The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1886-06-24
A NIGHT OF HORROR.
II. Oude Incorporating as a We're
Wolf.

loved a jOvial evening with friends, a
glass of good wine, and a 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,
a very respectable, a very kind-hearted
man, bat also very silly one. 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 if the knife
and fork were crossed, and he would
positively refuse to make the thirteenth
at dinner.
1t was Carnival time, and NJ 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
to assert that any of the party had drunk
more than he ought. but they had all
grazcd the line of moderation, and NJ.
Oufle, being naturally Iight-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 NJ. QUITE, for the sake of q
little exercise, trottcd up and down
his chamber, whistling plaintivt
melody, and whistling it out of tune.
This gentleman 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 4
masquerading dress, and had betaken
himself, after the manner of scape-
graces, to a ball. NJ. Oufle, having
7wearicd OF describing curves in his own
room, opened the door and went up
stairs, a process attended by difficulties
which would have proved insuperable
but for the assistance of the banisters.
Arrived on the landing, NJ. 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 1T
that time dancing in the ballroom of a
hotel two streets off.
NJ. Ouhe, 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 a chair. There was a
neat suit of green and gold, intended
as forester dress; there was a cos
tune of the time of Francois l., covered
with spangles; and last, but not least,
there was a 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
dress over and over, and its originality
attracted his interest. He thought
he should like to see whether it
would fit his person. He therefore
arrayed himself in the habit, and found
that it suited to L.
Just then the idea entered his head
that the opportunity of disabusing
Madame Oufie of her superstitions had
now presented itself. Madame Oufle
was nearly rs great fool as her hus-
band, and that was saying great deal.
She was infected with the vulgar be-
lief in witchcraft and demonology, and
believed implicitly that warlocks could
transform themselves into wild beasts
for the purpose of devouring children.
"Now," unused NJ. Quite, 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 a
werewolf, when l show her the decep-
ton she will never believe in the
supernatural again"
Accordingly he walked to his wife's
door and listened. The servant was
still with her mistress, so NJ. Quite
retreated downstairs to the dining
room, intending to wait till his good
lady was alone; and that he might know
when the maid was dismissed, he left
the door ajar. Then, taking up book,
he seated himself before the fire. The
book happened to be Bodin's ''Demono-
MANIA" and NJ. QUITE opened it
at the chapter on Lycanthropy.
He read on, and the tales of were-wolves
foated in strange colOrs through his
brain, till he fell asleep with his head
on the table, and the book on his lap.
And as he slumbered he dreamed of
sorcerers being provided by the evil
one with wolf-skins which they were
condemned to wear for seven years,
and of Lycaon sentenced by Jove to
run about Ia bestial form, till piercing
shrek and a crash brought him with a
start to his feet
The ladies' maid, after having pinned
her mistress back hair in a heap. and
fitted over it the night-cap, had left the
chamber. and had come downstairs.
AS she passed the dining-room, she
saw that there was still a light in it,
and thinking that the candles had not
been extinguished, she entered precipi-
fately to put them out. There in the
dead of night she stood, and saw before
her a monstrous black bear fast asleep
before the fire, snoring loudly, with its
head on the table and its snout up in
the air, its hind paws upon the fender,
a silk northumberland over one
knee, and a book on its lap. No
wonder that she dropped her candle
and screamed. -
But the shrek which testified to her
fear frightened M. Oufie out of the few
senses he did possess. He sprang up,
bewildered with his dreams, confused
with the fumes Of wine, and alarmed at
the audiences of his reUiel. Opposite
him was mirror. he forgot entirely