New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1853-05-05

4
Jected its visage from a hoIe close above where
one OF the beams joined the opposite wall, and
frightedly peering with its great. dazzled ewes.
the harmless creature, bewildered, popped from
its hole on to the beam, and having made few
feeble futterings with its wings, renamed quite
stationary, crouched in ball-Gke figure close
to the wall. .
oh, Deschamp," exclaimed one Of the party.
to friend at his side, who was plucking the
long grey moss Of peculiar species which lit
orally clothes the castle wall inside and cut,
"look yonder at Minerva's bird"
"Ha! ha" chorused the company, "a veri-
table owl"
Thereupon one and all began picking up bits of
brick and mortar, from where they stood, and
threw them at the bird with various degrees. of
skill. One or two bits even struck it, but go far
from being roused thereby, the owl merely gave
one boding, long drawn, sepulchral screech,
ana contracting its ghastly outlines into still
smaller compass, fairly buried its broad yisage
between the meeting bony tips of its wings.
"What stupid creature! hoo, horoo v'
shouted they, thinking by that means to induce
it to fly. But the outcry only terrified the bird
to such degree that it stuck its claws conyul-
sively into the decayed timber
" It's the way of them creatures" said the
guide who was showing them over the castle,
they're about the stupidest thing in creation,
I'm thinkin'"
" Humph!" !" muttered Lord Swinden, hand
some, athletic young man Of twenty, "with such
an example before our eyes, we cannot but ad-
NIT your opinion to be highly pbiIosonbical and
indisputabie. But saw. old fellow > added he
tapping the guide Familiarity on the shoulder
with the light riding switch he carried In his
hand, is that beam a rotten onc ~
"I shouldn't be over for'ard to trust mvself
on it, SIR" said the mana fat. dummy nerson-
age ~
s You wouldn't, No. | sbould rather think
not" responded Lord Swindon = sn;Ie ~ en-
preme disdain sweepino across HE faa,nra. as
he surveyed the " old fellow from head IN f,ot
| But tell me. did Won evar Lrov anrtsIa
walk upon it. eh >, wy W
"Oh dear, yes. ONLY last summer n vo,no
Oxonian ran from end to end oS !, as sa.S ~;.S
my own eyes,
"Did hep'
"True." mt in Descbomr a1 ..
| now it was Young Manners. ~ Rra,anrnsa . a. I'd
didn't he brap about n ,, A-o'' 'A'
"Him - exclaimed Lord Sw;ndor with a tos.
of the head: /" that fellow. moor M;itson1 NJ, !,
continued he hastily I. that II ia ony,bin,, 80 .
feat Phoor, VI
6. Not a fiat y, m,rrrrod he
and with one accord thav stro,nha, mp. .Ia
necks. and gazing down tba dina ahuss .h,'d
dered at wbs, thev baha,d Wan .in. "n. suIu
The beam in oras;;o,, rosa =. ~. ha;y my m,sn'
one bnndred tast ond n,uoL, heasa., "a aoou'
thora h,,. ,,ieo,rv, an aI penea.h !. was
or two rI.cas NV cr,,,nhi;r. by ha.y D'oAsn in ohe
one of these wos h, ronx fset na anu No. syel
| Sw;ndon ho,v con 49, ~ - y. -, Ai Az. w
az can sav IL and 7 AZ ;. s,,;.L,.. -,..1
the 6er. Scun ~, anu NV ~ III; snaPp'sniy TePne,
wines ami NJ onv ra,a uho. III. sa,,e @ VII
mars hos dona oar a. e. IaaI.n; NAN
Thus snoaI;nu eai h W. .s,,, SH ioDA ou..
the beam and desni,o the ePU,
comma Mons wo. ;p tba 90, - ,n"aead;ss y, n's
IL wban b;s orn, ,-.s srrn,n ~ ppssS aions
| deem. toned voice excIa;med Q "AN " ~"
INV Lord. do Won CONT n borr;h,e ao.,h
Do not thus risk xour life few namaht, N.A
| The individual who Thus nnbes;t t;no,v ;rtor
fered was evidently nnknown to IN nres.n, La
ing casual visitor to the castle. Who had in ne :
| ioined the oroun With ON ;,,rroao.;"S ~
mad can ierked b;s arm awav IA srram for IN
ward along the heam Its snrSaca 1as srs r,ot ~
rounded. and nnevsr. ond % ha ~. .Jas. .yas
sveryinr from side 10 Side everv ;ns,ant IN A.
ger of being precinitated downward With IL
J awful certainty of beinc dasbad 70 n;acss r.
friends could hardly restrain tbemselves fro, ~
d striking with terror. thoucb sncb n conrs
would probably have had the immediate fs etfse
of discomposnc the equilibrium of their rosl
| COMPANION, and SO induce the cotastronbe tbe,
fully anticipated. without< the power of nrevcn
ton. Had the adyenturer's presence Of min,
one moment failed-had his seIf.rossession an,
confidence wavered or forsaken him-bad hi
brain sickened or his eve turned dim for n sincl
second-had he tripped against any of the knot
projecting from the rotten wood which had
mouldered away around them-at once he would
have been hurled into dread eternity.
But an unseen hand sustained him, and safel,
he reached the extremity of the beam, ruthlessl,
wrenched the trembling owl from his perch
waved it aloft in triumph, and then with a prou
ejaculation, began to retrace his steps with
sbrieking and fluttering in his hands. When h
reached the centre of the frail beam. wbic
creaked and bent terribly with his comma 70
lively small weight. he paused drew himself N
to his full height-air above. air beneath. al
all round naught but air-and deliberately tor
the head of the owl by main force from the body
Having perpetrated this cruel deed, he tosse
the bloody head among the breathless specta
tors, and sharply dashed the writhing body int
the void beneath his feet He cooly watched it
descent, until it lay shapeless mass on tn
stones below; then, with a slow brayoing mein
he walked back to the terrified party. AM
boastingly inquired of them whether Manner
could beat that.
"My lord," solemnly said the stranger, yo,
have not performed the act of brave, san
man, and you have committed desperate deet
on one of Gods helpless creatures You ough
to thank him, from the depth of your soul, m,
lord, that He saved you from the penalty yo,
incurred"
| ssWbot do vou sov - f;arcelv do,ra rJad I 80,