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WILLIAM D: COOKE, j
FAMILY NEWSPAPER.
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JOL IV "NO. 49,
SELECT POETRY.
A: LITTLE SCOTCH LASSIE-
BY GF.RLAND MASSET.
' V - .. . -i I
Just? a smile i' the lace o naimc
, Just a Mirror o' the My !
la the winsome .cojadY creature -"
Vha has stowen my heart away.
Scotland has nae sweeter blossom
Buddin' fain or flowerin' fair
Nestlin' to a mither's bosom,
Gin a lover's hand sud dare.
Bqpnie Scotland bonhie Scotland
"When I'm far, faraway,
1 I will think o' bonnie Scotland,
Wi' a prayer for sweet MacLeay.
She is gracefa' as the greenly
Waving boughs in simmer's wind,
And her beauty, calm and queenly,
Wears a royal crown o' mind.
0 ! gin she were ane-an'iwenty
OLgin she were my wee wife,
Love wad gi'e the erowin' .dainty
; To the banquet o' rny life. i- .
Bonnie Scotland bonnie Scotland
When I'm far, far away,
I will turn to bonnie Scotland,
Wi' a , prayer for sweet MacLeay
Might I bear Love's shield above her
'Might I snood her silken hair,
How niy heart wad, round her hover
On the tender wings o' care.
O ! may Heaven rich blessin's shower
On her dear life's bawmy bud,
Till it ope perfection's flower
In the bloonr.in' fields o' God.
Bonnie Scotland bonnie Scotland
When I'm far, far away,
I will think o' bonnie Scotland,
, Wi' a prayer for sweet MacLeay.
JOSEPH A,
A LEAF FROM HISTORY,
BY MRS. E. L. CUSH1NG.
Come, Beautiful betrothed ! the bitter sting
Of hoie deferred, can reach no bosom here.
Croi.t.
On a fine September evening, in the year
1767, the gay city of Vienna exhibited "unusual
t"ken- of festivity, the imperial palace was bril
liantly illuminated, and from its princely gar
dens came the sounds of tnirth and music, while
its lighted halls ware thronged with ;tlie beauti
ful anil highborn of the land.
these rejoicings were in honor of one of the
fairest danglitets of the bouse of Austria : the
.favorite of Maria Theresa's maternal heart, and
the j'ride of thtj.-cuurt the young and lovely
Arc'liJuthess' Jtsepha- who on that day bad
b en publicly .betrothed to Ferdiuand, King-of
Naples. Already w as t.be hailed as a queen by
the ciiurtly .cuole gatlivred around her, who yet
rctuiered stiirtleeper.b-.'iiiage to her beauty than
li her rank. - :
And never did a fairer object claim the gene
,ral love and admiration than this youthful. prin
ces. She, had not yet completed her fifteenth
ar, yetbhe was tall and trikiug in her per.-on
exqu'isitfly formed, and with a tace lull ol ex
presjon, which varied with every changing
thought and feeling of her innocent heart. IIr
.manner was erracjeful. and playful almost to
-i'hildislmes4, but chastened bv a sweet gntle-
iesshat lelit it an irresitable charm. Her tastes
formed bvs those of her illustrious mother
cre j.m--dn.l simle, and her affection for her
family wassoxleep and passionate,that the bare
dea of separating from them, tilled her s ul
;ith grief. Her very being- seemed entwined
ilh that of her sisters her brothers were hr
id Is and her mother, next to ber God, the
object of her profi.uudest love and veneration.
youthful, and so closely knit by nature's
ttndcroi ties to the fond hearts of Iter kindred,
U is uo avunder she should bhrink from a union
iilv.a stranger and a foreigner one wholn she
W hever seeit, and whose very name brought
iima a her a deep sorrow ; for "her betrothed
-husband had already been affianced to her sis
tr Joanna, who before he.r vows were ratified
destined to make ber bridal bed in the
grave and a secret superstition that she should
share the fate of her whose place she was cho
Jea t ) fill possessed the reluctant heart of Jo-s'-iha.
,
but the Empress? Maria Theresa saw only the
timidity and caprice of a petted ch'Jd, in lier
fighter's' tears and entreaties. She regarded,
she thought, her children's' permanent inter
est and happiness in the alliance she formed for
lhein, no less than .her own ainbitivn,whieh ever
'ougut an extension of power , and in accordance
ith the impulsi'S of ' ber aternal duty, she
cOQHraineJ the young Josepba to yiebi an un
willing as-ent to Ferdinand's overtures.
And it whs on the arrival of the princely
deputation, who pame in the name of their rov-
al master to demand the young Arclnluchess
5 Uieir queen, that arraved in regal robes, she
aE'peareJ in the midst of her mother's court to
rfcu-e the greetings of the envoys. But those
ho watched .her through the gorgeous, but to
fcr sad ceremonial of that day, saw no queen
Mnumph on j)er roWj though circled by a
.sdem ; no gla(jne n jier fttep, no joy in the
""Qcast tearful glances of her eye ; and they
anelled at such indifference, in one so voung
lie brilliant; destiny which awaited her.
-!ve only, reai tjie secret anguish of her
young and loving .heart one in the courtly
c.ircle, who, though he had not openly aspired
ELECTED ARTICLES
to ber favor, worshiped ber in secret, feeding
his cherished love with the sweet looks and
words which she dispensed on him with bashful
prodigality ; ever singling out from ' among her
admiring train, the young Hungarian". soldier,
who had Vowed himself to the service of her'
imperial mother, and who had S,l I
hjgkAotMwirfyHaflfly cause 1
in council and in field. Thus, from many to
kens Count Dal manor! knew he had won aplace
in the heart of the beautiful princess, and that
on this fatal night they were closely united in
sorrow at the cruel demolition of their dearest
hopes.
Nor could the empress, while she marked the
troubled countenance of her daughter, silence
the upbraiding voice, which from the depths of
her soul, whispered that she was sacrificing her
child to the demon of ambition that ruthless
ambition? which she had ever permitted to ex
ercise too wide a sway over her wise and bene
ficent heart. It was, therefore, a relief to her
when at last the music. ceased, the dance ended, '
the blaza of light was quenched, and she was
left alone to commune with Heaven and her
self; though even then with the casuistry com
mon to those who rule,she sought to justify, by
false and specious pretexts, even the sacrifice of
her child.
Alone too and in darkness, struggling: with
her rebellious heart, remained the unhappy vic
tim of ber imperial mother's policy. Her tear
ful face buried in ber hands, and ber Hong, fair
hair falling like a richveil over her neck and
shoulders, the jroung Queen of Naples knelt at
the shrine of the Virgin, before whose consecra
ted image burned the only lamp which faintly
illuminated her chamber. The gorgeous, robes
which hadj decked her for her bridal, were lying
where her attendants had left them, and on her
toilette sparkled the diamond tiara which that
night had crowned her aching brow with royal
ty. How worthless to the sorrowing princess,
seemed those costly gauds, for which she had
been compelled to cast away the richer treas
ures of the heart ! How dark looked to her the
future ! and with what poignant regret she re
called the happy, irrevocable past !
These bitter thoughts would intrude even up
on ber devotions, and with them came fresh
bursts of tears, and audible, impassioned invo
cactions, broken by her sobs :
"Pitying mother, bear and save me !" she
cried, "thou knowest the wretchedness of my
heart its horror at this marriage its hatred of
this idle pomp. Gracious mother, take me to
thy arms, safe from the sorrows and snares that
beset my youth."
In agony of grief she sank prostrate at the
foot of the altar, when a iight step approached
a soft arm raised and sustained her, and a gen
tle voice joining in her supplications, entreated
for her heavenly composure, and that all rich
gifts of celestial and earthly joy might unite to
crown and bless her life.
Josepha knew the voice cf her sister Christi
na, the beautiful and gifted wife of Prince Al
bert of Saxony, and casting herself into her
arms, she wept without control upon her bosom.
Christina clasped her weeping sister in a fond
embrace, kissing her lips and cheeks with pas
sionate tenderness, and bathing them with her
own fast flowing tears.
''Be comforted, my sister," she said at length,
"God smiles on your filial obedience, and he
will not suffer it to go unrewarded and her
low, sweet voice was tremulous with emotion as
she spoke.
"Ah, Christina, needed there this dreadful
sacrifice to JTest its strength ?" sobbed the young
Josepha. "God knows I would have laid down
my life lor my mother- but this living death
this endless txi!e from all I loved, is it not ter
rible ?
"Do not call it an endless exile, my Josepha,"
;-aid her sister, "tut only a trausient sojourn in
a land of beauty think of the delicious cli
mate in which you are to reign in all the splen
dor of royalty and then tell me,my little one,"
he added, with a smile, "what there is in all
this which so affrights your imagination !"
"Ah, you may smile, Christina," said Josepha
sadly ; "you who are wedded to a man you love,
and who with him may often return here to en
joy your early home. But the thought of quit
ting all that is dear to me, brings with it the
bitterness of death sisters and brothers, and
mv beloved mother, cruel though she is in this
act, for one whom I never knew who woes me
without affection, who may never love me, per
haps ; but give me hate instead, in that strange
laud where my heart will never find a home."
"And why, my Josepha, should it not find a
home, and a blessed one, in that laud of beauty
and bloom, and happiness in the ties which must
there link it to new and tender objects of affec
tion ?'' asked the princess.
"My answer lies here,'' she said, pointing to
a miniature which lay up n a tible ; "cast your
eyes, Christina, upon the face of my betrothed
husband, and uo longer marvel at my despair.
Already has that painted semblance inspired
me with digust, which I vainly strive to con-
' ,b . , T , I
quer, and the grief I feel at quitting all I hold
uear 011 earui, is eunanceu oy me conviction
that be with whom I am to unite my' fate can
never in-pire mo with affection."
"A portrait is seldom faithful to its original
1 L 1 ..J L .! .. ..
Josepha, and doubtless, this is not so. Ferdin-
and is neither great nor warlike, yet report de-
dares him amiable and beneficent, and these
virtues, will mote surely promote your happi-
ness, than if, by his ralor he gained a hundred
battles, or by his genius outwitted all the courts
of Europe."
MiEJGH;--TO
"If such had been j. ur reasdnin'g, Christina,
in days past," said the young queen, witfj some
bitterness ; "the Duke de Chablais ;BHglit have
won his bride, and Prince Albert ' have become
the husband of another." ' "'?'
"I loved Prince Albert,", said CHiristina,atn!
eff ; "an4Lliaj
forbid the gift of my hand where my affections
had long been bestowed, though had our moth
er disapproved my choice, I. should probably
have yielded to her wishes and resigned him.
As the children of a great sovereign, I think
we are bound to consult the interests of the
realm in our matrimonial alliances, rather than
our own inclinations, though this is very hard'
especially if called upon to renounce the heart's
affection for cold and worldly interest. And I
feel this so much, that if T thought you loved
another, my Josepha, I could not, with all my
boasted stoicism, thus calmly urge you to ful
fil your duty. But I am spared that fear,
since
At these words, Josepha started with a sud
deu bound from her sister's encircling arm. A
burning blush crimsoned her face, and burying
it in her hands, her . whole frame shook with
emotion. The princess Christina sprang toward
her, doubt and dismay filled her heart, as laying
her trembling hand upon her sister's, she softly
asked,
"Can this be so, my poor Josepha ?''
For an instant the young girl made no reply
then conquering her emotion by a powerful ef
fort, she turned toward Christina a face pale as
her robe, and said in a low but calm voice :
"And if it be,my sister, still it must be borne,
it is the penalty of our birth, and the daughter
of Maria Theresa mu t fulfill ber destiny by
wedding a roval wooer av, even though in the
humbler object of ber love were united every
virtue and every gift save sovereignty. Yes,
this is the cruel doom that appertains to cur
greatness, and we cannot stir-from it. Ah, my
Christina, peasants en vy us, because, dazzled by
the jewels that cover our aching hearts, they see
uot the blighted hopes and cankering griefs that
corrode them."
"And can I give you, neither aid nor comfort,
my poor sister J" asked Christina, with tears of
affectionate earnestness. "Give me vour confi
dence, dearest it is so hard to suffer alone the
pangs of disappointed affection. Ah, could I
but help you I so well remember when my
father for a time opposed my union with Prince
Albert, what a wretch I was the world held
not another so miserable."
"Ah, for me there c?n be no rclentings," said
Josepha, "my fate is sealed but not long shall
I be held in thraldom, for I feel a secret intima
tion which I cannot resist, nay, I often hear a
whisper as if from Joanna's pallid lips, that be
fore long the tomb will hold in its cold bosom
the two betrothed brides of Ferdinand of Na
ples." "Do not yield to such foolish fancies," said
the princess, "you who are flushed with health
and strong in youth, to give way to such imag
inings is quite absurd. Your nervous system
is unstrung, my dear Josepha, by the fatigues of
the day, and you are taxing your strength be
yond endurance by this sleepless night. For
see ! the yellow dawn is actually pushing thro'
the curtains, and you have not slept. I pray
you now, my sister, seek some repose, and com
fort yourself with the assurance that the Queen
of delicious Naples shall not have cause to com
plain that the princess of cold and rude Saxony
is a stranger at her court."
On the following day Josepha was really in
disposed, and permitted, in eonseqnenee, to rt-
main in the privacy of her apartments but
when several succeeding days passed on aud the
same plea for her non-appearance was urgfd,
the empress, perceiving that the mind ouly was
untuned, required her presence again in public
as the only means of dispelling the morbid me
ancholy to which she was perpetually yielding
But it was in vain that bjf alternate reasoning
and persuasion her mother strove to reconcile
her to her destiny, or that her sisters sought to
cheer and divert her with the pictures of gaye
ty and splehdor that were to to make her court
the most attractive in Europe nothing had the
power to rouse her from her deep depresion,
and shunning the gayety around her, and even
the society of her friends, she would spend hour
after hour alone in her orato y, or wandering in
listless abstraction through the most sequester
ed walks of the gardens.
The empress suffered for her child, and the
more keeuly as her own upbiaidings were se
vere, for though a great and magnificent sover
eign, she was also a tender, even if ambitious,
mother ; but regarding the young bride only
as a wayward and romantic child, she confident-
1 ly anticipated the time, when the active duties
and pleasures of her brilliant station would so
engross and interest her, as to restote the anima
tion she had lost, and reconcile her to herdes
tinv. Such continued the situation of affairs at
the Austrian court, till the day was close at
; Vont rn which Josenha was to bid it a last fare-
' , i v i ir
i well and escorted by a brilliant retinue set out
, "
lO' UV"
On the morning pre i us to that fixed for
her departure, as she sat alone in her closet, she
was startled by a low knock at the door, and
j MioreaHe could rise to open m u uc.u t...
Toice of e empress requesting admittance.
J Josepha was surprised, for seldom before had
i ter mother intruded on her hours of religious
' retirement she was herself too scrupulous an
observer of every external form of the church,
j unwillingly to interrupt others in iheir devo-
SATURDAY,
tions, and as Josepha h4tttiljjin closed the doo
she trembled with undefined ftppreijeusiort.
The fine countenance of the empress wore
that look of sad resignation hich had become
it4iabitual expression since the . death of the
ropeftlnferiorVshe was JJfcevin 'eyerj
she yet cherished for
him a love as intense as woman ever felt ; and'
his loss, which she unceasingly deplored, had
wrought in her person and in her character a
marked change, leaving traces of decay on the
one, which the finger of grief inscribes more
deeply, and more rapidly than that of time, and
teaching her ambitious sp rit to feel the vanity
of earthly joys, and to lay hold on those which
are imperishable and eterual.
Maria Theresa embraced her daughter ten
derly, and then casting a glance tow aid the
breviary which lay open on a cushion
"I trust," she said, speaking in her accustom
ed sweet and subdued voice ; "I trust, my child
1 have not disturbed your devotions. I thought
the hour was past in which you usually engage
in them, and I wish much to speak to you of a
duty to be performed, before you quit the soil
iu which your beloved father sleeps."
The voice of the empress faltered, she paused,
and covered her face with her handkerchief.
Josepha'with childlike simplicity and affection,
threw, herself upon her mother's bosom, and
gently uncovering her face, kissed away the
tears that bedewed it.
"Tell me, mamma, what it is that you desire
of me," she said. "I have caused you so much
sorrow, that before I leave you,"' and her voice
trembled, "I would gladiy by some act prove to
you-my grateful love and glad obedience to
your wishes."
'T thank you, my Josepha ; the duty T re.
quire of you is a sacred one, and your cheerful
performance of it involves not only my peace
of mind, but your own welfare, b jth temporal
and spiritual."
"Pray name it, mamma,"' sa'd the young
queen, a foreboding of evil creeping over her at
the unusual solemnity of her mother's voice and
manner.
"Need I mind you, my daughter, that this is
the eighteenth of the month, tlje anniversary -of J
vour father's death," she said, impressively : "a
day winch my heart always con-ecrates to his
memory the best of husbands and of fath
ers.'
'I remembered it whiL on mv knees b-f re
that altar, mamma, and omitted not a fervent
petition for the repose of his blessed soul," said
Josepha.
"Aud I, my cluld," said the empress with
emotion, have but now returned from. that vault
in which his precious ashes rest. J baxe water
ed his tomb with my tears ; and . there, where
human pride aud greatness may read a lesson
of their vauiiy, I have miuglod with my prayers
for his soul, the deepest and most humbling con
fessions of my own weakneS, and aked of
God wisdom to rule my people with justice and
strength, to maintain a virtuous wav over the
more difficult and rebellious empire of my
heart."
Josepha shuddered. The -superstition which
tinctured the strong mind of Maria Theresa, was
deeply interwoven in the weaker one of ber
daughter, and the idea of any one's going alone
to that sepulchral vault beneath the gloomy
church of the Capuchins, filled her with terror.
Could her mother intend to require of her this
act of duty ? The. next w ords spoken by the em
press. verified her fears.
"My daughter," she said, "you are shortly to
leave a mother's sheltering arms, to enter a new
phere of life, and to assume high and responsi
ble duties, and before your bark is launched up
on this untried, and it may be, storniv ocean of
existence, I would have you seek the tomb of
your father, and there anew dedicate yourself to
God ; there implore his guidance and protection
ihrough the dangers aud temptations which
may lie before you, and solemnly invoke the
beatiSed spirit of him whose cold lemaius sleep
beneath, to pray for you, and watch over you
from his heavenly home, that your feet go not
astray from the paths of goodness which he
loved.'
The poor young girl stood parab zed with hor
ror, as she listeued to these words her lips and
cheeks were bloodless, and her eyes fixed with
stony stare 'upon her mother, who, if she uoti-
ced her emotion, was not moved by it bom her
purpose, but continued calmly to say
"Prince Kaunitz will accompany you to the
church, mv daughter, where Father Steuheu
will meet and conduct you to the vault."
"Oh, my mother spare me ?" exclaimed the
shrieking priucess,and bursting imo a passion of
tears, she threw herself at the feet of the as.on
ished empress.
"Spare you the performance of an act of fils-
ial devotion, Josepha ? Can it be this, you
mean !" asked her mother,in a tone of reproach
ful surprise.
Josepha made no reply, but burying her face
in the folds of ber mother's robe, continued to
sob audibly. Theempress looked down j on
her weeping daughter for a moment in silence,
and then rose with dignity from her seat.
"I cannot understand these tears," she said ;
'this strange reluctance to the performance f
an act, which should have been voluntary on
your part yes, Josepha, I would have it a spon
taneous desire in the heart of a daughter of
the house of Austria, to pay her last act of de
votion before bidding adieu to her country, at
the tomb of a father who adored her."
"Oh forgive me, my mother," exclaimed the
OCTOBER 27, 1855-
unhappy princess, still kneeling in terrified en
treaty at the feet of her imperial mother, "call
me weak and childish for so I may be but,
indeed, I cannot, dare not enter that gloomy
vault. Assign ne any other task, and my obe-
nave noi caurage 10 enaure u.
' Arise, Josepha!'' said the empress, iu a tone
of severe displeasure, "I blush that a child of
mine can avow herself the victim of such idle
fears but they are too absurd for my regard
and I must treat them as the offspring of a dis
eased and morbid fancy. I consider this duty,
which I require of you, essential to your future
peace and happiness, and so viewing it, I should
be fal-e to my convictions, if I, permitted you to
depart from my guardianship without its observ
ance. Go, then, in humble penitence and love
to the tomb of your dead father, and there re-
gister your vows to live henceforth fos-JIeaven,
and for the good of the realm over wh.'b you
are to reign. Prepare yourself now to accom
pany the prince."
This young queen felt how fruitless would be j
all farther resistance to the will of a parent ac- j lowed Father Stephen toward the concealed
customed toiimplicit obedience from every one, : ,loor, leading to the vaults below. Site had
and rising mechanically from ber suppliant atti- j thought herself calm but when she beard t e
tude, she signified her acquiescence by a silei-t , key grating in the massy lock, and found her
gesture, and the faint utterance of the words, "1 j S(.ff alone with the priest, actually descending
obey," which fell scarce audibly from her qui- j the steps penetrating the funeral gloom of
vering lips. that subterranean chat uel-house- tLen &heseem-
Ti e empress w.thdrew, satisfied with even j ed to lose the power of volition, the pulses of
th s bard w rung a-sent to ber wishes, and free J ber heart st.Kxl still with dread, and her eyes,
ftom the resfaint of ber mother's presence, the j fixed and dilated with horror, beheld ybastly
unhappy princess sunk upon her concli, in a
oa-sioti of bystei ical sobs and tears. The voice
of ber young jsi-ter, Marie Antoinette. singing
a joyous carol, as she bounded through tjhc cor
ridor, aroused her from her grief", and hastily
wiping her eyi s, she went cu'. to embrace this
daibng child the personification of infant grace
ami beauty. :;
She bad thrown henielf upon the floor beside
a beautiful gteyhouud,:and while bis head rest
ed caie&sii'glyl upon her small lap, she was twiu
iug round bis slender neck a careanet of pearls,
which she had roguishly purloined from the toi
lette of an elder sister. Howtiule dreamed Jo
sepha, ,aa..&bji-jclap9'ttiMi brigbfr wneowacioaa
child to her bosom, of the woes which were to
daiken her after years woes and sufferings
compared to which, those that overshadowed
her own youthful life, were but as the summer
storm to the desolating tempest of the tropics.
" Ah, dear Josepha !" exclaimed the lovelv
child, as clinging round the neck of her weep
ing sister, she showered her fragrant kisses on
her cheeks and lips ; " w hy do you cry so, w hen
mamma says you are to be a queen, whom every
body loves? .But, perhaps," chattered on the
-ittleoiie, " perhaps you do not want to go away,
and bad lather stay with us in this i)'eaant
home, or" at Sconbrunn or Lachsenberg, where
we have such nice fruit, and large gardens to
play in."
" Ay yes, I would, indeed, my Marie," sa:d
Josepha, straiuing her young sister to her bosom
with an unwonted fervor, that surprised her
"God knows how it breaks my heart to leave
you, d ar one, and all that I love. Yet I must
go but uot to be a queen, my darling, I shall
never live to wear an earthly crown ! Pray,
d'-ar-st, that by patient endurance I may win a
heavenly one ;" and she hi I her face among the
golden ringlets of the little archduchess, who
clung to ber weeping sister, weeping also with
childish vehemence, though wherefore she scarce
ly knew.
A step was heard approaching, and Josepha,
pushing away the child, started up in terror.
" I must go," she said, wildly, " I must go to
the vault of the Capuchins my mother com
mands that I visit our father's tomb. Ah, let
! your innocent prayets arise for me, my Marie,
while I descend into that gloomy abode, which
my very heart trembles to enter."
The attendants at that moment appeared, and
bore the struggling child from her arms sht
f. llowed her with a fond gaze, till the door clos
ed upon her ; then drawing the mantle which
they brought, closely around her, she left the
palace' by a private staircase, and set forth with
Prince Kauntiz, her mother's faithful, and able
prime-minister, for her dreaded destination. The
prince, with the kind tenderness of a father,
strove to soothe and encourage her but always
j timid and superstitious, the mind of Josepha,
owing to the peculiar circumstances of her situa-
! tion. seemed now wholly to hae lost its happy
j equilibrium, and to have become a prey to ner-
I vous terrors, that blinded her to the piety of the
j act she was about to perform, and arrayed be-
I fore her diseased imagination, the funereal gloom
I r . i if i i. i -ii .1. i .1.. :..:..:
oi me aisiriii vauu, aim an uie guasuy marina
of death, displayed within it.
As they drew near the Churc i i f the Capu- j ble to the danger of exjiosing a timid and tver
chins, whose dnik towers rose frowningly against ; wro, gbt mind to influences s exciting. The
j the clear .-ky, ber emotion increased, and whtn
j t ley stopped before its lofty portals, the prince
i was obliged to lift her in his arms, aud bear her
in; the vestibu'e. There Father S.ephen met
,
j them, and while they stood waiting for the
trembling princess to recover her composure, a
tall figure, wrapped in a military cloak, glided
past the group, aud disappeared in the body of
the church. Neither of her companions regard
ed the stranger as he passed, but the conscious
J'sepha felt the blood mantle on hei pale cheek,
as with an involuntary start, she turned her
head to follow his receding figure.
It was almost immediately lost in the obscur
ity of the distant aisles ; but as she advanced
toward the high altar, she saw him again stand-
Afterward Queen of France.
ing in the. shadow of a pillar; as she passed,
she met his eye bent earnestly upon her, and
through the folds of his open cloak the light of
a suspended lamp, revealed to ber a youthful
audmlv
Mae ,.T wiurtue msnT bril-
hnt orders, among which blazed conspicuous
that of Marie Theresa.
Her step faltered, and her limbs almost refus
ed their office, when stepping from the shade of
the pillar, the young noble doffed his plumed
hat before her, with lowly reverence. With
one furtive glance of mingled sorrow and en
treaty, she recognized his presence ; then by a
painful effort, she quickened her speed, and
none save the faithful attendant on whose arm
she leaned, knew that the young Count Dal
manofl' stood within the sanctuary no one else
had marked the look of intelligence which had
been exchanged between the youthful queen
and her devoted, but despairing lover,
Josepha paused a moment to offer up a prav
er at the altar for guidance and support, and
then struggling for calm ne s, she arose and fl-
shapes beckoning to ber from the tomb of her
father.
Wrought up'n by many causes, ber supersti
tious mind v.is now wound up to l lie highest
point of . ii'ljurance, and so fraught with images
of terror, that it needed btit'the most trifl'ng
excitement to unsettle renson, or snap a-uuder
the very chords of I if,-. li thi state, ihe trem
bling prince s leached the foot of the s airs,
when the piie-t let' i it on tbugli ihe silent
vaults, muttering incoherent pia . ts, and hold
ing up tin. silver lamp lie cair.ed, to light them
on their way.
Its feeble iay struggled witb the surrounding
gloom, ttir"3tssirlg
blaze of the wax-taper.-, which, on the anniver
sary of bis death, always btrned in profusion a
round the tomb of the mpi ror. Josepha saw
the glare of iight fa I upon the emblazoned
escutcheon of her imperi.il lions.-, and knew that
she s ood besi.ie the splendid mausoleum of her
family a mausoleum' erect-d by the piety of J
her mother, in the early das of ber beauty and
1 ber glory.
Surrounded by all that earth could give of
power and happiness, Marie Theresa forgot not
i even then to look forward to the period when
! i,,s and n.mms of eanh must lu ri,rP,t
J - 1 I rs"""
and the grave claim the perishing body from
whence iis immortal inmate had departed. Be
side her father's siatsiy monument stood the
humbler one of her youthful sister, Joanna she
who, like heiself, bad been betrothed to Ferdin
and of Naples but. who was early doomed to
make her bridal-bed in the coldue and silence
of the grave.
Josepha started on beholding the garl md of
white roses which the hand of affection had
hung upon her sister's cenotaph, still beautiful
aud uuwithered.
"They have waited to crown me too for my
bridal," was the disiempeied thought which
murmured from her lips as she reached out her
hand to grasp the snowy wreath, bill at her
touch it crumbled into fragment-, and the unfor
tunate prineess, viewing its dcstiuctiou as an
omen of the fate berdiseasrd mind had pred ct
ed for herself, uttered an hys.enc ciy, and sank
fainting on the ground.
Father Stepheu hastened to her aid but to bis
terrified gze, her life seemed already extinct
and as quickly as his trepidation would permit,
he carried her fnmi 'the vault and laid her dow n
in the ojen air of the church. The terror of
Prince Kauuitz at her situation exceeded that of
the priest, aud when neither their efforts nor
those of her faithful attendant could revive her,
they lost no time in conveying her back to the
palace. There the skill of physicians, and the
tender cares of affection at length restored her
to animation, but not to consciousness ; aud
when again those soft eyes opened to the light,
wjd gleams of insanity shot from them, and its
j ravings burst from tha fevered lips thai uttered
j 01)lv wild words of terror and despair.
j was now that theempress bitterly regretted
j ker ..vere enforcement of a dmv, which, in it
observance, had wrought an effect so melancholy
on the sensitive temperament of her child. Her
i , .. i
oWn supersititious piety naa given n paramount
I importance in her eyes, and r udered her insensl-
j 8eeds of a fatal dis-ase, whi h were lurking in
j the frame of the young Josepha, b-canie 5 if con-
j sequence prematurely and most malignantly de.
I Veliped. the medical attendants pronouncing
a
; ber disease to be small pox that terrible, ma-
lady which science had not then taught man
kind how to conteract or ameliorate, and which
had already found one victim in the imperial
fami'y, in the person bf the young Archduchess
Joanna.
Bitter indeed were the tears shed by the conscience-striken
empress over that podr disfigured
face that fac, lately 60 full of life and beauty
an object of delight to every eye, of love to
every heart! How miserable now teemed all
her schemes of ambition for this lamented child,
the innocent victim of her worldly policy and
WHOLE NO. 205
superstitious weakness ! With the prayers which
she offered up for her recovery, she made solemn
vows to seek only for her children virtue and
4-aPP'ne?8 m future, instead of that world! ag-
-l--Y--
cniet aim.
How well she kept the vows and promises
made beside that bed'of death, let history tell
history, dark with the fate of the unfortunate
Marie Antoinette, and polluted with the record
of her career, who, in less than a year from this
period, her ambitious mother sacrificed at the
same shrine whither Josepha, an unwilling
victim, had been led before her.
Though the physicians allowed none except'
the necessary attendants to enter the apartment
of their patient, the empress would not be ex
cluded from the presence of her child. With
her own hands she administered her medicines,
and soothed with fond love the querulous mur
murs of pain and insanity that fell from her' poor
Josepha's lip and when the brief fierce con
test drew to a close, her bosom pillowed the dy
ing head of the .sufferer, and closed with gentle
hand those tender eyes that were never more to
shed their loving light upon her heart.
Hut when the last breath tvas, hushed in
death, the mother sank beneath' the terrible be
reavement. Many were the wounds which, in -the
course of her splendid and triumphant career,
had pierced the noble heart of Marie There
sa, but this last blow struck deepest of them all.
Nature could sustain herself no longer, and the
empress was carried fainting from the chamber
of death, to lie down in helplessness, and awake
the victim of that dreadful malady which had -destroyed
the life of her child.
There was mourning and lamentation through
the land for the "mother of her people" but
He who spares the bruised reed, interposed Uis
healing hand to save and in due time, she
arose from her bed ,f suffering instructed by
the past, purirhd by sorrow, and humbly sub
missive to tiie baud which in love had chasten
ed her.
On the eighth day after the death of the
young Princess Josephs tJtiaiperialftuItl
t3"lpucltftti rw-'3Br a "funeral
train, and she who a briefjme before had en
tered it with trembling fear and foreboding, was
now borne thithi-r silent and insensible to her
last rest, beneath the fretted marble. Long and
imposing were the ceremonies performed over
that youthful form, but they terminated at
length the last prayer w as said the last chant
was sung the last wreath of incense arose from
the swinging censer, and the young bride of
Ferdinand slept beside the sister whose fate had
been so similar to her own. ' f
The pageant slow ly disappeared but one
individual still lingered beside the tomb, and as
he stood leaning abstractedly against the costly
marble, the light from the burning tapers re
vealed the noble tigurer of Count Ual man off, the
youthful, ill fated lover of Josepha. As he stood
beside the ashes of her he loved and mourned,
deep sorrow was written on every lineament of
his fine countenance, and spoke in the manly
tears that fell fast as a summer-shower upon the
col l marble of her tomb.
Long, long he remained there, abandoning
himself to grief; then, before departing, he
hung upon the same shaft whence her hand had
displaced the withered roses, a garland of amar
anth and myrtle, symbolic of his enduring love.
A gallant steed stood in the court-yard of the"
Capuchins, and 1 ght-ly bounding into the sad
dle, he passed the l arrieres of the city just as
j the last requiem of the soul of the youthful
; queen was dying away in the churches and eon
! vents of the city.
! .
From that melancholy day, the young Count
Dalmanoff ttre flower of the Hungarian nobility, -the
pride and boast of Marie Theresa's cbivarry,
disappeared bom the Austrian court. Wither'
he went no me knew, nor were any tidings
gained of him till years had passed away, when
lw was recognized among the slain in one of'
those bloody battles, which to Austria's shame
she waged against dismembered Poland. On. !
his breast was found a small case of gold, inclos
ing a withered rose and a tress of fair hair, arid"
j bearing engraved upon its back the cypher and
j crest of Josepha of Austria.
! TRANSCRIPTS
j From the Docket of a late Sheriff.
I BY FREDERICK L. VXTLTE.
A THUNDERING MUSICIAN. 7
4 Goodnity gracious me ! the Old Boy's dead.
avd buried " ejaculated old Thisoh to me onv
morning, as' he came in the office; ' d Old ,
Bor's dead, Mr. Sheriff; I dreamed it last night;
and w henever I dream,' continued he, 'fth '
old fellow, good-luck follows, and whatever we've .
got to do to-day will be successful. We a'o't a.)
! going to be disappointed in any thing to day;.;
business will go on smoove; no ups, no downs;.
square wort; pleasant aua nice. eoiuo, 1 go k
my boy's feet on uie once more, and I teel young
again. Yes! yes! the Old Boy's dead and-n-r
ri.d! Nothing but good-luck to-day ; bless. 5
you ! bleis you ! good-luck to-day 1' and. to th
music of the old man's voice died away in. a . ,
lengthened cadenza. .
It may be well for me to remark here, that -the
old maq was a remarkable dreamer, andbd . ;
always had a prognostic of some particular ao?
tion in which he would figure successfully, r
that some event would be successfully achieved l
by him whenever he dreamed. He was a firm
believer in the prophecy of dreams.