Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1869-03-05

Weakening to life; and the worn muscles
| on his arms filed out into the firm, hard
roundness Of youth. Still Peter held the
glass 10 his lips The memory of his wife
| and daughter faded from his mind. He
forgot that he was to share with them the
magic potion. When he turned the glass
over on the table, only one or two drops
trickled down its sides, and were lost In
| the thick dust which covered every thing
As he finished, a trembling foot was
heard ON the threshold, and looking out,
Peter beheld his wife. She was feeble,
white haired woman, with worn,
wrinkled face, yet not so old by many
years as her husband. A patient loving
wife, in spite of many trials, had Dame
Althausen been all the days of their wed
ded life.
She paused at the door, but did not
come in.
ais my husband not here. good YOUTH"
she asked, somewhat wonderingly.
"Are you mad, or are you growing old
so fast, Berthst" he said, impatiently.
"DJ you not see 1t is II"
As he spoke he startedin wonder. His
shrill, querulous voice had changed in
moment into the deep, ringing tone Of
manhood.
at is true must be much changed"
| he said to himself "She does not know
me. l have been at last successful, Ber-
tha," he said aloud :" the Elixir is mine.
| have drank of it."
AS he spoke the old dame saw Made
laine, where she had sunk into the chair,
her head bowed forward on her breast,
| still unconscious.
"And you have killed our child, Peter
| Althausen you have given her life as the
price of your blind selfshness," said the
poor mother wildly.
She ran to Madelaine, and kneeling be-
side her, tried to call her back to life. As
she chafed her hands and called upon her
by name, the girl sighed family and lifted
her head. Dame Althausen uttered cry
of Joy, and the mother and child were
clasped in each others arms.
Peter looked at them without emotion.
He was not even conscious of any regret
that he had not reserved few drops of
the rare liquor for his wife and child. He
felt desire to escape from scene in
which he had no sympathy, and turning
away he went into an adjoining room,
which was the poor little sitting room
where the dame and Madelaine were ac-
customed to sit at their work. There
was an antique mirror, with quantity
carved frame, hanging on the wall. He
went eagerly to look in it, and on behold
ing, recoiled in amazement.
The figure which he saw was tall and
elegant; the head was crowned with thick
curls of black hair, the eyes glowed with
youthful fire, and the skin was unwrinkled
and fair, rosy with the flush of youth and
health. The face and figure of the old
man had instantly been changed into a
shapely, handsome youth of twenty sum-
mers.
The contrast between this young man,
and the bowed, aged figure of the woman
whom he could still hear weeping over
ler child, filed him with repugnance. 81
will fly instantly" ne said. My knowl-
edge of science will keep me from lacking
bread. will go to some strange city and
take another name. That withered gran
dame shall never call me husband"
And without glancing back to where
the two women still remained, clasping
each other fast, without regret for those
who had been the victims of his selfish
devotion to his work, he went out and lef
them forever.
Twenty years had gone by since the
fire had died out in the Alchemists fur
, mace. The old house had fallen into decay
and had nearly all disappeared. Rising ou
, of the portion of the ruins where thu
laboratory had stood, was a newer house
with fresh brick walls and bright httlI
pointed windows looking out into the
street. The street itself was much bright
, er and buster than of old. There wa
some sound Of traffic in the shops, anC
many noises which disturbed the stillnes
and quiet which had prevailed when Pete
! Althausen dwelt there.
3 In the new house, which looked smiling
3 and homeiike, lived Madelaine Althausen
r now happy wife and mother. She wa
no longer pale and thin, but had grow
! plump and red.cheeked and comely.
!; tall youth called her mother, and goodl,
3 array Of girls and boys filled up the inter
Q val between him and the toddling urchil
1 who clung TO her ample skirts as sh
e moved about her household. Her hus
e band worked in famous workshop
where they made wonderful clocks H
+ was very clever, and could make all sort
: of time-pieoes, with little birds flying /
:. and out of them 1t all hours of the day
:, and clocks with little men and wome
n who come out to ring bells or play on jinl
g ling tambourines, every time the hanC
T went round. Every room in the hou'
l. had such a strange time-keeper, and /
every hour there was such Staging, an
l. striking, and "cuckooing," that with Ii
II noise of them, and the shouts and laugl
It ter Of the children, one might almost 10.
} his senses
v But Madelaine and her husband minde
!, it not. They were happy and contente,
e and the roses bloomed ON the dame
n cheeks as they had never bloomed thel
a when she was maiden.
Ie All these years Peter Althausen hs
< been wandering over the earth. Thel
,e was a restless spirit in him which did NJ
ot permit him to remain quietly in one plac
q, He had great skill in medicine, and whe
e ever he stopped for any length of tin
IN was much esteemed as youth of gre
e, knowledge, but he could never stop
gain either money or reputation.
1t could make no ties to bind him, for b
it heart seemed quite dead In his breast, al
q he had nc sympathy with the pursuits
se his fellow-beings.
After twenty years, on the anniversal
is of the day on which he had drank Il
N youth giving Elixir, he had returned
of his native town, led by vague curiosi
n which he could not understand, al
w which was more like human emotion this
81 anything he had felt in all these years
ce He sought out the house where b
er daughter lived, and going softly up,
es looked in through the diamond-pan
ut window which jutted out upon the streC
st II was after dusk, and all the ehildr'
or were in bed, except the tall eldest, wi
Ie sat at the table fashioning some wonderi
is piece of mechanism out of bits Of ste
II, and wire, and wood. Madelsine sat in h
OF low chair by the fire, which burned brigl
% " on the hearth, holding her youngt
baby TO hex breast. Her husband W
In seated by her side, smoking his pipe a.
* curling slow wreaths of smoke up fro
In bis mouth, as he looked thoughtfully
nd the nre. All this Peter could see as
10 looked through the window. By and /
Is. Madelaine spoke. He could hear b
OF voice.
a. 1T is Just twenty years ago to-da,
d. she said, since my cAther went aWI
Y, never 70 be heard from any more; q.
two years later, on the same day We
u. we married, nv Gottlieb."