The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1872-02-02

COL. DEM. -. VOL. XXXV-. NO. so.

hands and now / will retire, for / re-
ally am weary; even believe / went
asleep on the terrace. Good night to
you ALL"
And smiling and humming tune,
the Count with his usual ease and ele-
gance, left the room.
"Well, never saw anything to equal
this man," said Nine. de st. Ange
"but, General, l think you went little
too far"
"You understand, of course, that it
was mere trial. Now will try him
with duel. If he stands fire as he
stands every thing else, l shall say that
he is not human. shall tell him that
the arrangements are five PAGES, with
one pistol loaded and the other not, aud
chance to decide the one who gets the
deadly weapon; if he agrees to these
terms he is the bravest man ever saw,
and l will apologize to him and hold
him in my esteem."
"I cannot help plying him." said
Coralie with sigh, for de Floy was
very handsome, and in all but his lack
of sensibility, very fascinating.
AS had been foreseen the Count made
no objection to the duel as the seconds
had arranged it.
lie chose the pistol from the two Of
fered him with courteous smile, and
then at the signal fired. He had chosen
the pistol that was not loaded.
"Ah!" said he, "you have the best of
it, General"
The General, who at five PAGES almost
touched the face of his adversary,
desired him to close his eyes, as he could
not take proper aim.
The Count obeyed, but not muscle
of his face moved and after the Gener-
al had fred the pistol he opened his
eyes and smilingly said:
"You are bad shot, General.n
LET me feel your pulse" said the
doctor. "By Jove! it is slower than
mine. Well, you arc a mystery"
The Count merely smiled.
"Let me apologize and explain" said
the General. "The insult and the duel
were alike the result of wager we
have all lost; it is impossible to make
you feel emotions Of any kind"
EYES," said Nine. de ST. Ange, ad.
vancing, "you are man Of marble"
mo, madamc,' said the Count; "but
as you are all so deeply interested, l
will tell you what / ana man with.
out a heart.'
"We know that"
"Not figuratively,' said the cheva.
lier, "but literally"
"Bah !" said the doctor, "you could
not live an hour"
"My heart was taken out of my bo-
som six years ago. I was suffering
deeply, oh so deeply, and the physi-
clan, as a remedy to save me, took my
heart out Of my bosom. See, here is
the scar"
The Count opened the bosom of his
shirt, and the doctor saw a scar in the
region Of the heart.
"Still," said the doctor, "you could
not live; the thing is impossible"
"NOt at all, since ! live. The doctor
took away my heart in q silver box,
and have never felt either pleasure
or sorrow since"
The doctor for some minutes looked
intently at the Count. Then he took
Nine. de st. Ange by the arm and led
her aside.
"I have discovered his secret. He is
mad"
Mad, of course mad ; on one point
monomanac: perfectly sane on every
point but this, but utterly insane on
this point"
"Can he be cured ?"
"Ges, if you could persuade him that
his heart was once more in his body"
81 think could" said the Baronne.
For some days the party at the chat.
eau went on as usual, the only differ
ence being that Nine. de st. Ange was
more frequently in the society of the
Count than she had been before, and
that he seemed to get accustomed TO her
and to miss her if she was long out of
his sight. Still not one word of love
did he pronounce.
At length Nine. de St. Ange being
alone with him, took his hard, and in
low, trembling voice addressed him:
Count" said she, 81 have confes-
sion to make to you.'
"To me?"
eyes; you know your heart was ta-
ken from you?"
"Yes."
"Well, DO you know what was done
with it ?"
"NO.n
at was given to me; it was placed
in my bosom do you not feel the quick
loud beating ? 1t is the beating of two
hearts united in one"
"Then this is why seem to desire
your society. My heart! my heart ~
exclaimed st. Floy; "to think that
should have found it again. What
must life be with heart? / have al
most forgotten the sensation"
ut is love it is happiness it is the
revelation of God on earth. All! Count
l who feel with two hearts, 1 have
found the world a paradise. Would
you not like to feel once again, to know
the variations of the soul, like the
sound Of different harmonies, bringing
pleasures of all kinds; sensations, emo
| tions--'
"Ah! would that ! could feel.n
81 will restore your heart, and min,
will ever beat in sympathy with your
as long as we both shall live. The doc
tor shall take the heart from my bosom
and restore it to yours"
The doctor, when let into the conf
dence of the Baronne, was delighte,
with the experiment. The Count wa
persuaded to submit to the operation
and laid on his bed, and the doctor the
applied the scalpel slightly to the skin
"H ere,o said he, sin this silver bOX 1