Year: 1877

L oI0N v ILLH, y


Too many pens, more skilled than mine
have described the progress and success o.
schemes like this-the deep.laid plots of tn
destroyers, the easy credulity and inefectua
struggles of the victims, and the final tri
umphs of cunning and cruelty-for me to at
tempt a similar task. Under the guise o
friendship and sympathy, Mr.. Manvers con
tinued to draw on his dupe, who lost NOR
and more heavily, not to him, he believed
but to the other men, who were his secret con
federates, and played into bis hands; unit
at last there came a night when the fua
stroke fell upon him, and he rushed from th'
house of his betrayer with haggard fac
and heart like stone, and cry, II an
ruined and undone!" upon his lips. Their
was deeper cause for his misery than any
one knew, He had for years been secretly
attached to lady, whom he had known from
his youth, and who was in every respect suit
ed to him land worthy of his love, the soil
obstacle to their union lying in the fact tha
she was bound to remain as the companion
and nurse of an invalid mother, whom every
sentiment of duty and tenderness forbade bel
leaving to a strangers care. Only few
days since the obstacle had been removed. A
lately widowed sister had returned from bel
distant home to resume her post by her moth
er's side, and now she was free to yield to hel
lovers, wishes, and reward the devotion Of
years! Alas simultaneously with this good
news came the crash of ruin upon him. HI
felt, despairingly, that his Ellen might have
consented to share honorable poverty with
one she loved, but never could become gam
bler's wife. ... go. .. .... ..


MI. Manvers. basely feigning the deepest
sympathy for his friends distress, inwardly
gloated over the complete success he had
achieved; but retribution was at hand. The
deceiver of an innocent victim, he himself
now became dupe The rogues who had
sworn alliance with him, in turn betrayed
him, and he found that his supposed gains
were entirely in their hands, and at their dis
posal. Redress he had none-he was at the
mercy of those even more unscrupulous than
himself who had not the pride of aristocracy
to induce an outward show of probity and
throw veil over their real motives. The
time for disguise being, past, they showed
themselves, without reserve, in their true
form, as thieves and swindlers, and defed
him to take bis revenge. Bafaed and frantic,
what resource had he left He had no faith
in God or in another world. His good name
he knew to be forever destroyed, and no far
ther hope remained to him in life-therefore,
his life was useless to him, and he resolved to
throw it away. His servants found him, one
morning, dead in bis bed, lying in pool Of
blood, with his throat cut from ear to ear.


And Leonard ! Poor boy, his was, indeed,
pitiable case. Disgraced by his fathers
crimes, without friend to turn to in the
world, without shilling he could call his
own, he left the home where his vices had
been nurtured, bis name dishonored and his
prospects ruined, caring not whittier his steps
we're turned, 80 long as it was in some direc-
ton where his name was unknown, and where
he could feel himself free from the reproach
of those with whom he might be forced to
mingle. He made his way to Liverpool, and
there shipped, as common sailor, upon a
merchant vessel bound for America found
himself, after a long and unpropitious voyage,
in New York, worn out by fatigue and rough
usage; took his wages to a gambling house,
staked them all, ,quadrupled his money. and
embarked for California, where he was told
he could get rich in six months by digging
for gold. There he fell in with Heaven
knows what set of roughs, vagabonds and
thieves-joined himself recklessly to their
company, and became nearly as wicked as
themselves. Nearly as wicked-but not en-.
tirely so. Some mysterious restraining power
vet fingered in his soul and kept him from
going to the extent of license and of crime
with which they were familiar


Perhaps guardian angel, such as we are
told are appointed to guide the footsteps of
erring mortals into the right path, walked
unseen, at his side, to keep the powers of
darkness at bay, and save him from destruc'
tion irretrevable aud everlasting.


And thus, for time, we will leave him,
hoping to meet him under more propitious
circumstances at some future day.