The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1870-03-18

man undoubtedly possessed consider
able power of animal magnetism. BY
working on my nerves-in "A manner
certainly incOmprehensible to me-he
had called up before my mind the
image of the old friend of whom /
was thinking, 50 clearly, so distinctly,
that at last it seemed to me as if /
saw him before my bodily eyes. Still,
the power which is capable of produc-
ing such effects must always remain
something both astonishing and mys-
teriOus. whatever one may say"
thought /, 81 have actually seen my
deceased teacher with my eyes ~
! On the following day took place the
ball at the assembly rooms. SOphia's
father came to see me, and reminded
me of the engagement which | had
made with his daughter. By ten
o'clock that evening, | was standing
with her in the middle of hall light
ed by a quantity of brass lamps, and
applied myself to the task of going
through the simple steps of French
quadrille, to the discOrdant acc0mpa-
iniment of a military orchestra. The
hall was well filed; more than the
usual number of ladies, and very pref
] ty ones, too, were present, but the
palm from among them all would GER
tainly have been borne away by my
partner, had it not been for her pecu-
liar mode of looking at yOu-timid, /,
and yet the same time almost wild,
Her figure was fine, and every move
ment graceful, though somewhat shy
and hesitating. When she danced,
her form bent back a little, and her
slender neck inclined over the right
shoulder, as though she would hold
herself as far as possible from her
partner-it was impossible to imagine
a more charming picture of youth and
| purity. She was dressed entirely I'M
white, with little cross of turquoise
fastened by a narrow band of black
velvet about her neck.
| asked her hand for a maZOurka,
and exerted myself to make her talk.
She answered, however, in monosylla-
! bles, and with reluctance, but listened
| attentively with the same expression
of thoughtful astonishment,w which had
so struck me on our first meeting,
Not shadow of cOquettry in one a.
her age, with so attractive person !;
the absence of anything like a smile !:
and those eyes, always fixed full and
steadily upon the eyes of him with.
whom she was speaking-thOse eyes,
which all the while seemed to see
some distant Object-what q strange
being!
When at last 1 had begun to despair
of finding any thing to excite her in.
terest, itOccurred to me to relate my
yesterdays experience.
She listened attentively to the end
with evident curiosity, but, what |
had not expected, was not astOnished
at my story, and only asked, "Was
his name not Wassili ?' / remem-
bered that the old woman had called
him "Wassinka," the familiar dimin-
utive of Wassiii. @
ayes, his name is Wassili," | an
swered; "perhaps you knew him?'
"There is a piOus man here who is
called Wassili," she said 81 was
thinking whether it might be he" -.
''Piety has nothing to do with the
NATTER L remarked. sit is simply
the effect of magnetism-ay very inter
esting study for men of science and
natural philosophers" Iexplained to
her, at some length, my views re-
specting this peculiar power, which is
called magnetism, of the possibility of
the will of one man being subjected to
the will of another, etc. My eXplana-
| tiOns, however somewhat confused,
it must be Owned-made apparently
no impression. Sophia listened, her
hand, i'm which her fam lay motion
less-fOr she did not play with it or
move even fingeF-erosSed i'll her
lap, and felt that my words recOiled
from her as from marble statue.
She understood them, but she had her
own convictions, which were not tn
be shaken or eradicated.
"You do not believe ih wonders,
then?" / exclaimed.
"CertainIy, I believe in them," she
said quietly; show could it be pOssi-
BILE not to believe in them? Is it not
said in the Gospels, he who has faith
even as grain of mustard-Seed can
move mOuntams@ One only needs to-
have faith-then there are wonders"
"There seems to be but little faith,
then, nowadays" / reioined, "for one
hears nothing of wonders"
"And yet they do happen-you
yourself are witness. No, faith is
not altogether dead in our times, but
the foundation of faith" i.-
''The foundation of all wisdOm-is
the fear of the Lord,n / interrupted.
''The foundation of faith" cOntin-
ued Sophia, not in the least embar-
fassed, "is self-denial humiliation"
Gwen humiliation ?" l asked.
"Yes, mans pride, mans arrogance,
that is what must be rooted out to
the very last trace You spoke of the
will-that must be completely brOk-
en-"
"ALy eye invOluntarily scanned the
figure of the yOung girl who gave ut
terance to such sentiments as these.
''This child is not jesting," l thought
to myself.
'Have you tried to do this ,"
asked.
"Every one is bound to do that
which seems to him the TRUTH" she
answered, in a tone which was sOme-
what dOgmatical.
"Allow me to ask" began again,
after a short pause, 'dO you then be-
eve in the possibility of calling up
the dead.
Sophia gently shook her head.
tFThere are no dead"
SHOW do you meanm
t'There are no dead souls; they are
immortal, and can always appear
wherever they wish. They are about
us all the time"
sfWhat? Do you believe, for exam.
pie, that there is an immortal soul
now lowering about that garrison
major there, with the red nOsew
"Why not? The light of the sun
falls even on him, and his nose. And
is not the light of the sun from God ?
And, after all, what is mere outward
appearance? To the pure all things
are pure-one needs only to find a
teacher-a guideU
confess such conversation rs this
in ballroom seemed to me almost
too eccentric, but gladly. availed my
self of my partners invitation to
figure of the mazurka, i'm order to put
am end to our quasi-theOlogical dis
cussiOn.
A quarter of an hour later, led
MademOiselle Sophia to her father;
Two DAYS afterward, | left the town of
o., and the image of the maiden,
with the childish face, and the in
scrutable stOny-sOul was
soon effaced from my memory.
[CONTINUED.l