Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1869-05-21

laughed heartily. Her disappearance came
to be remarked the third day after this.
"What can have become of Catharine ?
Can she be i'll She seemed 80 merry the
last time we saw herl - sg.aff "a
MY opinion was that the old woman,
having drank little too much kirsch-
water, had fallen into the river during the
night. fakk 81 - E # d
Onthe morrow, coming out from Hasen-
kopf' s lecture, met Wolfgang. AS soon
as he perceived me he fastened toward
me, his eye sparkling, and said, Kasper,
I've been looking for you; man, the hour
of triumph has ccme-follow me.
His look, his pallor, his very motion be-
trayed agitation; and, as he seized meeby
the arm, leading me toward the quarter
of the tanners, could not keep down
the feeling of underlined fear that crept
over me- The street through which we
proceeded at sharp walk led behind the
minister into collection of houses old as
Heidelberg itself. The square roofs, the
wooden balconies, the exterior crooked
ssairways; the many wen and curious
faces peering with eager air down on the
strangers from the garrett windows; the
long poles stretched from house to house,
loaded with dripping skins; the dense
smoke escaping from the rude chimneys-
all this scene passed before my eyes like
vision of the middle ages; and the few
bright rays of light which found their
way through these many obstructions,
gliding the dlapidated walls where they
touched, only added to NV emotion by the
strange contrast they pro9uced =
There are moments when man loses
all presence of mind. 1t never occurred
| -. a,J~ xubo
going. Soon we reached the deserted
quarter of the old meat market. All of
sudden, Wolfgang, whose dry, cold hand
seemed riveted to my wrist, led me into a
hovel, between the nay-loft Of the Land
wehr and the cattle-pen of the slaughter
house.
"Go on a head" said he to me.
| followed along a wall of dry, earth, at
the end of which was broken staircase.
We climbed through the rubbish; and,
although my companion kept all the time
repeating in an impatient voice, Go on,
higher yeti" stopped several times,
seized with fear, under the pretext of re-
gaining breath, but in reality to ask my
self if it were not about time to turn back.
At last we came to the foot of the lad
der, the top Of which was hidden by the
dark, reaching up into loft above. How
had the folly to climb up that ladder,
without asking the least explanation from
my friend Wolfgang, is mystery to me.
1t would seem as though madness were
contagious.
UpI climbed, he behind me, until ]
reached the top, There stepped upon
the dusty floor of the loft, and looked
around me. 1t was an immense garret,
the roof pierced with three windows, and
in the midst stood small table loaded
with books 1t was impossible to look
outside, for the windows were at height
of ten or twelve feet above the floor. l
did not at first perceive low door, and a
large, square hole at some height up, con-
trived in the wall. Wolfgang, without
saving word, pushed toward me an old
box which served him for chair; and,
taking up in his two hands pitcher of
water, he drank long draught, while |
looked on in silence.
"We are in loft of the old slaughter
house." said he, with strange smile, set
ting down his pitcher on the floor "the
council has voted funds for building one
outside the city. have been here for five
years without paying any rent. Not
soul has come to interrupt my studies.
Sitting down upon some old logs of wood
in one corner" Now" continued he,
"let us come to the point. Are you GER
tain, Kasper, that we have a soul?"
"Hark you, Wolfgang!" replied l !; I" if
you have brought me here to talk metaphys-
les, you've made great mistake. had
just come from Hasenkopf's lecture, and
was going to the beer-house for dinner,
when you stopped me. have had my
dose Of abstraction, and that is sufficient
Explain yourself clearly, then, or else let
me return to my dinner"
"You live, then, only to eat?" said he,
in harsh tors. l"Do you know that l
have passed whole days without tasting
morsel Sod, only for the love of
science 7" &tM N
Each to his taste; you live on syl
logisms and dilemmas love sausages and
strong beer. What else do you want" ~
He became very pale, and his lips trem-
bled; but restraining his anger, he said,
"Kasper, since you won't answer me, at
least listen to my explanations. Man
needs admirers, and want you to admire,
and be in some degree astounded by the
sublime revelation that I am about to
make to you. 1t is not too much, l think,
to ask you to listen for an hour to that
which has cost me ten whole years of
faithful study"
"Well, go on; am listening"
His face was agitated anew by some
powerful emotion, and l began to bitterly
repent having climbed up the ladder. l
assumed grave expression in order not
to anger him any further; and this ap-
peared to calm him somewhat, for, after
a moments silence, he exclaimed. "You
are hungry well, there is my bread, and
there my r-eat-drink-bu listen"
Never mind, Wolfang; will listen to
you without that"
He smiled bitterly and went on:
We are not the only beings that have
souls. From the plant up to man, all be-
ings live-they are animated therefore
they have a SOU. Yes, all organized ex-
istences have at least one soul; but, the
more their organism is perfected, the more
complicated does it become, aud the num-
Der of souls is increased. That is what
distinguishes living beings, the one from
the other. The plant has only one soul
the vegetable soul. Its function is simp-
ly to obtain nutriment from the air
through the roots The animal has too
souls; first, the vegetable soul, whose
functions are the same as in the plant /;
and the animal soul, strictly so-called,
whose organ is the heart. Lastly, man has
three souis- the vegetable soul; the ami
NAL soul, whose functions are carried on
the same as the brute ; and the human
soul, or the reason, whose organ is the
BRAN -. ~ - -
Here Wolfang paused for some moments,
| and, looking at me- said Wall what do