The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1870-09-16

| had in any wise lapSed from her fidelity
| the inheritance should go to his nephew
| the lord of a neighboring territory.
Having made his will, thegOOd duke
died and was buried. Scarcely was he
in his tomb, when his nephew came to
! take possession, thinking, as his uncle
had died without issue, that the do
| Is12Ins would be devised to him OF
course. He was in a furious passion,
| however, when the will was produced,
and the young widow was declared in
| heritor of the dukedom. As he was a
violent, high-hand9d man, and one of
the sturdiest knights in the land, fears
were entertained that he might at
tempt to seize on the territories by
force. He had, however, two bachelor
uncles for bosom cOunsellOrs. These
We're two staggering rakehelly old
cavaliers, who, having led loose and
and riotous lives, prided themselves
upon knowing the world, and being
deeply experienced in human nature.
They took theirnephew aside, 'Prithee
man. said they, "be of good cheer.
The dutchess is q young and buXOm
widow. She has just buried our broth
er, who, God rest his soul! was some
what too much given to praying and
fasting, and kept his pretty wife always
tied to his girdle. She is now like bird
from a cage. Think you she will keep
her VOW? Impossible! Take our
words for tive know mankind, and,
above all, WOmankind. She cannot
hold out for such a length of time; it
is not in womanhOOd-it is not in wild
OwhoOd-we know it, and that's
enough. Keep sharp lookout upon
the widow, therefore, and within the
tweIvemonth you will catch her trip
ping-and then the dukedOm is your
own.
The nephew was pleased with this
counsel, and imm02ately placed spies
round the duchess, and bribed several
of her servants to keep a watch upon
her, so thatshe could not take a single
step, even from one apartment of her
place to another, without being Observ-
ed. Never was young and beautiful
widow exposed to so terrible an ordeal
The dUtchess was aware OF the watch
thus kept upon her. Though confident
of her own Tectitude, she knew that it
was not enough for woman to be vir-
tuOus-she must be above the reach of
SANDER. For the whole term of her
probation, therefore, she proclaimed a
strict nOnintercOurSe with the other
sex. She had females for cabinet-min-
listers and chamberlains, through whom
she transacted all her public and pri-
vate concerns; and it is said, that new
er were the affairs of the dukedum so
adroitly administered.
All maids were vigorously excluded
from the palace; she never went out of
its precincts, and whenever she moved
about it's courts and gardens, she sur
rounded herself with q bOdy-guaTd of
young maids of honor, commanded by
DANES renowned for discretion. She
slept in a bed without curtains, placed
in the centge of the room illuminated
by innumerabIe wax tapers. -Four an
cient spinsters, viTtuOus as Virginia,
perfect dragons of watchfulness, who
only slept during the daytime, kept
vigils throughout the night, seated in
the four corners of the room on stools
without backs or arms, and with seats
cut in checkers of the hardest wood, to
keep them from doing.
Thus wisely and Warily did the young
conduct herself for twelve long
months, and slander almost bit her
tongue off in dispair at finding no room
even for a surmiSe. Never was ordeal
more buTdensOme, or more enduringIy
The year passed away. The last odd
day arrived, and a long, along day it
was. 1t was the twenty-hrst of, June, |
the longest day in the year. 1t seemed |
as if it would never come to an end. A
thousand times did tine duchess and her
ladies watch tie sun from the windows
of the palace, as h. slowly climbed the
vault of heaven, seemed still more
slowly to roll down. They could not |
help expressing their wonder, now
and then, why the duke should have |
tagged this supernumerary day to the !
end of the year, as if three hundred and |
days were not sufficient to |
try and task the fidelity of any woman. |
It is the last grain that turns the scale |
the last drop that overflOws the COB |
the last moment of delay that |
exhausts the patience. By the time.
the sun sank below the horizon the |
dutchess was in a fidget that passed all
bounds, and though several hours WerelI
vet to pass before the day regularly !
expired, she could not have remained
those hours in durance to gain royal
crown, much less ducal cOrOnet. She |
gave her orders, and her palfrey, mag
nificently caparisoned, was brought in
to the courtyard of the castle, with
palfreys for all her ladies in atten-
dance. In this way she sailed forth just
as the sun had gone down. 1t was a
mission of piety-a pilgrim cavalcade
to q convent at the foot of neighbOr-
ing mOuntain-c6 return thanks to the
blessed Virgin for having sustained her
this fearful ordeal.
The OrisOns performed, the dutchess
and her ladies returned, ambling gent
ly along the border of forest. 1t was
about that mellow hour of twilight
when night and day are mingled, and
all objects indistinct. Suddenly some
animal sprang from out a
thicket, with fearful howlings. The
whole female bOdy-guard was thrown
into confusion, and fed different ways.
It was some time before they recovered
from their panic, and gathered once
more together; but the duchess was
not to be found. The greatest anxiety
was felt for her safety. The hazy mist
Oftwilight had prevented their distin-
gushing perfectly the animal which
had affrighted them. Some thought 1T
q wolf, others bear, oUhersa wild man
of the woods. For upwsSds Of an hour
did they beleaguer the forest, without
daring to venture in, and were on the
point of giving up the duchess as torn
to pieces and deVOured, when, to their
great joy, they beheld her advancing
in the gloom, supported by stately
cavalier.
He was q stranger knight, whom no.
body knew. 1t was impossible to dis
tinguish his cOuntenance ia the dark
but all the ladies agreed that he was OF
a noble presence and captivating adj
dress. He had rescued the duchess
from the very fangs of the monster,
which, he assured the ladies, was neith-
er a wolf, nor a bear, nor yet a wild
man of the woods, but a veritable fiery
dragon, a species of monster peculiarly
hostile to beautiful females in the days
of chivalry, which all the efforts of
knight-erranty had not been able to
e&tirpate.
The ladies crossed themselves when
they heard of the danger from which
they had escaped, and could not enough
admire the gallantFy of the cavalier.
The dutchess would fam have prevail