Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1884-10-02
ZIGZAG.

large dining-room of the hotel and
seated themselves in their places. The
walters commenced their service
slowly in order to allow time for those
who were late, so that they would not
have to bring back the dishes; and the
old bathers, the habitues of the place,
looked with interest toward the door
each time 1t opened to see the new
faces that appeared. That is the great
distraction of watering places. One
looks forward to dinner time to inspect
the arrivals of the day, and to guess
who they are, what they do, and what
they think.
Therefore, on the evening in ques-
ton. rs on all other evenings, we were
awaiting the arrival of the newcomers.
They were only two, but they were
very strange persons, man and wo-
man, father and daughter. They
at once produced on me such an effect
as the characters of Edgar Poe might;
nevertheless there was about them q
charm-a charm born to misfortune.
pictured them to myself as the Wet
inns of fatality. The man was tall and
spare, little bent, with white hair,
too white for his yellow physiognomy.
There was in his manner grave air
and austere bearing. The daughter.
perhaps "a or 20 years of age, was
small, quite slender, and very pale,
and had wearied and detected air.
She was rather pretty, having the di-
aphanous beauty of an app rition. She
ate very slowly, rs if she were hardly
able to move her arms. 1t was evil
IDENTIFY she who had come to take the
waters.
They were seated opposite to me at
table, and l at once noticed that the
father had peculiar nervous affection.
Every time he wished to reach any
thing his hands described a rapid
was able to touch the object he was
seeking. In few moments this move
ment tired me so that l was compelled
to turn away my head in order not to
sec il.
noticed, also, that the young wo-
man while eating wore glove on her
left hand.
After dinner / went for stroll in
the park of the thermal establishment.
This was situated at n little station in
Auvergnc, Chatel-Guion, concealed in
gorge at the foot of high mountain,
whence issued boiling waters. coming
from the depth of an ancient volcano.
| saw the father and daughter coming
slowly toward me. i saluted them, as
in watering places one salutes his
hotel companions. and the man, at
once pausing, asked of me:
.tCon xro,, toll mo ,,,Ape;anF a,.a
l will find q short and pleasant
promenadeP"
offered to conduct them TO q valley
in which flowed little stream-a
deep valley, q narrow gorge between
two deep declivities, rocky and wood
ed. They accepted my offer. We
talked, naturally, of the virtue of the
waters.
'Ah," said he, my daughter has a
strange malady, the seat of which is
unknown. She shows incomprehen-
sible symptoms of nervous trouble. At
one time she seems to be affected with
heart disease, at another time with a
liver complaint, and again with
disease of the spinal marrow To-day
the trouble seems to be seated in the
stomach, which is, as it were, the en-
CINE. the great regulator of the body.
That is why we are here. believe
that the trouble is seated in the nerves.
At all events, it is very bad"
l ut once remembered the nervous
affection of his hand, and / asked:
"But Is not the trouble hereditary.
Have you not yourself nervous af-
fectionP"
lie responded in a quiet tone:
ZIP Oh no; my nerves arc always
quito calm"
Then suddenly, after short silence,
he said:
"Ah, you allude TO the spasm of my
hand whenever l attempt to take any
thingp That was caused by terrible
experience which l had. Imagine that
my daughter was buried aliver'
could make no reply save an ex-
clamation of surprise and emotion.
He continued: 81 will relate my
experience. It is brief story.
Juliette had had Tor some time grave
symptoms of heart disease. We be-
lieved that organ was affected.
''She was brought in one day cold,
motionlcss, dead! She had fallen in
the garden. The doctor pronounced
her dead. l watched beside her q
day and two nights. l myself placed
her in the coffin, which l accompanied
TO the cemetery, where it was deposit
cd in our family vault. 1t was in the
country, in Lorraine.
II wished that she should be buried
with her jewels, the bracelets, neck
laces. rings, all the ornaments she had
received from me, and in her first ball
dress.
you cannot imagine what was the
state of my heart and of my mind on
returning home. / had only her. my
wife having been dead some time. /
entered my chamber alone, half
crazed, exhausted, and l fell into n
chair unable TO think or move a
muscle. was nothing but wretched
vibrating machine.
MY old valet, Prosper, who had
helped me dispose Juliette in her coffin
and prepare her for her last sleep, en-
tered noiselessly and asked il wanted
anything. 1 replied that / did not,
and he thereupon retired.
How the hours passed / know not.
Oh, what q night What night! 1t
was cold; tho fire had gone out in the
large fireplace, and the wind, q wintry
wind. q great wind full of sleet. made
the windows rattle with mournful
and regular sound.
.'How did the hours passP 1 was
there without sleep, weakened, crushed,
my eyes opened, my limbs extended,
nv body nerveless. my mind para
lyzed by despair. Suddenly the DOOR
bell rang.