The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1886-06-23
A NIGHT OF HORROR.
M. Oufle Masquerading as o Were.
Wolf.

glass of good wine, and merry tale
A worthy man, too, was he-the most
exemplary of husbands. and the most
indulgent of fathers. But he had his
weakness; and which of us has not!
His weakness was weakness of intel
lect. In short, he was very good
a very respectable, very kind-hearted
man, but also very silly one. He re.
garded himself as bit of philoso.
pher, and despised superstition; yet
for all that, he tidgeted if the salt.
cellar were upset, alarmed if the knife
and fork were crossed, and he would
positively refuse to make the thirteenth
at dinner.
1t was Carnival time, and M. QUITE
invited all his own relations and his
wife's relations to dinner. A pleasant
evening they passed. They ate and
they drank, and they talked and they
sang. They ate till they were more
than satisfied, drank till they were very
merry, talked themselves dry. and sang
themselves hoarse. Far be it from me
TO assert that any of the party had drunk
more than he ought, but they had all
grazed the line Of moderation, and M.
Oufle, being naturally light-hearted,
had become exceedingly 'jolly." When
the relations withdrew. the children
went to bed. Madame Outle took her
candle and departed with her ladies'
maid, and M. Ouf1e, for the sake of a
little exercise, trotted up and down
his chamber, whistling a plaintive
melody, and whistling it out of tune.
This gentleman's eldest son, who had
inherited all his fathers amiable quail
ties, and his empty-headedness into the
bargain, had slipped off from the
paternal house by the back door, as
soon as the guests began to leave, in a
masquerading dress, and had betaken
himself, after the manner of scape-
graces, to ball NJ Oufle, having
wearied of describing curves in his own
room, opened the door and went up
stairs, process attended by difficulties
which would have proved insuperable
but for the assistance of the banisters.
Arrived on the landing, M. Quite OBJ
served his sons door open, so he walked
into the room. impelled by curiosity or
by a desire for little more converse
lion. The son was, however, just at
that time dancing in the ballroom of a
hotel two streets off.
M. Oufie, not finding the young man.
sat himself down beside the bed, and
began to overhaul the various mas
1uerading dresses which his son had
left out upon chair. There was a
neat suit of green and geld, intended
as a forester's dress; there was cos
tune ofthe time of Francois l.. covered
with spangles; and last, but not least,
there was bear-skin suit, so contrived
that the wearer of it was covered with fur
from head to foot, and looked precisely
like black bear escaped from travel.
ing caravan. NJ. Oafle turned this
dress over and over, and its originality
attracted his interest. He thought
he should like to see whether il
would fit his person. He therefore
arrayed himself in the habit, and found
that it suited to T.
Just then the idea entered his head
that the opportunity of disabusins
Madame Quite of her superstitions had
now presented itself. Madame Oufle
was nearly as great fool o her hus
band, and that was saying great deal
She was infected with the vulgar be
lief in witehcraft and demOnology, anC
believed implicitly that warlocks could
transform themselves into wild beasts
for the purpose of devouring children
''Now,n mused M. Oufle, sis chance
for me to eradicate these baneful super.
stitions from her mind. If she sees
me in this dress, and takes me to be ;
werewolf, when | show her the decep
ton she will never believe in the
supernatural again.
Accordingly he walked to his wife.
door and listened. The servant was
still with her mistress, so M. Oufit
retreated downstairs to the dining
room, intending to wait till his gOo(
lady was alone; and that he might know
when the maid was dismissed, he lef
the door ajar. Then, taking up book
he seated himself before the fire. TIL,
book happened to be Bodin's ''Demono
MANIA" and M. Oufe opened il
at the chapter on Lycanthropy
He read on, and the tales of were-wolve
floated in strange colors through hi
brain, till he fell asleep with his heaG
ON the table, and the book on his lap
And as he slumbered he dreamed O
sorcerers being provided by the evi
one with wOlf-skins which they wer,
COuucilucu w Wcui lOE Sttcu years
and of Lycaon sentenced by JOve t,
run about in bestial form, till piercin,
shrek and crash brought him with
start to his feet. M
The ladies' maid. after having pinne'
her mistress back hair in a heap. an
fitted over it the night-cap, had left tn
chamber, and had come downstairs
As she passed the dining-rOom, sh
saw that there was still light in. il
and thinking that the candles had no
been extinguished, she entered precipi
lately to put them out. There in tn
dead of night she stood, and saw befOr
her monstrous black bear fast aslee
before the fire. snoring loudly. with it
head on the table and its snout up il
the air, its hind paws upon the fender
silk pocket-handkerchief over on
knee. and book ON its lap. N
wonder that she dropped her candl
and screamed.
But the shrek which testified to he
fear frightened M. Oude out Of the fe,
senses he did possess. He sprang W
bewildered with his dreams, confuse
With the fumes of wine, and alarmed q
the suddenness of his reuiei. Opposit
him was mirror. He forgot entirel