The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1869-12-10

curiosity was without limit, Unsuitable.
Taubac complained greatly.
"Master Christian" said he, show in /
the devil do you pass your time? Form.
erly you painted something for me
every week now you do not finish
piece once month. Oh, you painters
Lazy as a painter is good, wise prov
erb. AS soon as you have few kreut.
GERS in possession, you put your hands
in your pockets and go to sleep"
1 confess that l had begun to lose |
courage had watched, spied, and dis.
covered nothing. 1 said to myself that
the old woman could not be SO danger.
Gus as / had supposed; that had per-
haps done her injustice by my suspi.
cions; in short, began to make excuses
for her. One lovely afternoon, with
my eye fixed at my post of observation,
L abandoned myself to these benevolent
reflections, when suddenly the scene
changed: Fledermausse passed through
the gallery with the rapidity of light
ming. She was no longer the same per-
son she was erect, her jaws were clinch-
ed, her glance fixed, her neck extended;
she walked with grand strides, her gray
locks floating behind her.
"Oh, at last" 1 said to myself, "some.
thing Is coming, attention !" But alas,
the shadow of evening descended upon
the old building, the noises of the city
expired, and silence prevailed.
Fatigued and disappointed, lay down
upon my bed, when, casting my eyes
toward my dormer-window, l saw the
room opposite illuminated. So trav.
eller occupied the Green Room-fatal
to strangers.
Now, all my fears reawakened ; the
agitation Of Fledermausse was explain
ed-she scented new victim.
No sleep for me that night the rust
ling Of the straw, the nibbing of the
mice under the floor, gave me nervous
chills. l rose and leaned out of my
window; l listened. The light in the
room opposite was extinguished. In
one of those moments of poignant anx-
iety, cannot say if it was illusion or
reality, thought 1 saw the old wretch
} also watching and listening.
The night passed, and the gray dawn
came to my windows; by degrees the
, noise and movements in the street as
cended to my loft. Harassed by fatigue
and emotion I fell asleep, but my slum-
Der was short, and, by eight o'clock, 1
had resumed my post of observation.
1t seemed as if the night had been as
disturbed and tempestuous to Fielder
mausse as to myself When she open
ed the door of the gallery, saw that
= livid pallor covered her cheeks and
thin throat; she had only her chemise
and woolen shirt, few locks of red
dish gray hair fell on her shoulders. She
n looked toward my hiding place with g
a dreamy, distracted air, but she saw
h nothing; she was thinking of other
:, things.
J. Suddenly she descended, leaving her
d old shoes at the bottom of the steps,
a "Without doubt" thought l, "she is
d going to see if the door below is well
e fastened"
e saw her remount hastily, springing
g up three or four steps at time-it was
: terrible.
# She rushed into the neighboring cham
!; ber, and | heard something like the
= falling of great chest; then Fielder
= mausse appeared upon the gallery drag.
y ing manikin after her, and this man
e ikin was clothed like the Heidelberg
s. student.
@ With surprising dexterity, the OLD
:, woman suspended this hideous Object
n to beam, then descended rapidly tc
8 the courtyard to contemplate it. A
If burst of sardonic laughter escaped from
her lips; she remounted, then descend
: ed again like maniac, ard each time
i uttered new cries and new bursts OF
i laughter.
If A noise was heard near the door, and
d the old woman bounded forward, un-
|, hooked the manikin and carried it off
r then, leaning over the balustrade with
d her throat elongated, her eyes flashing,
d she listened earnestly. The noise was
lost in the distance, the muscles of her
:; face relaxed, and she drew long breaths
n 1t was only a carriage which had pass
3, ed.
}. The old wretch had been frightened.
She now returned TO the room, and |
= heard the chest close. This strange scene
;. confounded all my ideas. What did
# this manikin signify? l became more
|, than ever attentive.
!, Fledermausse now left the house with
" her basket on her arm. l followed hel
r with my eyes till she turned the corner
y Of the street. She had resumed the all
j. of trembling old woman, took shor
steps, and from time to time turned hel
/, head partly around, to peep behino
from the corner of her eye.
e Fledermausse was absent fully five
hours. For myself, went, i came, Il medi
r tated. The time seemed insupportable
e scorchcd my brain.
g. Now / saw, at the window, the gooC
l. man who occupied the fatalGreen Cham
sr Der he was brave peasant of Nassau
e with large three. .cornered hat, a scar
N let vest, and a laughing face; he smok
lc ed the pipe OF Ulm TRANQUILITY, ant
Is seemed to fear no evil.
v, | felt a strong desire to cry out to him
'e "Good man, be on your guard DO no
ar allow yourself to be entrapped by TIN
id old wretch distrust yourself!" but h
IS would not have comprehended me. To
ward two o'clock Fledermausse return
Id +ed. The noise of her door resounde,
er through the vestibule. Then alone, al
ID alone, she entered the yard, and seate,
s, herself on the interior step of the stair
s. way; she put down her basket befor
her, and drew out first some packets c
ut herbs, then vegetables, then red vest
IN then three cornered hat, coat {