Feliciana sentinel. [volume] (St. Francisville, La.) 1877-1892, 1890-10-04
THE WOMAN IN BLACK.
Strange Tale Of a Midnight Spec
tor in Paris.

Strange Tale Of a Midnight Spec
tor in Paris.
It was in Paris, during the summer OF
1889, that 1 heard the little anecdote
which am about TO relate.
OF course l mad been attracted there,
liko every American who could tear
himself away from business, by the ex-
position in the French capital What
moment would be moro propitious Tor
the long expected trip abcoad than tho
time when Paris, the great cosmopolitan
city, was celebrating the anniversary OF
the bloody event that shook every throne
In Europe?
Marvellous, indeed, was the scene that
surrounded me that evening. had
wandered at random from the Troca-
dero. with It's flashing colonadcs and
towers, to the central dome, with Its
~reaths Of light and transparent roof;
from tho gigantic tower which multi
tude OF lights had turned into a monu-
ment OF rcd-h hot iron towering thou
sand feet overhead, to the more dark
and picturesque colonial exhibit, where,
lost among the trees, one could find
African villages, Indian temples, and
Siamese thcaters, in which tho actors
strutted around shrieking under their
masks like SO many wildcats.
At last the closing time had come; 1t
was eleven Ok. lon9Fdense line
Of policemen: i2Hft one end OF tho
grounds, push hS0way In the d.
rection of tho opposite exit, sweeping
inNOs ~ khen the lew remaining
- iesa9 ~. yet not caring to
hlo1An1 ID, nhsauntered. leisurely
got Presently a soldier
Id tipping his small, red
~ rtookaoA what little
- I'd from the young
- OF the woman in
166dSA month age, but re-
- Der ftasi il it were ye1l0rday, that
the sergea1 Acalled out to mo to re-
liexane outside. Being now
n knd tkfcd with the days work.
Vgd@lot hear. and itAwas not until he,
had curscd and swaEn by every saint
in the calendar that l recovered my
senses sufficiently to pick up my gun
and button my coat to face the stormy
night. 1t was nearly twelve o'clock,
tho sky was black as ink, and tho rain
poured down steadily in q very un-
promising manner. A high wind. which
was blowing it in clouds through the
streets, made the position still more un-
com Portable.
After getting my instructions from
tho man whose place l was to take,
made for the sentry-box, fully decided
not to venture forth from its shelter.
Once there / began to examine the po-
sition, and glanced through the small
window up and down the street There
was not soul to be seen; the lamp
overhead swung to and fro in the wind,
crcal>ing dismally, and trying its best
to spread its light along the wet and
deserted thoroughfarc. On each side
the old houses, with their grccnish
walls, arose grim and somber in the
darkness. Away OFF in tho distance
could be hoard the confused rumble OF
the streets that are still awake at that
time OF night, but the distant sounds
only seemed to increase the silent lone
illness of tho quarter that was to watch
until daylight
Having nothing else to do, and know
ing how unlikely it was that anybody
gan TO smoke, in order to keep awake
more easily. OF course, q man will
think on such occasions, and my
thoughts carried me far away to my
homo in little Southern village;
made endless comparisons between my
old life and what l had to expect during
tho next three years. Tho. result,
need hardly say, was far fromshat ttering
for the company's mess and night duty
in stormy weather.
How long had been meditating
could hardly tell; it'seemed like hours,
but was probably not over thirty min
utcs- At all events, when l happened
to look up i saw some ono down the
street about two blocks away. Natur-
ally l watched to SEQ which way tho
person was walking, for in such solitude
the slightest object becomes interest
ing. | was soon able to see that 1t was
a woman, and that she was coming
! toward me. l. noticed that there was
something strange about her, and re-
| member wishing most fervently that
she had been going the other way. Per-
| haps my pipe gave mo guilty con-
science; perhaps it was some other
feeling; at all events, l watched her as
| she came toward me.
She was dressed entirely in black; a
| long black wrap, with hood over her
head, afforded her littlo protection
| against the rain. She seemed to glide
along noiselessly, stopping every nov
and then to look around her. / au'sno'
o coward, but the intense solitude, com
bined with the howling Of tho wind
she ,creakins of the lamp and the mys