Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1873-02-08
MISCELLANY.
From the Overland Monthly.
AN INEXPLICABLE FANCY,

Frenchmen and Frenchwomen are
tragic, or nothing, unless they happen to
be comical. Nature has endowed the
Gallo mind with an adroit adaptness
that seizes with equal facility upon the
terrible Or the grotesque--a revolution
or masquerade. This by way of preface,
and the story of can Inexplicable Fan
cy" begins.
Henri Cardone was young French
artist of distinguished promise. His
neat little domicil and his pretty little
wife were situated in suburban Paris.
One early twilight in the month of N ov-
ember of certain year, as he entered
his home, his wife ran unto him, twined
her plump arms about his neck, bestow-
ed q fullDlown affection upon his respon-
sive lips, aud Immediately exclaimed,
"Oh, dear Henri have had such sur
prise-such an odd vistor-this after
noon; man with such an inexpllcable
fancy that l have been waiting these
two hours for your arrival, and (bestow-
ing a playful cut thereupon) your ears.
"And now the ears have arrived, Irene
my pet, suppose your merry tongue
will rattle away as glibly as newly
wound up music box; and once started, F.,
| shall not have an opportunity TO put
in word edgewise until you have run
down completely. But for this odd
man, with the inexplicable fancy He
could not have taken a fancy to you for
that would have been neither odd nor
inexplicablc. Did he, utterly regardless
of the divine set OF his trousers, go
down upon his knees, and beseech OF
you to fly with him to some intensely
rural retreat, there to subsist upon moon
shine and his adorable moustache ?-and
1t was his inexplicable fancy that you
should be accompanied by such little
articles of available value as this poor
hovel might afford? Or was he wan
dering Gypsy lord, who predicted that
you were to be Queen of all proud
France, instead of one humble Frencl
heart?-and did he, just as he was about
10 surround your august brow with the
imperial crown, suddenly suspend it, and
take an inexplcable fancy to have hi.
dirty palm first crossed with crown o.
silver? Or" %
"There, there! do cease your badin
age" said the pouting little woman
stamping her small foot impatiently
"You will never become wise lietenins
TO your own wisdom" "a
"Nor weary listening to yours, m.
charming sage" laughed the volubl
Henri, caressing her soft brown hair fond
ly. proceed from this on am al
ears"
"Well, let all ears listen. At abou
three o'clock this afternoon, as | was sil
ting intent upon taking the finest posi-
BILE stitches around the border of you
finest cambric, there came sharp rap OF
the street door. / fastened, opened it
and found myself face to face with
man of middle age, who bowed politel.
and inquired if he was on the Rue d
Chalons. On being informed that b
was, he thanked me very affably, au
was turning to depart, when his glanc
chanced to fall Oh this little cornelia
cross, which, then az now, was lying 0
my bosom. He stopped short, gaze
, Gxedly at it as though it possessed som
terrible fascination, turned first deadl
pale, then liyid purple, and in a hoars
whisper articulated, Madame, you wi
pardon me; it is no ordinary curiosit
that prompts the question, but might
! venture to ask how that trinket poin
ing trembling finger a. the cross) can
into your possession--under what ci
cumstances 2"
"Well," queried Henri, in low, inte
ested tone, "'what was my little wife
; reply"
"Your little wife told him, sir, that
was present from her husband, an
that it had been in her possession abo'
four years. How or where you came
it, she could not inform him."
"Then he departed satisfied"
Z "No, indeed. :. Then he inquired yol
) name, age, and profession"
@''Did he? do not know whether
ought to feel complimented or insulte
! Did you tell him ?" 14 ~ N
81 hesitated and then told him.neI
81 wish you had not hesitated aud the