Tribune and telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1855-1856, 1856-03-20
From Blackwood's Magazine.
Courtship Under Difficulties.
A HUM ROUS HISTORY.
FROM THE GERMAN OF FERDINAND STOLE.
CONCLUDED FROM LAST wEEK.)

FROM THE GERMAN OF FERDINAND STOLE.
CONCLUDED FROM LAST WEEK.
AT last said to myself, on finding myself
alone in my room Il shall have little repose
after the heat and burthen of the day, after all
my dangers and adventures So tired was
that Immediately undressed, blew out the lights
and sought my bed Pulling back tie cl othes.
stepped in, and much more hastily jumped out
again. l had come upon some hard substance,
moving between the sheets. i'll was not great
ly mistaken, it was q live tortoise Whilst /
deliberated whether should cry murder, sleep
on the sofa, or dress and leave the house, some-
thing bit my great toe with such violence that
actually yelled with agony. A gigantic craw-
fish chung to my foot. kicked about in so des-
perate a manner that / at last shook the crea-
ture off, and heard it go with crack against
the wall. fed to the sofa. horrible tho't
assailed me- What if Frager, through absence
OF mind, had ushered me into Oken's museum
and menagerie. This appeared to me the more
probable that on all sides heard strange sounds
as If numerous creatures were crawling ,trotting,
singing and humming around me. Something
flew up to me with a buzz and bounce. and
caught in my hair. cluched at it, and shud.
dered as found in my grasp beetle as big as
sparrow. / dashed it furiously from me, and
had the satisfaction of hearing it smash against
some hard substance. Scarcely was rid of the
beetle when was bitten sharply in the calf of
the leg. put down my hand, but the creature
had done his work and gone, leaving a severe
sniarting and irritation. / know not whether it
was he or one of his friends who the next in.
slant made an onslaught upon my ankle. be-
gan to hunt about for the box, that /
might at least my enemies. l sought in
vain, and was quite unable to conjecture the
nature of the monsters that, during my search,
pinched, bit, and stung, and assailed me in ev-
cry conceivable manner. Once or twice l trod
with my bare foot on hideous reptiles whose
cold Shiny touch made me leap into the air. My
capers would doubtless have diverted any who
saw them, but to me it was no laughing matter,
No martyr of ancient times, or victim of the
rchm-gericht ever suffered more than l did in
that chamber of horrors. The monsters that
congregate on the bottom of the sea can hardly
surpass in variety the inmates of that room.-
The darkness and my excited Imagination fur
Their embellished them. Presently l heard
hiss. : "A snake by all that's horrible!, said
to myself, about to coil round and deyour me-
And L sat up such and internal clamor, shout
ing and cursing, like Ajax when wounded, that
| must have been audible half mile round the
house. To add to the turmoil in my eagerness
to escape from something which heard coming
after me with sort of clappering noise, upset
the table. Several large boxes which stood up
on it were opened by the fall, and Immediate
ly perceived great increase of animation round
me. l continued to storm like a lunatic. 1t
was all one to me whether anybody in the house
slept or not. The awful row l kept up, at last
reused the counsellor, who made his appearance
i'll his dressing gown, candle in hand He at
once saw the cause of the disturbance.
Hang the girl he cried; she will soon fill
the house with her geological collection.
Itput me in mind of pictures had seen of
Ha1 hv oil
ner of beasts and creeping things. Frager led
the way to another room; which as yet was not
invaded by Okens vermin.
You have nothing to fear here said my host
and added, true to his system of making the
best of everything, you will sleep all the better
for your little misfortune
Heaven grant it, sighed /, and thought that
should have slept quite well enough without
them. After searching the whole room, under
the bed, IN the draws and closets, and satisfy
ing myself that no specimens of natural history,
either alive or Dead were there, again got be-
tween the sheets-this time without encounter
ing tortoise, but OF the less determined to fly
from Wiesenthal at cock-crow. With this
wholesome resolve stretched myself out and
went to sleep, as presume the tortoise did in
the bed originally destined for me.
Scarce had Aurora, with her rosy fingers
Hinged the hl-tops, and bathed the plants in dew,
when was afoot and packing. Whilst thus
occupied, | reflected that under all the circum-
stances, French leave was decidedly the best
leave for me to take otherwise l should have a
regular fight with Frager who would never let
me depart. When l halted for the night, l
would write him letter telling him, that, with
the best will in the world. l had been unable
longer to endure the eccentricities of his charm
ing daughters. ! would put it to him as gently
as possible, so as not to hurt his feelings; and
felt sure that when he reflected on all had gone
through under his roof, he would not feel sur
prised at my abrupt departure. Nor could my
uncle blame me, when told him of my tribu-
lations, and related the conduct of the three
mad women.
Whilst bordering on these things, / compile
ted my packing l made sure that nobody wod
be stirring in the house at that early hour, and
at any rate the ladies would be deep in their
feather-beds / was celebrating whether
should bravely shoulder my portmanteau, or
leave it to be sent after me, when the door was
burst open, and to my immense CONSERVATION,
in strobe NimroG, a brace Of duelling pistols in
her hand:
'Mercifu heavens y said to myself, torture
begins again. 1t must be owned that these am
liable demons go to work early
Without salutation or ceremony Nimrod
strobe up to me.
"Your conduct last night she said, your i'll
treatment of my sisters property, and barbarity
ly and demand atonement. l have taken the
business into my hands. We will exchange
shots
Are you out of your mind'' cried inpatient
ly.
You will soon see that replied Louisa, cold
ly and decidedly. Answer me. Is it you who
broke the claw of that rare specimen of the lob
ster tribel Is 1t you who threw the horned
beetle with such violence against the wall, that
the poor creature is still unable to walk or fyl
And was it you who upset the eases in which
colonies of spiders, earwigs, and centipedes had
long led a tranquil and happy life' Doyou con-
fess all these offencesP
My politeness was clear gone. had come
to consider Nimrod as a man, and should as
soon have thought of putting on white kid
gloves to saddle a horse, as of using towards her
that subdued tone and those guarded express
sions one usually adopts with the gentler sex.
May the devil Hy away with the whole brood
cried /, perfectly exasperated at being called to
account for my defence against the menagerle-
Follow me sir said Louisa; such express
sions as these can be washed out only with
blood. Come, sirr
Nonsense l replied. 1 do not fight with
young ladies'
'Ha = cried Nimrod stepping up close to me,
with raised pistol and an unwholesome sparkle