The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1859-04-13
LOVE And Mnna-

of the Lahu-that miniature Rhine all hordara.
) with orchards and vineyards, and steer. wooded
. hills. Nothing can be more romantic than tn.
situation Of the town. which consists of one lono
irregular line Of hotels and lodging houses, witt
the mountains at the back, the river in front
and long, double rows of aeacias and Gndens
planted at each side of the carriaoe- way
Swarns Of donkeys with gay saddles, ATTENDED
by drivers in blue blouses and scarlet-trinne(
: caps, lolter beneath the trees, soliciting hire
The duke of Nassau's band plays alternate Sc
; lections Of German, Italian and French music
in the pavilion in the public garden. Gaming
is going forward buSily in the conversation Hau,
alike daily and nightly. Ladies are reading
: novels and eating ices within hearing of the
band; or 60 by, with colored glass lumblers II
their hands, toward the Kurhaus. where the
hot springs come bubbling up from their nau
seous sources down in the low vaulted galleries
filed with bazaar like shops, loungers touters
and health-seekers. All is pleasure, Incidence
and Irritation
To Ems, therefore, came the Herr Graft Y on
Steinberg-or, as we should say, the count Y on
! Steinberg-to drink the waters, and to while
away few weeks OF the summer season. He
was tall, talr, handsome young man; an ex-
cellent specimen OF the German dragoon. You
would never suppose, to look at him, that any,
thing of illness could be his inducement for vis
ting Ems; and yet he suffered from two very
serious maladies, both of which, it was to be
feared, were incurable by any springs, medic-
/ nal or otherwise. In word, he was hopelessly
in love, and desperately poor The case was
! this His grandfather had left large property,
which his father, an irreclaimable gambler had
spent to the uttermost farthing. The youth had
been placed in the army, chiefly through the
interest Of friend. His father was now dead;
the inheritance forever gone; and he absolutely
nothing beyond his pay as captain of dragoons
and the distant prospect of one day retiring with
the little and half-pay Of major. A sorry future
for one who was disinterestedly and deeply in
love with one of the richest heilesses in Ger
many
''Who marres my daughter will receive with
her dowry of 100000 forms, and | shall ex-
pect her husband to possess, at least, an equal
fortune"
So said the Baron of Hobendorf, in cold re.
ply, to the lovers timid declaration; and with
these words still ringing in his ears, weighing
on his spirits, by day and night, heavily upon
his heart, came the count Won Steinberr, to
seek fofgetfulness, or atleast, temporary amuse-
ment, at the Brunnen Of Ems But in vain
Pale and silent, be roamed restlessly to and fro
upon the public promenades or wandered away
to hide his wretchedness in the forests and lonely
valleys around the neighborhood of the town.
Sometimes he would mingle with the gay crowd
in the Kerhaus. and taste the bitter waters;some-
times linger mournfully round the tables of the
gaming company, gazing enviously, yet with a
kind of virtuous horror, at the glittering heaps
Of gold and at the packets of crisp, yellow notes
which there changed hands so swiftly and in
such profuson But Albert Yon Steinberg was
no gambler. He had seen and experienced the
evil Of that terrible vice too keenly already in
his own father, to fall prey to it himself Years
ago he had vowed never to play; and he had
kept his oath, for no card had auar hpen fauched
by his hand. Even now, when he found him.
self, as It might happen now and then, looking
on with some little interest at the gains and losses
of others, he would shudder, turn suddenly
away, and not return for days. Nothing could
be more regular than bis mode Of life. In the
morning he took the waters; at noon he walked
or read, or wrote; in the evening he stroled out
again and heard the band and by the time that
all the society of the place was assembled in
the ballroom or at the tables, he had returned
to his quiet lodgings and, perhaps, already gone
to bed, in order that he might study some scien-
tifc work, or to take pedestrian excursion to
the ruins of some old castle, within the limits of
long walk
Il was dull life for a young man-especally
with that sweet, sad recollection Of Emma Won
Hohendorf pervadng every thought, every mo
mentof the day. And all because he was poor?
Was poverty crime, he asked himself, that he
should be punished for it thus? He had great
mind to throw himself off the rock where he
was standing-or throw himself into the river
if it was deep enough-or 90 to the Baron's
own castle gate, and shoot himself-or-or, in
short TO do anything desperate, if it were only
sufficiently romantic; for his hot, young German
head, filed with sentiment and Schiller could
be content with nothing less than an imposing
tragedy.
He thought all this, sitting in little fantastic
summer-house, perched high up on a ledge of
rocks, just in front Of the gardens and public
buildings. He looked down at the gay com
pany far beneath, and he heard the faint music
Of the royal band. The sun was just setting
the landscape was lovely-life was still sweet.
and he thought that be would not commit sui
eide that evening at all events. So he went
moodily down the narrow pathway, across the
bridge, and quite by chance, wandered once
more into the Conversation Haus The game
was going on, the glittering gold pieces chang
ing hands, the earnest players sitting round as
usual The sight only made him more unhappy.
'Two hundred thousand florins!" he thought
to himself 1.-TWO hundred thousand horins
would make me the happiest man on earth, and
| cannot get them. These men win and lose
Two hundred thousand forins ten times over in a
week, and think nothing Of the good, the hap
piness, the wealth, they would be to numbers
Of their fellow creatures. What miserable dog
[ am!''
And he pulled bis hat on ferceiy, folded his
arms, and strobe out of the room, taking the road
% his lodging with SO dismal an air that the
people in the streets turned and looked after
lim, saying, He has lost money-we saw him
coming out of the gaming rooms
''Lost money! muttered be to himself, as he
vent into his garret and locked the door, 'elost
money. indeed! I wish had any to lose.
and poor Albert Won Steinberg fell asleep,
amenting that the age of fairies and gnomes
1ad passed away.
His sleep was long sound and dreamless-for
Young men. in spite of love and poetry can