Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1866-11-08
A ESQ rANEsT's ADVENTURE.

a ESQ EANEST's ADVENTURE.
When1 was about twenty botany was
my passion. Indeed, I am not sure that |
am cured of it yet / never sit in o rail
way carriage and feel myself borne at fierce
express speed through green landscape
=. MISUNDERSTANDING regretfully those DAYS
b when fingered on the wild mountain side,
or plunged into the depths of the forest.
His quest was beauty in distress to deliver;
or mighty Paynim giant to lay low; mine
a~Wasto discover some fair flower sleeping in
S~ths shade loi. ancient trees, or to snatch
'~sonie cruel poisonous weed from its lair
The knight was happy knight, have no
doubt; but / do not think he could be a
happier man.. thaniJ ohndGraves, your hum
bic servant.
France was the scene Of my chief exploits
in those days. J My father had left e. gland
foe cconomy's sake, and settled at some dis
lance from Paris. The country around our
home was not interesting, botanically
speaking; and was in the habit Of taking
s'loag and solitary excursions. During one
of these | met with an adventure.
had spent the morning on the skirt Of a
forest. T0w0rds noon entered it, rested
awhile, then started again. Ere long came
to spot whore many avenues-seven,
believe met, and whence they radiated like
abe points Of. star. In the middle CT this
open space rose q tail and slender pyramid,
with q gilt ball on the top. This was the
very heart Of the, forest. Not soul was
visible; not a stately deer or frightened
hare disturbed the silence Of the spot. The
solemn trees rose around me. leaving Cir
ocular sroof. Of sky above, then they divided
into theisleng seven lonely alleys. 1t was
grand and very fine, but it was also very
depressing. | sat down on the lowest of
the three steps, above which rose the pyra-
mid, picture of the past fitting before
me.
Here, if tradition spoke true, often came
that gay hunter, Francis the First, and
after him his son Henri, both with the same
lady huntress. Perhaps she was only sort
of prime minister after all, as some histo-
rians declare. Tastes vary so. Some kings
like pale Cardinal de >Richelieu, and 9TH
ers, (like these two.( Diana of Poitiers,
fair haired and blue-eyed, who, if she now
and then sat to Primaticio as the goddess
Flora, also caused that naughty medal to be
struck, In which she appears trampling
Love under her feet, with the imperious
motto, 81 have conquered the conqueror
soft all.2' s~But, OH what din, what tumult,
what halloing of hounds and trampling of
horses there was in those days, and how
sadly quiet these good people were all now.
Ages pass, and Diana is replaced by Fon-
tanges, Who ties up her hair with q wonder
ful ribbon that sends the world mad, or we
see, that pretty Madame d'Etiolles in this
very forest lying III wait for a kings heart,
and dying later-rare honor lin Yer
-saliles, under the name Of Madame de Pom
padour; but other variety we must not ex-
pect.
got tired Of these phantoms as I sat
thus sat the base of the pyramid. I got
tired, too, of those endless avenues stretch
ing forever away before me; so | rose and
struck into one, walking fast, yet glaneine
right and left in search of botanical trea-
sures. l found none, but saw a strange
abundance of palevariety of the Solanum
tribe4 L gathered a bunch, then q few
ferns, and, weaFied with my profitless day
qulokened my pace, to get out of the for.
est before nightfall.
al must have been near the outskirt when
my adventure began. | saw nothing, but ]
heard in the thicket on my right hand a
low, plaintige, and not unmelodious whistle.
Il stood still to listen, and it ceased. Pres
emily 1t was repeated, and something Gid
ing IN the grass near me made it move and
rustic. looked, but the creature, if it
.were-one, was already gone The whistle
sounded again, but ct some distance from
me; and further away, too, the motion |
had already perceived was repeated 1t
was too dark already for me to stinguish
more than that motion of the grass, and it
told me nothing Again the whistle was
renewed, but SO far away or so family that
could scarcely hear it. Then it ceased.
or heard it no more.
l was perpl 5xed. / had seen nothing.
neither human being, nor beast, nor bird.
Ahe trees were scarce, the thickes were
stunted, the grass was poor and thin, and
rev moss covered rocks which were scat
lefeo ABOUT were too low to conceal even q
ehIIo fet some one had been near me,
ana something had passed within my reach,
which was not, however, within INV know.
ledge was armed with q stout stick I
beat the bushes, and only started q lille
harmless bird from its nest. | went ronpd
the rocks to explore them, and found a few
moses, which put in my tin box. and This
was the sole result of nv Quest. It was
useless to pursue it,; the grsyness of even
ing was stealing on me fast, and the conn
try before me looked fiat and desolate.
81 am sure that ought to go on, and tell
the reader what follows. have called ii
an adventure, and many will think that it
scarcely deserves the name But believe
that adventures are half the time produc-
tons of our own mood. | believe they
spring from something within us, which, ii
l may so speak, calls them into existence,
as the voice Of the enchanter wakens spirits
in the old tales of sorcery. Some people
cannot have adventures-there is no sym
pathy between the spirit of adventure and
them; and others cannot stir, but lo some
adventure starts UP, Ike the little wicked
dlablotin IN the French toy. I belong to
neither class, and have neither more nor
less than my share of this doubtful com
modify; but the adventurous mood was on
me this day, and would not let me rest
walked on, only thinking of reaching
some village by nightfall, when heard
again the low whistle heard In the forest.
ms time 1t came from some distance, and
II stoieso' family over the silent plain that.
put Tor the evening stiffness, could not
nave heard IL at all. saw no one, but