The herald., 1896-02-27

HE SPRANG TO HIS Fl
AFTER he left you doubled your dis
| tasteful attentions. Eventually you saw
that you could not persuade me to marry
you. so you tried to force me to. You
threw out dark hints of my father which
would not believe, then you oegan to
persecute me in petty ways. You cum
ningly circulated false stories about me
you subjected me to a thousand annoy
ances. You swore that you would ruin me,
II did not accede to your proposals.
II was in agony. life to me was bur-
den. longed to 60 to my father, but he
forbade me in his letters. and ever i'm
plored me to conciliate you. Only that
prevented me from publicly denouncine
you for your prosecutions.
"At last, only few weeks ago, I learned
the secret of your power over my poor
parent. Driven to desperation by my COM
plants Of you, and by fear that I would
do something which would make you final
ly carry out your threats, he explained
to me that through your evil influence he
had been induced to steal-to appropriate
to your visionary schemes trust funds
which had been placed in his keeping. You
threw away tho money on senseless specu-
lations; but while you lost It, you saw to ii
that he alone could be held responsible
for its Misrepresentation.
$50 there was /. helpless girl full Of de-
testation for you, but consumed by q fear
that II thwarted you. you would reveal
my fathers shame. 1t was possible to con-
ceal this for more than year II you kept
silence, and it was my fathers hope that
during that time he could rake and scrape
together enough money to reimburse the
people he had defrauded.
This new knowledge added to my horror
Of you. 1t is needless to say that shared
my fathers dread. realized, however
| what he did not. that you had strong mo.
tive for keeping quiet Naturally paupel
and incapable Of earning money honestly
you were poor. You had wasted all the
money you could suck from his substance
and were anxious that he should regain
his old position, so that you could again
exercise your evil power over him to your
own financial advantage.
Then, one day received from him a
hopeful letter. Circumstances had arisen
which made him believe that he would
have obtained the funds he needed within
a few weeks. Only his bad health, he said,
could frustrate him. He begged me to keep
you quiet only little longer.
But that evening you overstepped all
bounds, and in my anger. forgot myself.
reviled you to your face, and incautiously
declared, that we should soon be beyond
your power. Instantly l saw my mistake.
In your way. you really loved me, and for
the first time realized how vile love could
no OF od that ~ 1ocf @
you would also drag me down.
81 determined upon fight to my father.
When / stepped upon the steamer I was
eaten up by fear; but when found that you
had followed me, I was actually relieved
If, for ten days. was helpless on the ocean
to defend my father, you were helpless on
the ocean to defame him.
'It was in this state Of mind that met
| Richard Morley He made quick conquest
Of my heart. had been informed that you
| were sick in your cabin and felt safe. But
the night that he told me Of his treasure
and its hiding place. and afterwards de-
! clared his passion, saw you as you slipped
| from behind funnel, where you had beer
| listening to US.
From that moment I feared for him
When learned that his diamonds had beer
stolen, knew that it was your work to in
jure him because loved him. But dared
not speak. had nothing to prove an asser
tion of your guilt, and know you too we'll
to believe that you had left your tracks un'
covered. And that night saw you.
by means Of the strange influence which
you WELD over some men-which involved
my father in his misery--you had nightly
| tp1 to no ~ co y,1o with
| In your berth. In his clothing you passed
about the ship with small danger of detec
tion. After you had robbed Mr.. Morley
you came to me and told me, that, unless
promised then and there to marry you,
would be accused Of the crime. Had ac
ceded to your demands you would probabl!
have taken the diamonds from the hidini
place in my cabin, where they must hav'
been resting even then, and in some wa.
as clever as that In which you stole them
have returned them to their owner. Blu
laughed at you. did not believe tina
you could cause anything SO absurd as m.
accusation of a crime, and felt certain
that on board ship you would be unable t.
expose my father without involving your
self in his ruin. In New York, you coul
bring about the charges, indirectly causin
| suspicion in the minds OF the victims, an
thus starting an investigation with whicl
you would have apparently, nothing to dc
But on the ocean. you must needs make
bold statement, which would stamp you a
one having criminal knowledge, If not a
being a party to the crime. So laughe
at you. l made careful plan for savin
Mr.. Morley's diamonds too. II you did nc
return them as half expected you to whel
you found your plan had failed, intende
to explain the whole matter to him, who's
love, knew. meant sympathy and help i
my grievous troubles. l had no doubt G
the ultimate recovery Of the gems. Onl
one fear troubled me. I knew how viru
lent your hatred was, and knew that MI
Morley had fairly earned 1t by gaining m
love. While we were waiting in the Gran
Saloon for the search which I did not be
lieve would reveal anything, the idea cam
to me that out Of vengeance you nigh