Charles City intelligencer. [volume] (Charles City, Floyd County, Iowa) 1864-1866, 1866-02-22

4 " ,chtNhipt Ioi Hlo
Even in that hurried crisis, that mere
second of time, | realized how vair
was his effort to escape. There was q
crash as of two comets meeting. +;
thousand flashes of light in my brain
and then darkness and oblivion.
After a long blank, it seemed to m,
as if | was being dragged from among
splintered timbcrs. Iopened my eyes
wildly, and saw faces looking on me
The most horrible pains followed
seemed to be on fire in every nerve
and lost consciousness again.
After that remember nothing. ex.
cept a succession of the widest
dreams, and of immitigable suflerings.
| was Tantalus, in water to my chin,
dying of thirst, yet unable to drink.
| was Prometheus, chained to q rock,
the vulture forever preying on my vi.
tails. | was stretched on rack. while
familiars came, with red-hot pinchers,
and tore out bits of flesh Then the
visions changed. Plying, womanly
faces lowered about me. Soft, woman
ly fingers bathcd my hot brow. Oh
after such nights of torture, what bliss
merely to feel the ice-cold water moist
ening my burning lips. Among these
faces, sometimes, came the one which
had haunted me for years. And once,
looking furtively around, it stooped
suddenly and kissed me, a tear falling
on my cheek. Then the dreams of hor.
ror came back (: and the wheel of fire.
on which | was broken limb by limb
At last, one day, l woke perfectly
sane. In dim way was conscious
of being in large and elegant apart
ment, cool and airy even on that sultrv
summer noon. How pleasant it was
to hear the rustic of the white curtains.
How sweet the half spicy smell of the
new mating on the floor. was too
weak to rise. One of my arms was
bandagcd. My chest felt as if crush
ed IN. Feebly turning my head, though
not without pain, l saw, reading by
the window, a graceful, womanly fig
ure. The slight noise / made instant
~ attracted the readers attention she
glanced hastily around, started up, and
70 -,
gllded from the room. But not before
| had recognized the face which had
haunted me for years the face which
had looked out from the embers of the
fire, which | had seen on board the
steamer, and which had gazed on me
with such incflable pity in my dreams.
Immediately after, an elderly mat.
ron entered, whose dress and manner
were those of lady rather than of a
mere nurse. She came directly to the
bed, lifting her finger on seeing | was
about to speak.
"My niece told me Won had woke
up," she said, in soft, mothcrly voice.
The doctor said, last night, the crisis
was passed. There, not a word vet :
your life depends ON silonce. But
will tell You, or else, | fear, you won't
go to sleep again, that you are with
friends. ! am Mrs. Brown this is my
house, and You Were providentially
brought here from the scene of the ac-
cident, close by. Your hurts are all
doing weH with rest and perfect qui-
ct you are sure to recover. And now
try to sleep But first drink this,
She gave me a cooling draught, as
she spoke, arranged the pillows and
bed-clothes deity, drew the window
curtains SO as to shut out the glare,
and took the seat which had Just been
vacated. | saw that it was useless for
me to attempt engaging her in conver-
sation and, in truth, my brain was al
ready dizzy with the slight mental ef-
fort had made. Twas not sorry, there
fore, to close my eyes and obey her In
structions.
From that hour | mended rapidly.
But | never saw the face | most wish
ed to see. Once or twice, early in the
morning, | fancied | heard strange
voice whispering, out of sight, at the
head of my bed but ! could never
catch sight of the speaker. At last
came the day when / was allowed to
rise and from that time counted the
hours till had the freedom of the par
lor. The first glance about the room,
as ! entered, showed me what had
waited for SO long. There, blushing
and embarrassed, but more lovely than
ever, was she who had crossed my path
SO romantically twice before.
My niece, Miss Grayson,' said Mrs
Brown, little fancying all the introduc.
tion meant to me.
How beautiful she was Just nine
teen, with great, brown eyes, a broad,
Greek brow, and that willowy figure,
which the Arabs, in their Oriental ex.
travagance, compare to a palm-tree
When her first shyness wore off, found
she had rare gifts OF mind, which had
been cultivated to very high degree
She was full Of archness as Of old
I Her low, sweet laugh was like the CUR,
| gle of cool waters, the waters of Da.
mascus. But am telling story, not
writing a foolish rhapsody.
If ever there was happy summer
it twas that. When was well enough
we. rode, or drove, or walked together
always in the cool Of the morning, OF
by the August or September moon al
other times, we read, or talked, or she
played Chopin, or Beethoven, or sang
ballads for me-. In October, went to
my own country home; but it was on
ly to prepare it for her reception and
on Christmas-Eve | took her to it, with
the Christmas moon sparkling bright
on the snow clad hills around, and my
soul full of "peace and goodwill to
men,"
"And SO you wanted TO find me. and
educate me for your wife, she said to
me, archly, the other day. Well,
am educated. after fashion, you see
and without any trouble to your High
Miglit;ness. Yon thought | was poor
too; what pity am rich /! Did
also think of you? How could a lit
tie girl forget such handsome horses
or their master? Everybody knew
who you were. and talked of you
compared you to the Prince.in the fai
ry tale. and myself, Of course, to fool
ish Cinderella. In town often won
dered why never met you. But, be