Connecticut western news., 1892-05-19
THE GRAY WOLF.


 Here is what was recounted to us by the old Marquis d'Arville after dinner at the house of the Baron des Ravels, Saint Hubert.
 We had started stag during the day. The marquis was the only one of the guests who had not taken part in the pursuit. He never indulged in the chase. During the entire time of the repast we had talked of little else than the massa- ere of animals. Even the women inter ested themselves in the sanguinary and often incredible tales, and the speakers mimicked the attacks and the combats between men and beasts, gesticulating with their arms and conversing in ex- cited tones.
 M. d'Arville spoke we'll, with cer- tain air of poetry, trifle sonorous, but full of effect. He had often repeated this history, therefore he spoke fuently, not hesitating to find choice words in which to depict his images.
 "Messieurs," be said, "I have never hunted, nor did my father, my grand father or my great-grandfather. This last was the son of man who hunted more than all of you. He died in 1764. will tell you how.
 "He was named Jean, was married and was the father of this child, who was my great-grandfather, and he lived with his younger brother, Francois d'Arville, in our chateau in the midst of forest in Lorraine. Francois d'Ar- vile had remained bachelor through love of the chase. These two hunted from one years end to the other, with out repose, without stop, without lassi- tude. They loved nothing else, under stood nothing else, talked of nothing else, lived for nothing else than the chase. This terrible, memorable passion possessed them to the heart, had invaded them entirely, leaving no place for any thing else.
 "They had prohibited any one from interrupting them during the chase for any purpose whatever. My great grandfather was born while his father was following fox, and Jean d'Arville, instead of interrupting the run, swore, In the name of the saints, the rascal might better have waited until after the huntp
 "His brother Francois was even more carried away by this passion than him self. From the time he arose in the morning he went to see the dogs, then the horses, then the shot birds in the i'm mediate vicinity of the chateau, up to the time of leaving to start some larger game. They were known throughout the neighboring country as M. le Mar quis and M. le Cadet, the nobles of that day not endeavoring like those of our own time to establish descending hier- archy in titles; because the son of a mar quis is no more count, nor the son of a viscount baron than the son of gen eral is a colonel by birth; but the shab- by vanity of our day finds profit in this arrangement. return to my ancestors.
 "They were, it appears, huge, long. hairy, violent and vigorous. The young CT, even taller than the elder, had a voice so strong that, according to a legend of which he was the hero, all the leaves of the forest trembled when he shouted. And when they leaped into the saddle to depart for the chase it was 8 superb spectacle to see these two giants bestriding their great horses.
 "Now, toward the depth of the win ter of this year, 1764, the cold was exces- sive and the wolves became ferocious. They attacked the belated country peo- pie, wandered around the houses at night, bowling from the setting to the rising of the sun, and depopulating the stables.
 "And soon a weird rumor circulated. They talked of a colossal wolf, with gray hair, almost white, who had eaten two children, devoured 8 woman's arm, strangled all the watchdogs of the country, and who penetrated without fear into the inclosures to sniff under the doors. All the inhabitants declared that they had heard his snuf1e, and that it had made the flames of the lamps flicker. And soon panic ran through all the province. Nobody dared go out after nightfall. The darkness seemed to be haunted by images of the beast. "The d'Arville brothers resolved t. find this animal and kill it, and they &C., cordingly summoned all the gentlemen of the country to a grand chase. It was in vain. They hunted the forest over and searched the thickets, but did not | encounter it. They killed plenty of | wolves, but not this one. And each night, after the chase, the animal, as l though to avenge itself, attacked some traveller or devoured some cattle, always far from the place where they had been searching for it. At last one night it penetrated the pig stable of the Chateau | d'Arville and ate the two finest porkers. | The two brothers were inhamed with anger, considering this attack as bra vado from the monster, 8 direct injury, 8 defiance. They took all their strong bloodhounds, accustomed to the pursuit | of redoubtable beasts, and entered the chase, their hearts provoked to fury.
 "From dawn until the hour when the purple sun descended behind the great, bare trees, they beat the thickets with out finding anything. Finally, both furious and desolate, and astonished that all their skill had been baffled by this wolf, they were walking their horses along path bordered by bushes, when they were suddenly seized by 8 sort o1 mysterious fear.
 "'This beast is not an ordinary one, said the oldest. One would almost say that he had human attributes
 "'We should have ball blessed by our cousin, the bishop said the younger 'or have some priest pronounce the neces sary words He ceased speaking.
 "'See how red the sun is,' replied Jean. The big wolf will do some wickedness this night
 'He had hardly spoken these wori when his horse reared; that of Francois began kicking. A large clump of bushes covered with dead leaves opened in front of them, and colossal beast, all gray sprang up and ran off into the woods Both brothers emitted sort of joyous grunt, and bending over the chests oi | fboir ot,,yid borcao tbou fbrau tham for