Southern Argus. [volume] (Columbus, Miss.) 1834-1842, 1842-04-12
RICHARD HENRY BROWNE, EDrroR.1

| ger olloWlng It's direction, the other
lady slow y turned round, till her eyes
rested on the Castle itself, but she was
too near TO see the ruin to advantage,
and her neck ached as she strained it to
look up at the lofty tower which rose
almost from her feet. Still she contin-
ued to gaze upward, still her indefinite
thoughts grew into wish that she
could ascend to the top, and thence,
as ifsusp. nded in air, enjoy an uninter-
rupted view of the whole horizon. Il
was with delight, therefore, that on tur-
ming an angle of the wall she discover
ed a low open arch which admitted
her to the interior, where, after little
cropping, she perceived flight of stone
steps, winding, as far as the eye could
trace, up the massy walls.
! The staircase, however, looked very
dark, or rather dismal, after the bright
sunshine she had just quilted, but the
whim of the moment, the spirit ofad-
venture and curiosity, induced her to
proceed, although her companion who
was more phlegmatic, started several
difficulties and doubts as to the practi-
cability Of the ascent. There were
however, no obstacles to surmount be-
You'd the gloom, some trihing heaps of
rubbish, and the fatigue of mounting
so many gigantic steps. But this wea-
rlness was richly repaid, whenever,
through an occasional loophole, she
caught asample ofthe bright blue sky,
and which like samples in general, ap-
peared Of a far more intense and beau
tilul color than any she had ever seen
in the whole piece. No, never had
heaven seemed so heavenly, or earth
so lovely, or water so clear and pure,
as through those narrow apeItures-
never had she seen any views SO char
ming as those exquisite snatches of
landscape, framed by the massive ma
sonry into little cabinet pictures of a
few inches square-so small, indeed,
that the two friends, pressed cheek to
cheek, could only behold them with
one eye APIECE! The Englishwoman
knew a dozen of such tableaux, to be
seen through particular loopholes in
certain angles of the walls of COblenz
but these pictures Of the Lahneck
gallery" as she termed them, tran
scended them all! Nevertheless it cost
her a sigh to reflect how many forlorn
captives, languishing perhaps within
those very walls, had been confined
to such gl;mpses Of the world without
nay, whose every prospect on this
side the grave, had been framed in
stone. But such thoughts soon pass
away from the minds Of the young, the
healthy, and the happy, and the next
moment TIE fair mOrallist was challen-
) ging the echoes TO join with her in a
favorite air. Now and then indeed
III song abruptly stopped, or the voice
quavered on a wrong note, as trag-
ment ofmortar ratified down to the base
, ment, or a disturbed bat rustled from
, its lurking-place, or the air breathed
: through a crevice with q sound so like
: the human sigh, as to revive her Inelan-
choly fancies. But these were tran
: silent terrors, and only gave rise 10
t years Of iight-hearted merriment, thai
were Knocked by laughing voices from
, each angle of the walls.
, AT last the toiIsome ascent was safe
e ly accomplished, and the two friend:
r stood together on the top Of the tower
: drawing a long, delicious breath of the
fresh free air. For a time they were
n both dazzled to blindness by the sud
den change from the gloom. to sunshine
h as well. as dizzy from the unaccustomec
), height; but these effects soon wore of
n and the whole.splendid panorama-va
=, riegated with mountains, valIeys,rock.
: castles, chapels, spires, towns, villa
5 ges, vineyards, corn-felds, forests,anC
/, rivers, was revealed to the delighted
d sense. AS the Englishwoman had an
r. ticipated, her eye could now travel I'm
: impeded round the entire horizon
). which it did again and again, Will
= her lips kept repeating all the superla
,r lives Of admiration.
= cit is mine Faderland," murmere,
y the German girl with natural tone G
1t triumph in the beauty of her nativ
d country. 'Speak-~did l not well t
RI persuade you to here, by little bits, an
If little bits, instead Of stop at Hor
20 cheim?"
e You did indeed, my dear Amanda
y Such noble prospect would well re
ar pay much longer walk"
rs 'Look!-see-dere is Rhense-
of and de Marxburg"-but the finger wa
Id pointed in VAN, for the eyes it woul
lie have guided continued to look in tn
to opposite direction across the Lain.
as "Isit possible, from here inquire
the Englishwoman, "to see Coblenz?
lie Instead Of answering this question, tn
lie German girl looked up archly in til
1. speakers face, and then smiling an
e. nodding her head, said silly, "At
at you do think Of somebody that is I
as home!"