Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-01-30


by which he had disappeared, galloping
toward me in big cloud Of dust. Little
by little as he came nearer, | discovered a
pony-chaise in the cloud; then, In the
chaise, a woman, who was driving her.
self, and, behind the lady, little groom.
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 sympa-
thetic whinny, which seemed to say: II
went for help, sir; and here it is" But l
had no eyes for Brutus, or ears for his ex-
plantations. My senses were occupied
by the ministering fairy, who sprang
lightly from her little carriage and hast
ened toward me. She, too, on her part,
looked at me very inquiringly, and sud
denly we cried out in one breath, respect
lively:
MADAME de Noriolis!'
Monsieur de La Roche-Targe!'
Now, have an aunt, and, for years, be-
tween her and me there has been con-
tinued battle.
"Get marriedl' she has insisted.
81 don't want to marry!'
do you want young girl? | have
Mademoiselle C., ETC."
"Do you want widow? / have
Madame D., Madame E., Madame
F., and so on"
81 don't want to marry -
Madame de Noriolis always figured
among the first of my aunt's widows, and
noticed that she never failed to dwell at
length on all the advantages l saw IN this
union. 1t was not necessary for her to
tell me that Madame de Noriolis was
pretty-any one could see that without
prOmpting-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 so happy as
when he had succeeded in making his
wife exceptionally miserable, and that
consequently nothing would be easier
than for her second husband to make
himself adored.
Then, after lengthy eulogy of Mad
anne de NoriOlis's virtues, graces and mer-
its, my aunt, who was very adrOit, and
knew my vulnerable points, would take
from her secretary map of the neigh
borhood and spread it out on the table.
The map was very exact and complete,
and had been bought for the sole purpose
of convincing me that, if | had any sense
at all, would marry Madame de Norio-
Roche large figured on the map, and
were hardly five leagues apart My aunt,
having artfully drawn red line around
the two domains, would oblige me to
look at it, saying:
"Two thousand one hundred acres,
good measure, and not single division
hedge, if Noriolis were united to La
Roche large! Ell, 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:
81 don't want to marry
But / felt that was in danger, never
theless, really in danger; and, whenever |
met Madame de Noriolis, I 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
division he'd ge--humph Fly, Monsieur
de La RocheTarge-fy, since you don't
want to marry"
And fly l would, and always did; but
how could l fly this time? There | was,
sand, my hair in disorder, my clothes
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 most seductive tones:
"Non Daeui is it you, Monsieur de La
Roche large? What are you doing here ?
What has happened to your"
/ frankly confessed that l had been
ngnominiously thrown.
"YOu are not hurt | hOpe?"
"No; not seriously, at all events. 1
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 fellow? Well, he
hast fully made amends, l assure you; but
will tell you all about that by-and- by.
We must first think about getting you
home"
81 cannot take STEP
ooh, l 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
oIIoAo LII VIC SAoioo, Doo having bohCH
charge of Brutus, who had shown no I'M
willingness to be caught
'Make yourself comfortable, and keep
your leg as straight as you can," said
Madade de Noriolis. Il 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 me 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 nay
aid.
l 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:
ooh, see it all! 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
time, at the Cirque de PLmperatrice, the
feats of the horse of the trumpeter? A
chasseur d. Ataique enters the arena on a
large, gray horse; the Arabs follow, and
shoot at the chasseur, who is wounded and
falls-and, as you did not fall, the horse,
indignant at this neglect Of duty, threw
you off. And what did he do when you
were On the ground?"
l told her of the effort he made to give
me a decent burial