The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1891-11-28
HER AWFUL FRIGHT.

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N'importc! It's doubtless n comedy
you await. Behold tragedy .
You were there aud recall my marriage;
that left that same evening OH my
wedding journey.
The guests were all gone: / was
ready to start. hear still the bump,
bump OF the trunks on the staircase,
and papa's smiling tones-unwiling to
weep outriGht-and who badc me "Bon
courage, mon cniant" rs II | were
going to tho gibbet. As for mamma,
she was fountain: !, too, in tears,
though very happy, and my husband
hurryins me all he could to cut short
difficult adicux.
Suddenly something pulled at the
hem OF my gown. 1t was Bijou---forgot-
ton and neglected since morning. Poor
little beast! He, like the others, was
bidding mo farewell. l stopped and
caught him up--he's only tho size OF
your fist, You know-and began TO cover
him with kisses.
Allat once, in the cxuberancc OF The
spirits, he took my nose in his sharp
little fangs and ! felt n keen little pain.
] uttered cry and pushed him to the
floor. My nose was blecding-he had
bitten me in his boisterous gamboling.
Every one exclaimed; every one ran
with water, salts, Ind bandages; my
husband himsclfinsistcd on tending me.
In truth, nothing serious; two little
pricks rs ii done with needles. In five
minutes time the bleeding had stopped
and We departed.
That evening we reached Dicppe.
When say evening, 1 mean about mid
night. You know how / love the sea.
l declared to my husband that | could
not go to sleep till had seen it. Fan
cying that he seemed vexcd at this, l
smilingly demanded:
care you sleepy" g.
mo, dearest, no." said he, "only-we
shall not be alone together there"
"Alone tosetherm was greatly sur
prised. We had been alone thus in the
car ever since we left Paris. It is not
well 10 be 4 wife too submissive.
"Eh bien! monsieur" said /. 1--WE
will 90 10 the strand then, viola tout"
"Since you wish it, dearest, SO be it"
Henri responded amiably.
The, night was supcrb-one OF those
white moonlights that fill your soul
with great but vague ideas, sensations
rather than thoughts, that give you q
desire to open your arms, spread your
wings and embrace all space.
In q word, moments so good that life
has few OF them, in which one sees all
existence dilierently-which embellish
and render it delicious, and which come
as u revelation to what might be.
But my husband still seemed impa-
ticnt to return.
"You are cold, thcn?" said to him.
mo"
"Then-then-Henri," said I, Eve
will stay and see the sun rise on the
water"
For answer he sprang to his feet,
pulled my hand through his arm, and
nearly dragged me to the hotel again.
Truly, there are moments when Henri
is not amiable-a strange abruptncss in
his manner that--but all this comes
later on.
Somehow, dearest, l do not know why,
but, returned there 10 our apartments,
! began 10 feel worried, awkward-ill at
ease, you may say. opened the trav-
cling bag, turned over the night things,
slipped into peignoir, and was going
to brush my hair, when suddenly, be-
fore | knew it or saw him even, Henri's
arm clasped my waist and his face APP
preached mine.
He had gone mad, surely. A wild
terror invaded me, and asked myself
il he were going to kill me. You know
how it is when terror thus seizcs one.
thought, struggled; l even tore out
n handful OF his hair and part OF his
mustachc, and delivered by this effort
ran to the door, drew the bolt, and, half
clad as l was, fed screaming to the
stairs.
All about me doors brusquely opened,
men in night-dress, light in hand,
locked around me. Trembling and
crying iorsuccor flung myself into the
arms OF one, and he, in turn, upon my
husband. The rest is very obscure.
They battled. shouted. wrestled and
laughed. Henrn gentlHled me to my
room again, where l cried, perfect
Niobe, till morning. &
The day after that We arrived at Etrc-
tat. The place was in Il connection; n
young girl, bitten by 4 pet dog, had
died OF rabies. A great shivcr ran up
my spine rs heard them tell it Mt the
table d'hotc. 1t seemed to mo that I
iell the pain in my nose where. Bijou
had bitten me; also Il strange sensation
through nil my members.
"What is tho matter with your said
Henri, noticing my abstraction.
"But nothing, nothing" responded I,
my strained gaze bent upon the sea
without seeing it, and turning from
farm to rolling plain. though l could
never have told you what I had under
my eyes.
T sat down ut once and wrote motto
TO my mother, very short, and which
must have seemed to her very strange.
l demanded an immediate response to
insignificant questions. At the bottom
l put the postscript:
"Abovc all do not forget TO give mo
news OF Biiou"
The morning following I was unable
to cat, but refused to see doctor. All
that day l remained seated on the
strand, watching the bathers in the
water, fat or thin, and all hideous in
their frightful costumes, but l never
dreamed OF laughing. thought:
"rhey are happy, those people there;
they have not been bitten! They will
live; they havo nothing to fear. They
can amuse themselves rs they like; they
are tranquil"
Every instant put my hand to my
nose to feel it. Was it swollen yet?
And again in my chamber l ran to cx-
anime it in that glass. OH! il it had
changed color the least bitin the world