Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1872-08-29

mother. "You will find my danghte,
there il you would like to 500 her."
Tho young officer llustily walked out
into the garden.
=. Petrowna crossed herself murmuring;
":3oa be praised! To-day I trust his
visit will have some result."'
Wurmin found his beloved, clad in
white, sitting under tree by the side
Of the pond, u book upon her lap, like
u heroine of romance. The usual salu-
tations over, Wnrmin who was strange.
ly agitated, told her how be haa long
yearned to pour out his heart before
her, and bcgge.l that she would listen
to him few moments. She closed hel
book, and nodded in token Of assent.
II love you," said Wurmin, 'I love
you passionately.
Marie Gust down her eyes.
~ have been imprudlent enough Ia
see you, TO hear you-daily. It is now
too late to escape my fate. The thought
of your lovely face, of your sweet voice,
will henceforth constitute the joy and
the anguish of my existence. But |
have u duty to preform towards you:
l must reveal to you secret, which
has placed an irsurmountable barrier
between us."
"That barrier" murmnred Marie,
"oxisted always-1 could never have
become yours"
81 know, replied Wurmin, in a sup
pressed voice, that you have loved be
fore; but death-three long ye.Es of
mourning-dearest Marie, do not de-
prive me Of my last comfort, of the
blissful thought that you might be
come mine, il"
"Cease, I conjure you! You renl
my hearth"
Eyes, you will graut me the comic IT
OF knowing that you would have be-
come mine; but, most wretched OF
men that I AMI am already married !"
Marie gazed up at him with look of
astouishment.
eyes, married for four years." con-
tinued the lieutenant, "aud do not
know either who my wife is, where she
is, or whet or shall ever meet her. -
& Explain ss yourself more clearly, "
II love you Marie, and will confide
in You. You shall know all, and YOU
will not Judge too severely an act of
youthful levity. 1t was in the year
1912. I happened to be on the way to
wilma, with the intention of joining nv
regiment. Late IN the evening I
reached a station, and had already or.
dered that horses should instantly be
put to again, when fierce snow storm
suddenly arose. My landlord and the
postillion urgently advised me to post
pone my departure; but I was deter
mined to 60 in spite of the rough
weather. The postillion had got it in
to his head, that by crossing small
river, the banks of which were perfectly
! we'll known to him, he should find a
shorter route. He missed the right
crossing, however, and got into q re-
gion to which he was entire stranger.
The storm continued to rage at length
we deserted light in the distance. We
made for it, and stopped before a
church. from the brightly illuminated
windows OF which the light shone. The
door was open, three sleighs were in
front Of it, and saw several persons
in the vestibule One of them called to
me: This way this way I got out
and walked toward the vestibule.
'sThe person who had called advanced
toward me-.
"*Great Heaven!' he said, show
late you come! Your intended has
tainted, and We were on the very point
Of driving home again
Half bewiidered and half-amused,
l resolved to lot the adventure take it's
course. And, indeed, I had little time
for reflection. My friends tugged me
into the interior If the church, which
was poorly lighted by two or three
lamps. A female was sitting upon q
bench in tho shadow, while another
stood beside her and clafed her tenn
pies.
"At lastl' cried the latter. God
be praised that you have comet My
poor mistress liked to have died.
''An aged priest emerged from be.
hind the altar, aud asked: Can We
begiu9'
"Begin, reverend father! I crietl,
unadvisedly.
50 They assisted the half unconscious
girl to rise she appeared to bo very
pretty. In a fit of objectionable, and
now quite incOmprehensible levity, i
readily stepped with her to the altar.
Her maid and tho three gentlemen
present wore so much busted with her
as scarcely to throw look at me. Be-
sides the light in this part of 1he
church was dim, and my head was
mufded in the hood of my cloak.
"In few minutes the nuptial cere.
mony was over, and the priest, accord
ing to custom, desired the newly mar
riea pair to embrace.
my young wife turned her pale,
charming face toward me, and was
about to rest her head upon my shoul-
der with, sweet smile e-when sudden.
ly she stared at me as if turned into
stone, tottered, and with the cry of 1t
is not her fell to the floor.
"All the furies of hell lashed me out
of church. Before anyone could think
Of staying me had jumped into my
sleigh, seized the reins, and was beyond
the reeach of pursuit"
The Lieutenant was silent. Marie,
also, gazed in silence to the ground.
"And have You never discovered
what became of the poor girl p she
finally asked.
"Never. know neither the name of
the village where I was married, nor do
I recollect the station where / stopped.
AT the time, my culpably frivolous
prank seemed to me matter of SO lit
tie moment, that rs soon as there was
no longer any pursuit to fear, went to
sleep in the sleigh, and did not awake
till we arrived at another station. The
servant whom had with me was killed
in battle; all my efforts to find out the
position who drove us proved ,,navail-
ing and SO every clue seems indeed
lost by which I might again find the
scene Of that folly. for which I have
now to suffer so heavily"
Marie turned her pale face toward
him, and took both his hands. The
lieutenant gazed thu;.der struck into
her eyes dim foreboling awoke in
his breast, veil suddenly dropped
from his eyes.
marie! God of Heaven, how can
l have besn 50 blind? Marie, was it
indeed yon?"
II am your wife !" was the only IN
swer OF the girl, who sank fainting into
his arms.
New American Ocean Steamers.
A Philadelphia paper, speaking of
the new steamship Pennsylvania,
launched ut that port on Thursday.
s"ys An iron ship Of American ma
terial and American workmanship
throughout, is adOat on the Delaware.
aud three more will be by her side in
the ensuing four months. Contracts
were made August 81, 1871, for four
ships OF 3, ,O16 tons each, old measure
ment, to b. 155 feet long and 43 feet
INnOrn IN 0nrr~v ~ H.-,A