Eaton weekly Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1866-1875, 1873-01-30

A few minutes after making this well
come discovery, Brutus, covered with
foam, stopped before me and let my hat
fall at my feet, saluting me with a SYM
pathetic whinny, which seemed to
say "I went for help, sir !; and here it
is. But I had no eyes for Brutus, or
ears for his explanations. My senses
were occupied with the minister ng fairy,
who sprang lightly from her little car
riage and hastened toward me. She,
too, on her part, looked at me very in
quiringly, and suddenly we cried out in
one breath, respectively
&" Madame de Noriolis p
=" Monsieur de La Roche-Targe "
Now, have an aunt, and for years be-
tween her and me, there has been a con-
tinued battle.
"Get married l' she has insisted.
&c I don't want to marry !''
DO you want a young girl? have
Mademoiselle A, Mademoiselle B,
and Mademoiselle G., ETC."
"I don't want to marry p
stDo you want a widow? I have
Madame D., Madame E., Madame
F., and so on"
"I don't want to marry p
Madame de Noriolis always figured
among the first of my aunt's widows, and
I noticed that she never failed to dwell
at length on all the advantages saw in
this union. It was not necessary to tell
me that Madame de Noriolis was pretty
any one could see that without prompt
ing-or that she was rich. She chose,
rather, to remind me ever and again that
the late Monsieur de Noriolis was fool,
who was never happy as when he had
succeeded in making his wife exception
ably miserable, and that consequently
nothing would be easier than for her
second husband to make himself adored.
Then, after a lengthy eulogy of
Madame de Noriolis' virtues, graces, and
merits, my aunt, who was very adroit,
and knew my vulnerable points, would
take from her secretary a map of the
neighborhood and spread it ou the table.
The map was very exact and complete,
and had been bought for the sole pur-
pose of convincing me that, if I had any
sense at all, I would marry Madame de
Noriohs. The chateaur of Noriolis and
of La Roche-Targe figured on the map,
and were hardly five leagues apart. Ny
aunt, having artfully drawn a red line
around the two domains, would obige
me to look at it, saying:
"Two thousand one hundred acres,
good measure, and not a single division
hedge, if Noriolis were united to La
Roche-Targei Eth, isn't that sufficient
to persuade my huntsman nephew?"
The temptation was SO great that /
could only turn away and take refuge in
my usual refrain:
"I don't want to marry"
But felt that I was in danger, never
theless, really in danger; and, whenever
I met Madame de Noriols, 1 always saw
her encircled by my aunt's red line, like
an aureola, and couldn't help saying to
myself
Exceedingly pretty-there's no deny
ing it-and clever and sensible, too-two
thousand one hundred acres without a
edge-humphl Fly, Monsieur
de La he-Targe since you don't
want to marry |"
And fly / would, and always did, but
how could fly this time? There was,
stretched out on the grass, covered with
sand, my hair in disorder, my clothes
torn, and one leg that refused to do me
service; and now there stood Madame
de Noriolis before me, dashing and fair,
the red line wound all round her as usual;
and asking, in her mast seductive tones ::
Mon, Dieas is it you, Monsieur de
La Roche-Targe What are you doing
here? What has happened to you ?"
I frankly confessed that I had been
ignominiously thrown.
"You are not hurt, I hope ?"
"No; not seriously, at all events. I
have strained my right leg little but
it is not serious, am sure"
"And what horse acted SO badly-not
this one, certainly ?' pointing to Brutus,
who was quietly browsing near at hand.
eyes, that one he is the culprit."
"What this noble fellowP Well, he
has fully made amends, assure you
but will tell you all about that by-and-
by. We must first think about getting
you home"
cannot take STEP"
"Oh, I will drive you home, at the
risk of compromising you"
And she called Bob, the little groom,
who took me by one arm, while she took
me by the other, and helped me into her
chaise. Two minutes more, and we were
on the road to La Roche-Targe. We
were alone in the chaise, Bob having
taken charge of Brutus, who had shown
no unwillingness to be caught.
Make yourself comfortable, and keep
your leg as straight as you can,'' said
Madame de Noriolis. "f will drive YOU
as gently as possible"
In fact, she said a great many little,
amiable, womanly things, that found it
very pleasant to listen to. Then, when
she saw nae in a comfortable position,
she asked me to tell her how came to
be thrown, saying that afterward she
would tell me how she CHANGED to come
to my aid.
I began my narrative. to which she
listened attentively until commenced to
describe Brutus' efforts to throw me,
after the two shots, when she cried,
laughing in her silveriest tones:
"Oh, I see it all !! I see it all You
have bought the trumpeter's horse -
"The trumpeter's horse ?"
"Why, yes and that explains the
whole mystery. Have you not seen many
a time, at the Cirque de IImperatrice
the feats of the horse of the trumpeter
A chasse,tr dAtriq1e enters the arena
on large, gray horse the Arabs fol
low, and shoot at the chasset1r, who is
wounded and falls-and, as you did not
fall, the horse, indignant at this neglec+
of duty, threw you off. And what die
he do when you were on the ground ?'
I told her of the effort he made to give
me decent burial.
"The trumpeter's horse p' she con
tinued- -"toujoasrs the trumpeter' horse
He sees that his master is wounded tn.
Arabs may come and dispatch him. So
what does he do? He buries him. Ant
what did he do then? Started off on ,