The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1875-11-04

NO. II
college, until he was now entering
upon Zig twenty.tbird year. For the
four last he had lived with me a. the
sole pupil: which I had, or meant to
have, had not the brilliant proposals
Of the young Russian guardsman'
persuaded me to break my resolution.
Ferdinand Won Harrelsteiu had good
talents, not dazzling but respectable !;
and so amimiable were his temper and
manners, that I had introduced him
everywhere, and everywhere he was a
fayorite; and everywhere, indeed, ex-
cept exactly there where in this
world he cared for favor Margaret
Liebenheim, she it was, whom he
loved, and had loved for years, with
the whole ardor of his ardent soul :;
che it was for whom, or at whose COM
mand, he would willingly have died.
Early he had felt that in her hands
lay his destiny; that she it was who
must be his good or evil genius.
| At first, and perhaps to the last, I
pltled him exceedingly. But my
pity soon ceased to be mingled with
respect Before the arrival of Mr..
Wyndham he had shown himself gen
! erous, indeed magnanimous. But
never was there so painful an over
throw Of a noble nature as manifest.
ed itself in him. l believe that he
bad not himself suspected the strength
of his passion and the sole resource
for him, as 1 said often, was to quit
the city,-to engage in active pursuits
Of enterprise, of ambition, or of
science. But he heard me as a SOM
pambulist might have heard me-
dreaming with his eyes open. Some
times he:had, fits Of reverie, starting,
fearful .gatated sometimes he broke
put into 'maniacal movements of
wrath, invoking some absent person,
praying, beseeching, menacing some
air-wove phantom; sometimes he
| skunk into solitary corners. muttering
to himself, and with gesture sorrow
| fully significant, or with tones and
fragments of expostulation that NOV
ed the most callous to compassion.
Still he turned a deaf ear to the only
practical counsel that had a chance
for reaching his ears. Like a bird
under the fascination Of rattlesnake,
ne would not summon up the ener-
gies Of his nature to make an effort
| at flying away. "Begone, whilst it is
time" said others, as we'll as myself
for more than I saw enough to fear
some fearful catastrophe. "Lead US
/ not into temptation {" said his con-
tessor to him in my hearing (for,
though Prusaians, the Won Harrel-
iteins were Roman Catholics), "lead
us not into temptation that is our
daily prayer to Cod. Then, nv son,
being led into temptation, do not you
persist in courting, nay, almost tempt.
ing temptation. Try the effects of
absence, though but for a month u
| The good father even made an over
ture towards imposing penance upon
him, that would have involved an alb.
seuce Of some duration. But he was
obliged to desist ; for he saw that
without efectiug any good, he would
merely add spiritual disobedience tc
the other offences of the young man
Ferdinand himself drew his attention
to thas; for he said: "Reverend faith
er! do not you, With the purpose o.
removing me from temptation, be
yourself the instrument for tempting
me into a rebellion against the church
Do not you weave snares about nv
steps; snares there are already, anc
but too many" The old man sighed
and desisted.
| Then came-But enough! From
pity, from sympathy, from counsel
and from consolation, and from scorn
from each Of these alike the poo,
stricken deer "recoiled into the wild.
erness"; he fled, for days together, in.
to solitary parts Of the forest fled, a
| still hoped and prayed, in good ear
nest, and for along farewell; but alas
still he returned to the haunts 0,
his ruined happiness and his buriec
hopes, at each return looking more
{ like the wreck of his former self
and once l heard a penetratiog monk
observe, whose convent stood near tht
! city gates: ''There goes one ready
!, equally for doing or suffering, and O.
whom We shall soon hear he is involv
ed in some great catastrophe.-it may
be Of deep calamity,-it may be o.
memorable guilt"
So stood matters amongst us. Jan
uary was drawing to its close; tn,
weather was growing more and NOR
winterly high winds, piercingly cold
; were raving through our narrow
streets and still the spirit of socia
feshvity bade defiance to the storms
which sang through our ancient for
ests. From the accident of our mag
istracy being selected from the trades
; men of: the city, the hospitallties o