The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1870-07-08
BLOOMSBURY, PA, FRIDAY, JULY 8. 1870.
COL. DEM. -. VOL. XXXIV.- NO. 30.

ly sufferings, and only stood near her
bed to listen with eagerness to the
words she occasionally uttered. She
herself, wretched creature, was sitting
upright, staring as if her eyes would
start from their sockets. / approached
her; she turned from me, sheltering
herself beside her brother, and pointing
wildly at me she whispered
did he see it p Did he hear il cry?'
did he see the ring?'
sought to calm Iher, having often
seen people affected by visions in SINH
lar circumstances, but there was no
quieting her. She sprang from her bed
and clung to her brother, still uttering
incoherent sentences till at length she
cried out
Il feel its little arms; there-there-
1t is climbing to me to save it. 1 can.
not bear the glare of its eye. / cannot
| dare not touch it. That fatal ring
Then, exhausted, she fell senseless on
the floor. I called the Count to assist
me in replacing her in bed but when /
looked round he was leaning against
the wall, pale and motionless.
I rang the bell violently. AS footsteps
approached, he started. For heavens
sake cried he, 'let no mortal enter
here.'
Il must have assistance 1 said.
Il can do anything you require re-
piled he, making an effort that 1 saw
cost him a great deal. But his will
seemed, nevertheless, so strong, that
when he walked to the door and gave
some orders, to account for the bell
having been rung, l looked in aston
ishment. Turning to me he said:-
Doctor, it is so strange and fearful to
hear the rawlings of delirium. How in
variably they lead the poor sufferer to
imagine scenes they never witnessed.
A medical man of great eminence told
me that this was always the case.'
After short interval, Lady Theresa
revived; but no longer in her former
state of excitement. She lay quiet,
with her eyes closed. L tried to smooth
her pillow, and bathe her hands. On a
sudden she looked up, with bright
smile, and said softly, two or three
times, Rudolph Then wandering
among scenes afar off, gently fell asleep
and from thatpassed into the sleep from
which there is no awaking.
I turned to the Count and said -
Lady Theresa is dead.'
Dead! = he cried; dead; she cannot,
she must not die, and leave me. I had
but her in the world; she would not
leave me alone.'
1T is no use,' said 1, drawing him
from the body.
Sobbing like child, he caught her
beautiful golden tresses, in vain at
tempt to sever lock; but his tremb.
ling fingers refused their Office, and
again sinking beside her lifeless body
her fair hair covering him as a vail, he
lay motionless. Much as disliked the
Count, this outburst of genuine feeling
completely Overcame me, and with
tears / looked at the heart-b broken man,
all his hardness and responsiveness quite
forgotten. He seemed as if clinging to
the fair angel whose bright spirit had
fed.
After some little time he recovered
himself, and rose to leave the room. l
was only too glad to follow. l felt sick
at heart. The wretched death-bed that
| witnessed, and the feeling of dislike
| had felt to the Count, combined to
make me long for quiet hour in my
own room.
We descended to the saloon; the
Count, making some apology that he
| had letters to write, left me. l hasten.
ed back to my own chamber, but not tC
sleep. Ipiled wood on the file, and
sat down in large chair opposite to it
recalling minutely every word that
Lady Theresa had uttered, | could
think of nothing elsc-what could have
befallen that young girl? That she
was implicated in some dark deed there
could be no doubt; the awful visions
that haunted her were not the ravine
fancies of delirium, Her brother-he
too shared her secret. had dim rec
| ollection of tale that l had heard
when a child, of some heavy curse
| which hung over the Counts house
One of his ancestors had treated hi
wife with cruelty, and she on her death
bed left their wedding-ring, with bit
ter curse attached to it, and that II
should cling to the family till dead
bride claimed husband with it; but
what could that poor girl have to dc
with child and ring? 1t was all mys
terry, and the incoherent story furnish
ed little solution to the problem.
thought again and again of all that
had ever heard about Lady Theresa,
but that was not much. She was very
young, had latterly not appeared
abroad in the world Some said her
engagement to an officer had been sud-
denly broken of; Others that she had
become ascetic. Be this as ii may, she
certainly stunned all society, even her
sisters; her only companion was her
brother.
tried TO turn my thoughts into 9th.
er channels, but tono purpose. ! felt a
great wish to see her again, and yield,
ing to the temptation, crept back to hel
room and gazed once more on those
features which had made so deep an
impression upon me. All was hushed
everything had been arranged. Morn.
ing had just dawned, and the grey light
streamed through the open easement
l turned to look on the beautiful crea.
ture before me. There she lay in the
stiffness Of death; smile seemed tC
rest upon her features. 1t may be that
the recollection of some happy hour Of
childhood had visited her weary spirit
before it went forth on Its solitary jour,
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