Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1859-01-29


escape and become free.
What have they done then, what have
we all DONE asked Hertha bitterly, that
we are to be treated thus p
She sat silent for while with her burn
ing heart, in the cold unregardful world,
aud waited for an answer But no answer
came. And the worst of it was, she saw
herself sitting like the others, spinning up
on a hundrum wheel, aud singing like the
, others:
Were spinning, were spinning the whole day long
: were singing forever the selfish song.
And she thought within herself, that
rather than live in this way it would have
been better never to have been born.
But she did not sit long thus. Her soul
lifted itself up; she bethought herself of
the words Of NornOr by the Urda fountain,
that its waters were only for the heroic
hearted, aud for them who combated in
sincerity And at once there dawned with
( in her strong desire to free herself and
her captive sister-souls. She threw away
from her both distaf and reel, arose aud
said, i will combst in sincerity y
Then Hanmed aloft the fire within her
heart, raised her from the earth, and float
ed her forth above the heads of the legisla-
tors through the regions of space. This
feeling thrilled her with joy and hope, and
she thought /: The curse on me and my
sisters may then be aunulled, aud our por-
tion, after all, may be among the free 7
She invoIuntarily turned toward the
East-toward the region where she saw
,, the ascending sun; and borne, as If upon
! invisible wings, she floated forth over the
| G,rAI cho folt hpr
a career impeded, and a harsh voice ex-
! claimed sd 4..H
/, Halt who goes there p
"A SOUL replied Hertha, which seeks
freedom. life, and happiness for herself anc
many sisters
What purpose can that serve p said the
voice; a soul and you are woman p
Away with such talk | Here, in this coun.
try, women have no souls. They are not
reckoned in the population. You cannot
go forward hither. Face about, march 7
Who are you p asked Hertha, and
r what right have you TO command me
. What right p Numbered the voice. j
am the great Imperial Ukase, and stand a,
;. my post to prevent anything contrabanC
from entering the country
4 But am not contraband,' said Hertha
, i am only soul, who
> DO not argue, but obey, interrupted tn,
4 voice, else You'll have to work in Liberia
A female soul which is seeking for libcrt,
= is the most dangerous contraband article il
~ the world
Let me merely pass uninterrupted!
q through your country, 0 great Ukase f;
2 will not tarry in it, but only proceed on
h ward toward the East, youder, where tn,
! sun rises r besought Hertha.
{ You are welI-behaved person. said thu
= UkaSe more mildly, and therefore, though
: / will not allow you to go uuinterruptedly
h through my country, yet will show yoy
something, eastward, which may perhap,
% cure you of your fanatcsIn for liberty
And with this he allowed her to lool
> through large telescope, which gave he
view of the East, as far as China, wher
not only the souls of the women, but ais
their feet were impriSoned; and everywhere
on the face of the EARTH toward the sun
rise, she beheld women oppressed and de
spised, excepting where they became feareC
as despotic and vengeful powers, which
sometimes happened when they succeeded
in breaking their chains 10y violence.
What have they done ? inquired Her
e tina, 80 be thus treated !?
Whats the use of plying them !? re
piled the Ukase. They are treated as wei
as they deserve, or as they need to be-
Yes, in my holy country, very much bet
= ter. Here women are outrageously wei
used. They are not required to pay tribut
d 10 the crown, as souls and they are allow
d ed to inherit one-fourteenth part of all pre-
perty left by their relations. BY thi
means they can dress themselves handsome
ly, and talk abOut triaes as much as the
pease, provided only they are obedlent an(
do not make undue use Of their liberty -
e Now hear me, girl, you are good-loOking
e and have taken liking to you remail
q here and you shall become the white sav
of rich Bojar Come, you shall be yer.
d well off,
e And the great Ukase seized her by tn
- arm.
r Terrified and proud, at the same time
v Herlha released herself from his grasp an
e fed, hurting back as she did so glance {
d contempt at the great Ukase. She he
If ncrthward, because she saw lights shining
% heard songs of rejoicing on the shores c
the cy-sea. Here she found wild, M
3. madiac people, who wandered about it
,r dreary plains aud through its frozen prime
,e val forests They were now celebratin
their fair and wedding. Hertba saw th
le men knocking one another about as if the
n were drunk, and finally they fell upon th
d snow, and there slept. In the hut, the W.
le men surrounded the bride, and gave be
e. drink, aud drank themselves out of ju
r. amid loud laughter and noise.
er Are yon free and happy ? inquired HeI
d tha, from them. a.H
it What is free 2 replied they. rs 1t an
Ill particular kind of brandy? lfso, let us haV
N some, that We may give it to our father
ct and husbands, that they may not misuse a
he Give as some, that we also may be happ,
er Otherwise happy she who dies on the thiT
fe night. We are born to thraldom.'
on The north wind roared across the ie
,lf field. aud the wedding scene vanished in
a clond of whirling snow. After that it WI
I'd calm aud the Auroraborealis danced tore
of dance around the arctic circle so that