The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1869-01-08


by all present.
81 will willingly tell you," said the
old officer, and filed his pipe; "but |
am afraid the story is not sufficiently
interesting. FIJI your pipes gentle
men,"
Every one obeyed, even l, although
! was no smoker. But / took the cold
pipe between my lips, from pure fear
that the colonel should refuse to proceed
II he saw me without his favorite in
strument.
Gentlemen, was cadet in my fif-
teenth year, and lieutenant in my
twentieth, said the old gentleman
But in his five-and-twentieth one is
something more than mere lieutenant.
He is god, nota bene 4! il he is in love.
And that was I.
Our colonel had ii daughter, the most
beautiful and bewitching maiden in the
Whole kingdom, and | had, along with
two sound eyes, an extra sound heart.
Tlis explains everything. Tho young
countess Of Obcndorf- but love to call
her to myself by her baptismal name OF
Sophia, for, nota bene! / was no count
Sophia then was sixteen years old,
and /, as I said before, five and twenty;
you can easily imagine what mischief
arose thcrefrom. IT was quite unavOid-
able, assure you. You all sec that
plainly enough; but the colonel, who
had the oye of hawk in regimental
matters, did not see it at all !; but my
love, ,nota bcnc! was no regimcntal mat
ter for the rest, l stood very high with
him; he was as fond of me as n son.
He had known my parents, who were
no longer living; he stood to me as a
father, and l would have given any
thing In the world to have been his son.
But that was not to be thought Of. He
was colonel, / lieutenant; he a
count, / not; he rich as Crnsus, poor
as church Now you know all.
The distance between.us was too great.
The countess Sophia did not make
such nice distinctions about titles and
wealth as the old colonel, and yet in
many things she was more prudent
than he.
remarked, indeed, that she treated
me in a.ns9re friendly manner than any
other Of the officers that she liked best
to talk with me; liked best to dance
with mo liked best to walk with me
in fflo garden In summer, and to go
seighing with me in the winter,-how-
ever, I could not conclude from all this
whether she loved me. But that low
ed, adored, idolized her, that l knew,
and that knew only too well.
| A thousand times WAS l ready to de-
clare myself, and throw myself at her
feet-but, good heavens l have since
gone with my battalion to storm bat
terry with lighter heart than l was
able then to advance single step to-
: wards Sophia. 1t will not do said |.
But will not detain you longer with
: the history Of my love and suiierings,
but proceeded directly to the main
, point.
One evening had to carry report
to the colonel. He was not at home
| that, indeed, was no great misfortune,
for tho countess Sophia was sitting all
aloGo, and she permitted me to await
hor fathers return in her company.
How curious it was If we met at
largo parties, it seemed as ifthere would
bo no end to our tnlk; but when We
> were alone, tete a tete, rs they say, we
knew not what to say, nay, we knew
well enough, but, nota bcnc! we could
not say ii Whether you over expert.
cnccd such fatalities, gentlemen, in
your young days, l know not.
On the table before the young countess
: lay draught board, upon which GER
tain game was played with number
OF white and brown beans.
After long pause in our conversa-
tion-but, nota beno such pausca were
any thing but tediouS-the ciuntrss ir-
vted me TO play. She gave ne the
brown beans and kept the white. T hey
belonged 10 her, Of course, ON account
Of their colOr,--thc cmb lem Of iuno-
cencc. We played. The countess won.
That led to quarreling and liked to
quarrel with her, for then l could say
many things 10 her that could never
muster courage to say in cold bloed
And now it was just as if we were in
n large party; that is we talked fast
enough about the stakes. The countess
Sophia had wit she laughed and teascd
me, and drove meso with her sallies into
a corner, that in my despair knew not
what to answer. In my veXatiOn |
took up one of my brown beans, and TO
punish the beautiful jester, who laughed
at me so roguishly, threw it at her.
The bean made parabola and threaten
cd The delicate nose of my opponent.
but AS she drew back her pretty head to
avoid the light bomb-Ah, my shot fell
through the folds of her neckerchiei
down into her bosom. Luckily it was
no arrow
was terribly frightened, and was all
in glow In my agony. Sophia blush
ed, and cast her eyes modestly down
Jest, play, and quarrel were now all al
an end. l could not speak, and she was
silent. | feared that had incurred hci
anger through my awkwardnes.,
looked timidly towards her, she raised
} her eyes and cast upon me rather I
dark look-that l could not bear.
arose, and bent my knee before the
: adored one, pressed her hand to my lip,
and implored pardon. She answered
not a syllable, yet she did not draw
away her hand rom me
80 countess O dear Sophia! dom
be veXed with me- should die" cried
|, "if you were angry with me. Fol
4 only for you, only through you do
: live. Without you life is worthless
You ere my life, my heaven, mJ all"
! Enough; one word followed another