Urbana union. [volume] (Urbana, Ohio) 1862-1872, 1871-02-15

L
church. If your story be true, not
moment is to be lost. You must lead
me to the Vault into which the remains
of my beloved wife were consigned TINS
morning
oh, no, no; dare not!' exclaimed the
sexton, with uplifted hand-I dare not
return
Then 1 must tell you plainly that l
do not believe what you have been tell
! ing me- returned the Baron with
| frown. 8
'Oh, my lord, say not so! have been
/ tempted to commit an act at which l
shudder, but do hope that you will not
accuse me of adding falsehOOd to my
| crime
why do you refuse to accompany me"
/ the Baron asked.
! 4 dare nOt-my courage fails me, re-
Can it be possible that you, who are a
| sexton, should be afraid of the dead?
! Heintz Wherart, paler than the corpse
/ he had just visited, trembled from head
to foot. He made no reply to the last
| question.
You look like man who has been
| terrified by the sight of a ghost or spec
! tire. ANY such unearthly visitor would
move you to the last extremity of fear.'
Alas, yes,' murmured the sexton.
Your BRAIN is disturbed with some
strange feeling of this description, but
tell you plainly that you must pluck up
courage and return to the cathedral with
me. This is the least you can do to
make amends for your guilty act,
4 do not deny it my lord said Heintz.
My duty prescribes it, my will is good,
but
al nrasout Won ara 1,puarvad Saw 7
not right?'
Such is the case; I plainly confess it,
returned the trembling repentant.
The Baron poured out from bottle
gob.et of some potent liquor, which he
handed to his companion.
Drain off the contents of this he said
in a confident tone; lit will give you
courage In the course of a few min
utes you will be another man.
Heintz WheIart obeyed. Under the
influence of the draught, he regained a
little of his cOmposIre.
Now observed his superior, prepare
to accompany me. You may not like
the task, but it is one you are bound to
perfOrmn
The sexton bowed his head in tacit
acquiescence.
Are you ready?' said the Baron.
i am was the ready response, For
by this time the sexton was fully aware
that all remonstrance would be useless;
he therefore made virtue of necessity,
and proceeded at once to the cathedral,
accompanied by the Baron.
During the short journey, he answer
ed the queries of the latter with as
much brevity as possible. Upon reach
ing the half opened door of the sacred
edifice, his heart beat violently, but he
strOve as best he could to conceal his
Temptations; and, assuming an air of
confidence, he strobe boldly along the
aisle of the church.
Heaven preserve and protect us3
murmured the cOnscienee-stricken
to the vault.
IF you have any fear, Heintz Wher-
art, said the Baron, in a cOnciliatOry
ton,' say so, and I will enter the vault
alone.
4 would not have it so my lord, re-
turned the sexton. I know the way far
better than you can possibly do. Duty
dictates thatI should enter first
The lamp was still burning. 1t shed
a sickIy glare upon the somber walls and
melancholy relics of mortality en-
shrined within that gloomy receptacle. |
The sexton, who had been closely fol-
lowed by the Baron, uttered an excla-
nation, of terror and surprise.
Wherefore this sudden fear% said the
latter.
Look yonder! The saints be good to
me, guilty sinner that I amp calculated
Heintz, falling on his knees and clasp !
ing his hands. as if making a mute ap-
peal to some patron saint.
Upon the instant, the BarOn's eyes
were directed to one objectin the vault,
at the further extremity of which he be-
held his wife seated on a stone. She
looked more like spectre than deni-
zen of this world, albeit she regarded
the new comers with vacant stare,
such as persons might display who had
been suddenly awakened from a long,
deep sleep.
Heavens! Am l dreaming, or do my
senses deceive me?' exclaimed the Ba- |
ron 'Shoeder, my dear wife speak-an- |
swer me! Say is it you? Speak, dearest! |
For mercy's sake, speakp
Where am I? And what is the mean
ing of all this?' murmured the Lady |
Shredder in a faint, weak tone.
Her husband sprang forward and |
clasped her in his arms. He took her |
cold hands within his own, clasped |
them, and covered her face with warm |
kisses. Meanwhile the sexton rocked |
to and fro, calling upon all the saints in |
the calender to shield him from harm. |
Lady Shredder had already realized |
her position. After Heintz's departure |
she awoke from her lethargy, and pass
ed some terrible moments. To her sur
prise she discovered that she was cloth |
ed in silk. She glanced around, and |
her position was but too palpable. In !
stead of being warm bed, she was re- /
posing in a narrow coffin. The appall- |
ing idea of 3eing buried alive occurred |
to her; above all, the fear of dying of |
hunger, and of passing her last hours |
amidst the dead, raised her despair to |
the highest pitch. She looked with |
horror upon the long rows of leaden cOf- |
fins; despair gave Temporary strength, |
and she succeeded in reaching the clOis- J
time; then, faint and sick of heart, she |
returned to the vault for the lantern; a |
sudden weakness compelled her to rest |
for awhile on one of these stones, and |
while she was in this posture reliefcame |
to her.
Her husband and the sexton made /
their appearance. The former jOyfully |
bearing his beloved wife in his arms, !
adopted the fittest measures for her |
restoration. He took her to the hotel, |
and contrived to conceal the true cause |
of her resusctatiOn. Great was his Joy |
when the physician in attendance upon |
his lady declared that all danger was
over. Tt was impossible for him to re- |
main angry with Heintz Wherart, |
whose sacriligiOus crime produced such |
happy consequences.