The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1869-09-30
TESTING faE COURAGE OF 4 LOVER.

TESTING =faE COURAGE OF 4 LOVER
+ pretteJ Barbara Ferros would no
marry. He' mother was in eonsterna
tion.. .--.-. T.. ...., ... - .... r. +,g ..: ,
"WbS arc you 80 stubborn, Barta
"a r she asktd,- ksf3,, ~ "You have plenty q
lovers
"But they don't suit me-" said Bar
bar', coo teooly toying with her curls before
the mirror. ~
"Why not r. 49, 81 S''
n want when l marry, man Who
is brave equal to any emergency. II
I give up my liberty, want to b.
taken care Off ~: @t- = ,fis'--
"Silly child! What is thu matter
with big Barney, the blacksmith"
"He is big, but I never learned that
he was brave" -.
Sand you never heared that he was
not. u What is tho matter with Earnest,
the gunsmi,h 2" s..r>>e g.,
"He's as placid as goats milk"
THAT is no sign he il coward.
There: is little Fritz, the tanner he is
quarelsome enough for you, surely:"lt
b.. "'He is no bigger: taan bantam cock.
It is little he could do if the house was
set upon by robbers" .,meyI i. .4I,:.:
. ..! 1T IS not always strength that wins
q fight, girl. 1t takes brain as well as
Drawn: Come, now, Barbara, give these
fellows, q fair .trial'','i: ,oo..,, l. y~z::
Barbara turned: her face before the
mirrer, letting down one raven tress
aud looping up another. II will, moth
er," she said at last. incl. .4!.-~
That evening Earnest, the gunsmith,
knocked early at the door. "You sent
for, me, Barbara = he said, going to tn.
girl who stood upon the hearth, coquet-.
ST. tilshly d warning one pretty foot, and
then the other. = ,,.r.rr<gs. j, v''..::::.
~ eyes, Earnest" she replied, 81 have
! been thinking Of what you said tho
other night, when you were here"
= "Well, BarbaraY" 81. :. IF
Earnest spoke quietly, but his dark
blue cys flashed, and he looked at her
intently. j. :. J.
~ want to test you
Chow " =.
II want to sec if you dare DO very
disagreeable thing"
"What is it?"
"There is an old coffin up stairs. 1t
smells Of mould. They say Reemond,
the murderer, was buried in it; but
the devil came for his. body and left the
coffin empty at the end Of the week,
and it was finally taken from tho tomb.
1t is Up stairs in the room my grand
father died in, and they say grands,re
does not rest easy in bis grave for some
reason, though that / know nothing
about. Dare you make that your bed
to.iight?" i: .
= Earnest laughed. "1s that all? 1
will do that and sleep soundly.. Why,
pretty one, did you think l had weak
nerves 2" "a"<*}; ;'~ ' -
J :! "Your nerves will have good proof
if you undertake it, Remember, no
one sleeps IN that psrt Of tho house."
~ shall sleep the sounder."
!. "Good night, then. I will send
lad to show you the chamber. If you
stay, there all night" said tho imperi.-
GUS Miss Barbara; II will marry you"
/ "You VOW it?" " :@
II vow it, s' 80.
Earnest turned etra,ghtway and fol-
lowed the lad in waiting through the
dim rooms and passages, UP echoing
stairs, along narrow, damp ways, where
rats scuttled before them, to a low
chamber. The boy looked pale and
evidently wanted to hurry away, but
Earnest made him wait until he took a
survey Of the room by the aid Of his
lamp" 1t was very large and full Of
recesses, with high windows in them,
which wero barred across. He remem-
bered that old Grandsire Ferros had
been insane for several years before his
death, so that this precaution had been
necessary for the safety Of himself and
others. In the centcr of the room
stood a coffin beside it was placed q
chair. The room was otherwise quite
empty ! ! III s. IL. TITO !: ]. { nj
..,,. Earnest stretched j. himself j. in til,
coffin. aBe kind enough to tell Mis-
Barbara that its good ;fit," said he
The boy went out and shut the door
leaving the gansmith alone. in the dark
Meanwhile Barbara was talking viii
the blacksmith il. the keeping room
s'Barney," said she, pulling he
hands away from: his grasp when b
4 would have kissed her, "Ive . test
put you to before I give you my answer
There is . corpse lying in the ch.mbt
where ny gr.udsire dice, in the uuter
, an:ed wing Of the house. If you da'
sit with it all night, and let nothin
drive you away from the house, 20
.. will not ask me to marry you in vain.
ii ~-uv....:-S 1850 1;,1,t anJ.e ho<.1.