The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1878-01-18
By ALFRED s. HORSLEY

!
, manner is almost WOmanly i'll it
sweetness. Contact with the wOn
in latter years has polished him out
wardIy to the last degree, so thai tax
him all in all, he is really most re
markable specimen Of simplicity
worldly wisdom, large-heartedness
culture and affection delightfully."- blen
ded."
We had now reached the exit
and without ceremony, my frien'
called coupe and plunged into it.
was moving off, not little perpleXe'
at all had heard and his unceremO
nious manner of quitting me, anC
| had just signaled a Fourth avenue car
when a carriage stopped beside M,
and a voice | recognized at once said
"I suppose you would like to hea
| her history, since you think Mrs.
| Vaughn so beautiful?'
To my answer in the affirmative
the voice continued: " Well, come
and dine with me tomorrow night
at the Clarendon, and | will tell YOU
all about her.
And hand was put forth which
grasped mine cordially, as the speaker
conclnded: al somehow took a fancy
20 you from the first, and over our els
EdlS IO-IllOliOn tNttllliEp L W III ISIl
YOU a story so strange, ineXplicable,
and sad, that YOU will have some
thing To think of fora long time. Be
at the Clarendon at seven O'Clock,
sharp, and ask for Conrad Kirschbaum
-pshaw! not a card with me, just my
luck-and you shall know all"
| readily assented, and my new ac-
quaintance, falling back among the
cushions with Il sigh, signaled wearily
to his driver to proceed, and the car
riage passed rapidly down Fifth avenue,
quickly dis appearing around a corner.
! dined with KiTschbaum next even
ing, according to engagement. After
dinner he told me the following sin
gular story: He was the son of the
Rev. Conrad Kirschbaum, deceased, of
Allentown, Pa. In 1870 he had fallen
a prey to a malarial fever, and went
abroad to recuperate his health. In
Paris he met Miss Marion Scudder, of
Albany; they fell in love, became en-
gagged, and were to be married on
their return t. America. While they
were deep in their plans for future
bliss, the Commune Tevolted. The
siege of Paris began and progressed
without eliciting their attention un-
til one day, when it was too late to
itdNC the Clt.N iF bllC usual liiCiIAO'tS
of conVeyances, they awOke To a real
izatiou that they were prisoners in
beleaguercd city. From this point l
will let Kirsch5aum tell his own story:
ooh, how l loved that girl-how l
love her still But that is not to the
purpose. There was only one way
out of the city-by balloon. 1t was
with no small difficulty that | obtain
ed Mariun's consent 10 leave by that
means. But she reluctantly complied
1T last. Then | had no end of trouble
about getting balloon, and ran the
imminent risk Of being shot in max
ing the start. In Il few days, hOwev-
er, ali was ready. | was to meet Ma
rian at her hotel at nine O'Clock in the
evening, and from thence we hoped
to quit Paris before night had set in.
As | was pacing the floor al my lOdg-
in9S, she came to me about six O'Clock
an hour before the time ut which /
had agreed To call for her. L TemOn-
strated with her for icOpardizing her
life by coming out of doors before
nightfall and without an escort; but
she averred that she felt 80 wretchcd
away from me, i'll the great danger
which threatened Us, and seemed so
on me that ] ceased my
fifteen minutes before seven, and be-
tween seven aud eight o'clock we step
ped OH board the balloon, which,
when the word was given, shot up in
to the air and rose to a great height.
Have YOU ever done any ballponing?
No? Well, it l. IL queer sensation
which Il man feels OH his first trip. The
firm earth seems to drop from beneath
you, the people and objects below
seem to te rapidly falling into space.
Its impossible at first 70 realize that
YOU are ascending. 1t was Il EloOn-
light night, and we could see that we
were passing oyer the suburbs of Par
is. To our rear lay tiie vast extent of
the city. Beneath It's the land, tFees,
houses and fields, swept past in such
rapid succession that decided l must
shortly think about making landing.
On which side of the city was l could
not determine, but J knew at the ter
rife rate of speed we We're going, |
must descend before long. Faster and
faster thenoW ipdefinabie objects be-
low swept past Us when suddenly the
report of rifle startled me. ijreak
ing from Marian, whose arms were
around me, and whose head rested on
my shoulder, | peered over the side OF
the car but could discover nothing.
We were being fired at, l judged, and
so with view TO rising higher, and
thus placing ourselves cut of range,
began to empty bags OF ballast. i.Cw
all thought of descending.
Ny only hope of safety was to go
higher and higher, The balloon
seemed to shoot up limiiiess distance,
as the sand ran out. The moon was
., I,x,- ~, tla horizon tbnt I l-npy-
it would sink and leave
us la total darkness and indescribable
iTit safe at all events from
hostile bullets. Tie DARKNESS and dGs-
olation followed very shortly AFTER
wards and ] resumed my place at Ma
riOns side. She was brave and calm,
and seated up there IN bOundlcss space,
knowing not whittier we went, nor u I
what moment we might be plunged
into the yawning abyss OF chaos below
us, | felt how dearly ! loved her, and
how little deserved her love. \ man
realizes his utter wOTthlessneSS at such
times, and feels how completely he is
at the mercy of God.
'In the siiegca of that night Marian
and | found voice to talk Qi our love !
and our future. And thus through |
the night we sat mOtiUnlCSS and talk |
rd until Marian grew silent and final !
lV dropped asleep ia my arms. | sat |
her fair head for au hour !
~ more. when | heard piashing |
noise, suggestive of water below rs. / |
listened, and again heard the COM
voices OF the waves. Henlov- !
ing Marian from my arms ] went and |
looked over the side of the car, but |
could see nothing. As | gaZcd the |
sounds seemed To come nearer and |
nearer, and at length the moving Oh !
iects beneath became more distinctly |
revealed in the Increasing dawn which |
was breaking. All at ouoe | beheld |
The movement beneath and around |
me, regular and recurrent, and in my
ears sounded the dash Of angry waters |
the surging. foaniug, secthiug bill |
lows of the sea, recognized then
that had been gradually descending
5v reason of the percolatian pfthe gas,
and SO | began again TO cast out bal
last. This had the desired effect, and
we rapidly assembled. No, not we.
For when | returned TO where | had
left Marian sleeping, she was gone!
Il will not weary YOU he went on
rapidly, with recital OF what | suf-
fered in The next few hours. Though
| was satisfied was suspended above
the Atlantic ocean, and the beating of
the sullcn waves beue.rth nte sounded
plainly in my ears, what cared ! ?
Marion, my Marion, gentle, loving