The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1867-11-07

Steinmarc was emboldened, and was
now eager. and held her to her own
plan. It was a good plan, aud he
was ready. He found that he
could love the maiden, and
he wished to take her to- his bosom at
once. For few days the widow 5
heart relented; for a few days there.
came across her breast frail, foolish,
human idea of love and passion, and
4 the earthly joy-of two young beings,
4 happy In each! others arms. For
while she; thought with regret of
what she was about to do, of the sac
srifce to be made. of the. sorrowIto be.
endQred,of the deathblow to be given
Ito those dreams of love Which doubt,
Hess had arisen. though hitherto they
were no more than dreams. Madame
tStaubaeh, though she was now a
saint, had been once a woman,
and knew as well as any woman
Of what nature are the dreams Of love
which fill the heart of a girl. 1t
was because she knew them so well,
that she allowed herself only few
hours of such weakness. What
should she hesitate between heaven
and hell, between God and devil, be-
tween this world and the next, be-
tween sacrifice of time and sacrifice of
eternity, when the disposal of her
own neice, her own child, her nearest
and dearest, was concerned? Was it
not fit that the world should be
crushed in the bosom of a young girl?
I Aud how could it be crushed So eff
fectually as by marrying her to an old
man, one whom she respected, but
who was otherwise distasteful to hcr-
one who, as husband, would al first
be abhOrent to her? AS Madame
Staubach thought of heaven then,
girl who loved and was allowed to
indulge her love could hardly go to
heaven. Let it be so, she said to
Peter Steinmare after her few days of
weak vacillation-" let it be so. /
think that it will be good for her."
Then Peter Steinmarc swore that it
would be good for Linda-that it
should be good for Linda. His care
should be- so great that Linda might
never doubt the good . Peter Stein
marc, I am thinking of her SOUL
said Madame Staubach. am
thinking of that too" said Peter;
one has, you J. know, to think OIL
everything in turns 9a1
Then there came to be little diff
Guilty as to the manner in which the
proposition should be made to Linda
Tressel. Madame Staubach thought
that it should be first made by
Peter himself, but Peter was of opin-
ion that if the ice were first broken
by Madame Staubach, final success
might be more finally achieved She
owes you obedience, my friend, and |
she owes me none, as yet, said Peter. |
There seemed to be so much of truth |
In this that Madame Staubach yielded, |
and undertook to make her first over
ture to Linda on behalf Of her lover. |
CHAPTER II.
Linda Tressel was tall, light built, |
active young woman, IN full health, |
by no means fine lady, very able and |
very willing to assist Tetchen in the |
work of the house, or rather to be |
assisted by Tetchen in doing it, and |
fit at all points to be the wife of any |
young burgher in Nuremberg. And |
she was very pretty withal, with eager,
speaking eyes, and soft luxurious /
tresses, not black, but Of so very dark |
a brown as to be accounted black /
In some lights It was her aunt's
care 10 have these tresses confined, /
so that nothing of their hayward OBJ |
stinacy in curling might be seen by |
the eyes of men; and Linda strove to /
obey Ter aunt, but the curls would |
sometimes be too strong for Linda, /
and would be seen over her shoulders
and across her back, tempting the
eyes of men soreiy Peter Steinmarc
had so seen them many a. time. and !
thought much ofthem when the offer of /
Linda's hand was first made to him
Her face, like that of her auut, was oval
10 its form, and her complexion was /
dark and clear. But perhaps her
greatest beauty consisted In the half l
soft, haif-wild expression of her face, /
which, while it seemed to declare to
world that she. was mild, gentle, /
p / for the most part, silent, gave a t
cue, doubtful promise of something
that might be beyond, if only her ma
ture were sufficiently awakened, Gre
ating hope and mysterious longing /
for something more than might be ex-
pected from girl brought up under /
the severe thraldom of. Madame I
Charlotte Staubach-creating a hope. T
or perhaps it might be fear. And |.
Linda face in this respect was the /
true reflex of her character. She
lived with her aunt quiet, industri- +
GUS, sober life, striving to be religious
with the religion of her aunt, She +
had almost brought herself to believe
that it was good for her to be crush T
ed. She had quite brought herself
to wish to believe it. She had within
her heart no desire for open rebellion
against domestic authority. The world +