The weekly herald. [volume] (Cleveland, Tenn.) 1876-1888, 1879-01-30
Unproven Courage.

On a lovely moonlight night in the
middle of June, light carriage drove
down a grand avenue of lime and birch
trees that led to an old manor house in
the province of Livonia. Harness-bells,
which there serve to distinguish be-
tween post carriages and private ones,
broke the silence merrily.
In the carriage sat, or rather stood,
boy of fifteen, whose eyes were intently
fixed on the house In front of him, ca
gerly watching for some sign that his
coming was noticed, or for the sight of
a familiar face. And not in vain, for
the sound of bells reached the servants
hall, and before the carriage had time
to draw up at the door, an old servant
stood there waiting to greet Oscar with
a smiling face of welcome.
''Can / believe my eyes, young sirP
Is it really you who have arrived at this
late hour without giving notice OF your
coming? Can it indeed be you, Master
Oscar"
eyes, Petruschka, l am really my
self. Do you think il. t.likely that should
stop away at school moment longer
than was obliged to? No! not ], and
the holidays began rather sooner than
we expected. But, l say, is there no
one at homer"
mo one but the servants. Your fa-
ther, the Baron, has not yet come back
from Riga, and the Baroness has gone
away, for three days, on visit in the
neiphbOrhoOd, -
"What My father and mother away,
and all four carriage-horses out too.
But suppose that my dear old pony is
in the stable anyhow. Tell me, how is
Tuckum the fox getting on,-and the
gray mare,--and how are the coltsp
They ought to be fit for light work by
this time"
Thus eagerly inquiring after every
thing that seemed most lovable to his
boysh heart, the handsome, well-built
lad walked into the old hall; a large low
room decorated with ancient weapons,
armor, and many fnely-antlered red
deer's head, all of whichhe had not seen
since his last summer holidays.
''If it were not toolate, Petruschka, l.
should like above all things to run out
to the stable this very moment and give
the old pony a kiss. But Pm afraid it
must be nearly midnight, and hark!
the cuckoo-clOck in the dining-room is
striking half-past eleven, but at least
let us go out on the verandah for few
moments - said Oscar. So Petruschka
unbolted the French windows which
opened on to it.
They walked out together into the
bright, clear, November summer night,
which at this time of the year is no dar-
ker than our earliest summer twilight,
and filled with intense pleasure at find
ing himself, after twelve months alb
sence, once more in his dearly loved
home, Oscar drank in the delicious
smell of the wild cherry-blOssoms and
elder flowers, which there bloom later
than with us, and often both together.
For some time they stood there talk
ing and at length the old nurse turned
to 20 in, but Oscar hung back, listening
to the nightingale, whose voice gave q
mysterious life to the deep stiffness
around He waited there looking al
the weird light Of the moon glistenine
coldly on the silvery stems of the birch
es, but at last went into his own bed
room. When he got there he sat on the
edge of his bed and opened his heart tt
his old nurse and friend. He told hel
he was now in the second class, ant
that therefore his school days would bC
over in two years and half. "Ant
thenl then!n cried he, his eyes bright
with excitement, ''I will go into th'
cavalry What GLORIOUS life it mus
be when one can ride every dayl And
who knowsY perhaps great war ma,
break out, and if so, / feel an inwart
certainty that shall distinguish mysel
in it. But be sure of this, until | hav
accomplished something that my fathe
and everyone shall be proud of, until
have become hero, a celebrated man
never will ! sit down IN ease and idle
ness under my ancestral rooftreel"
"For heavens sake, my dear yG&%s;
master, do not talk of war. Yodr goo,
mother, and all of US, would be read
to die of anxiety if we knew that yo
were in danger and far away. We hay
only to see how well you sit horse
and TO know how kindly you deal wit
the servants and laborers, in order t
be assured of your courage. You nee
not kill a lot Of p ople to convince us
that"
"lndeed. Petruschka, you are wrong
Unproven courage isno courage at all,
cried Oscar, stretching himself on hi
bed. "You have often said that | al
kind-hearted, but | can tell you that
anyone ever dared to insult me, shoul
never rest until had taken full vel
geance."
"Dearl dearl young master, how ca
YOU have such wicked and terrible idea
in your head, and on the first evenin
of your return home, tool You shoul
rather be thinking Of returning yor
thanks to GoD for having escaped I'll
dangers of travelling by day and b
night, and being safely housed here wit
us. Now, goodnight, GoD bless yol
and send you quiet rest"
With this Petruschka shut the doc