Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1854-10-26
nlisreIlaneolls.
Al PARTISAN STORY.

We find in the Home Journal the following
strange story, which is said to be an "authen-
tic narrative, from Paris papor, of the dead
Balzacs being about to give us another of his
exquisite romances" We suppose that we are
at liberty to believe as much or as little of it as
we please. The story runs as follows
The DOCTOR who possesses the greatest reputa-
ton in Paris for the cure of nervous complaints,
gives the warrant of his name for the perfect
reliance which may be placed upon the truth
of the story, and hesitates not to affirm it by
recounting with the greatest unction all the de-
tails relating to tho affair. 1t is but fair,
however, to state that already each one has ad-
ded his own imaginative powers to those (already
remarkably of the learned doctor, and thus the
tale, as it spreads amongst us, has gone on in
creasing in marvellous qualities, until it has ar
rived to the utmost point in perfection usually
acquired by that sort of thing The anecdote,
as told by the doctor himself, runs simply
thus -
He was seated in his Cabinet de Consulta-
tions, quite alone, one morning of last week
and was just finishing his Usual weekly report
to the Revue Medicale, for which purpose he
had told his servant to exclude all further vsi-
tors, when he was aroused from the deep study
into which he had been plunged by the necessi-
ry of reporting most important and complica-
ted case of Mysteries he had been attending, by
an unusually rapping at the door of the cabi-
net, accompanied by the loud rsmonstrances of
the servant cautioning the master not to open.
This request alone, however, was quito enough,
with lively imagination like that of our friend,
to cause him to fly to the door and open it i'm
mediately. He found standing there young girl
of fifteen, dressed in deep mourning, whom his
servant pronounced to be perfectly insane, but
whom he instantly perceived was merely labor
ing under strong nevous excitement, OCCASION
ed by the opposition made to her entrance by
the BOBBY servant. The doctor, who is man
of feeling and gallantry, endcavored to calm her
agitation and soothe her nerves by exhibiting
the little globules he has ever ready at hand for
the like occasion-and presently the little dam
sci was sufficiently restored to be able to confde
to the comforting doctor the reason which had
rendered her SO pcrsisting in her determination
to see him that very day, in spite of the violent
rudeness of his domestic. She was subject to
spasmodic attacks-she had fever and delirium,
and had not slept for many nights-she had
been sent by mutual friend to Doctor c..
And who is that friend!' exclaimed the doc.
tor, more and more surprised at the yehemence
of her manner His name is Balzac,' replied
the girl. But the recommendation must have
been made long while ago why not have con.
suited me before!' 'Oh, no, exclaimed the
, girl, | saw him week ago, and he bade me
then, come to you. saw him again last night
= and he was very angry that had not obeyed
his commands, and would not leave me till
had promised faithfully to see you to-day The
docter declares that he was stupifed with aston
ishment at what he heard, and began to thinl
that the BOBBY lackcy was in the right, and tn,
!, girl really insane.
Before forming a judgment, however, HI
o proceeded to question her, and found, to hi
utter amazement, that she was perfectly con
vinced of the reality of nocturnal visits whicl
i Balzac made her from the other world. HI
f grew deeply interested in the story of her feel
ings, and of the manner in which she had frs
been visited by spirits, as well as of the commu
@ nications she held with Balzac most habituall,,
of all. lie accompanied her home. The garre
J in which she lived-the tokens of the occupa
ton by which she gained her bread (that o
print colorist) were all the identical tastes 0
the defaunct novelist, and, indeed, as the docto
observes, seemed as if taken from one of his owl
novels. The doctor, in gazing around, behel'
, upon the table a manuscript in the well-remem
bered hand writing of his deceased friend. H
3 took it up with emotion-at the same time full
: ly convinced that by this very token he ha'
discovered the origin of the disease by whiol
Z his patient was attacked-he thought that
: leading solitary lile she had been wont to in
h dulgc for some time in morbid passion for tn
h writing%of Balzac, and had thus suffered he
Q mind to become entirely engrosscd with hi
image lie turned over the manuscript wit
r. curiosity, wondering all the while how it ha
e come into her possession to his aston
l. ishment, he found it unfinished, and the latte
al pages evidently freshly written. With kin
u of uneasy perplexity he inquired which of tn
le novels of Balzac this manuscript represented
W The girl replied that she did not know, that tn
ts title was NOT given yet-that there rename
or yet four chapters to complete, which would
in written in short time, and then Balzac himse
ke would bestow the title which would bc
suit the work OF course tho doctor grew moi
is astonished STILL and again when he was tol
,r- that the work was indeed written BY her ham