Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1870-02-15

| Tic dlIcf Tie uTuUktH iC'ClS VI tut
soldiers; and when it was dark l took |,
my spade and crept out to that dread |
full place under the lime trees. 1t
was sickening work and when | came
to the black coffin, dropped my spade
and felt could do no more.
No sound came from it. | took
out my chisel, and set to work to take
the lid off, but it was firmly screwed |
on, and had to work hard for many
minutes. At length it was off, and
then, holding my breath with fear, |
looked in.
1t was a CHASTITY sight, monsieur,
A face agonized and blackened, with
staring blue eyes, the forehead bruis-
ed and battered, and the teeth clench-
ed, absolutely closing in the neither
lip; hands grasping each other with
such force that one or two fingers
were quite crushed. There was no
doubt of what death he had died.
Year. and years passed away at
ter that. The old chateau was closed,
for NJ. Louis went to Paris, and show
ed that he was as staunch republi
can as NJ. Paul had been. | followed
him; and more than once, as [ have
heard of his ferocity, and seen his
white savage face, | have felt certain
that it was some fend who took pos
session of the body of the Baron when
he rose from the dead that night, and
that it was not my old master-bad
as he had bcen-who did that awful
deed.
AS for the young ladies, Marie and
Clotilde went to Italy, and took up
their abode in some convent; poor
little ma 'amselle died of the fever;
and we'll it was so, for she would have
had cruel life, haunted 10y the re-
membrance of that night.
When times grew more settled, NJ.
Louis, or Baron de Gaule as he then
dared to call himself, went to England
and married an English lady, the
mother of the present Baron, and
there he lived till, suppose inspired
by love OF country, he returned to
the chateau for few months visit,
. and died suddenly.
He never forgot his promise to me,
, and not only gave me money whilst
living but provided for me in his will.
, But we rarely met; ! think even
| his heartlesssness could not bear the
: sight of me. He saw no priest; and
: | believe the story of that awful night
) of how he got his brother into the
. coffin, of how he overpowered him, or
even of how he himself contrived to
; revive from that deathlike trance
D never passed his lips. He died as he
: had lived-gloomy and unrepentant.
: The only allusion he ever made to the
D past was on the evening OF his death.
s Antoine he said, under my bed
you will find the black coffin-dOn' t
i bury ME in that. Remember, / won
K be buried in that could not rest
And after his death, to my surprise
r | found that coffin, empty too, under
+ the bed in his room. 1t looked
strangely now, considering it had been
d buried in the earth for, | thought
years and years.
) How it was, how it got there, what
c became of the remains of NJ. Paul,
k cannot tell you. There lies the ugly
thing as you saw it, after having beer
n buried twice, and having twice mystic
riously got rid of It's occupant. ready
g. for a third; and third, monsieur
will soon be ready for it, or rather
e for one of its relations, for, like the
old Baron, don't believe could res
n inu
e Shall we go into the chateau, mon
o sieur? The air blows somewhat keen
f ly.
l rose up rather reluctant to entel
e that gloomy old place; but old An
4 tome put his arm through mine anC
led me in.
N Those times are passed and gone,
1t he said and thank the good Coo
e. they are. All, monsieur, if you ik
h. to hear stories, can tell you many
e, one of those times, that while you hea
shall make you forget your ennui.
st can tell you something about mysel
lie which would make your flesh creep
to tell you how became the hideou
tn object | am
ny But | thought | had had enoug
horrors for some time; and | mus
H. confess that instead of recODciling m
8 to my solitude, that story Of the Bal
I'd on'S coffin made me pine after m
to London home more than ever.
G. was with the greatest satisfaction tina
W, | received a letter from my employer
Is saying that he had changed his min
I'D concerning the restoration of the oil
Id chateau, and he intended, to emplo
he the money in building a gothic will
ID, on the banks of the Thames insteat
Is of which he hoped ! would immediate
es- ly set about drawing the plans.
ny And so, in spite of the shady, del
ell cious old pine woods, and the sum
nd blue skies of Gascony, | was very gla
Ike to turn my back on the old chateau
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