Southern Argus. [volume] (Columbus, Miss.) 1834-1842, 1842-04-12
From the New Monthly Magazine.
THE TOWER OF LAHNECK:
A ROMANCE.
BY THOMAS HOOD.

picturesque is The ruin of Lahneck,
perched on a conical rock, close to that
beautiful little river, the Lain. The
Castle itself is venerable fragment,
with one lofty tower rising far above
the rest Of the building-a character
istic feature of feudal stronghold
being in fact the Observatory of the
Robber-Barou, whence he watched,
not the motions Of the heavenly bodies,
but the movements of such earthly
ones as might afford booty, or threat
en- him with an assault. And truly,
Lahneck is said 10 have been the resi-
dence Of an order Of Teutonic Knights
l-exactly matching in number the IA
nous band Of Thieves in the Arabian
Tale.
However, when the sun sets in a
broad blaze behind the heights of Ca
pellen, and the fine ruin of Stolzenfeys
on the opposite banks Of the Rhine, its
last rays always linger on the lofty tow
ers of Lahnerk, Many a time, while
standing rod in hand on one or other
Of the brown rocks which, narrowing
the channel of the river, form a small
rapid , very favorable to the fisherman
many a time have | watched the
rich warm light burning beacOnlike on
the very summit Of that solitary tower,
while all the river lay beneath in deep
est shadow, save the golden circles that
marked where a fish rose TO the surface,
or the bright coruscations made by the
screaming swallow as it sportively
dipped its wing in the dusky water,
like a gay friend breaking in onthe clou-
dyreveries Of a moody mind. And as
these natural lights faded away, the ar
tificial ones Of the village of Lahnstein,
began 10 twinkle--the glowing windows
Of Duquet's hos pitable pavilion, espe-
cially, throwing across the stream
aseries of dancing reflections thatshone
the brighter, for the sombre shadows
of a massy cluster Of acacias in the
tavern garden. Then the myriads OF
chafers, taking TO wing filled the air
with droning-while the lovely fire.
flies with their fairy lamps began to fit
across my homeward path, or lowered
from osier 10 osier, along the calm wa
terside. But truce TO these person
al "reminiscences.
| 1t was on fine afternoon, toward
the close Of May, 1889, that two ladies
began slowly 10 climb the winding path
which leads through wild shrubbery
to the ruined Castle Of Lahneck. They
were unaccOmpanied by any person oil
the other sex; but such rambles areless
perllous for unprotected females in that
country than in our own--and they had
enjoyed several similar excursions
without accident or offence. AT any
rate, 10 Judge from their leisure steps
and the cheerful tone Of their voices
. they apprehended DO more danger
than might accrue to a gauze or a NIB
bon from an overhanging branch or
stray bramble. The steepness Of the
ascent forced them occasionally to hal
to take breath, but they stopped quite
as frequently to gather the wild flowers
and especially the sweet valley lilies
, there so abundant-to look up at tht
time-stained ruin from a new point, o
to comment on the beauties of the see
merry.
The elder orthe ladies spoke il
, English, to which her companion. re
, piled in the same language, but wit
a foreign accent and occasional idioms
! that belonged 10 another tongue. Il
q fact she was a native of Germany
5 whereas the other was one ofthose ma
ny thousands Of British traveller
whom the long peace, the steamboat
and the poetry of Byron had temple
to visit the "blue and arrOwy" rivel
Both were young, handsome ond &C
complished; but the Fraulien Van 3
was unmarried: while Mrs. -
was a wife and mother, and with he
husband and her two children, had oC
cupied for some weeks a temporar
home within the walls of COblenZ.
Il was in this city that friendship ha
% been formed beiweenj the German gi
!, and the fair Islander-the gentle pa
r who were now treading so free and S
1t learlessly under the walls of Castl
~ where womanly beauty might formerl
y have ventured as safely as the doe nei
y the den of the lion. But those day
= are happily gone by-the dominion
" Brute Force is overland the Wi
r Baron who doomed his victims TO II
Ne treacherous abyss, has dropped in
ID an Oubliette ras dark and as deep
T. his owl.
y At last the two ladies gained Il
Is summit of the mountain, and for son
!" minutes stood still and silent, as if er
ID tranced by the beauty Of the scene b,
Y. fore them. There are elevations
il. which the mind loses breath as we'll
i. the body-and pants too thickIy wi
c. thought upon thought to find ready u
. terance. This was especially the ca
v with the English woman, whose chez