The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-08-22

, / the rude retainers, but the undaunted chic
declared that his promise should be kept, bu
/ only made the condition that the astrologe
should endeavor to discover the day OF III
doom and the manner of it. Here occurre'
another interval of calculation, and after day
!, and nights devoted to the task, the sage de
clared that he could make nothing more on
of his horoscope than that the threatened
doom would fall at noon on the anniversar.
of the Baron's birth, but how, he could mol
discover. He was then set free and took hi
departure
in the prediction, but in order to test it he
hunted up the date of his birth, which hs
had quite forgotten, and finding it to come on
the Goth of August, he determined to have q
clock erected so as to know to minute wher
the hour of noon came. Accordingly an arti.
san was brought from distant city, and al
great trouble and expense a gigantic clock
was constructed on the summit of the highest
tower facing the castle courtyard, and when
all was ready to set the machine in motion, it
was discovered that the long hand of the
| clock had been broken, so that another would
have to be made, and the artisan, a handsome
young fellow of some twenty-five years, said
that he could forge one out of sword-blade
that would answer, and being furnished with
an immense double-edged sword Of former
days, he fitted it to the dialplate of the clock,
and all was ready.
very long time to regulate the time-piece,
for he stayed and stayed, until at length the
suspicion of the Baron was aroused and he
began to watch him. Then it was discov-
cred that the handsome stranger had sue
ceeded in winning the favor of the high-born
niece, and that the two had clandestine inter-
views in the clock tower, where the artisan
was supposed to be occupied SO much in
regulating his machinery. Then the enraged
Baron swore that the base upstart should die,
and in answer to the pleading of the lady for
his pardon the uncle replied that the wretch
should certainly die, and fixed as the day Of
his execution the very Goth Of August that
| had been predicted for his own death, saying:
"When lay my head at his feet, he may
live, otherwise at noon on the 2Oth day of Au-
gust his head shall pay the penalty of his base
audacity." Then time wore away; month by
month winter came and went. Spring faded
into Summer, and as the fatal date drew near
the Baron was observed to grow morose and
sullen every day. He used to spend hours in
solitude, porting over certain documents,
which he seemed scarcely able to read, but
which he preserved with utmost care in
great iron chest, and finally he took to wan
dering into the lonely clock tower, where he
wouAd Sa1e Ions III tuouSut!uA hAonco upon
the ponderous wheels, chains and weights
that went to make up the machine.
At length, the Goth of August dawned clear
and calm, and the lovely niece renewed her
petition for the prisoners life, and as before,
the Baron said: "When lay my head at his
feet he may live." Then the hours rolled
slowly away and the whole castle was in q
state of awful suspense. In the courtyard,
preparation were being made for the coming
execution, and except this, nothing occurred
to break the dreadful monotony. Eleven
o'clock pealed out from the tower, and the
listless retainers began to gather in the court
yard to await the event that noon was to
bring, and one said to another: "The old
astrologer was simply mistaken in the man,
for there is the Baron, alive and we'll, and not
a chance of his coming to grief; this amorous
clock tinker must have been the one whom
the stars pointed out"
Then the prisoner was brought out little |
later, when the great sword blade minute |
hand began to crep along toward the third |
quarter, and all awaited in silence for the |
hour of noon to be heralded in. The Baron |
in his restless impotence had again assembled |
to the tower and now stood watching the |
great wheels as they went slowly around, |
and as he looked, he remarked what vast |
weights of iron were used as motive power |
for the machine. Then he thought he would |
peep out to see how the preparations were
going on below, and climbing up he stuck his
head through one of the openings in the |
wrought dial plate of the clock, and observed |
with satisfaction that all was ready.
Then he fell to thinking of the astrologer
and of his prediction, and 50 deep WAS his
reverie that he did not notice something
pressing against his neck and growing gradu-
ally more distinct until he thought he would
go down SO as to be present at the ex ecution;
but horrors he could not withdraw his head,
for that do1ble-edged minute-hand, so sharp
and cold. had crept noiselessly up nearer and
nearer the opening until now it began to
compress his throat against the opposite edge,
and with every beat OF the massive pendulum
The Baron could feel it closing tighter and
lighter upon his neck. He tried to scream, |
out his voice was lost as hollow murmur
hat came from his nov strongly compressed
throat, and with eyeballs starting from their
'ockets, he gazed down upon the crowd below,
md wondered why no one saw him and
whether they could not yet see him in time to
ave him.
Then the scene began to swim before his
yes as that cruel blade. propelled by some
hundred eight of iron, advanced nearer and
learer the figure XII, and at length con-
ciousness failed him. but the people in the
curt below raised great shout as they saw
low, for the first time, that protruded head ,
nd the stream of crims On blood coursing
own the hands of the clock, and in another
Instant the head of the Baron, severed by the
word blade. rolled and fell at the feet of the
Intended victim. "a miracle a miracle |"
,as then the cry, and, prompt to the moment,
4 stepped the astrologer to prove by those
Mysterious documents that the young pris- !
ner was no other than the long lost real lord !
f the CASTLE Tableau-happy marriage
rand carousal-curtain falls.
Yours truly, STAHLFEDER-
The Burlington Ha,ok-Eye thus vents its
md lubberiy spite on that most comfortable O
beds = the hammock "Sweet things, a
,ese hammocks We SAVIOR rather man =
ho cow toll oh for xra LII | Q