The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1886-05-28

/ VIC uaI 10 " % LnAAOLCA bAhdb SGEGA al
drays, vehicle never before seen down
there, had stopped in front of the
/ DurOy place, and had left several large
bales of goods and mysterious looking
/ demijohns, encased in wooden boxes,
which were deposited inside the fence,
Mime. Pete, whose son cultivated half
/ a square in onions; said the stuff
\ looked like sheeting, but as for the
contents of the big glass bottles, that
was too much for her limited knowl-
| edge. Then it was noticed that the
master of the house went out less
often and remained but for short
| periods of time. One week he was not
seen to leave the grove at all. Then
he became regular again in his absence.
Those living nearest noticed about this
time that lights were left burning in
the DurOy house until very late at
night, and passers asserted that they
/ could hear a sound similar to that pro-
! duced by sewing machines in motion
/ long after midnight. At the grocery
| store these things became the every
/ day subject of conversation. and fire.
| quently the negro woman who was Du-
rOy's housekeeper was intercepted on
her way to market, but she confessed
to an utter Ignorance of any thing per-
/ tanning to her young master. He was
/ good and kind to her; that was all she
/ knew; more than that she never
| bothered her head about.
Some time in August a sprightly lit
| tie gentleman was seen frequently en-
tering the house. He called usually in
the afternoon and remained until late.
/ His dress was of exquisite cut, and his
| twisted mOustache and excess of ges-
| ticulation led to the belief that he was
native of France. From the side
walk he could be seen engaged in deep
/ conversation with M. Duroy on the
! front gallery. He seemed to be ex-
/ planning large drawings, for hanging
before him on the side of the house
were large plans, of what character
! outsiders could not discern. One day
as he came out old Servat met him,
and the next day it was solemnlY an
nOunced that the visitor to the Duroy
/ residence was none other than NJ. God
dard, the great aeronaut, who was then
| delighting New Orleans with his Sun
! day ascensiOns in his great balloon from
/ Congo square. Gossip ran riot over
this discovery, and even the most saga
ciOus could not understand the init
macy that had so lately grown up be-
| tween Duroy and this singular navi-
| gator of the air. 1t was gravely limited
| by some that Duroy was "a little
touched here" and the speaker would
place his forefnger gravely on his
| temple and shake his head.
Whatever may have been the mental
condition of NJ. Duroy at this time,
certain it was that Goddard showed no
such symptom himself. The public
square was thronged each Sunday to
| see him off in the great air-ship
/ afMnvNh Ar,naVfno.71 or1 tho H0rin0-
navigator assembled the cheers and APP
plause could be heard for squares
around. The little one-eyed gate
keeper would shoulder the tin box
containing the receipts, and trudge
home to await the arrival of M. God
dard from some distant parish, where
he had landed with his balloon. In
| September she visits of the aeronaut
became much more frequent and often
he remained with DurOy all night. 1t
was at this time, as people
afterward said, that a curious
looking apparatus was observed in
| process of erection back of the house
in the center of the grove of live oaks.
Nobody could tell what it was. There
were large hogsheads with pipes con-
Meeting them, and near it large pile
of something that looked like glazed
cloth. The neighborhOod, when tired
of discussing the prospects of the crop
of winter cabbages or the impecuniOsity
of milk customers. invariably drifted
off into surmises about DurOy and his
mysterious actions. With olerk-like
accuracy he left the house at $50
o clock and returned at four. On Sun
days he was always seen at Congo
square enjoying Mons. Goddard's as
tensions. All the inquiries made in
the city failed to develop who Mons.
Duroy was. No Duroy was known
there.
There are few places where Septem-
Der comes in more lovingly than in
| Louisiana. 1t is true the foliage does
not put on all the Kaleidoscope tints of
Northern woods, but as if to compen-
safe for this, the air is tinged with q
| balmy sweetness, the skies are filed
with fieecy argosies of tiny clouds, and
/ the sun lavishes each day on the West
ern horizon a prodigality of hue that
gives to the end of the day a gorgeous
| ness nowhere else more beautiful. The
/ delicious softness of the atmosphere in
duces a voluptuOus languor that quiets
the turbulent passions and brings rest
| and peace to even the most tireless
worker. 1t is the twilight of the year,
and nature gives to it her gentlest
! touches. After shutdown southwest
winds commence TO blow, and the
nights are tinctured with a GOODNESS
that makes sleep delicious. These
/ winds prevail for some time and are
most refreshing.
One September evening, in 1856, when
the full moon rose it brought out in
relief on the surrounding landscape
the Duroy grove of live oaks. The deep
| green of this foliage seemed touched
| with a phOsphOrescent fire as the
! light was reflected from the smooth
surface of the leaves. Everybody was
/ sitting out-of-dOOrs enjoying the even
| ing; il was so pleasant. As the moon
rose higher something was noticed in
the direction of the grove never seen
/ there before. A huge dome rose from
/ the midst of the live oaks like the roof
/ of some great amphitheatre. No one
could understand it. Late that after
noon there was no building there and
now, glistening in the moonlight, there
stood a grand hemisphere = smooth,
round and lofty. The trees cut off all
view of the support of the imposing
| superstructure. Quite a crowd of Jour
neymen gardeners and stable boys col
lected at the corner looking at the
strange spectacle, and, Notwithstanding
that they had to rise at five next morn
ing, they remained there till nearly
eleven o clock.
About one o'clock in the morning as
some of the mixers in the neighbor-
ing dairies were preparing to 60 to
work, they were startled by sight so
queer and remarkable, they crossed
themselves in fright and muttered q
hastv Pater NOSter. The dome in the
! Duroy grove seemed to move, did move.
Slowly it rose until it was fifty feet
/ - - e H. $500 Ct;11 q