The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1892-02-25

that he had human attributes
ave should have a 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 words
when ms horse reared; that OF Frances
began kicking. A large clump of bushet
covered with dead leaves opened in fror
of them, and colossal beast, all gray
sprang up and ran off into the woods
Both brothers emitted n sort of Joyous
grunt, and bending over the chests oi
their stupid horses they threw them for
ward with all their strength, rushin:
them ahead at such a pace, exciting
them, urging them on with voice, ges.
ture and spur, that the powerful riders
seemed to carry their heavy beasts be-
tween their thighs, and TO lift them up
as though they would fly away with
them. They went thus, belly to the
ground, breaking through the thickets,
crossing the ravines, climbing the hills,
descending the glens and sounding the
horn with full lungs to attract the at.
tentiOn of their companions and their
dogs.
IAN of a sudden, in this wild run, my
great-great- grandfather dashed his fore
head against an enormous branch, which
split his skull, and he fell to the ground
stone dead. His horse, mad with fright,
disappeared in the shadows that en-.
veloped the wood.
1.-The younger d'Arville stopped short,
jumped TO the ground, seized his brother
in his arms and saw that his brains
were pouring from the wound, with his
blood. Then he seated himself beside
the body, took the red and disfigurel
head upon his knee and contemplated
the immobile face of his elder brother.
Little by little fear invaded him. a
singular fear which he had never felt
before; the fear Of the shadow, the fear
of the solitude, fear of the deserted
wood, also fear of the fantastic wolf
which had killed his brother to venge 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-
manning there longer, feeling himself
almost fainting. One could hear moth.
ing, neither the voices of the dogs, nor
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 it across
the saddle, in order to carry it back TO
the chateau. Then he slowly started to
return, his mind wandering as il he
were tipsy and pursued by horrible and
startling images. Suddenly in his path.
way through the night monstrous form
passed.
at was the beast.
"a shock of fright agitated the hunt.
er; something cold, like dropof water,
glided along his loins, and, like a friar
haunted by the devil, he made the sign
of the cross. He was distracted by this
sudden temperance of the frightful
wanderer. But his eyes fell upon the
inert corpse lying before him, and his
fear Immediately changing into choler,
he shook with rage. Then he spurred his
horse and dashed after the wolf He
followed it through the copse, through
ravines and through the forest, travers-
ing woods which he no longer recog.
nized, his eye fixed upon the gray spot
which few before him in the night. His
horse also seemed animated by an uu-
known force and ardor. He galloped
straight ahead with outstretched neck,
the head and feet of the dead man across
the saddle dashing against trees and
rocks. Ths brambles tore the hair Of
the corpse, the forehead battered the
enormous tree trunks, SCATTERING them
with blood, the spurs ripped the bark to
tatters.
Suddenly the animal and its pursuer
emerged from the forest and rushed into
u valley just as the moon appeared above
the mountains. This valley was closed
on all sides by immense rocks, without
possible egress, and the wolf found il
self driven into n corner. Francois then
emitted a howl of joy, the echoes OF
which were repeated like a roll of thun-
der, and jumped from his horse, cutlass
in hand. The bristling beast waited
with rounded back, its eyes cleaning
Ike two stars But before Offering bat.
tie the hunter lifted his brother down,
seated him on a rock, and supporting by
means of stones his head, which was
hardly more than a patch of blood, he
cried into his ears, as though he was
speaking to deaf person:
Look, Jean; look therer"
"Then he threw himself upon the
monster. He felt strong enough to
overthrow a mountain, to grind the
stones in his hands. The beast would
have bitten him and tried to dash at his
but Francois had seized it by
the throat, without even the aid of his
weapon. and slowly strangled il, listen
ing to the stoppage of the breathing in
its throat and the beating of its heart. !
And he laughed wildly, closing tighter |
and tighter his powerful grip and cry
ing in a delirium Of joy:
Look, Jean; lookr
"All resistance ceased; the body Of |
the wolf became limp. It was dead. |
Then Francois took it up in his arms, !
carried it and threw it at his brothers |
feet, repeating in tender voice:
Thine, thine, thine, my little Jean;
there it isr
"Then placing the two cadavers across |
his saddle, one upon the other, he set |
out or his way back. He returned to |
the chateau laughing and crying like |
Gargantna at the birth Of Bautagruel.
emitting cries of triumph, stamping with |
JOY in recounting the death Of the ami.
NAL, grcaning and tearing his beard In !
telling that of his brother. And often !
in after years, when he spoke Of that !,