The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1886-09-11
+ A NIGHT OF HORROR.
N. Dude Masquerading az 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 a very good,
. very respectable, a very kind-hearted
man, but also very silly ore. He re-
garded himself as bit of a philoso-
pher, and despised superstition; yet,
for all that, he fidgeted If the salt
cellar were upset, alarmed ii 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 II 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 NJ.
Oufe, being naturally ight-hearted,
had become exceedingly ::'jolly." When
the relations withdrew, the children
went to bed. Madame QUITE took her
candle and departed with her ladies'
maid, and M. Oufle, for the sake of .
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-headednes into the
bargain, had slipped of from the
paternal house by the back door. as
soon a. the guests began to leave, in .
masquerading dress, and had betaken
himself, after the manner Of scape-
graces, to ball. M. QUITE, having
wearied of describing curves in his own
room, opened the door and went up
stairs, q 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 desire for little more converse
ton. The son was, however, just at
that time dancing in the ballroom Of .
hotel two streets of.
N. QUITE, not finding the young man.
sat himself down beside the bed, and
began to overhaul the various mas
querading dresses which his son had
left out upon q chair. There was q
neat suit Of green and gold, intended
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, 80 contrived
that the wearer Of lit was covered with fur
from head to foot, and looked precisely
like q black bear escaped from travel.
ing caravan. M. Oufie 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 a T.
just then the idea entered his head
that the opportunity of disabusine
Madame Guile of her superstitions had
now presented itself. Madame OuAt
was nearly IS great a fool as her hus
band, and that was saying great deal
She was infected with the vulgar be
lief in witchcraft and demonology, ant
believed implicitly that warlocks could
transform themselves into wild beast
for the purpose of devouring children
'Now," unused M. QUITE, ''is chanc,
for me to eradicate these baneful super
stitions from her mind. II she see
me in this dress, and takes me to be
werewolf. when show her the decep
ton she will never believe in tn,
supernatural again."
Accordingly he walked to his wife
door and listened. The servant wa
still with her mistress, so M. OUT,
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 LEI
the door ajar. Then, taking up book
he seated himself before the fire. Til
book happened to be Bodin's "Demonc
MANIA" and NJ Quite opened
ut the chapter on Lycanthropy
He read on, and the tales of were wolve
hoated in strange colors through hi
brain, till he fell asleep with his hea
on the table, and the book on his lar
And as he slumbered he dreamed
sorcerers being provided by the ev
one with wolf-skins which they wer
condemned to. wear for seven year,
and of Lycaon sentenced by Jove I
run about in bestial form, till piercin
shrek and crash brought him with
start to his feet.
The ladies' maid. after having pinne
her mistress back hair in heap, an
fitted over it the night-cap, had left tn
chamber, and had come down-stair
As she passed the dining-room, 81
saw that there was still a light in !