Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-07-12

had been under the impression that I va, l i only dreaming. I felt very much astonished | ! for was certain that they had been closed when went to bed. i As soon as Baptiste left the room, ran tc l
 the tapestry, felt it all over; it was, indeed, 8 real woolen tapestry, rough to the touch like any other tapestry. Omphale resembled the charming phantom of the night only as dead body resembles living one. lifted | the hangings; the wall was solid through out; there were To masked panels or secret doors. I only noticed that a few threads were broken in the ground work}of the tapes :; try where the feet of Omphale rested. This afforded me food for reflection. = All that day I remained buried in the deepest brown study imaginable; I longed 1 for evening with mingled feeling of anxiety and impatience. l retired early, resolved on learning how this mystery was going to end. :, 1 got into bed; the marchioness did not keep
 me waiting long-she leaped down from the
 tapestry in front of the pier glass. and
 dropped right by my bed; she seated herself by my pillow, and the conversation com menced. I asked her questions as had done
 the evening before, and demanded explana- tions. She eluded the former, and replied in an evasfve manner to the latter; yet always
 after so witty O fashion that within a quarter of an hour felt more charmed than ever. |. While conversing she passed her fingers
 through my hair, tapped me gently on the
 cheeks, and softly kissed my forehead. She
 chatted and chatted in a pretty mocking
 way-in style at once elegantly polished
 and yet familiar, and although like great lady-such as have never since heard from the lips of any human being. She was then
 seated upon the easy chair beside the bed
 It was indeed a charming and handsome real
 woman-a veritable marchioness whom
 found beside me. Poor student of seventeeni
 There was more than enough to make one lose his head, so I lost mine. And Monster le Marquis on the wall up
 there-what will he says''
 "He will not say anything" replied the
 marchioness, laughing heartily. 'Do you suppose he ever sees anything2 Besides, even should he see, he is the most philosophical
 and inoffensive husband in the world Do you love me- little onep'
 "Indeed, l do-ever so much-ever so muchm
 But morning dawned, and the marchioness returned to her tapestry.
 The day seemed to me frightfu1ly long At last evening came All happened as on the evening before. The marchioness be- came more and more adorable; and this state of affairs continued for a long time. As I never slept at night, wore a somnolent ex- pression ill the daytime, which did not augur we'll for me with my uncle. He suspected
 something; he probably listened at the door and heard everything; for one fine morning he entered my room so brusquely that An toinette had scarcely time to get back to her place on the tapestry. He was followed by tapestry hanger, with pincers and ladder He looked at me with a shrewd and severe expression, which convinced me that he knew all.
 ! "This Marchioness de Bellerive is cer-
 tainly crazy; what could have put it into her head to fall in love with brat like thatf'- muttered my uncle between his teeth-s'she promised to behave herselfl" "Jean, take that tapestry down; roll it up and put 1t in the garrett"
 Every word my uncle spoke went through my heart like poignard thrust. ! Jean rolled up my sweetheart Omphale- | otherwise the Marchioness Antoinette do Bellerive-together with Hercules, or the l Marquis de Bellerive, and carried the whole ! thing off to the garrett, could not restrain my tears Next day my uncle sent me back, in the B. diligence, to my respectable l parent-to whom, you may feel assured, ! never breathed O word of my adventure. My uncle died; his house and furniture | were sold; probably the tapestry was sold
 with the rest. But long time afterward, | while foraging the shop of a bric-a-brac merchant in search of oddities, stumbled ! over great dusty roll of something covered | with cobwebs.
 ! What is that?' I said to the Auvergnat. ! 'That is a rococo tapestry representing | Mime. Omphalo and M. Hercule; it is genuine ! Beauvais, worked in silk and in an excellent
 state of preservation. Buy this from me for | your study; will not charge you dear for 1 it, since it is you"
 At the name of Omphale all my blood l rushed to my heart.
 "Unroll that tapestry" said to the mer.
 chant in hurried, gasping voice, like one | in fever.
 It was indeed she! I fancied that her
 mouth smiled graciously at me, and that her l eye lighted up on meeting mine. "How much do you ask!' "Well, could not possibly let you have it
 for less than five hundred francs" ! Il have not that much with me now; I
 will give it and be back in an hour." l returned with the money; but the tap 1 estry no longer there. An Englshman
 had bargained for it during my absence, of
 fered 600 francs for it and taken it away
 with him.
 |, After all perhaps it was best that it should
 have been thus, and that should preserve ! this delicious souvenir intact. They say ! one should never return to a first love- or | look at the rose which one admired the even- | ing before.
 And them I am no longer so young or so
 handsome that tapestries should come down
 from their walls to honor me.-Translated
 from the French of Theophile Gautier by
 Lafcadio Hearn for The Argonaut Voice of Too Bright Color.
 Why is it that some women never learn to
 talk musicallya Some of them do not seem
 to realize what a charm there is in q low,
 soft voice, and good many who do realize it
 make no attempt to improve their own dis