The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1855-01-19

WIN messer shot. Inc lord count praised my
shooting before oil the gentlemen"
'l756. 81 Anne's Day. daughter born to me.
Heaven bless her. She shall be called Gertrude
"l!5e St Esidius' Day. Mywife Gertrude Ma.
Iia DIED Ct Shot In the wood. ! win not curse
| her God be nerciiul judge to us BOTH"
"l77l. Ny lord the old count died on st. Valen'
tne's Day. The young Lord Leonard Joseph
Francis takes his place.
There was no more to read. One entry IN the
list excited the same thought In both the iovcrs-
This man It was evident had killed his wife ON St.
Eg'dius Day; and they had on the same gate WINS
pered their hearts love over the murdered wo.
| mans grave. Then, again, why did the old hunts.
man register bis sons as porn nso me- noussnoo,
things the lovers noticed as they read the little
chronicle; but they spoke only of the hunting cup
the marksman's prize, still in the windo W. looked
| at it. and returned into the other chamber. An
other door seemed to lead from it into other rooms
They walked In that direction, and the young man
saw that they were following trail Of dark stains
on the floor. He did not point them out to his COM
panion. The door led to a narrow stair; perhaps
the trail was there but there was no light by which
| itcould be seen. The stair led to room that had
been prettily furnished, and of which the window
opened at once upon a broad terrace that swept
back towards the wood. The moon had by that
| time risen, and shone through this window. One
pane bad been broken. Spnters of glass lay close
under It. The table was overthrown, broken
| lamp was on the floor; also book, Handsomely
bound, which seemed to have been ground under
| the heel rather than trodden upon, by q strong
man. The English lady stopped to pick it up, but
as she did SO she saw, by the moonlight stains upon
| the oaken boards, which made her suddenly recoii
and lean, trembling her lover for support. They
looked towards the sofa an old piece OF furniture
| covered with blue damask upon that, too, there
was a large dark stain, and over it the bright moon
| cast the shadows of the two young people The
| shadow OF young man erect-the shadow OF
young girl clinging to 1t, violently trembling.
L nnk fn0kI afoNp iad tho Uir
| are not our shadows"
Indeed, love, they are.'
| "Dd you not tell me this was St. Egidius
Dayp
Both started for there was sudden flutter in the
room, distinctly heard The young man promptly
| saw and pointed out that this was nothing super
| natural. Beside impressed bed in one corner of
| the room, there were some more handsomely
bound books upon a table, all in gilded red moroc'
| CO covers. One OF them lay open, and the evening
breeze tina. entered through the broken pane of
glass had touched some of its leaves.
"The lovers are long time absent" whispered
partners TO each other, as they danced their last
dance on the grass about the guidepost. "If they
be lost In the wood and have to 60 hunting for
lthem, it will be pretty midsummer nights dream "
Shrill whistling and loud shouting presently grew
were kept up until the missing pair appeared
"But you do look if you had been seeing
ghosts, somebody said to them. "What are they
likeg"
"Tne nearest thing to ghost that we have seen -
said Mr. Wenn, 81 seized and brought away with
me. Here it is" Hetook little book out of his
pocket-a book bound in red morocco, and beset
with furnished gilding-whch he offered for inspec.
ton of the company.
"Why, what fruit is this to bring out of an oak
| wood cried mine host; "a corrupt French ro-
mance!"
The account brought home of the forester's de.
serted house. that had been at last actually by
| an English gentleman and lady, was in a day or
two town news, and the story to which 1t belonged
had by that time been duly fitted to it. This is the
story:
Conrad Quicker and his daughter one morning sat
at breakfast, many. many years ago.
"You spelling my coffee, Gertrude" said the
forester, stern dark looking man. your thoughts
are astray. You have been reading those detesta-
BILE red books. You must get married; be house
wife, girl,
| 81, father"
"Yes, you Peter from beyond the mountain
come to ask for you this morning. husband like
that would be good luck for princess
| 'But cannot leave you, father, and my heart is
In the forest. | should not like marrying into the
open land"
zone may breathe the more freely in the open
land, GIRL though for that | wouldn't leave the
forest. Let it pass. Marry Gottfried Schluck who
lives close by, and has gone down on his knees to
you five times over.I
HE has been married twice. father; and no man
loves a second wife,"
"Bah!" said the huntsman, scowling suddenly
upon his daughters face "As you live. tell me the
TRUTH Gertrude! What made you spoil my COT
fee7"
| "Fatherl"
''What were your thoughtsl"
| "Nothing-at least foolish was thinking only
of this stocking that | about, because it is SO
difficult to match my colors well, and am tired of
| red and green"
The old man suddenly rose and, said 1.-THE count
will be here to-day or tomorrow, Gertrude"
The girls cheeks flushed as she replied, 81 know
"How, girl, how"
| ''Francis, father brought me word he was TO
| come on st. Egidius' day."
Gay, does he so," murmured the forester, pacing
the room, thoughtfuy; "he comes on ST. Egidius'
day"
| his fire. Arnold helped me. But Arnold does not
treat me as little girl now, father, and you
Agsin the old man stopped with stern face be-
fore her to ask, "What were your thoughts, then,
| Gertrude2"
when, fathera"
| 'When you spoit my coffee"
"Oh father" she replied sobbinp tYou are ton
| hard to me. You know that this is Egidius day
| and nineteen years ago my mother died. as YOU
have set down In the Bible. And | thought how il
was that she should die of Shot, and you never
speak OF IT, and you even forbid me to speak of 1t
| to others"
The fixed glow of the old mans ewes upon her
checked the girls utterance. Silently he turned to
take from the wall his cap and gun, then returning
to her, drew her towards him, and said in hoarse
| voice, Hear me, child; will believe YOU and it
is well. DO not be eager for that story it is not
good for your ears or for my ears WHY return
to that2 1t lies deep, and the grass grows thick
aboveit. There might come up with it stuff that
would sting you, that would take away your sight
and hearing: Only mind this You think TOO much
| of-somebody who should be as tar from you as
sun from moon, from whom you should fly as the
bare from the wild cat. tell you girl, he is false
he would betray you surely as tomorrow
comes after to day. If you have done already
| more than think OF him, God pity you, for"-the
mans utterance was choked; his bony hand was
| cold and damp-"you would be better with
| milestone round your neck, under ten feet of wa
| ter" He turned suddenly away, whistled to his
dog and left her.
Gertrude had never seen her fathers gloom so
terrible; but she found girls relief in tears
Inc forester went out into the wood, and sat for
long time motionless upon gravelike mound of
stones under an oak tree, his gun resting on his
shoulder, his dogs nose thrust inquirpgly beneath
his arm. He sat there twilight, and went slowly
homeWard when the moon was rising. From the
terrace behind the house he by chance raised his
eyes towards lighted window in the corner of the
| tower There was light burning in the room, a
hre cracking. and young girl was weeping on
young mans shoulder
At lsss IN my arms again, my forest fiowerf'
Lord Count, Lord Count " said Gertrude, 'Tet
| q NJ and hofxx