The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1878-02-27

eois ucscTteu places i VIII Try TO pass
the night rs fortably as possible ,,
"Thns, speaking 20 myself, passed
through several apartments, and ar
rived at my fathers bed room. A
nearly extinguished fire was slumber-
ing amid the ashes on the hearth.
With the assistance OF it's Pickering
light recognized my father, my moth
er, and my four sisters, seated 10 a
half circle before it. They all stood
up on sseing me. was on the point
OF throwing myself into my fathers
arms, when l was slapped by solemn
gesture he made TO prevent me from
coming near him. / held out my arms
to my mother, bnt che receded from
me with melancholy look. / cal ed
each of my sisters by tlleir names, and
the only answer received was thai
they took hold of each others hands
without pronouncins word, and then
all sat down. $50 you not know me e.
l exclaimed. "1s that the way a fam
lily should receive a son and a brother
after SO many, years of separation
Have you, then, already learned that
| have entered the Prussian service
But l could not do otherwise; my lib
erty, the happiness OF seeing you,
were its reward. Just think, that in
sixteen years hare heard nothing OF
you. Separated from you by interim
nabie wars, il the Swedish service
prisoner Of war-no news ever reached
me 20 calm my anxiety and my doubts
Yon see yourself that the first use
made OF my liberty was to come and
sec you here--bere, where feared
might not end yon alive, but where, at
least, 1 thought should learn some
thing to act me on the right road to
fiud you. What, father! you do not
answer mes Mother, you are silent!
Have you, sisters, forgotten the tend
erness and the plays of our childhood
those plays Of which this room has
been often the spectator
"These last words seemed to move
my sisters. They began to speak in
low tones to each other, made a sign
to approach, and one of them knott
down before my mother, hiding her
head in her lap as if she were deairpus
of playing a game called shot hands"
Now, it came to my turn to kneel down
before my mother and hide my head
in her lap. Oh, horror! I felt under
the silk garments cold and hard sub
stances. heard dry noise, like the
jnmbling Of bones togetler-and when
hand was placed in mine, that hand
remained there. 1t was skeletons.
I arose, breaking forth into q cry of
horror. All had vanished, and moth
ing remained of that terrible vision
but few human bones. Wild with
terror and half crazy ! rushed ont of
the ahominable habitation, found my
horse and, throwing myself into tho
saddle, departed at break-neck gal
lnp, unconscious of where WAS goine,
letting the horse take his own route.
"Abaut daylight, my horse fell dead
under me, and my followers anxious
and troubled about my disappearance,
after long search, tonnd me with a
large wound IN my head, lying insen.
sible beside my horse, at the foot of \
tree. l was for e long time on the
point Of death; and it was only after
three weeks of n raging fever, of agony
aud delirium, that | was again in the
possession OF my reason. then beard
from the people of the town that my
whole family had persisted, Victims Of
the cruel war that had devastated Lux
embuurg, and that the castle of Gross
Renew had been pillaged and rayaged
several times.
Scarcely convalescent, vents sec.
ond time to the castle to have the re-
mains Of my family placed in the fami.
ly vault, when. to my great surprise
aud notwithstanding the scrupnlous
search I made, not particle Of those
sacred remains could he found. A
hand alone--a woman's hand-round
which was this gold bracelet, lay on
the floor of the room wherein the fatal
vision had appeared to me. Itook the
bracelet; it was the one I tow hold in
my hand, and the human bones were
placed in tho oratory of the castle.
"Since that time, many, many year
has rolled past. Abont two months
aga 30 I was sleeping in the very chair
am now seated 10, ] was awakened
bv a slight noise. On opening my
eyes beheld my father, my mother
and my four sisters before me; and, az
they had done in the Castle of Gross
Renzow, my sisters joined their hands
together as if to play hot hands, and
beckoned me to approach. No. ex.
claimed; no, never Then all the
phantoms, taking each other by the
hand, began to turn a circle round my
chair. 'Justice,' said my father, while
passing before me. 'Penance,' mur-
-S sa ~,,kL.s an sl,o hapA has