The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1864-04-21

have had a right to be angry with me had
profited by their hospitality to steal the at
fections of their daughter. They had made
afriend Of me, the solitary young English
man, had cherished me in sickness, and had
never by word or deed betrayed the slight
est feeling of any social inequality between
us. And yet such inequality existed The
Dyrings, impoverished as they were, were Of
a proud old race and it was hardly probable
that an English engineer, bred in quiet Es-
sex parsonage and without wealth or con-
nection to recommend him, would be thought
a fitting suitor for the long descended Chris
tina Dyring,
had got so far in my meditations when
there was tap at the door, and the baron
himself came in. He was in Copenhagen
for day or so, and had come, he said, to
have peep at me before leaving. That |
was glad to see him. and to hear the latest
news from Rothesgaard need not say, All
well? Certainly Christina little pale
and subdued in manner her father thought,
but Madame attributed that to the unhealthy
season, the fall of the leaf / could not but
think that the baron was looking ILL., He
was haggard, as if with want of sleep, and
his strong right hand was hot and feverish
! But he protested that he was quite WE'LL
quite well. He had been restless of late, he
said, fitting from town to town, ransacking
| libraries and archives for information, rela-
tive to the drainage of meres and marshes.
He said with forced laugh, that | should
think him foolish, but that that distitch,
that doggerel prophecy | had discovered,
and which tailed with half-forgottenle legends,
haunted him. He had heard, when child,
of much the treasure lost in the old inunda-
ton.
But what was my amazement when, af-
ter much beating about the bush, the Bar
on came out with a serious proposal to drain
the Agger ford, and produced quantity of
rough calculations bearing on the subject
He was to borrow money on mott
gage, since he had no pecuniary capital the
ford was to be drained on the 'polder" prin-
ciple, so successful in Holland; and in the
management of which l had, as he was
aware, some experience; to cap all. | was
to be head engineer, and reside at Rothes-
gard during the operations, with one fourth
Of the recovered treasure for my need.
1t was great temptation-very great.
To go back to the castle, back to Christina,
but drove the fiend, dishonesty, from me
though it cost me a pang before | could say,
MY dear, good friend, don't think me a
churl for saying no. AS I'm an honest man.
| must say it for two reasons. In the first
place, these old treasures generally turn out
to be myths nine times in ten, while the
expenses would be awful, and the probable
result. ruin. [ know what you would
say; have just reclaimed sixteen hundred
acres from the sea. Yes, but it was done
by wealthy company of British capital
lists, and, though we have beaten Neptune
for once, the costs will swallow up all the
profits for ten years or more And next,
forgive my bluntness, l love Mademoselle
Dyriag, and | sboui,ii be base were I to try
to win her love in return, without your per
mission; yet
And here broke down The Baron got
very red walked TO the window, and look
ed out into the busy street, beating with his
fingers on the glass Of the windoW-pane.
After good while he turned round, and
said, kindly that had behaved most homo
.rably, and that he liked me more than ever.
He went on to add that Christina was but a
child, girls are always children in their pa
rents eyes, and that there las plenty of
time before her. ere she troubled her little
head about love and marriage. AS to me,
[ should myself be married long before that
day. And he gave my hand "a squeeze that
| felt an hour afterwards, and took leave of
me.
Long months afterwards, in the pleasant
spring weather, | got a letter from Madame
| Dyring ostensibly to beg that | would exc
cute certain commissions for her in Freder-
lex street However, the good mistress Of
Rothesgaard was poor diplomatist, and
she soon revealed her real purpose. had
not, it seemed, been successful III dissuading
the Baron from his rash project, His mind
was so bent on draining of the waters of the
Agger ford, and gaining the treasure whose
recovery would restore the fallen fortunes of
his family, that he was on the high road to
ruin He had for months, even through the
lnclement season, been carrying on extensive
and costly operations, under the guidance Of
a very clever American, a military man, a
certain Colonel Popplewell of the United
States service. The gentleman whom the
Baron had met at Kiel, was a man of sci
ence, and a skilled engineer, and he was a
superintendent OF the works and guest at
the castle. The Baron thought kindly of
him and followed his advice implicitly, but
| the rest Of the household had not taken any
peculiar fancy to him. Evidently the Bar
oness was alarmed as to the consequences of
the lavish expenditure going on, and she
| begged us a favor, that would come down
for week or two and pive my opinion of
the state of affairs. eve shall all be glad to
see our English friend again !" said the post
script.
l could not get leave Of absence at once,
but in about three weeks after the receipt of
| Al 20 | I1>I1 ~fs
Rothesgaard. The Baron looking ten years
older than he used to look, but still frank
and hearty, came into the hall to greet me.
The family, he said would be glad to have
me back among them, and he was sure that
|, on my part would be charmed with Col
Popplewell. He, the Baron, had not men
toned my name or profession, or even my
nationality, to the colonel but he was sure
that we should take to each other at once
as kindred spirits. In minute more was
in the drawing-room. In the midst of the
Dyring family stood a tall, bony man, show
| lily dressed and with profuson of coarse,
black hair falling over his salow cheeks,
and high but narrow forehead.
Colonel PoppIewel-Mr. King!" said
the Baron, gaily, initiating, as near as he
could the traditional English method of in
PRODUCTION. ''You will be good friends, my
dear sirs, venture to predict. But, alb, him
, mel! what is the matter? ?"
For the distinguished Colonel Popplewell,
who had given very visible start at the
first sight Of me- and another at the mention
of my name had redeemed, dropped his eyes
: lifted them again, finally turned away, anC
: shuf1led out OF the room with all dispatch
The Baron called to him, but in vain, and il
a moment more we heard the hall door slam
violently. The American was gone, and ii
5 was plain that | was thescause of his abruEs
exit
2 ''My word upon it." said Madam Dyring
'our good Mr.. King has met the Colonel be