The Opelousas courier., 1894-02-10

" # city ty, were r. l put
NV forward one
hour-a tradition which is said to
have had it's origin in the following
story:
There lived in the vicinity of that
city q NJ. Valette, a gentleman of an
cient family and of considerable for
tune He had married Marie Dan.
vile, deughtes of the Mayor of the
city, and, with their two sons and two
daughters, dwell in a beautiful villa
near the city seat which had been
the favorite residence of his ancestors.
AS His children grew up however,
he was induced to move to Paris,
| which place both he and Nine. Valette
conceived 10 be more suited to the ed.
u~cation of their family. The removal
of M. Valette and of his family was
deploredhy his tenantry, to whom he
had been as a father, but particularly
as M. lie Brun, whom he had left fac
tor on his estate, was, though a just
man, of harsh and accommodating
temper.
NJ. Valette found ii necessary in
Poris to adopt a mode of life which but
ill accorded with the moderation OF
his fortune. He made frequent de.
mands for renewed remittances upon
his factor; an the latter was forced
to use rigorous and oppressive meas.
ures to procure for his master the nee.
essary means The scantJ vintage OF
the preceding year had made such de.
mands doubly hard to obey, and LIE
Brun became as odious to the tenantry
as Valette had been respected and be.
loved.
These circumstances were but little
known to Valette, or he would have
revolted from a manner of life which
wrung from his tenants almost ell their
hard-earned substance. One night, as
he slept in Paris, the form Of his fac.
tor appeared to him, cd with
blood, informing him that he had been
murdered by the tenantry on M. Va.
lette's estate for rigor in collecting his
revenue, and that his body had been
buried under a particular tree, which
it infinitely described. The ghost OF
LIE Brun requested, moreover, that NJ.
Valette would immediately hasten to
Marseilles and deposit his remains in
the grave of his ancestors. To this
request Valette assented, and the ap-
partition at once disappeared.
The morning came to dissipate the
gloom which the vision of the night
had occasioned; and though ne had
been for some time astonished at the
unusual silence of LIE Brun, yet he
could not help considering the whole
as a mere. illusion, Stories of ghosts
he had always considered as ft only
for the nursery, To take SO long a
journey on such an errand he knew
would be regarded as the height of SUI
| perstition and he made no mention
of the incident.
"You are more thoughtful than us
ual, father" said of his daughters
to him next morning at breakfast.
Il an thinking, my dear" said M.
Valette, "why l have been 50 long in
hearing from LIE Brun. I need money
and my demands have not been met"
Night came again, and about the
hour of midnight LIE Brun again ap-
peared. There was an evident frown
on his countenance, and he inquired
Of Valette why he had delayed in full
filling his request. Valette again
promised immediate obeC Jence, and
was no longer disturbed by the unwel.
come intruder. Morning came again.
1T must still be a dream" said he
to himself Though a remarkable one,
certainly. To-day will probably bring
me the expected letters from LIE Brun.: .
The third night the vision appeared
with a terrible frown on it's counter
nee. 1t reproached Valette for his
want of friendship to the man whose
blood had been split in his cause, and
for disregarding the peace of his soul.
IF you will grant me my request, =
said the phantom, II promise to give
you t%wenty-four hours warning of the
time of your own death, to arrange
your affairs and to make your peace
| with God"
N. Valette promised in the most
solemn n that he would set of
next morning for Marseilles, to exc
cute the commission and the appari-
ton of LIE Brun disappeared.
Valette rose early next day, and, al
leging to his family that business Of
she most urgent necessity called him
Immediately to Marseilles, departed
for the seat of his ancestors, after an
absence of ten years. There he found
that the narration of the murder of
LIE Brun was but too true. Under the
tree that had been SO infinitely de.
scribed to him he found the mangled
remains, which he caused to be de.
Gently inferred in the family vault. In
vain, however, he made search for the
m%urderers. The same causes which
occasioned the death of the unfortunate
LIE Brun led the tenants to the most
obstinate concealment of the manner
Of it, and Valette saw, with horror and
regret, the misery they had suffered
that he might be furnished with the
means OF extravaganza.
HAD / imagined" he exclaimed.
that my unsatisfactory pleasures
would have cost so dear, I would long
since have retired from Paris. I shall
return to my estate Immediately, that
my children may learn to relish its
tranquil pleasures.
NJ. Valette no sooner returned to
Paris than he communicated his reso-