Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1848-03-15

ther could tell that, and her lhtle heart beat
fast with terror and excitement.
"After ALL" thought the sacrlstan,, there
can be no harm in gratifying the old man,
who is doubtless some halecfazy artist; and +
there is little fear thar he will ever live to
rival our great MASTERPIECES, even if he
should have genius sufficient for the ot-
tempt. Even now he seems more like a |
shadow than a human being So meanly |
clad, too, and with all that might gold!-I
Heaven preserve u.s. fraln evil one!"
At this moment his glance fell Qffshe pale,
sweet face Of the little fairshAlfed child; at
sight of which the SUSPECTS forebodihgs1
awakened by the strange appearance OF his
visitor, fled away at once.
@Be it. So" said he. "Hut you must
promise not to betray me, or the curiosity
might be the means of losing my place"
Lotte, forgetful of his injunction, was "a
bout to take her grandfather's hand as usu-
al, to lead him out: but he passed on before,
with a rapid step, the sacristan and child
following breathlessly. For some moments
after they had ascended, nothing was heard
but the quick beating of their own hearts,
together with the monotonous ticking of the
great clock. It was well the sacristan
thought to bring his lamp, for it grew dark
er and darker every moment. Poor Lotte
felt chilled and frightened, and wished her.
self safe at home by Margaret's warm, cheer
full stove.
GA wonderful piece of mechanism !" ex
claimed the sac ristan, rubbing his hands,
and reckoning up the minutes which had
already elapsed, while the old man stood
dreamily before the object Of his strange GU
riosity.
Wonderful" -
"Ah! you may go all over the world
without finding such another"
"And yet the artist who made one could
surely have made more had he chosen?"
Eyes, if he were alive. But no sooner had
he erected this master piece of genius, in
which was consecrated the study of a life
time, than the artist and his daughter sud-
denly disappeared from Danzig, and have
never been heard of since. It created quite
sensation at the time, giving rise to the
most wild and fearful rumors and the mys-
terry has never been solved from that day to
this.'' -f
'Shall I tell it to you?" asked the old
man, still keeping his face carefully avert
ed, and speaking in kissing whisper, while
the trembling Lotte nestled closer to his side.
seThe house where the artist dwelt was a
lonely place, standing apart by itself, far
from the busy hum of the city. He loved it
for that very quietness; and there was no
loneliness within, where his fair widowed
daughter and her infantchild made the sun
shine of the old mans life. The very night
of that mysterious disappearance to which
you have alluded, it appeared, strangely
enough, that his two most attached domes-
tics were absent; the one at the bedside of
dying parent, the other on commission
to distant city, from which it was impos-
sible he could return before the morning; so
that there was no one leftin the house but
an old woman, who was stone deaf, and
half stupid beside. The time was well
chosen. The artist slept, and dreamt of
fame; when suddenly four men with black
Grape upon their faces-he remembers that,
for it was the last thing he ever saw gath
cred around the bed, and two held him,
while the other twosput out his eyesp
ooh, God! this is horriblep' exclaimed
the sacristan; while Lotte sank upon her
knees, and buried her face in the old mans
robe. "What crime could he have COM
mitted to draw down this fearful punish
ment" s.e
"None; his genius alone was the cause,
the fruits of which they had determined
should be theirs only! They feared his
making similar clock for the rival town
of Hamburg. But not content with this,
Or in order to prevent discovery, they bore
away the shrieking artist, mad with pain
! together with his daughter and her infant
/ child, to vehicle which stood in readiness;
and for weeks after wards travelled, day
and night without intermission. God
knows where they left them at last--the
: blind man never didp'
"And does Duringer yet live!"-ques-
toned the sucristan.
'He does. After the death of his daugh-
ter, whose gentle heart broke in witness
ing his suferings, an irresistible longing
, seized upon him to return to his native
city; and, old, and feeble, and half mad,
accompanied only by his little child, he
begged his way back to Danzig-I am
Durimger!'
The sacristan turned shudderingly a.
way from that sightless countenance, now
fully revealed to him for the first time: and
: letting fall in his terror the lamp which
D he carried, they were left in darkness.
The darkness and the light were all one
Q to Duringer, who hastily drew forth pair
of scissors, which he had hitherto conceal.
n ed in his bosom, and severing single
+ small wire, dead silence ensued.
g "Hark!'' exclaimed he, in wild excited
tones, that sounded almost like scream.
y cit has stopped!-the wonderful clock! and
will never move again until they give
: back the old man his eyesight! Ha! ha!
IS the wonderful clock of Danzig!''
J., "Grandfather!" interrupted Lotte, cling.
: ing to him, and weeping bitterly-ssdear
. grandfather! let US go home; it is so cold
and dark here!''
e Duringer arose up and followed her me-
/; chanically. His task was accomplished
'e he had had his revenge; and now it seem
'e ed to recoil upon himself He had mutila
'e ted his own work; and as the mighty hear
t. ofthat great clock ceased to beat, the hear
of its inventor broke! The cutting of tha
s. single wire seemed to sever the thread O
his own feeble existence; and no human
k, skill could ever restore either the one o.