The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1856-12-13

h perfectly fresh and quite at her orders?
d added tha | should certainly have no chan
J. Of e1,,a,ling her shooting. Meyer mil
| that" was her reply, and she carried off h
victim. | had not fired a pistol for fi'
I years; she handled the weapons with
t practiccd deyterity that made me look ver
clumsy. As | lad foreseen, l had not Ii
2 slightest chance with the expert marks-wC
, man. | considered mvsclf very fortunat
5 when hit the target, which was as big as
plate; whereas she put the bullet IN th
l bulls eye at almost every shot. She 500
got tired Of that, and fired at birds and a
trult upon the trees. At last she produces
an ace OF hearts, and badc Inc hold il out a
arms length, | enqaired her object. Sh
would shoot the ace out, she said. ex
postu!ated; she was firm. Attention. =
she cried, 81 fire ! threw the accursc,
card away.
This is tempting Providence" said
have not the least doubt Of your Skill
On the contrary"
Louisa stood before ne, with her pisto
cooked, Ike destroying angel.
VIII You instantly pick up that card, o
! send bullet through your hair"
This was worse tnan scslpng. | tried t.
sDiie, and turn it off as a Joke. /" 1 do no
joke" calmly replied the terrible Louisa
and too. a steady aim at my head. | tho'
should have tainted. Mechanically stOop-
cd, picked up the card, and held it by the
extreme edge, as far from my body pos
/ sIble, | felt that my arm treinbled but
! preferred "a shot in the arm to one in the
head. The pistol went of, and Louisa hur-
/ riei up to me. The bullet had cut out in
the ace. Ny patience wa, at end.
7 NaHa SafI | Il
rather angrily, Il must Inform you that
+ do not relish jests of this kind
/ - All one TO me- was her laughing reply.
do. But you are only Phllistne," she
added in university phrase, looking down
/ upon me as student OF tive years standing
might upon some pusilauimous freshman.
| And away she tripyrd, discourteOusly
leaving Inc by myself. | thought little of
the discourtcsy, and was glad to be rid Of
her at any price.
- \ real blessing would such wife be"
thought to myself. And | made up my
miad that nv stay at Wiesenthal should be
Of very short duration. Passing through
the garden, met Old Frager, who doubtless
noticed discomposure on ny countenance.
Il fear he SAID, d" that NInrod has
played You some fresh trick
The young lady" | replied, - is un-
doubted'y an excellent shot; but am no
lover of such military exercises
You really have nothing t. fear"
''Ihe devil | haven't" thought | to my
self. No one" added | aloud. can al
ways answer where bullet shall strike. A
quicker throb Of the pu s., the sudden sting
Of an insect may alter the direction OF the
weapon
The doating father seemed struck by the
truth Of this but lie said nothing, and
turned the conversation. Stro,ling together
through the garden, we stopped to look at
gigantic sunilOwcr, which thought was the
largest had ever seen. A we stood ai-
mlring. the enormous flower, a gun was fired
close at hand; the bullet passed less than
two feet before US, and went right through
the suniower, sovering it from its stem.
This was too much even for Fra.er's endu-
rance. by heavens" he exclaimed, ''you
are right; the girl is intolerabie - and turn
Jag to Louisa whose lovely, laughing coun-
ief.aRoe appeared through the branches Of a
roSe-Iaurel, he ordered her. in an angry tone
TO take the gun into the house. and not 10
touch it again for four and-twenty hours.
Nimrod forthwith disappeared.
:" | hope said the counsellor, apologiz-
ingly. as we walked back to the house, that
sisters pranks have made upon YOU. IL
Louisa, with her rage for shooting, risks in.
hicting wounds, Emily, on the other hand.
is always ready to heal them"
In the dinin. room, the table was spread
for five. a servant asked if he should
bring in dinner.
Are Emily and Errestne at home: -
asked Frager.
- Not yet returned
And Louisa :"
Miss Louisa has just ridden ont again"
" Well" said the patient counsellor. with
out a word Of dsapproval, - then we shall
dine alone. | cannot imagine" he contin
ued, when we had sat ourselves down,
what has come to the girl | never saw
her so uuruly and reckless as day"
For my part did not at all regret MIN
rods absence. Had she been there, do
notbelicve ,oIid have swallowed a mouth
luL | made no doubt that, like the pirate
captains of the Spanish Main. she dined
with brace of pistols beside her plate
notwithstanding the fright she had given
me, was very hungry; the counseIlors
cook was good, and | was passing nearly
the first pleasant moments had since my
arrival at Niesenthal. when the door open
ed and the dark browed Emily entered
The portrait had told the truth. She was,
if possible, still hsndsomer than Louisa
Quite dazzed by her beauty, rose and
bowed. Like her sister she needed me not,
but hurried to her father, and embraced
him.
a most successful operation" she cried,
"poor Arnold is saved. 1t was high time
10 amputate, however. See here, the state
the hand is in
And AS she spoke, she unfolded a linen
cloth, and displayed the shattered hand with
its raw stump. have always had the great
est horror of operations, and aversion for
everything savoring Of the dssecting room;
and the sight of this dead hand made Inc
quite sick. 1t was all up with my appetite
for that day.
1--WE are at dinner: how can you bring US
such disgusting Objects
Naturdlia non sunt pardtia,' replied
the female surgeon; "what care art and sci
ence about your appetizer
"If you do not consider me-" continued
Fragcr, you might my guest. This is Mr.;
Frank Stcinman, the nephew of my old
friend, of whom have often spoken to you
Dietfenbach regarded me, as | thought, |
with no very friendly expression.
"Had known" she said, speaking cold |
ly and contemptuouSly, that the gentleman
shuddcrs at blood, and cannot bear to be- |
hold an amputated limb, l would certainly
have spared him the sight of the result OF
our operation. thought he had been
scientifically educated man"
Miss Emily was gradually becoming as
odous to me as her galloping pistol-tiring |
sister. Her father scoded, but his words |
were mere wind, as regarded their effect up
on Dietfenbach, who was far too much en-
crossed with her amputation to care cop.
per for paternal chidings. Again putting
forward the abominable hand, she began to
explain, in scientific phrase, the nature of
the injuries, and the necessity Of its removal,