The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1876-08-31
A FREAK OF THE WIND.


suburbs of Boston, was her never-failing
source of delight. Every morning, when
the weather was fine, she donned hat
of enormous size and huge pair of gar
den gloves, and went among her flowers,
to trim and water, and weed them with
her own hands; and every evening she
walked the paths with monsieur, her
husband, and expatiated on their beau
ties. Monsieur shared her raptures. Not
that he was fond of flowers, or indeed
knew, or cared to know, one from another;
but it was the occupation of monsieur's
life to be the devoted husband of ma.
dame, and whatever pleased her became
the chief object of his admiration.
Monsieur Adolphe Zanziger was a
little yellow Frenchman, with a huge
Napoleonic nose, and the most ferocious
of black mustaches. You have seen bis
portrait in comic journals, under the
title of Johnny Crapaud. MoDsieufs
wife was extremely yOurg. she had
been for the last thirty years. her youth
and giddiness gave monsieur world of
trouble. He was The victim Of chronic
jealousy. There was always some one
in love with madame. She declared it
was not her doings. How could one
help being young and well looking
That was her only fault. In the early
days of their marriage madame had re-
ceived bilLets dour innumerable, and she
had thrilling stories to tell of monsieur's
desperate encounters with her unfor-
tunate admirers.
Of late, these occasions had been less
frequent. Not to mention it as a crime,
madame had lost, in measure, the first
charms of her girlhood; but, in her
Adolphe's eyes, she was just as superb as
ever, and did masculine pair of eyes
but glance her way, monsieur was on the
alert, with his pistol loaded, ready to
punish the impeItinence.
One day, Madam Zanziger's pretty
neighbor, Rose Ellis, had come in by in
vitation, to admire her garden.
Madame was busily engaged cutting a
nosegay for her young friend, when she
started and blushed, with the prettiest
air of embarrassment imaginable, and,
in SO doing, dropped blossoms, scissors
and all at her feet.
"Look, Miss Rese," said she; "there
is that charming man who sits each day
so much at his window"
eyes," said Rose, blushing in her
turn; "that is my friend, Mr.. Edwards.
Pm sure / think he's very silly"
81 will not say that" said madame,
dropping her eyelids. "He cannot help
that he has eyes"
"But he can come to see me whenever
he likes, and really it makes one feel so
awkward. 1 did not think any one else
had noticed him."
Madame stepped behind Rose to in
dulge in little grimace. The little
red-haired girl thought herself beauty.
1t was too absurd. Madame's own figure
was tall and majestic, and her hair black
therefore, golden hair and slender
shoulders were incompatible with beauty.
Meanwhile the object of their colloquy,
inspired by the grace of Roses beauti-
full form, sat at his escritoire, inditiDg
sonnets to her praise. 1t was so easy to
say what he wished on paper in the
silence of his chamber; 80 difficult in
her presence. He worshiped his divinity
in secret. Others adored her openly.
Many time the words that should de-
eide his fate had reached his lips, but he
had never summoned courage to utter
them. He could not risk the chance OF
a refusal. Doubt was agony, but doubt
was better than despair; and so days
grew into weeks, weeks into months, and
still the decisive moment was delayed
Horatio was absorbed, entranced, de.
lighted with his own eloquence. All il
he could but talk like this, she would
listen to his suit; she could not resist
him. His inspiration had retired from
sight, but he wrote on, he filed sheet
after sheet of paper with glowing, burn
ing words. The evening breeze crept in,
and played with his fossy, faxen hair
it curled the edges of the rose. tinted
paper. Horatio needed not. There wa,
a rustic among the papers, the very sheet
on which he wrote rose on the wings oI
the wind, and dashed the pen from hi'
hand.
The spell was rudely broken. Horatic
clutched at the pile with frantic ges
ture-one had escaped. He held hii
breath and watched as it slowly de
scended through the outer air. Now il
whirled round and round, now foatet
motionless, now wheeled again, nov
wavered just over the boundary linz
between two gardens one belonged Il
the house where Rose Ellis lived. Th'
fugitive foated with a sidelong motor
toward the other side, and laid itsel
open to all observers in the center OF thu
grass.
Then he watched until the sun set, ant
the stars came out, one by one, in thu
darkeniDg sky. The message Of his love
blew hither and thither, chascd by tn,
jrolicsome wind. At last IL lodged unde
the leaves of glorious African lily, tn,
pride of Madame Zanziger's garden.
Horatio was in agony. Should h,
climb over the garden fence TO recove
il, at the imminent risk Of being mis-
taken for burglar2 If he asked to b