Saint Paul weekly Minnesotian., 1858-07-03


should live to bless me than to die cursing me,
1t is frightful to think of these slayers Of men.
Do not speak of them, sir, but let us pray
heaven to deliver the earth from them all. y
"Child !" murmured tina tortured minister,
filling Ericson's glass, and trying: to attract
his attention. ''To the glory of Alexander,
Count"
"Well said !" cried the warrior, quench-
ing his anger in a glass of delicious vine
C Come little savage to the glory OF AL
exander !" and he struck Christine's glass SO
violently as to shatter it to pieces.
6" have no thirst for such glory" replied
the saucy girl. II will not drink to one oi
those malevolent phenomena who hide a IT,
gers skin under the royal mantle"
"My lord ! my lord |" interrupted the cour-
tier, frightened at the rising anger Of his
guest, whose eyes glittered like the blade OF
a dagger. "Can the sallies of young girl
wound your feelings? She is pleased only
with her little dog, which she suffers to bite
her with impunity and tear her fingers, which
are as weak as an infants-see J" continued
the minister carelessly, seeing the soldiers
anger diminish at the sight Of the chlld-like
band which he held under his rough mus
tache. "Her warlike knowledge is limited to
the march of game of chess that narrow
spheres her field of BATTLE" continued heap
preaching the table where he had caused to
be placed a set of chsee-men, Qor chess
was Ericson's favorite game.) "She fights
the general as courageously, that even an
old soldier like myself finds some honor In
bringing down her womanish pride.'
Nothing, to all appearance, could be better
calculated to compose the rutf1ed dignity o1
the uncouth Ericsson, than the prospect of
game at chess for, turning to the capricious
and aughing child, he challenged her to play
a game with him, with more courtesy than
she had supposed him capable of showing.
Buff beat you ?" said she gayly.
1t will not be at chess alone that you are
nv conaueror, fair and wicked one!" an
swered he, looking her directly in the face and
pressing her hand so hard as to make her
exclaim. Christine blushed and cast down
her eyes, not without having given disdain-
full glance at the awkward sOldier-but the
ice was broken, the butterfly had emerged
from the chrysalis-he met her proud look
cerity.
"There is more fire in the automaton than
1 had supposed" thought Christine in confu
sion, Sand my father is forcing me to play a
hazardous game" She hid
her blushing cheek with one hand-fxed hel
eyes immovably on the chess board, deter
mined, in fierce fit of obstinacy, to play as
badly as possible to mortify her proud ad-
versary. But this was superfiuous precau
ton. The little field of battle trembled un
der Ericson's shaking hand, and he could
scarcely tell one piece Fl ON another, and
played every way but the right one; his ill.
Judged attacks were so easy to repel that the
new learner, with the innocent joy of unex.
pected success, cried out Checked-mated by
the queen 3'
"Crue one !" answered the Count, striking
with his fist in the midst of the board, which
blow made the men fall in all directions, dc
you wish to make the king your slave?"
"But do not prevent him from running
away - answered Christine, astonished al
such rudeness, and stupifed at the calmness
of her father, who was observing all this with
an ndulgent smile. cit is impossible now
to distinguish the game" continued she, try
ing to set up the king, queen and knights
which were all mixed together.
Do not try! do not try" cried Ericsson
pushing the chess-board over so that it fell
on the floor. The game is decided-you
have check-mated me completely"
Then suddenly, and as if ashamed of his
violence and of the power which so trifing
an occurrence had over him, he went out with
the most detected air Notwithstanding
his sword against his legs and swearing in
ternally at his own awkwardness, and at the
love which caused it.
e He will not come back hope," said
Christine, seeing her father return again after
having disappeared with Ericsson, whose foot
steps he had followed as if he had been the
most agreeable guest imaginable.
"You are mistaken, my DEAR" answered
the minister, who seemed delighted she is
anxious to return, and is inconsolable at not
having spent to better advantage the enchant
ing evening he owes to you"
acknowledgement! is it thus that he
speaks p answered Christine with astonish
ment "Oh father l feel l know not how y
interrupted she, seeing her father laughing al
moment when she would have preferred
his reproaches. at is to try me, is it not
that you make me believe that such a man
prcsumes to aspire to my love think he
is more in love with Alexander than with
me, and he has chosen wisely !"
{" His enthusiasm is praiswOrthy in a war
rior of nineteen years of age, whose savage
nature you are tanning. lie is in great dis
tress which should be f1attering to young
mad cap like you-but you should put limits
to your waywardness-do you hear me, my
dear? He is brave, rich and nobly born
what would you have more?"
"I would have my cousin y answered
Christine, with spirit, "my brave Adolphe
much braver than he is, l am sure, and as
| Ia
eco rest that wllful little head" said her
father kissing her forehead "and pray God
for your fathers glory"
her heart, for the paternal glory, after which
she prayed with equal fervor for Adolphe's s
happiness, which she did not consider to be
distinct from her own.
She was, for several days, too much occu-
pied in tormenting the lover whom she adored
to take thought of the one whom she de-
tested so frankly. Meanwhile, Adolphe
prouder than Christine, because he was poor
was unwilling to play any longer the slavish
part allotted him by his mistress. He had
the great courage to absent himself from her
abode, leaving Christine in CONSERVATION
thinking that she was given up by her cousin
to her richer suitor and when he re-appear-
ed, during short visits received somewhat
cold!y by his uncle, who was frozen by diplo-
macy, he kept himself so far aloot from Chris
tine, who was now in fit of the pouts, that
she found no other way to recover repose and
Adolphe, than by putting an end forever to
the audacious pretensions OF the Count.
One morning, when she wished, perhaps
even more ardently than Ericsson himself, to
be left alone with him, after having followed
her father with her eyes to the end of long
gallery, through which he disappeared under
pretext of an important dispatch to be expe-
dited, she waited with anxiety for him to speak
to repulse his addresses so effectual!y as to be
rid of him at once. In vain. The thoughtful
snitor seemed to have lost his voice. Chris
tine was dying with lmpatience. .....
81 dreamed of you, last night said she, in