Year: 1861

Let IL De tDouRil " itil lou. W hat cdp
pose you already anticipate, that friendship
soon grew up between us which, long before
the blossoms of the following spring had RI
pened into acknowledged love, and that all
unheeding any obstacle which might be set
up between us, we were as happy as the
summer birds.


For some wears previous to this time, little
nav, nothing-had been said by any party
in regard to the contract long before entered
into between the parents of Louis and Mary;
and the latter. whose CAV heart had scarcely
given it a thought until she met with me, now
began to hope that it had been forgotten, or
at least abandoned by tacit consent. But
causes which | will briefly allude to soon
brought it to remembrance.


For several months both the houses of
Milton and Marshall, in common with ma
jor part of the commercial community, had
been dipping largely into extravagant specu-
lations. and had been losers to an alarming
extent, though neither knew of the others 5
danger and both retained the reputation of
wealth. Under these circumstances each
looked to the consummation of this contract of
marriage as the most available means of
avoiding bankruptcy and accordingly Louis
pressed his suit urgently, and Marshall aided
him with all his powers of persuasion.
was poor, and Marshall was AIN short,
it would have been worse than useless for me
to have spoken then.


And SO the time had gone forward into the
summer, and one afternoon accidentally
brought Mary and myself together in one of
the city book stores. While there chatting
over the books, purchased one OF them and
gave it to her, paying for it with bank note
of some large denomination.


And now let me hasten over portion of my
life which can give you little pleasure in hear
ing. and is certainly very bitter in memory.


The next morning was arrested-charged
with having passed counterfeit money
need not tell you that l was astounded.
knew not which way to turn, or what to saw.
There was the bill had passed the day be-
fore, with the word counterfeit written
across the face by Louis Milton, who, in en-
tire ignorance of the fact that had passed it,
had thrown it out when presented for deposit.
could not deny having given it, and even if
it could have been of any avail, | was unable
to say whether it was counterfeit or not
Some old enmity against my father prompted
the proprietor of the book store to vindictive
prosecution of the charge, and bitterly was
he revenged for my conviction, which fol.
lowed close upon my arrest, killed my poor
mother


The old mans voice trembled, and, paus.
ing, he nervously knocked the ashes from his
pipe. l turned away my face, and, in sight
of the stars only, l brushed away the tears
that would come in spite of me,


Well, the trial came on. | did all l
thought IcOuld, but could not deny that l
had given the note. 1t seemed that there
could be no doubt of its spqriousness, and the
prosecution was pressed with singular vim
dictiveness. | was convicted and sentenced
to imprisonment in the States Prison To
be an innocent man in the sight of God, shut
out from all | held dear in life-deprived of
that great hirth.right of humanity, liberty
my name rendered infamous, as l thought,
forever-is it any wonder that l sometimes
prayed for death to terminate my sufferings?
Her utter hopelessness of agony, under that
terrible trial, no human tongue can tell


The old mans tones grew tremulous again,
and Mrs. Elmore, as l had done before,
turned her face toward the slow marching
stars.


Meanwhile the great world outside my
prison house moved on unheeding. Pecunia-
ry pressure gradually frightened around both
Marshall and Milton, until each felt that the
last hope lay in the union of Louis and Mary,





showed but too soon. Mr.. Marshall had long
since ceased endeavoring to persuade his
daughter to this step. and had tried COM
mands. Both means failed entirely, and ha
now resorted to entreaty, He faithfully re-
presented to her the condition of his affairs,
and urged her to save him from rGin and
disgrace by marrying the son of the rich mer-
chant.


Starting at the prospect Of her fathers i'm
pending penury, so viyidly set before her
utterly desolate at heart-=feeling keenly that
all her hopes of happiness were wrecked en-
tirely and forever-she finally yielded, a
martyr, as she thought, to her fathers good !;
and they We're married,


Alas how vain the sacrifice, Within one
week after the marriage mutual explana-
tions exposed the truth. and both houses
failed the same day. Twenty.four hours
thereafter found Marshall dead, Poison
self-admlnistered was suspected, but the
truth is not known to this day. Louis Mil
ton, giving way under the magnitude of the
temptation to dishonesty, gathered together
all he could OF the scattered remnants of both
fortunes, regardless of his fathers or his
creditors. and departed suddenly for, none
knew whittier. carrying with him his hum
bled and sorrowing WIFE


The commercial world was startled for a
moment by the extent of the failures but in
few brief weeks the thing was almost for
gotten, save by those who suffered immediate
loss


All these things learned long afterwards.
1t would profit tothing to detail to you the
wearying and humiliating routine of my pri-
son life. Let me pass to the close.
| had been shut out from the world for
nearly two years. and one evening was sitting
on the low bed in my solitary cell, dream
ingly wandering among the gardens of
memory. Sorrowful enough is this even to
him to whom time has brought no shadow
of disgrace. Who shall say how many tgrim
forms of unrepented error look out from its
shadow upon even the happiest mans How
much less, then, shall any man tell how much
more bitter than gall it was to look into the
past, to me, who, while yet young. had seen
my name stained with foulest disgrace. all
my aspirations in moment crushed. and nv
dearest hopes, even to their broadest noon.
blotted into instant night.


And so was sitting in the glowing gloom
OF that autumn evening, mentally living over
again the days that were gone, when the
turnkey. accompanied by two or three gem
tlemen, entered the cell. One of the gentle.
men recognized as having been the prose-
cutting attorney upon my trial; the other
did not know


This Is the man, Mr.. Crampton,' said the
turnkey.


rose and bowed stifnv.