Tales for Young and Old

Tales for Young and Old

The Project Gutenberg EBook of Tales for Young and Old, by Various
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Title: Tales for Young and Old
Author: Various
Release Date: December 14, 2003 [EBook #10454]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TALES
FOR YOUNG AND OLD ***

Produced by Roy Brown

TALES FOR YOUNG AND OLD

PREFACE.
When the older were considerably younger, and young in infancy, the
following interesting Tales were written.
W. & R.C.

CONTENTS.
THE BRIDE'S JOURNEY THE HOME-WRECK LOVE AT FIRST
SIGHT LUCY FENNEL BILLY EGG THE PLEDGE REDEEMED
THE TREE AND THE FOREST THE THREE FRIENDS THE

ARTIST'S DAUGHTER THE BLIND MAN OF ARGENTEUIL THE
BRIDAL WREATH THE DUKE OF NORMANDY DUTCH ANNA
THE LOCKSMITH OF PHILADELPHIA

TALES FOR YOUNG AND OLD.

THE BRIDE'S JOURNEY.
BY MRS CROWE.
In the year 1809, when the French were in Prussia, M. Louison, an
officer in the commissariat department of the imperial army, contracted
an attachment for the beautiful Adelaide Hext, the daughter of a
respectable but not wealthy merchant. The young Frenchman having
contrived to make his attachment known, it was imprudently
reciprocated by its object; we say imprudently, for the French were
detested by her father, who declared that no daughter of his should ever
be allied to one of the invaders and occupants of his beloved country.
Thus repulsed, M. Louison had the good sense not to press his suit, and
proceeded to Vienna, where he was installed in a lucrative office
suitable to his wishes and abilities. Here, however, he could not
altogether relinquish the expectation of being one day married to the
fair Adelaide Hext, with whom he continued to correspond.
After the lapse of a few months, the aspect of affairs underwent a
material change. Hext lay, as he supposed, and as the doctors told him,
on his death-bed, and, pondering on the probable destitution of his
family, he repented his rash vow, and stated to Adelaide that he should
no longer oppose her wishes. M. Louison, procuring leave of absence
for a few days, was speedily on the spot, and, with as little loss of time
as possible, was united to the daughter of the seemingly dying
merchant. As, in such circumstances, it would have been cruel for
Madame Louison to leave the bedside of her aged parent, it was
arranged that she should remain till the period of his decease, and then
join her husband, who, in the meanwhile, was compelled to return to
Vienna. The old man, however, recovered as soon as his son-in-law
departed, and he now almost wished the marriage were undone; but as
that was impracticable, he, with as good a grace as possible, saw his
daughter set out on her journey to Dresden, whence she was to be
escorted to Vienna by M. de Monge, a friend of her husband.

Nothing occurred to interrupt the journey of Madame Louison, for the
intermediate country was tranquil, and she had the happiness of
arriving safely under the roof of her husband's friend. This person was
one of those who will act conscientiously in all situations of life, until
they encounter an irresistible temptation to error. Such was the present
occasion. Overcome with the beauty of his unsuspicious guest, he
basely attempted to divert her affections from her husband--an attempt
which the noble Friedlander repelled with becoming scorn. To cut short
a long tale, this mortification filled De Monge with vengeful sentiments,
at the same time that his fears were awakened, as he could hardly doubt
that the lady would acquaint her husband with his treachery. He
affected to pass off his overtures as nothing more than a jocular trial of
her resolutions, but secretly suffered from the torments of fear and
resentment, insomuch that he was at length driven to the contemplation
of a dreadful crime. The story is almost too incredible for belief, yet our
authority assures us that the facts occurred as we propose to state them.
Having detained the lady in Dresden considerably beyond the day
When she expected to set out, De Monge was at length compelled to
Allow her departure. Her escort through the partially-disturbed country
in which she was to travel, was to consist of an individual who was
well acquainted with the roads, and had frequently acted as a the Italian
frontier. Mazzuolo, as this man was called, was an Italian by birth, and
gladly undertook a commission which promised him a rich harvest of
booty. His