Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1892-03-08


great. Tc, ;-gTandfathcr dashed his fore
head against an enormous branch. which
split his skull. and no fell 10 the ground
stone dead. Ills horse, mad with fright
disappeared in the shadows that en-.
velopcd the wood.
The younger d'Arvillc stopped short,
| jumped 10 the ground. seized his brother
in his arms and saw that his braine
Were pouring from the wound. with his
blood Then he seated himself beside
the body, took the red and disfigurea
head upon his knee and contemplated
the immobilc .aco of his elder brother
Little by little fear invaded him, n
singular fear which he had never felt
before: the fear of the shadow. tho fear
Of the solitude. fear OF tho deserted
wood. also fesr of the fantastic wolf
which had killed his brother 10 vcngc IT,
self upon them.
Darkness WAS falling rapidly. and the
sharp cold made the trees craCkle. Fran
co.'s rose up shivering. incapable Of re.
naming there longer, feeling himself
almost fainting. One could hear moth.
ing, neither the voices Of tie dogs, noI
the sound of horns: all was silent. And
this gloomy silence of freezing night had
in it something horrible and strange.
"He seized the colossal frame of Jean
in his hands, lifted it up and laid il across
the saddle. in order TO carry it back &c
tho chateau Then he SLOWLY started 10
return, his mind wandering as If he
were tipsy and pursued by horrible and
startling images. Suddenly in his path
way through tho night monstrous form
| passed.
1T was the beast
"A shock of fright agitatcd tho hunt
e-; something cold, like dropof water,
glided along his loins, and, like friaI
haunted by tho devil, he made tho sign
OF tho cross. He was distracted by this
sudden reappearance of tho frightful
wanderer. Bat his eyes fell upon the
inert corpse lying before him. and his
fear Immediately changing into choler,
he hook with rage. Then he spurred his
hoy - and dashed after the wolf. lie
fol! owed it through the copse, through
rar!nes and through the forest, travcrs.
In, woods which he no longer recog.
ni2nd, his ego fixed npon the gray spot
Which flew before him in tho night. His
ho'-rc also seemed animated by an TN.
knoTn force and ardor. lie galloped
stright ahead with outstrctched neck,
the head and feet of the dead man across
thr saddle dashing against trees and
rOcSs. The branlbles tore the hair OF
the corpse, the forehead battered the
enormous tree trunks, scattering them
viii blood. tho spurs ripped the bark tc
tattcrs.
Suddenly the animal and its pursuei
emerged from the forest nnd rushed into
valley just as the moon appeared above
the mountains. This valley was closed
OH I'll sides by immense rocks, without
possible egress, and tho wolf found it.
self driven into n corner. Francois then
emitted howl OF joy, the echoes OF
which w@e repeated like roll OF thun.
der. and jumped from his horse, cutlass
in hand. The bristling beast waited
with rounded back, its eyes cleaning
iiko two stars. But before Offering bat
tie tho hunter lifted his brother down.
seated him on u rock, and supporting by
means Of stones his head. which was
hardly moro than u patch of blood, he
cried into his ears, as though he wai
speaking to deaf person:
Look, Jean; look thercr"
Then ne threw himself upon ID,
monster He felt strong enough &c
ovcr:hrow n mountain, to grind the
stones in his hands, The beast would
have bitten him and tried 20 dash ut his
stomach, but Francois had seized il by
the throat, without even the aid Of hi,
weapon. and slowly stranglcd IT, listen.
ing 10 the stoppago Of tho breathing Ii
its throat ana the beating of It's heart,
And hc laughed wildly. closing tighter
and tighter his powerful grip and cry
ing in delirium of JOY:
look, Joan; look.
"All resistance ceased; the lody oi
the wolf became limp IL was dead.
Then Francois took il up in his arms
carried it and threw 10 at his brothers
feet, repeating in tender voice:
Thine, thine. thine, my little Jean
there it isl
Then placing tho two cadavcrs acros:
his saddle. ono upon tho other, he sci
out on his way back He returned tc
the chateau laughing and crying like
Gargantua az the birth OF Bantagruel
emitting cries Of triumph, stamping Will
JOY in recounting the death OF the ami
mal, groaning and tearing his beard IN
telling that Of his brother. And often
in after years, when lac spoke of that
day, he declared with tears in his eyea
III only poor Jean coald have seen mt
strangle the brute. am sure he would
have died c0n.cntcd.'
The widow 81 my great-grcat-Srand
father inspired her orphan son with .
horror Of ,bo chase which has been
tg.;..ainitted from father to son down e
myself."
The Marqh, d.iryil,c wa silent,
Some one asked
"This history Is a legend. l. ii not:
i swear ~ you that il Is irGc from
one end 10 the other" he responded.
Tlcn woman said in soft. little
VOL:
"it is % Ga. thing 10 have sUch pas.
sionS. ."--lrlnslatc from the French by
c. dc AsupI ssant for tn. Boston