The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1908-01-30
My Revenge.
[O-iGinal.l


[O-isinaLl
l remember my mother as always
weeping Why she did so | could nev
er guess. and she would never tell me-
We lived in a cottage which had once
stood On corner OF the GpSsner eS-
tate believe when we went there Il
deed for the house and lot WIS given
to my mother We drew Il very small
income, which was paid Us by the
agent for the Gessner property. Our
name was COwleS.
My mother was the daughter Of an
English gentleman who came 10 Amer
lea impoverished and left her at his
death without a penny. When she
was eighteen Charles Gessner fell In
love with her, but his father forbade
bis marriage with the penniless Agnes
Cowles Charles went to the civil war
and was killed. Six months after his
death l was born. Our cottage and the
income were at this time settled on
my mother by old Gessner. Before l
was old enough to remember them the
Charles Gessners younger brother
Henry was the only living child.
When Charles Gessner was two years
old an aunt had left him most Of what
there was in the GeSsner estate. but
afterward was persuaded to alter the
will to read Ito his oldest son. This
property Henry Gessner was now en-
joying.
My mother on the last day of her life
gave me the key to a box which. she
said, contained secret she had pledg-
ed herself not to reveal and which
would now descend to me. When |
opened the box and came upon the
revelation / found there. l was filed
with but one idea-revenge. AS soon
WalwOrth, l went to the city and was
| lucky in securing a situation and in
making friends. who introduced me
into the best society. This wished in
| order to gain access to the Gessners.
One of the most attractive young
girls just "Out" the season Of my entry
into society was Lucia Gessner, Hen
y
| solved to revenge my mother. She was
| not only ut an age when conquest IS
easy, but she seemed to be drawn to
me from the first. Before spring came
| she consented that l should go to her
| father to ask for her hand, but as
sureu me the case was hopeless.
| The next day l asked for Lucia and
4 civ h-
| to induce her to consent TO clandes-
tine marriage, but l had a DEVILS
| tongue In my head and never for a
| moment lost sight of my mothers
| wrong. Soon after our marriage, with
out a word of warning to any human
being, 1 disappeared. l sailed for
| Europe.
| Thus far 1 had been so blinded by
| the spirit of vengeance that l had no
thought for anything else. A revulsion
came the first night out on the ocean.
| was sitting on deck when, casting
my eyes up at the stars, they seemed
to say, "villain." A sudden realiza
ton Of what had done rushed upon
me. and was overcome with remorse,
shame and beyond all the thought that
1 loved my wife and had made a bar
rier between her and me that would
never be passed. The days that re-
NAMED to the end Of my journey, the
days I spent on the return trip. were
not days to me, but months.
As soon as l reached home l sent
word to my wife to be ready to re-
ceive me in secret and late at night
was introduced to her chamber. was
appalled, ut her appearance. Throwing
myself at her feet, Hear me-" l said.
'then you are free to condemn me as
deserve to be condemned" And, still
on my knees. with my head barred, I
told her Of my mothers wrong-how a
woman's life had been made one Of
suffering when 1t might have been
made happy, then confessed my plot,
ending with the discovery that had
come to me SO suddenly that my wife's
love was, after all, far stronger than
q revenge that had conceived to be a
sacred duty.
During the hystericai scene that fol-
lowed found but one source Of COM
fort. Ny wife chung to me as If had
not treated her despicably and when l
offered her her freedom only cried.
mo. no. nor'
The next day 1 made the best e1-
PLANTATION 1 could invent to my friends
as to my singular vanishment and one