Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1886-03-06

mentsry expecting death.
Suddenly / heard peculiar kicking all
about me |; a quantity of bard little OBJECTS
were striking my face. ] opened my eyes
and saw Brutus using all four feet with mar
velous activity and skill, trying to bury me
under the sand The poor beast was doing |
his best, and from time to time he stopped to
examine his work. Then, throwing up his
head, he gave a neigh and resumed his little
task. This continued three or four minutes
after which, thinking, no doubt, that | was
sufficiently buried, he got down on his knees
with much respect before my grave On his
knees !-absolutely on his knees He was
saying, suppose a little prayer. As for me,
l watched him. The performance interested
me extremely.
His prayer ended, Brutus INDUCED in
little curveting went few feet away,
stopped and then, breaking into gallor |
set himself to making more than twenty
times the circuit of the crossroads in the
middle of which he hal buried me. Brutus
was galloping extremely well, with regular
step and head in good position, describing
about me a perfect circle. | followed HIM
with my eyes but it made me little dizzy |
to see him going round and round and
round. / had strength to cry stop |
stop The horse stopped and seemed per- |
picked, asking himself, no doubt, what he |
had neglected to do. But he saw my hat, |
which had rolled away in my fall, and then |
he formed a new resolution. He walked di-
rectly to my hat, picked it up with his teeth,
and started off at rapid gallop down one ot
grave.
Brutus had gone, disappeared ; was left |
alone i had been betrayed, completely oe-
traved. ! shook of the light layer oI sahu |
which covered me, and without rising, with |
the aid of my arms and my right leg-to |
move the left leg was out of the question: |
succeeded in dragging myself to grassy
slope at the opening of one the roads Once
there, could sit up after fashion, and l
began to shout with all my strength. No re-
ply. The wood was absolutely deserted and
silent. There was nothing now to do but
wait for some passer-by to help me out otmy
difficulty.
had remained for halt an hour in that
painful position, when l saw la the distance,
almost at the other end of the road by which
he had disappeared, Brutus returning AT the
| same long gallop with which he had left me.
| A cloud of dust half hid the horse. Littleb by
| little | made out through the dust a little
| pony phaeton and then IN the phaeton a
lady holding the reins, and behind the lady
/ a little groom.
| Some minutes later, Brutus, covered with
| foam, stopped before me, dropped my hat at
| my feet, and addressed me with neigh,
| which clearly meant, Il have donemy duty.
Here is help for you" But paid little at
| tention to Brutus aud his explanations /
| had eyes only for the succoring fairy, who,
after springng from her phaeton, came
gently towards me- She, on her part looked
earnestly at me, and suddenly two cries
| broke the silence at the same time
| "Madame de NoriOs ~
"Monsieur de la Roche-rarge -
| III.
I had an aunt, between whom and me
there had been for years good-natured but
| inCessant quarrel
| "NOu must marry
81 do not wish to marry"
| ado you prefer young lady There is
Mademoiselle A., Mademoselle B., Made
| mOiselle {.
"But do not wish to marry :"
APO you prefer a widow? ? There is Mad
anne D., Madame T., Madame f."
| Il do not wish to marry
| Madame de NOriolis had always figured in
| the first rank of the widows; and | had
| noticed that my aunt dwelt with evident
| partalty upon the benefits and advantages
| that would come to me by "A marriage with
| her. She had no need to tell me that Mad.
| anne de NOriOlls was extremely pretty-uy
| eyes told me that nor that she was rch-l
| knew that also. But she used to explain tC
me that Monsieur de Noriolis had been a
fool, who had possessed the ability TO make
| his wife perfectly miserable, and that for that
reason it would he very easy for a second
| husband to make himself deeply loved.
Then after she had for a long time celebra
ted the virtues, graces, and charming quail
. | ties of Madame de NOriOlis, my aunt, who
, was clever, and knsw my weakness took
| from her cabinet map, and carefully spread
, | 1t out upon the table.
! | 1t was plan OF the country about Chatel
| leraul1 "A very minute and exact plan, which
| my aunt had taken the trouble OF buying tOi
| herself AZ the war office, tor the sole purpose
. | OF convincing me that / ought to marry
| Madame de N0riolis. The chateaux of Nor
! | lOlis and kochc-Targe, hardly two miles
. | apart, were both indicated on the plan and
| my aunt with her own hand, had intention
| ally united the two estates by a line OF red
| ink. She called my attention TO this red
| line, aud said, "SiXteen hundred acres with
out division line, If NOriOls aud Roche
| large were united that is something that a
hunting man could appreciate :"
As for myself, shut my eyes, the tempta
tion was so great, aud l took refuge
in my, refrain, ~ do not wish tc
marry" But was afraid, seriously
afraid; and whenever l met Mime. DC
Noriolis, her head seemed to my eyes to be
enclrcled by an aureola, consisting of my
| aunts red ink line, aud said to myself: "a
| charming woman, sprituelle, intelligent, heI
first husband was a fool, and so forth, and
sixteen hundred acres of land. Fly, you
poor fellow, fly, since you do not wish tt
| marryr'
And | fled But, now, how could | escape
There was, on this grass, covered with dirt
my hair disordered, my clothes in tatters
aud my wretched leg perfectly still. And
Nine de Noriolis was at my side, in the mOsl
| charming of cOstumes-the aureola still about
} | her head-saying 10 me:
Is it really you, NJ. de la Roche. large
What is the matter? Mon Dieu, what has
| happened" ?"
, frankly confessed my tall
| "But you are not hurt%'
"No, no, am not hurt. Something il the
matter with this leg but it is nothing serious
| | am sure"
And what played you such trick ?"
"There he is"
And pointed to Brutus, who was standing
close by, uniastened, quietly pulling up and
eating little mOuthtuls of grass
"What! is it he ? The brave horsel Oh,
he has atoned well for his misdeeds | assure
you. will tell you about it 10y and by. We
} must first go back to your house, and that, too
directly"
But cannot walk step"
81 am going to drive you home"
! And she called Bob, the little groom. Then
she gently took one of my arms while Bot
took the other, and made me get into her
, | phaeton. Five minutes later we were rolling
along towards my chateau, she guiding her
pony with one hand, and |, troubled, con,
fused, embarrassed, and stupid, watching her
az she drove. We were alone in the phaeton.
Bob had been ordered to bring Brutus, who
submitted very quietly.
NOW, pay attention." said Nine. de Nor.
lOlls; "keep your ley stretched out; | am
| going to drive slowly so as to avoid all Jolt.
ing"
In short, she said thousand kind and
pleasant things. Then when she saw that !
was comfortably seated:
"Teil me-" she said, " how you happened
TO TALL, and l will tell you how | happened 10
come to your aid. 1t is sure to be amusing.
/, | Tell me all about the horse"
began my story, but when ! came to the
| efforts that BTutus made 10 unseat me after