The Yazoo sentinel. (Yazoo City, Miss.) 1878-1916, 1891-08-06
BURIED ALIVE.
nY GUY DE mAurAssANr.


dining.hall Of the hotel and sat down at
their places. The walters began their
serving quite leisurely, in order TO give
tho belated ones time 10 arrive and 10
save themselves the trouble Of bringing
back the dishes; the old bathers, the
habitues, with whom the season was far
advanced, kept an alert watch upon the
door each time il was opened, hoping
for the appearance Of fresh faces.
That Is the chief distraction OF water
ing-places. We go TO dinner 10 inspect
the daily arrivals, TO wonder who they
are, what they do, and what they
think. A restless desire takes posses
sion Of us, n longing for pleasant adven-
lures, for friendly acquaintance, for
lovers, perhaps. In this elbow-to-elbow
sort OF life, our unknown neighbors as
sumo extreme Importance. Curiosity
is aroused, sympathy is on the alert,
and the social instinct is active.
We have hatreds for n week and
friendships for q month; we view men
with other eyes, through the special OPP
ties OF watering acquaintance.
Suddenly, during an hours talk after
dinner, under the trees in the park,
where bubbles up n healing spring, we
discover mon OF superior intelligence
and surprising merit, and, month
later, We have completely forgotten
these new friends 30 Charming at first
sight.
There also, more quickly than any
whore else, are formed grave and last
ing ties. We see each other every
day, know each other very soon, and in
the affection that springs up is mingled
something Of the sweet abandon of old
intimates. Later on tender reoollec-
tons are cherished of the first hours of |
friendship, of the first communion in |
which the soul was brought to light, of
the first looks that questioned and re-
sponded to the interrogatories and So
cret thoughts the lips had not yet ut
tered, of tho first cordial confidence
aud that charming sensation Of opening
ones heart to some one who also seems
to lay bare his own to you.
Then, too, the very dullness, the
monotony OF days exactly alike, hourly
renders more complete the unfolding
Of friendships flower.
That evening, then, as every evening,
we awaited tho entrance of unfamiliar
faces.
There came only two, but very strange
ones, those of man on q womnn-father |
and daughter. They reminded me at |
once OK some Of Edgar Poes characters;
and yet there was an attraction about !
them, IN unpleasant attraction; set
them down as tho victims OF some
fatality. The gentleman was very tall
and spare, slightly bent, with hair quite
white, too white for his still young
countenance; there was in his carriage
and about his person the serious air Of
Rustority that bespeaks the Puritan.
Tho daughter was, perhaps, about
twenty-four or twenty-five years OF age.
She was small and emaciated, and her
exceedingly palo face wore languid,
spiritless expression. We sometimes
encounter people who appear too weak
for the cares and demands OF life, too
feeble TO move, to do the things We
must do every day. This girl was
pretty, with the transparent beauty of
an apparition; she ate with extreme
slowness, MS il she were almost ineap-
able of moving her arms.
1t was she undoubtedly who camo for
the benefit of the waters.
They happened to be opposite me,
on the other side of the table; and l
immediately noticed that the father had
y very singular nervous adliction.
Whenever he was about to reach for
anything, his hand, with quick jerk,
described sort OF futtering zigzag be-
fore he was able to touch what he was
after. In few moments this motion
annoyed me so much that turned away
my head in order not TO see him.
also observed that the Young girl
kept glove on her left hand whilo she
ate.
After dinner, went out to take
turn IN the park belonging to the water
cure establishment II extended to the
little station of Auvergne. Chatel-
Guyon, hidden in gorge at tho foot Of
n high mountain, from which run 80
many bubbling springs, hot from the
deep furnace Of old volcanoes. Over
there, beyond US, the domos, extinct
craters, raised their mutilased heads
above the long chain. Chatel-Guyon
begins the land Of eDomes."
Beyond the -Domes' are two other
distinct regions, the one Of needle-ike
peaks ana the other OF abrupt, precipit-
Gus mountains
The Puy de Dome is the highest Of
the craters, the Pic du Sancy the most
elevated Of tho Peaks, and the Plomb
du Csntal is the greatest Of the last
type Of mountains
1t was very warm that evening. /
was walking back and forth in the
shady path. listening to the music pour
ing forth from the casino on n mound
that overlooked the park.
] perceived the father and daughter
coming toward me with slow steps. i
saluted them. as. in watering places,
one salutes his hotel compositions, the
r4er.ssner rrer,,.1eaf,1~ -