The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1869-01-01
OMSBURG, PA, FRIDAY, JAN. l. 1869.


| will not say how violent was my
grief. With all his humors, | loved
my father with the most filial tender.
ness. Grief and the excitement OF the
journey prostrated my health. was
seized with a violent fever, which was
really a benefit to me, as became Who'll
ly unconscious. For three months dill
not leave my bed. When / recovered,
as it were, out of a cloud, / was as cold
and Indifferent as if nothing had hap
pened, as if had lost all feeling.
The affairs of our house had been
thrown into some confusion by the
death of my father and the long con-
tinuance of my Illness. Happily for
me, labor and occupation were afforded
me.
Within year and a day, however,
every thing was put to rights, and was
the master of my house. And when
the black Grape disappeared from nv
arm and lat, ,aunts and cousins thronged
around Inc, full of marriage plans. Such
manifestations of cousinly and auntly
regard are as necessary and unavoidable
as birth and death. | let the match
makers have their way, and troubled
myself very little about their advice or
Their plans. No cousin, no aunt-IIy-
mems ever-ready servants-can ever eff.
feet so much as simply a single pretty
maiden, and at the right hour. But in
our whole city and neighborhood there
was no pretty maiden-no, that is a
caIumny it was the magic hour that
had not come.
Nevertheless, this continual question
Ing and answering brought me to re-
lection; really perceived that | was
alone, aud that l wanted something.
My house, since my fathers death, had
become wilderness. And vet. among
the ten thousand young ladies whom |
had ever seen, l knew no one with
whom l should like to share my life
and my wilderness.
My residence in Vienna and the
beautiful Tarnau suddenly occurred to
me, know not how, for it was'a long.
forgotten story. Fortunately, | was
alone in my room, for | believe that
grew iire-red at the remembrance; at
last | suddenly sprung up from tic sofa,
stretched my arms far out into the air
us if to embrace the heavenly IMAGE,
and sighed-no, l called aloud with
mingled rapture and pain, ".r"ecphine!
Josephine -
That was, believe, the ,uigic hour.
To increase my dsquiet, the very
next night the god of dreams. showed
me the bean IN the SnoC. Josephine was
beautiful enough in herself, but my
namored Imagination Illuminated
her with unearthly beauty. Let no
one laueh-I had gone to bed sober,
hut arose the next morning intoxi-
Gated with love.
Now, indeed, was my house desert
and waste, as the old Chaos OF Creation
midgt have been. I sought Josephine
everywhere; l saw her everywhere. l
thought of her as my wife, now at the
piano, and myself behind her listening;
and now at my side on the sofa at a
little round breakfast table. In the tu-
multi Of my imagination, all her indes-
cribable grace, her smile, her look, and
her nightingale tones became ever more
OeWitching. | was no longer master of
myself; wa s lost in a conflict of emo
tions ofall sorts at. one time l was up
on the point Of shouting aloud from
very ccstasy,So bri ght were my dreams,
and then, again, was ready to weep.
When thought how Josephine, per-
hals, might reject me, sometimes, be-
lieVc, | really did shout and weep.
for was like wild dreamer, who is
only at home with his ideal and is deaf
and blind to the outward world.
This condition was intuleraJle. ar
RANGED my business, ordered post horses,
and flew to Nierna.
1t Is true, some sober considerations
no" and then occurred to me on the
way. Ilowmuch might she have chang
ell in sixteen months thought /. Per-
haps she loves another. Perhaps she
Is married. She may not be at her own
disposal. She is too young, and has
parents and relatives, and they have
Views which neither Of Us know of; or
.he may he of high rank.
| then thought over our former friend
y intimacy, and consOled myself with !
he remcm brance Of her pale counte- |
nance, her sufiused eyes, and her ar
tent, involuntary pressure of my hand |
when we parted. In all these In ngs | |
o9nd proof of Josephine's interest in
even Of love, although these
'ircu instances might have been inter-
1reted in Il diilGrent way. But that
night not utterly despair, | was forced
o conclude on the whole that the lady
'on Tarnau was not Indifferent to me.
Setter not to live, than TO live without |
Ter; better deluded and happy, than
showing the truth and miserable
Filled with these thoughts, | again
approached Vienna. Bat when saw
he steeples and roofs in the distance, it
occurred to me that, although | had
onsidered all chances, had not taken
nto account that year ago Josephine
vas stranger like myself in Vienua,
nd could hardly be in Vienna still.
( Continued,
DO You ADNERTISE 9--Thn hnsinA.s