The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1873-03-27
ERIC WA1lDlEElRTH0RN. B
y ~"1
CHAPTER THE FIFTH.

Eric had rushed from the room into
the hall; caught ap ii. cloak and cap,
which still lay there, opened tho outer
door, and t1ed'-fled out into the bril-.
liant night fed over the hard frozen
snow fled, whittier he knew not. One
idea, one thought, scorched his brain,
lent "iugs to his feet Erast's bride :!
his brothers bride At FIRST he could
think Of nothing else. Then the r..
membrsnce of the two days passed at
Stettin came back in a flood to bis
memory. Looks, tones, words, scared
him as with a hot iron. Yes, his
broth"r's bride he loved her, loved
her to madness. He felt-sov when
be knew che was lost to him for ever
the full force Of the burning PASSION
with Which he loved her. Why should
his brother stand bet seen him and Ma.
re Had he rescued, her from death ?
Had he borne ber through the storm?
Aud Maris herself. Why had she de-
ceived him Why >.had she given him a
false name1 Aud when be had spoken
Of Ernst, Why had she not told him al 7
Even the riog of bstrothal, he had nev-
er seen lad she even laid that aide to
Deceive him If she had but told him
oil, when she found ont who he was,
be would have conquered -; at any rate,
they would not have reached their
present height aud he found that he
could not contemplate his brothers On.
,en with her with ccmposure, at: least
he would have returned to Rome
could have made some excuse. + But
now every one had been a witness to
his madness, and bis crime vas known
to all. On he fed =! Day broke, aud
night came, and day broke again, and
still he aed-onward, onward. a..
At last, exhausted nature could bear
no more and one day he axeke, weak
and treubling,like child, and touod
himself in small but poorly y-farnisbed
room-the best bedroom Of the small
ion Of. little town, scarcely better than
. village. H. vas told that he had
been picked up on the ro.d, .pp.reotly
dead, and had been brought in: ae
had been there ten days; he had bssn
deIitious, aud had had friehtfal
dreams. He tried to raise up ia eli 1the
bed on which he lay; but he fol- back
On the pillow. Recollection returned
to him. Was it continuation Of The
horri1 nightmare Of his dsliriuni,, 81 i
was it a reality ? The whole truth sood
re.entered his mind ; but ho no longe1
ravsd when he remembered Ill ht
was too weak. He would write K
Frost; be would tell him how involuns'
tary bis fault was, and how how deeplyf ht
repsnted il: - :.5''>z, |:4@@:; Ests< :=~s-,-
Aud Marie, she Who b.1 been ! pure
and holy ideal to him 90 longs form
to place IN heavenly visions-she,
worthless, vain, heartless woman, who
cared not who suffered ruin, if she
could only win admiration. All! why
did he not leave her to the wolves that
night !? Better that Ernst should have
wept for his bride, thar to have beer
betrayed BY her. Why had: he: not
psrished ia the storm r. Better sha,
Ernst should have ~ept for him. thar
have been betrayed BY bis brother, who
owed him everything 5.;Then;: {. the
thought flashed across bis mind; might
she not be innocent 7 Y 60, she was in
nocsnt, pure as m angel: She know he
Was Erus.'s brother ; il was {. Is = ;siate,
that she had answered his looks, ol
love ); - . sister she had allowed this
lips 70 rest on hsr forehead, her head
70 lean upon bis heart. And then,
had he not saved her from =. =, cruel
death ( Gratitude .lone, 2, would inpe1
her to show affection ;, to him, create.
even than could have bsen granted 70
the brother of her betrothed. Oh, be
alone was the criminal; aud he alone
would bear the the pun,shment. Let
>, Ernst ! q and Marie be happy. y. .
And 50 he wandered on-on longeI
flying but lptle's, despairiug-he
searcsly knew where. He had some
faint recollection Of selling O.: ring 4 .ol
aome5 value, which be, found on, hi,
hand !; and then ,efmodellinga deg~,
~ ...sssasff sElii - 4$s@,fa 81 I'd {, :.csc,,