The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1865-07-20

had crowned it, and dropped it over tn,
bank into the stream. People began to gC
out from the mass by two or three in differ
ent directions, to speak in private of tn,
mystery; and one inquired when anc
where Herman had last been seen, ant
another taking the hint, looked askanc.
to Leweinski, muttsring something abou
foul play.
AT length 1t was announced that the no
BILE candidate, although he had no compet
itor, would ascend the Alspach, there tc
engrave his name, and would then claim
his bride. All eyes were at once turned or
the mountain. The Count had thrown of
his mantle, and with an air of naughty tri
umph strobe across the narrow bridge, anc
began to climb the perpendicular wall.
He was agile and siaewy of limb an6
/ the failure css ~ rival Is meet his enauve
ment had given him spirit of daring not
his by nature. Up and up he climbed, and
still determined up, until his hand rested
against the rock higher than any name
had ever been carved. The populace could
not forbear breaking with one accord into
loud shouts. ...a
"You will forget us when'you are court
lady at st. Petersburg" said a fair girl
with a sad smile, as she threw her arms
around Idelette's waist.
"Talk not to me of courts.' returned the
other, in low, grief-smitten tone; 81
would rather cast myself after my flowers
and he drowned than become Leweinski's
wife,"
The candidate for her hand meantime
had cut upon the rock the first letter of his
name. But the shouting which told him
of success bewildered his brain and un-
steadied his nerves, and the knife dropped
from his hand. In an unfortunate glance
he followed it with his eve as it cleft the
air and sank into the rushing waters; the
next instant he was seen TO reel from his
slight foothold and dashed headlong into
the turbid stream, which whirled his life
less body ont of sight and bore it on to-
ward the sea. ...
While the people. one and all, stood par
alyzed ut the spectacle, another form APP
peared, as it were. lowering on the face of
the cliff-and that form was Herman's.-
At daybreak he had made the ascent and
hidden himself in the very eyrie whence
the eagle had swooped down and so signal
" defeated his antagonist five years before.
All unknowing the destruction which had
been visited upon his present rival, he
came confidently forth, chiseled his name
rapidly upon the stone in characters so
large as to be plainly legible to those be-
low, and, safely descending from that al
together unprecedented height, laid a nest
containing pair of half-fedged eagles at
Idelette's feet, while the air was rent With
the widest reioicings. Fair Idelette the
prize so well won, nearly tainted with joy
ful emotion.
Plnnging into the river, herlover brougnt
again her f1ora1 corona, wtIicir iru,i tv,i=r,d
against the bank, and replaced it glisten-
ing on her head.
While the same evening the marriage
rites of Herman and Idelette were being
performed in the little church, a courier
arrived, commissioned to take into custo-
DIV the person calling himself Count Le-
winski. Few were greatly surprised to
learn that this was not his name; that so
far from being what he pretended, he was
an adventurer and a fugitive from Justice,
having stolen the badge of rank which he
exhibited, and committed still graver Of
fences against the State, which might have
cost him his life, had nothis fearful reward
been proyideniially meted out to him al
rpoIy