The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1855-06-27
ORT, LOUISIANA, WEDNESDAY,, JUNE 27 1856

Wild flower Will sometimes shoot from a rocky,
improbable soil. Then it was that the finer
part of Justine's nature began its gradual de-
velopment. Then it was that new thoughts
and fancies swarmed around her life, and mads
paradise of fort Orange, and glorfed even
the dutch tiles Of the great fireplace into
youths and damsels of the pastoral age Soft
happened that kindly fate hung few goldep
links in this iron chain of being, and truly
there were delicious little vagaries of sentiment
between the pair. Not the least of these was
the mutual wearing of a white rose, emblamatic
of I know not what mystic union
In the twilight of the old church, the rose
cleaned like garments of an angel. In the
folds of the maiden's drapery it shone as chaste
poetry of life turks every where in the rudest
of scenes. Thus, even amid the quiet phleg-
matte flow of our ancestors existence, beauty
and freshness were borne like other roses along
tie tide Of time. t. .f--...
There was secret magic in that fragile flow
er It lay beside the great bible seeming to
partake of its spiritual life. Its leaves trem-
bled to the vibrations of the sounding board.
The minister's hand rested tenderly by its side.
And not less beautiful and pure was the sister
rose in the maiden's bosom, symbol Of a love
as delicate, as stainless and as fleeing.
No one knew how this attachment would
have ended, had not Mynheer Van Hamberg
happened to light upon one of the maiden's
biIlet-doux, written in the plainest most honest
hearted dutch Whether the sight Of this
luckless epistle first infamed his wrath, or
whether his violent anger was the result of ma
turer delberation, is a point upon which tradl-
ton is silent, but certain it is, that the lion
modelled father rushed one bright autumn sab
bath TO the quiet tchurch, and raised great scan
dal and CONSERVATION among the worshpplng
burghers. The little episode Of affection came
TO as drear an end as the white rose that with
cred with the year. Justine remained solitary
in her fathers home, and the youthful dominic
went away to his native country beyond the
seas, trusting again to come at a more prosper
Gus moment. .."..
In this short sketch can only be given an out
line Of the legcnd-how years went On and the
Van Hambergs still inhabited the forlorn house.
The Herr lowered his nature day by day, to a
still more accurate level with the brutes. The
daughters plodded silently through their mo-
notonous life Aule, like some mysterious,
yet solitary shadow, rejecting all offers of SYM
pathy or companionship, which grew at last to
be seldom made. Justine seemed more active
and merry, but the spell of the mansion rested
more heavily upon her. Her beauty became
coarse and dim-her passions grew strong and
her grace and delicacy weakened. 1t was as If
the soul of the father had unnaturally entered
and permeated the body of the mother. Justine
had forgotten the epoch of her early love.
Tradition does not follow the dominic to the
far off land. 1t says nothing Of his inward
dependency or strength. We only knew that
the flower of affection blossomed even in that
foreign SOIL and that he bore it carefully back
with him to his native home. Long years otter
wards he returned to the dutch settlement, and
sought the house of the Van Hambergs The
moon shone ftfully on its weaihercock, and q
solitary light cleaned strangely enough IN the
lonely garret. Obedient to a passionate I'M
pulse, he raised the door-latch and entered. II
back chamber, the same in which the gentle
frau had died, old Anthony lay stretched upon
the hoor-not dead indeed, for his stalwartE
frame gave evidence of strength to cope with
yet many winters, but stupified into slumber by
the strong ale which still frothed in the tankard
In corner of the fireplace sat-good heavens!
was that Justine? that the angel whose spirit
had fitted round his pathway? that the star
that had lighted him through earth's dark va
pours-now become part, an enmlty of that
erovelng earth itself. >sJustine, no longer his
Justine! She saw him not, heard him not. lie
looked unseen upon the desolation OF years!
| At that instant wild strain Of disordant
melody burst once and once again through the
silent house. There was something SO unut-
terablv fearful in the sound, that it chilled the
blood in the minister's veins. 1t awoke even
stolid sleepers. A heavy fall in some chamber
above, reused him to the sense Of newer horror.
In the lonely garret, lighted only by the CLEAN
Of one ftfu lamp, Aulie Van Hamberg lay
dead From a stout ceiling beam depended a
rope by which she had hung herself, but which
unable to sustain her weight, had dropped its
lifeless burthen, striking heavily on the old
harpsichord, and awaking the discords of its
forgotten music. None knew the secret OF her
mysterious existence-none knew what hidden
an guish had inpeled her to the deed Certain
it only was. that the unnatural marriage of the
sensual man and his spirituele wife, had crea-
ted in its offspring wretched hybrid of soul
and body, which in its last repusive form had
pIOuuCtu oL1y iiiSdhiey anu uoaVH.
Is this then the sole dwelling over which
hangs the shadow of such Sgend? Is this
the only home which mas witnessed such fearful
union? Look to it, that even in the present age
there be not many modern mansion in which
tradition shall leave a darker story than that
which haunts the chambers of the old corner
house.
The Lyons (France) papers are full of the
following singular story:
"On the 18th instant number of English
men established in that city gave splendid
banquet to a countryman Of theirs, Mr.. Ar
thur Fleeming a rich merchant OF London,
then Of Lyons, who has just completed resi-
dence of eleven months in the prison Of Frank
fort, Germany, in which he had been placed
under the following circumstances:
About twelve months ago Mr.. Fleemlng
stopped for two days at one of the principal
hotels at Frankfort on the Maine, and on the
third day, when about to leave, called tor his
BILL which to his establishment, amounted to
$50 francs. Indignant at this exorbitant de-
mand, he rendered one half of it, but the land
lord persisted, and threatened to send his Gus
IL l,x no nj al tfYSN-