Louisiana capitolian., 1880-09-25

InVaTl0Dly lOckcu Iuo cuPuOAEu "uu VVoA
the key up with her to bed.
On the night in question the young
man prepared for his lonely vigil by
placing his lamp and book on the table
ut the far end Of the room he then laid
bis loaded gun within reach Of his hand,
aud also his drawn sword. Two we'll
trained dogs, used for sporting, and
thoroughly obedient to biz voice, were
his only companions, and having care
fully secured tue door snd windows, he
set down to read, the dogs lying At his
feet. When bis few preparations we're
completed it wss about II o'clock, and
he read quietly for nearly an hour. When
tho clock was on the stroke Of midnight
. strange agitation seemed to pervado
the room. The dogs 1T their masters
feet began to howl and whine and crouch
to tho ground, with every symptom of
terror, and at length, quite regardless
Of his voice. skunk un''cr the table at
which be WAS sitting, tue heavy cover
of which bid them from view.
Az the clock struck IL, young st. L.
distinctly saw Gaspar, as he had al.
ways been described to him, enter
through the closed door, and stop op.
posite to the cupboard where the wine
and supper had been put away. With a
bunch Of keys, which the young man
clearly recognized ss bis mothers, Gas
par opened the cupboard quite vide,
cut a slice Of pate aud bsgati to eat.
then poured out some wine and drank.
When he had flushed, he turned alM
looked fiercely at the young man, who
tried to rise, but felt chained down by
some invisible power. He stretched out
his haud for his gun and pointed it at
the figure, but it fell from Ills hand on
the carpet, without even exploding,
and under the mysterious influence Of
Gaspsr's steady gaze he fell back in his
chair utterly iusensible and reniem bered
no more till the broad sunlight strealn-
ing into the room reused him, to fnd
the gun ut his feet and the dogs still
hardly recovered from their terror, he
cupboard locked AZ usual and himself
alone in the room, where no trace Of
Gaspar's presence remained, but when
the cupboard WAS opened there was a
remnant Of u pate OH one Of tbe plates
and 4 portion Of wine in one Of the
glasses.
On being questioned Madame st. l..
declared that the keys Of the cupboard
had never left her dressing table till
she brought them down that morning.
This was probably the last time that
Gaspar appeared in visible form to
any of the family. A long time before
he had told the two ladies that il would
be impossible for him to let them see
and hear him as they had been accus-
toned to do that he would never leave
them, and that wherever they went he
would go, but that his presence would
be manifested only by noises of different
kinds; that should any misfortune
threaten the family, or great changes
be impending they should without fail
receive timely warning. This promise
was literally fulfilled, for when they
took refuge for time in England, dur
ing the Franco-German war, when both
Madame St. LIS sons were engaged in
the struggles of the French enemy, she
always received some iutimation of the
arrival Of letters, which indeed reached
her in tho most mysterious manner,
when oftentimes the young men had
either lost them in the confusion of a
camp or being utterly unable to post
them.
Any loss by death was also commun;-
Gated in the same unnlistakable fashion.
Both sisters found themselves unable to
sleep one night from soft, continuous
tapping on the window-pane, accom-.
panied by low moaning, which con-
tinued for many hours. In q day or
two they heard Of death on that very
night Of a beloved friend who had beet
their school.tullow in early days. Such
were few Of the anecdotes Of Gaspar,
which l gathered from the lips of the
dear ladies whose guardian angel he
undoubtedly proved himself to be. For
one Of them the enigma Of his influence
has been solved in another world /; two
years ago Miss r. died, to the deep re-
gret Of an endeared circle of friends.
Madame St. l.. still lives in Paris with
her eldest sou, who is married and of
high rank in the French army.
BETRAYED.