The Weston Democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1875-current, 1879-08-16

Spare Us; oh, spare us!"
The watch answered, with Il
brutal laugh:
$50 the beautiful and proud
Countess dc Ii Florct knccls-
knecls to me! II was | who knclt
when We last metz
She only replied through her
tears.
"Do he generous. Forget tho
past, and save u.s.
any name is Pcrric Duhem,
once n poor captain in the Kings
army-now General under the
glorious Republic. I swore an
oath that, if ever you married n
man except myself, l would rcyel
in his dying agonies. The time
for the fuliilment has arrived"
"Oh, unsay those terrible words.
Have mercy! In Heavens name
have mcrcy!" shriekcd the" Count
css, clasping his knees and turning
her streaming eyes up to him.
"Risc, love; do not debasc your
self by suing to such a wretch
the Count said, struggling in vain
as he spoke to free himself. ave
are protected by letters from the
National Assembly. Let him vio-
late them at his peril.
Duhcn looked around at the
speaker with u fierce sneer. "That
for your pass" he cried, swapping
his fingers. Soldiers, aristocrat.
Obey orders gave you IN hour
ago."
At the word, tho wretches, who
painted for the blood offs noble,
dragged the Count short distance
toward n frame barn, and having
torn his clothing from his body,
they actually, in broad daylight,
and before the face of his agonizcd
wife, nailed, or rather crucilicd
him on the wall of the barn; n
company Of soldicr-citizens them
selves firing at him as Il target for
eight hours before death made him
inscnsiblc to their atrocities; for
by their commanders stern orders,
they took aim only at the Counts
legs, thighs, feet, neck and right
sile of the breast, and to make the
agony more lingering ten men only
were permitted to fire during each
hour, and at Il distance Of eighty
steps.
During all this time Duhem re-
manned seated on Il pile of stones,
cxulting in the cxcruciating tor
lures he caused to be inflicted upon
his victim. Now be would deliber-
ately smoke his pipe, and anon
drink his wine or eat his food
which he caused to bo brought out
to him in order TINT he might not
miss one throe, and, to add to the
horror, the wretch caused the agon-
lied wife TO- he forcibly detained
in full view of the fearful sight, un-
til utterly prostratcd both in mind
and body, she was borne insonsi-
bic from the scene and placed in
the care Of her waiting-woman,who
did everything in her power to
mitigate her cruel sutEerings.
Nearly Il week elapsed before the
miserable wife seemed to recall in
any manner the horrors she had
witnessed; but ut length, on
awakening from n sound sleep,
she recalled infinitely all that
had occurred, saying that she
had Just dreamed it, and thanked
Heaven devoutly that 1t was but u
vision of her disturbed fancy. She
then asked if any letters had ar
rived from her husband, who, she
said, had hcen dispatched on a
foreign mission ofgreat Importance.
One day she insisted upon visit
ing Paris, in order that she might
discover how much longer the
Count would DO detained abroad.
Nothing that could he urged by
her friends could induce her to
forcgo this journey, so she set
forth. 1t was u glorious morning
on which the Countess do Ia Floret
approached Paris. The sun shown
bright and clear, and the vcrdurc
of early summer clothed tho trees
and meadows. Before reaching