous speculations, and that his for
tune alternately scared and tagged like
a pitching kite. Perhaps, however.
those who knew most would have mar
veled least at the expression of absolute
despair which darkened his countenance
as one day he crcpt into sombre thicket
OF yew, a pistol in his hand.
!" 1t is over p he cried "She has
aouted me to my face Adieu to the
last hope ofrepairing my losses, appeas.
ing my creditors, and withdrawing that
fearful deposit ere the day of reckoning,
now SO near at handl l should die of
shame then; better die of shot nowr'
And he pressed the muzzle of his pis,
tol TO his temple. He was in dire ear
nest-another moment would have been
his last-when the pistol was wrenched
from his hand, and well known voice
exclaimed:
Hold or at least declare first, for
the information and, it may be, the con-
ISOLATION of thy friend, whether Ida has
rejected thee"
She has not, Walter, - returned Adel-
bert. Not the pang of unrequitted
love, but the goad of accusing con-
science, chases me from this terraquoous
world. Hearken, Walter it imports
thee to know, for thy inheritance will
be curtailed by my improbity. Trusting
in the honor Of his old friends son, thy
father has advanced me 80, 600 ducats
upon the security of sealed packet.
whose contents / have tabled to be family
jewels, mysteriously intrusted to me.
oh, Walter, Walter, the sweepings of
the streets were precious in comparison.
Now go and denounce me to thy father
go and betray me to Ida"
81 am a gentleman said Walter,
stifay, and walked away, carrying the
pistol with him. The wretched Adel-
bert remained the prey of torturing
thoughts until dismal sound struck
upon his ear, and he fled precipitately as
Alexis entered the grove recitinR the
latest version of his Bonnet.
When Walter, on his part, had Quilted
the spot, he was tingling all over with
the glow of a magnanimous action, or
at lasaat
the inner man is much the same thing.
He had not, however, proceeded far ere
he encountered black and a white per.
sonage, neither of whom. indeed, had
quilted him during his interview with
Adelbert, or any of us at any period, but
of whose presence he then became dis.
tinctly conscious. The black spirit
thought that so. 600 ducats was a great
deal of money. to which his white com.
rade assented. but added that honor was
perfectly inestimable
3 The black spirit had much to say
about Adelbert's iniquity, and the white
about its retrlbution. The question of
Walters duty to society was fully CON
sidered from opposite points of view;
and then the black spirit introduced the
Lady Ida, and, by depicting her in the
character of Adelbert's bride, removed
the debate from the realm of ratiocina-
ton to the region of sensuous percep-
tion, where the white spirit was at sin
gular disadvantage.
And as the arguments OF the black
gentleman and people of his sort are in
variably found to gain in weight the
longer one is willing to listen to them.
thou wilt not marvel, judicious reader,
to meet Walter next morning in Ida's
saloon, making clean breast of Adel.
bert's breach of honor, but silent as to
his own.
Ida, however, soon made him confess
that his knowledge of the secret was de-
rived from Adelbert himself, and init
mated very plainly that ahe considered
his the meaner action OF the two.
'tSOh, Lady" " pleaded the impassioned
Walter, allowest thou nothing for the
overwhelming might Of Belf-forgetting
lovei Wouldst thou have thy slave sit
stupidly beholding thy innocence entan.
gled In the wiles of a swindler, In blind
allegiance to conventions-nay even to
sanctions otherwise imperativef Not of
such clay Is thy Walter fashioned. Show
him the law that restrairas, the obliea-
tion that debars him from seeking thy
veal through evil report and good re-
port, and he viii rend that law. and
spurn that obligation as he skaters this
vessel and tramples upon this quad,
ruped." a
Ids's vase of flowers lay 6hfYered upon
the hoor, and her little dog writhed and
kowled beneathed Walters superin.
eumbent boot. He was evidently beside
himself, and Ida could only recompose
him by comm anding him TO depart heF
presenees and never return un1ess he
brought the false pacl,et with him.
10 what end I.adyR When it has
been opened N court the cheat win be
manifest to thee and to the world. =
And how know ] that Il may not
have been tampered with 1neanuhiIef
Produces It tomorrow, or see my face no /
more. ..
Walter neekly represented that the |
deposit was IN his custody. an argument |
manifestly devoid of weight he prom
ised obedience and departed. on his |
way home be had much communication 4
with his black comp anions and ere the |
prescribed time this excellent young |
man had po ssed himself Of the packet /
by means of afalse key.
He hurried 70 Ida with his prize, and /
placed It IN her hands. She waved him !
back while she broke the seals. 10 his |
the FIRST indication OF her /
sentiments was n fit OF laughter, but her
expression became tragic when she had /
satisfied herself that the contents were