The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1878-05-23
THE DEAD LOVER.

And sets It OF most rarely.
THE DEAD LOVER. ;.
AFrench Actrsss' STORY. >
BY CELIA LOGAN.
Maemdoiselle Clarion occupied in the
last century the same position on the
French stage that Rachel did in this, she
was the greatest tragic actress of her day.
She wrote her autobiography, and relates
some singular events as happening to her.
| Her story is corroborated by many people
Of note, among others, the Duchess
D'Abrantes, who wrote so many interest
ing particulars of the French revolution
and Of Napoleon, she being member of
the imperial household. She states that
when Clairon was about seventy years of
age she made her acquaintance, and heard
the story from her own lips. Thus in
brief, it ran: When Clairoa was young,
she numbered among her admirers one
Monsieur 8. After tipe she became
convinced that she could not be happy as
his wife, broke of their intimacy, even re-
fusing to see him. He had been in fail
ing health, but the disappointment hur-
RED the end, and on his death bed he
sent for Mademoisellc Clairon. She de.
clined to go to him, and he died, having
no one near him but an old lady who for
some time had been his only companion.
He expired at eleven O'Clock at night.
The actress begiLs her narrative by saying
that that night she was playing hostess
to some friends, and "the supper was very
gay. had been singing to them, and
they applauded me, when, as eleven
o'clock struck, piercing cry was heard.
Its heartrending tone and the length of
time it continued struck every one with
establishment. l tainted"
The record of the ensuing circumstance
es is still to be found in the archives of
Paris police. The incidents extended
over period Of two years, and then
ceased. condense the recital:
every succeeding night, always at the
same hour, the same cry was repeated,
sounding Immediately beneath my wind
ows, and appearing to issue from the va
cant air. My people, my guests, my
neighbors. the police all heard it alike.
could not doubt that its was intended for
ME. 1seldom supped from, home but when
did nothing was heard there: and sew
eral times. when returned later than
eleven, and inquired OF my mother or the
servants if any thing had been heard of
it, suddenly it burst forth in the midst of
US.
lone evening the President de B., with
whom had been supping, escorted me
home, and, at the moment he babe me
goodnight at the door Of my apartment,
the cry exploded between him and my.
self. He was quite familiar with the
story, for all Paris knew it; yet he was
carried to his carriage more dead tina.
alive.
"Another day l begged my comrade,
Rosely, to accompany me, first to the Rue
Salnt-Honore. to make some purchases,
afterward to visit my friend Mademoisi-
ellie de Saint-P., who resided near the
Porte Saint-Denis. Our sole topic of
conversation all the way was my ghost,
as used to call it. The young man,
witty and unbelieving, begged me to
evoke the phantom, promising to believe
if it replied. Whether from weakness or
audacity, l acceded to his request Thrice
on the instant, the cry sounded, rapid and
terrible in its repetition. When we ar
rived at my friends house, Rosely and;I
had to he carried in. We were both
found lying senseless in the carriage.
After this scene, remained several
months without hearlnglany thing more,
and began to hope that the disturbance
had ceased. was mistaken. The theatre
had been ordered to Versailles, on occa-
sion of The marriage of the Dauphin. We
were to remain there three days. We
were insufficiently provided with apart
ments. Madam Grandval had none. We
waited half the night in hopes that one
would be assigned to her. At three
o'clock in the morning offered her one
of the two beds in my room, which was
in the Avenue de Saint Cloud. She &C.
copied it. I occupied the other bed, and
as my maid was undressing, to sleep be-
side me, said to her, Here we are at
the end OF the world, and with such
frightful weather! think it would puz-
zle the ghost to find US here
The same cry on the instant! Mad
anne Grandval thought that hell itself
was let loose in the room. In her night
dress she rushed down stairs, from the
.op to the bottom. Not a soul in the
house slept another wink that night.
This was, however, the last time ever
heard j..
Seven or eight days afterward, while
chatting with my ordinary circle of
friends, the stroke of eleven o'clock was
followed by amusket- shot, as if fred at
one of my windows. Every one of us
heard the report, every one Of us saw the
flash, but the window had received no
injury. We concluded that it was an
attempt on my life, that for this
time it had failed but that precautions
must lie taken for the future.
| "The 1ntendant fastened to NJ. de Mar
vile, then liutenant of police, and a per-
sonal friend of his. Officers were instantv'
sent to examine the houses opposite mine.
Throughout the following days they were
guarded from top to bottom. Nv own
house, also was thoroulv examined. The
street was provided with spies. But, in spite
all these precautions, for three intro
months, every evening at the same hour,
the same musket-shot, directed against
the same pane Of gass. was heard to ex-
plode, was seen; and yet no one was ever
able to discover whence it proceeded.
Il gradually became in measure &C.
customed to my ghost, whom began to
consider good sort Of fellow, since he
was content with tricks that produced no
serious injury; and, one warm evening,
not noticing the hour, the Intendant and
myself, having opened the haunted win
dow. were le0nin0 Ovar TIM ho1o.r-