Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1852-04-07


some, noble. gallant looking youth is mas
ter Won Helmsted.' Theruling authorities
at divers universities all had wrltten,
{" Brave, strong hearted, wise and learn
ed an honor to his blood, and his race,
is master Ernest Won Helmsted." And
the Baron, as he was suffered to win game
after game of backgammon IN the long
winter eYenings-as he listened to merry
conceits and quaint old stories-ash he held
the strong arm which night after night
made the ascent up the old staircase ca
sy, acknowledged, with tears in his eyes
and a swelling at his heart, ga kind,
gentle, loving nephew is this nephew OF
mine, this Ernest Won Helmsted." Yet
was this same Ernest the thorn in the
merry old gentleman's flesh, which check
ed the sound of his laughter for full half
an hour at time, and composed his coun-
tenance to most melancholy aspect,
while the clouds of blue smoke hoated in
fantastic, dreamy wreaths around his head.
All this because the worshipful Master Err
nest totally refused 10 enter the holy estate
of matrimony-would have as soon be-
held his satanic majesty as anything in
the shape of psttieoat-and crossed
himself involuntarily whenever he chan
ced to encounter a paiJ of large dark eyes.
The reasons for which remarkable obi
guilty in master Ernest being; first, that
he was distressingly modest and ditidept;
secondly and lastly, he was somewhat in
dolent, somewhat melancholy, and loved
nothing better than roaming through the
woods peopling every tree with hamarids
and fauns, and dreaming of FAIRIES and
mysterious influences, with,perhaps pale,
slender willowy Eeroincs, half vapor, with
not sensation in common with the van
ity maidens of this vanity loving World.
The Baron Won Helmsted talked, and the
Baron Won Helmsted swore, and exerted
all the cloqence with which nature had
gifted him-which, sooth to say, was not
a superabundant quantity-and all to no
purpose. His nephew listened at first
with amazement, then with WEAKNESS, and
at length, after two or three years had
passed, and the lectures were not discon-
tinued, grew horribly indignant thereat
and would rush forth into the woods to
escape, whore with his nymphs and driads
he soon got calm again. At length the
Baron hit upon a desperate oxpedient.-
He applied to female relative, and she,
with three or four damsels-to give mas
ter Ernest fair field for choice-came and
took up their abode at the castle.
Heavens what siege the poor Baron
had? Dame Margery went almost fran
tic with rage at this unhcsrd of innovation,
on her territories, and her detestsble voice
sounded in his ears from morning till
night. The ladies, too, with their maids
and their toilets, their niceties and their
frivolities, their airs and their mimics,
turned the old house topsy turvy, and
confusion rcigned from one end to the
other thereof. As for master Ernest, who
WAS the prime cause and mover, although
the most unwilling and innocent one of
all this hubbub-master Ernest entirely
evacuated the premises and fled to the
woods, where he took up his abode en-
tirely with his fauns and nymphs, satyrs
and hobgobblns. At length the female
relative and her retinue (perceiying how
useless the task grew weary of the drea-
ry old castle, and the poor afflicted old
Baron could not rcpress II sigh of relief
as the gates closed upon them one fine
summers morning. The nephew return
ed, the cross house-keepcr grew quite
arAiable, and the Baron Won Helmsted
for time appeared to surrender himself
to all inevitable destiny.
But again he evinced signs of restless
he appeared on the eve of a
great undertaking; and so he was-for
the Baron Won Helmsted, who had resi-
dcd peacefully and contcntedly on his ter
ritories for the last thirty years, as wise
man should, was absolutely going jour
ney. Again did Dame Margery lift up
her hands and eyes, and this time she ex-
claimed Baron Won Hclmstcd is GER
tainly bewitched !" AS for the Baron,
he went away. A month passed, then
two and three, when some workmen came,
despatched by his orders to model and
renew one side of the castle. And then,
when numberless tasteful and fairy like
apartments had been prepared, the most
recherche and exquisite furniture in the
world arrived to adorn them.
A letter at length reached the castle, in
which Ernest to his intense aStonishment
and infinite mcrriment) learned, that his
uncle failing in his attempts to induce him
to enter the holy estate, had been driven
to it himself and would be there with his
bride on the morrow. Ernest was amused
at the evident embarrassment which pee
ped out from every part of the worthy old
Baron's letter; the idea of the whole mat
ter was perfectly ludicrous to him, and he
laughed where most young men would
have sworn, for Ernest was to have been
Il ,,nolab, L.; Al.
noon, the night: brightly the fires gleam-
ed, brightly the lights flashed; and amid
rain, storm and tempest, carriage dash
ed violently up to the door, and in it were
the Baron and his bride, Ernest had, for
some reason or other, pictured the lady
as tall, guant, bony looking woman, on