The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1869-01-08
THE BEAN.
II. ZSCHOKK X II.
Continued.

Low | Jared in Vienna, | have al
ready told you. The lady Won Tarnau
had vanished. The hotel had passed
into new hands and so there was no
one TO give me any information. My
acquainiances knew as little Of her and
her whereabouts as l.. They wrote at
my request to Augsburg, whence she
or her aunt had brought letters Of credit
and introduction. But the Augsburg
correspondent had in. the mean time
died, and his heirs could give intelli.
gence Of no lady Won Tarnau.
Enough l was in despair. / was
most heartily vexed with myself. For
was it not my own fault. that, during
my first stay in Vionna, had been so
unpardonably negligent as not to inform
myself OF her family and residence? ? In.
deed, then nevur once thought that |
was going to fall in love with her year
and quarter afterwards.
In the midst OF my trouble, what on
| livened inc the most, although it in
creased my passion, washer room.
| That room now occupied. found the
same furniture stfll there, the very
chair on which she sat, and the table at
which She wrote. The whole past lived
so wildly before my eyes and around
inc, that | absolutely sprung up from
my seat all in Hutter, upon the slight
est noise at the door, thinking that it
was she herself and her aunt coming
in.
In the room itself nothing remained
unscarcbcd, for l still hoped to discover
some trace of her. Twenty times did /
examine the walls from the floor to the
ceiling to find, among the signatures of
travellers there, her name, or something
that would lead to the discovery Of her
home. All in vain!
Odd-but tritilng enough, the very
first day l went into the room, found
in the drawer Of the writing.table-let
no one laugh-a beautiful, shining,
brown Bean. You know what Il sacred
symbol this vegetable had become to
me, and now l had found it in jose
phine's room ! took up the bean with
the greatest care. And as l now gave
up the fond hope of ever finding the
loveliest being upon earth, took the
bean u jeweller, and had it set in
gold, In order to wear it continually by
II silken guard round my neck, as a
m cmento OF tho loveliest of her'sex and
OF my sad rouiauee.
1 then left Vienna. | was unhappy
and omfortless. | swore never to mar
ry. All, one swears many things in his
haste!
/ returned to my native city like ,
widower. All young ladies appeared
to me intolerable, stale, common
buried myself in business diverted
my mind by engaging in large specula
t tions; saw no company, made no visits
Joscphine's image hovercd continual.
around mo like a guardian angel, NJ
the bean upon my breast was as pre-
cious IA possession rs if it had been be
slowed by her own hand. Let no ON
grudge tho unhappy his dreams!
even at last imagined that the beautiful
Tarnau had herself placed the bean il
the drawer Of the wriing-table. A hap
py fancy is In the end as good as any
philosophy by which one would fair
console himself.
My outward man, indeed wa, not in
dicativo OF this wonderful happiness
for AL thought mo melancholy, sick
and like to dio. Aunts and cousins be
+ sut me with cmtreatios, Invitations, anC
plans olIpleasuro; evon physicians wer
sent to my house. ! would have moth
. ing to do with them.
70 free myself from my tormentors
and to show that | WAS still like othc
men, went now and then to some o
the evening parties at the houses OF my
friends,
One evening ! accepted an invitation
to Councillor IIildoblanu'.. Now yor
shall hear the catastrophe OF my story
went to the councillors. The com
pany were all known to me, with tho
except ion Of one person, VINO was IN
troduced to me us II lirutrnant'cOlonel
in the Russian service, and who had
latclyscome into possession of an ESTATE
about IL league and Il half from the city
10 this, however, did not pay much
attention at the moment. | bowed ii
lcntly, laid aside my hat and took my
seat. Conversation was lively ;--sG
much the better for me, | had no eSpoc
ial desire to talk.
The Russian officer, large, stou
man, of IN agreeable end digniiied fig
ure, already past sixty, still full of AMI
nation, chiefly engaged my attention
He had ribbon ut his button hole, an(
II couple of sears ON his forehead ano
check. Ills voice was loud and author
itative; it was easy to see in him ,
commanding officer. The conversati oil
turned now upon Persia, and now upOr
Moldau, where the lieutenant colone
had made campaigns. The company
listened to him with pleasure, and he
told his stories well.
Alef supper lile cohNcTsalloh grew
still more lively, The old officer tolt
ora battle, in which, wounded in tn,
breast, he had fallen from his horse anC
been taken Prisoner By the Turks. Whel
in the excitement of his narrative h,
tore open his vest 10 show the wound
we remarked that he wore next to hi
heart little golden locket fastened b,
silken guard. lie drew out the locke
and exclaimed: "The Janissaries rob
bed me of every thing; but this jewel
the most precious OF my possessions,
saved !"
OF COURSE, all imagined that ii mus
= be Il diamond OF uncommon size, or
pearl Of immense value, one OF his las
tern spoils,
, "Oh, not at ALL cried he at is onl.