The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1844-10-18

coming screaming down stairs, ending
with heavy thump against my door,
made me decided - action. | took up
my gllmmering light, but, in the moment
that opened the door, it expired, or was
blown out. a gigantic white figure ho-
yered before me, and fell myself sudden.
ly graspod by two powerful arms. !
cried out for help, and struggled so hard
that my antagonist fell TO the ground with
me; but happened TO be uppermost.
Like an arrow bounded up, and would
have run, but stumbled over something.
Heaven knows what believe some
body had seized my feet again i fell to
the ground, struck my head against the
corner of the table, and lost my senses,
with a sound like loud laughter ringing in
my ears.
When | opened my eyss again, they
encountered dazzling glare. | closed
them again, and listened to a distracling
noise that lowered around me. Again /
opened them, and tried to distinguish and
recognize some Of the objects about me,
which seemed so new and wonderful, that
| suddenly feared had lost my senses.
lay upon sofa, and--no, was not de-
Iudcd--the beautiful maiden who bad no.
ycred before my imagination all the eve
ming, now reQIly stood beside me, with n
heavenly expression Of sympathy, and
bathed my head with vinegar! A Young
man, whose face seemed familiar to me,
stood and held my hand saw also the
fat old gentleman aud another thin gen.
tIeman and next | discovered the lady,
the children, and the paradise of the tea
table gImmering in sort Of twilight dis
lance in short, by some inconceivablo
humor of fortune, | found myself in the
midst of the very family which | had, an
hour before, contemplated with such in.
tcrest!
AS | recovered my faculties, the militia
ry young man embodied me in his arms.
DO you not know me again p said he,
while sat still as pelrifed. Have you
forgotten Augustus, whose life yen saved
not long ago at the risk of your own
whom you lished out of the water, at the
risk Of remaining to keep company with
fishes yourself ? See, here are my father
my mother, and my sister Wilhelmina.'
| pressed his hand Then, with a smart
blow with his fist upon the table, the ia
ther exclaimed, And because you have
saved my sons life, aud you are an ho-
norable fellow, that can suffer hunger to
afford food TO others, declare You shall
have the beneice at IL IL have
the patronage, you understand y For a
while | was bcre(t Of the power of thought
and speeck; and, amid all the cxplana-
tons that were given, there was only one
thing that impressed itself clearly on my
mind--that WilheImina was nof-that
Wilhelmina waS the sister of Angus
tus
He had, that evening, returned from .
journey during which, in the preceding
summer, had enjoyed the happiness Of
saving his life. Previous to this accident
| had only drunk with him in the bro
therhood Of the university. lie had re-
lated to his family, with all the enthusi-
asm of youth, my good service in his be-
half, and all that he knew of me besides
His father, who had a beneGcc in his gift,
and las | afterwards learned had glanced
with pity, sometimes, upon my scanly Ia
bic, had resolved, at the request of his
son, to raise me from the lap of poverty
to the summit of happiness. Augustus,
in his delight, would make this resolution
instantly known 10 me and, in his love
Of practlcrl joke, he approached my
chamber in the style already described ;
the consequence of which, for me, was
my wound upon the temp lie and my trans
Iallon across the street on, of darkness into
light! a thousand times has the good
youth begged for forgiveness for his in
discretion, ond as many times have as
sured him that the beneicc of II. would
prove basam strong enough to cure a
deeper wound. AstoniShcd was TO find
that the ear and shoulder of the gentleman
who at tea time was the subject of my
splenelc observations belonged to no one
less than my patron. The stout gentle
man was WiIhelmina's uncle.
The kindness and cheerluness Of my
new friends made me soon feel at home
and happy.-The old people treated me
as if was their child, and the young PEG.
pie admitted me to all the privileges of a
brother. After | had received two cups
Of tea from the hands of Wilhemina,
arose to take my leave Of the family for
the night. All invited me to stay but |
determined to spend my first happy night