Urbana union. [volume] (Urbana, Ohio) 1862-1872, 1872-01-10

" >2tN ~ pICG LC WAS utterly -SllOG~
ant of the sword, and unanimously beg
ged Ferdinand to be gentle with me-.
Just give him Il scratch, we said, and
that will do. 1 have no doubt, in my
own mind, that Ferdinand had no in
teutiOn Of acting otherwise. Poor Max
brought about his own death. He fought
like young lion, widely, and without
an atom Of head. Ferdinand gave q
lunge to defend his own life, and it was
a fatal thrust for Max Oppeuheim.
/ There he died, where he lad fought
30 desperately. # was IN awful thing
for all Of us; and We would, one aud all,
have cut oil our right hand sooner than
it should have happened.
The last sad and painful! duties cole
/ nected with 3iax's unfortunate death
devOlved upon myself. The worst part
was yet to come; fer, before he had
dreathed MS last, ne entrusted letter
to my care, and whispered only one
word-Marie
! had 10 blaine myself fOr my folly,
as 1 proceeded on my ssd mission. How
| far was I not accountable for the young
mans death? How easy it would have
been for me 10 take his part, and patch
the mattor up! But, no! Because a few
headstrong fools, excited me with wine,
had insulted the woman he loved more
than any one else in the worId-hi5 wife
whom he was bound to protect TO the
last-because he had resented these in
suits, and an absurd quarrel ensued, l
had lent myseIf TO meeting between
the principal offender, an old exper-
fenced swordsman, and poor Max, who
hardly knew one end Of the sword from
the other.
At last / arrived ut the house, but
went up the stairs very slowly, ind af-
/ Ter much hesitation, knocked.
Marie herself came 10 the door.
Directly she saw me she shrank back.
For some time ehe stood there immove-
able aud trembling like sn aspen leaf
She dared not ask me on what account I
had come there. There che stood, with
her long, fair hair fieating down her
shoulders. 60 young, and 50 very
beautiful.
And there stood before her. gazing
into her sweet, pale, terribly-staring face
and Gid not dare 70 move or speak g !
word. The words stuck in ny throat,
and nearly choked me.
And then she fxed Oh me her eyes,
and that look Of fear burnt into me like
melting lead.
So terrible was tha. look, that was
compelled to take my eyes of her, and
look upon the ground.
Max 10 dead? she shrieked, putting
her hand to her heart, as If that one ef.
fort had made It cease to beat.
I said nothing. There was a wild,
hysterical sob, and then, falling upon
her knees, she moaned out prayer
After that she fell apparently lifolcss to
the ground.
shall never forget that scene to the
day of my death. NothingI I have ev-
er seen on the stage-nothing have
ever read III books-nothingI have seen
in pictures-has ever come near 1t in
depth and intensity.
I don't know exactly how long I re-
mained there. I was more than half
stupefied with grief myself.
1 tried feebly enough to console her. |
She would not be comforted.
You sre very kind, she said, but don't
understand me. Max il dead, and that
is all I care to hear or know. It was
1 who sent him to you. l believed
hoped-that happily you would save his !
life; but God Willed it otherwise. He |
loved him 80 much that He robbed me /
of my husband, and has taken him to |
himself There is only one thing want |
now-my husbands body. It belongs /
to me-it is mine! 1 alone will watch /
over It'll alone will lay it in the coffin
and alone will follow it to the grave! /
Bid them bring me my husband, and /
promise me faithfully that 40 one shall !
disturb the last few hours that I, Marie !
Oppeuheim, have to spend with my
darling boy. Sir, 1 beg-I implore--to !
allow me this!
What could l say:
1 gave her his last letter, and left her,
as she bid me good bye.
Night after night I watched the house
from my balcony opposite. It was Bit
terly cold, but there 1 stood AMI watch
ed, aud scalding were the tears I shed
for her who sat desolate in tie room in
which q light burned on through the
long night into the morning again.
My house was terribly close to her, /
aud l heard everything. / heard her
awful shrek, when they led her away,
and she had seen his face for the last
time, and heard the dull thud of the
hammer, and the click of the cruel nails.
We followed, all of us, but afar oil
and away from her.
The next day, hearing and knowing
that Max's widow WAS desperately poor,
wrote to her, notifying what We had
arranged to do among ourselves for her.
She wrote back, declining all assist
ance, and within very few days had
left heidelberg 10 one knew where. I
tried in vain TO discover her where
abouts, and, not long afterwards, ] my
self had completed my University life
there, and came to England.
For five years l wiss attached 10 one
ofthe London hospitals, and at the end
ofthat period before 1 thought to .prac-
tise down here, cotinued DR.. latham,
Iwent for short Continental trip, and
revisited Heidelberg, for the first time