True American. [volume] (Steubenville [Ohio]) 1855-1861, 1856-05-21
q RAGAN,. Editor and Proprietor.

for the society of his son, and it gave him
much satisfaction 10 think $50, fearing. as
he had done, that his course of life would
be interfered with by his father. His
liberty was not at all intriDged on, and his
mornings were spent in the study of diff
fcult, abstIuse sciences, and his evenings
in those wild dreamIngs which sometimes
almost maddened him. .s....... t... .,...
Ii had been some weeks since the Bar
on's return 10 The castle, aud his son had
almost forgotten his presence there, when,
near the twilight Of a day which had been
one of more than usual intense and fruit
less mental toll 10 him, and his frame was
enervated by want of exercise, and the
powers of his mind exhausted by that
long-conlinued tension, that the young
man who had lately been seized with the
phantasy that he had talent for painting,
placed before him a work of one of
the great masters, and sat down to his
easel. But the canvas was still uncolor-
ed when the suns last ray was gliding the
mountain tops, and the moon was begin
ming to silver the beautiful Rhine.
Twas a lovely landscape which lay be-
meath that high turret window, and pleas
ant sounds came floating on that soft, de.
Iicious breeze, through The open case
menl. There was the .inkling of bells,
the lowing of cattle, and the call of the
herdsman, which, in the distance, seemed
like the refrain Of the milk maids merry
song; in the court an old piper was play
ing lively air on The fageolet, while
several young girls, with flowing tresses,
and round white arms, were dancing
over the lawn; the swallows were twit-
tefing beneath the window, the dove was
cooling 10 his mate, and now and then
was heard. in the pauses of this varied
but harmonious song, the dash of oars
and The whislling of boatmen.
But the young Count Wilhelm, in his
high turret chamber, saw nothing but
that old painting he had selected for his
copy, aud The untouched canvas; he heard
nothing but the beating of his heart,
which told how time was passing away,
while the purposes of life were so lily
accomplished. What those purposes
were, the young man might not have found
it easy to explain; but the eager, avari-
cious economist of time remembered that
the whole day had passed, and nothing
was added to that already useless, unman-
agcable mass he had crammed into his
brair. A whole day! as thought cast a
backward glance, he remembered that
there had been many days and weeks and
months passed in tie same manner at the
organ with the chisel, The pencil, and the
pen, and sickening sensation crept over
lis soul. -' . .'.''.'|
The young Count was no genius; he
had an active powerful mind, and in any
pursuit he might have engaged in, he had
made himself respectable; but it was al
ways exhausted energies and despond-
ing heart which he brought TO his sell-im-
posed task and then he goaded himself
almost TO madness for his ill-success.
Softly, sweelly as an angels whisper,
fell the tones of the cuIfew on the even
ing air.
THE Wrath Of Ernheim walks through
the castle tonight! pray, pray-'Lead us
not into temptalion!' uttered a low,
harsh voice close to the ear of The Count,
and the Lady Agatha left the chamber as
suddenly and silently as she had entered
l'' .dyirdsfif 1s ye7iT
Mechanically the young man bowed
his head on his folded arms as he had
been taught by his aunt in his childhood
to do; and, though reasonhad taught him, /,
years since, to discredit The tales told of a
my sterious visitant at the castle, this was
the first time he had failed to utter the
exorcism taught him by the lady. Twas
not however, from fOrgellulness Of. that
injunction, so often repeated; for, for
some.reason those old.legends which had
SO terrified his childhood, came with unu-
sual force to slmind. n ;5i ~ b7 so
The Wrath Of Ernheim was, it was
said, that of tho first Baroness Won Ernst.
When she had come bride to the castle,
she was an angel ofbeapty and goodness;
but before many years had passed away,
she sought forbidden knowledge, and Tho