True American. [volume] (Steubenville [Ohio]) 1855-1861, 1856-05-21
.gtltt.:tI... t. Galt,,
THE, WRATH OF, ERNHEIM.
~ by soPnRoNIA cuRR1ER


&yl--- sn,tt'' o. Us!
1.-The Baron, Albert Won Ernst, return
ed, after an absence of years, to the Cas-
e. lie of'his ancestors, still widower and
though the report had several times reach
ed Ernheim, that its lord would soon
bring home a young bride, which report
seemed TO be, confirmed by the nsiruc-
tons which were, from time TO time,
sent to his servants, the old seneschal, as
he lookedon that pale, melancholy counte-
nance. shook his head and replied, to the
eager questionings Of the other domes-
tics
mo, no the Baron will have no bride
till he is welded again to his own Maud
in Heaven !"
But the servants were incredulous. -
Why, then, had that suite of rooms, de-
signed, unquestionabIy, for a lady's use,
been added TO the castle! Was any one
fool enough to believe tina; the Baron had
prepared them for his maiden sister,
whose tastes and habits were as antigua
ted as the castle itself! Would she,
whose ear never opened to livelier note
than Deus MSerere, find pleasure in sing
ing birds, in delicately toned harps and
SpanisR gii,ars! Would she, whose
cosiliest attire was scarcely better than
that of beggar who received aims from
her hands at the castle gate, and whose
coarse dress concealed a garment of sack
cloth, be pleased with Persian carpets,
tapestries of velvet broidered with gold.
and couches of elder down with their COW
erings of richest damask Would she
like to see multiplied, by those costly
mirrors, that tall, spectrelike form, and
the features, which. naturally without
beauty, had become positively ugly by a
sour, 'ascetc disposition, and by long
fastings and vigls ? ,t .
No! and none of these things were
designed for the Lady Agatha. The Bar
on loved his sister; he felt far more in
clined 10 pity her than to be vexed at her
pecularities; he would not offend her so
much as to ask her, even TO look on such
vanities. gp,,t,f>crs .rfua..t ,'i j., f,.9
The servants were sorely puzzled, and
many impossible things were imagined
by them, but no one ever thought of any
thing so absurd as that the Baron's heir
the young Count Wilhelm, was con-
templaling marriage; that would have
been beyond the belief OF the most credu.
lous. The monkish student would never
allow himself time even TO form the ac-
quantance of woman, and beside his
aunt and the old housekeeper, he proba-
bly, had not spoken to female for years.
Wilhelm had become molheress at an
early age. He was naturally feeble,
sickly boy, and some years after the death
of his mother, the lingering, incurable dis
ease which had brought her to the grave,
was believed to have fastened itself on
him. 1t was probably as much to avoid
Witnessing repetition of those sufferings
which the most devoted care could moi
mitigate, as grief for the luss of that cher
ished wife, which caused The Baron so
long to ab sent himself from The castle
for the Lady Agatha, to whose care the
youth had been entrusted, was so anxious
lest his guardianship should be resumed
by his father, and thus all her counsels
and Instructions should be lost, that she
had kept the Baron so ignorant of the facts
respecting his son, it was only six months
before his return 10 the castle that he
learned, from an unknown source, that in
all the States there was not more robust,
fnely.formed, and handsome young man,
than his own son, and there was, per.
haPs, no one Of his age better taught ii
the learning Of the schools /; but he., was
osadly deficient in all really indispensa.
bleknowledge, that he was as. unified as
indisposed,o mmgle with socielyns shut,
tinghimself f,upia almost. monkishr seclu-
sono4Apd passing Ibis time in absiruse
studies and wild ldreamings, s,ns7is4i q.
srOa his return to his castle the Baron
found That The information he had receiy-
ed respecting his sonwas, in every par
ticular,Scorrect; but what impression the
appearance Of the young man produced
on his father, not eysnthe keen,sighted