The Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1870-1875, 1870-12-01
LIFE In DEATH.


The legend l am about to relate |
dates back to the period when the !
Castle of Seharfenstsin was in the |
possession of Baron Anton EselWicke. /
His wife, the Lady Shredder, had
been for q long tine 10 declining
health. The Baron aud his lady had
been long married, and their union
had been as happy as is possible IN
this world. The latter was still young;
she had been beautiful; and during
her malady her husband had remain
ed day and night by her bedside.
During the latter period of her illness
her sufferipes were less acute, but her
lainting-fits became more frequent
and longer. Upon recovering from
one Of those she begged her husband
to bring her the gold chain and loeket
enclosing his hair, which he had
given her before their marriage. This
she hung round her neck, aud solaced
her weary and painful hours by con
kemplating il, and, by force of the
association Of the ideas it excited,
living again IN times gone by.
One evening she beckOned the Baron
Anton, who was sitting in her cham
Der, to her side, and said:
Reach me your hand, dear hus-
band. am growing much worse: l
feel I am sinking, and death appears
to be lowering about my couch. 1t
this be nothing more than womanly
timidity, bear with 1t, for my sake.
and give me courage By staying with
me throughout this weary night of
pain and suffering"
BE comforted, my love" replied
the Lord of Seharfenstein; this weak
ness is common enough. Cheer up;
Won will be better In the morning; in
the meantime, viii not stir from
your side. You will talk to me in a
different manner when, after a re-
freshing slumber, l shall show you
tie glorious sunlight stealing over
che distant hills. / see even now
your eyes are closing. Compose your
self. therefore, and strive to Sleep
The chamber was hushed, and the
natient lay still and seemed in so pro-
found a repose that her breathing was
scareelv perceptible. The curtains
see drawn round the bed of the in
aid and Baron EselWicke, happy,
and NIL of favorable omens in the
;5ea that his wife had, at length, re-
mission of pain, took a book, and
6xed as much attention on 1t as he
possibly could command, and the
hours wore slowly away. Everything
within and without continued IN deep
stiffness, broken only towards mora
ing By the pleasant sounds of awaken
ing nature, which might be heard in
fhe silent chamber OF Seharfen-
stein: the mathis Of the feathered
souRsters, the wheeling hup of myrI-
ads of bees IN the garden below, aud
The leaves of the vines dallyiDg with
The morping breeze. These, together
with the strong, white lines which in
tarsected the shutters, admOnished the
Baron aDd thu nurse of the time theiI
patient had slept. The light was
therefore, admitted into the room
and tLen both the watchers east
troubled looks toward the motionlesc
and wan figure on the bed.
''She has not stirred, murmure6
the Baron. in a voice little above 9
whisper, ''sne is in the same position
and cannot have moved a hairs
breath since we saw her last night"
The nurse heaVed deep sigh and
WruDg her hands.
"How now?" exclaimed her master
what means this look of blank
despair"
ALAS, my lord, :" calculated the old
nurse, II fear the worst My mistress
sleeps, but it is the sleep of DEATH"
The Baron made no answer, but al
once fastened TO send of one Of hi:
retainers for a physician. The arri
val Of the latter confirmed the fear
expressed by The se A feath.
er vas placed = th iirs Of the in
animate lady. sRhe aron bent
nth keen eyes, over Il. but failed tC
'sst the slightest motiop IN The
Ter. This, 10 the days OF which