Year: 1877

~great good will. Still it was very dan
gerous experiment to try, for if he shoulC
refuse and inquire into my accounts l.,
would find me a defaulter to the amour
OF 81, 800.


ana ne hurry over the par


ticulars of the crime l committed, sc


painful are they to think of. Suffice il


to say, instead of obtaining his signature


l was guilty of forging it. My renewed


note was accepted, but it would be i'm


possible to describe the terrible state OF


my mind. The only method | had OF


relieving myself from the penalty of my


crime would be by perpetrating others


and this, l felt convinced, would only be


to prolong for a short time the misery !


was in. A feeling of recklessness then
came on, and l resolved to let things take
their course. Just before the office was
about to close, one day. Jackson entered
and told one OF the junior clerks he


wished to speak with the senior partner.
I
during the time the youth went with the
message, he took not the slightest notice
of me, but, with perfect command of
countenance, looked about him till his
eye fell upon him, when he showed no
more appearance of recognition than if
had been total stranger. He was soon
alter ushered into the senior partner s
office, and /, closing my desk, put on my
hat, and, in state of terror it would be
impossible to describe, returned home.
The state of my mind that night would
BATTLE ali description. | tried to sleep, in
the danger l was in. All was useless; and
l turned over in my mind innumerable
schemes of the ,vaguest description by
which to save myself. When / think over
them now, and can estimate their utter
worthlessness and absurdity, ! can easily
understand was in the condition OF the
drowning man who catches at straw.


The next morning, entirely forgetting
only to close my eyes for short time to
my breakfast, in q fit of recklessness |
dressed and went to the office. Shortly
after my arrival, the senior partner en-
tered, and in passing through the Office
he looked steadily at me for some mo-
ments and then went on. A few minutes
later a messenger came to me and told
me the senior partner wished to speak
with me. At that moment a powerful,
respectfully attired, communicating
man entered the office, bearing a letter
for the firm. He glanced at me as / went
out of the room, and l shuddered as |
looked at him, for felt persuaded he
was a detective officer. On entering the
senior partners Office, he raised his eyes
from the desk, and looked steadily at me.
7 was surprised to find there was no
sternness nor ind 'gnatiOn in his counte-
nance.


J." he said, in kind tone, ''you
20 not look at all well this morning. Is
there anything the matter with you"


i caught at the idea, and said l had
not felt well for the last few days


''I thought not" he said, "and on
sent for you to say, if it were the case,
ysu had better return home and take a
day or two's rest. You will then be bet
ter, and we can do very well without you
for that time"


A reception so different from what
had expected, made such an impression
on me that the tears came into my eyes,
and l felt half-inclined to confess the
whole truth. The senior partner, how
ever, putting out his hand, and shaking
mine warmly, said:


" Now 60 home, and keep up your
spirits, and you will do very we'll"


At that moment one of the clerks en-
tered the room, and l left it and pro-
ceeded homewards, the man whom had
imagined to be a detective being no
longer there. For what purpose Jackson
visited the Office the evening before
know not. Certainly it was not con-
nected with my business.


1t will be too painful for me to go
further into the matter. I plunged
deeper and deeper inte crime. l at
tempted to conjure up a reckless frame
of mind, and in the daytime to consid-
erable extent succeeded. But then the
nights-how can describe their misery?
/ could not sleep without opium, and
the more took of the drug the greater
the quantity l required, till at length
was obliged to take each evening as much
as would have killed any ordinary man.
1t had also its effect on my countenance,
which assumed the palid hue of the
regular opium-eater. At last the forgery
was discovered, Jackson having sold my
note; was arrested, my defalcatiens
came to light, and soon after found my
self here.


One word more, in justice to myself.
l heard that in the newspaper report of
the trial it was stated that when, after
my sentence, l left the bar, it was with
jaunty step and Indifferent expression of
countenance. Never was there a truer
remark. If, indeed, any objection can
be taken to it, it is that it did not go far
enough, for the imprisonment to which
was condemned, and the utter ruin of
my propects in life, were but feather
in the balance, when compared with the
weight of horrible mental torture and
doubt l had been laboring under for
months before the termination of my
career of crime.


" Where is Thornton, you ask ?"


He occupies the cell adjoining mine.-
Illustrated Weekly.


9 THE citizens of Lickskillet, Ridgeway