Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1894-08-22


wedding of great pomp and ceremony
they sail off to Europe to fetch up prob
ably in the padded cells Of IA madhouse
OF else i'll a few years are glad enough
to return to good old soapmaking,
pork packing papa and mamma. The
morning had the honor to be presented
to Vicomte Grenet my better judgment
sized him up as some impecunious bar
ber or chef de cuisine on the hunt for
fortune With number of tremendous
trunks-which at a later stage of the
game the hotel people found to be en-
tirely empty, to their great disnay---the
vicomte had ensconced himself i'll an
elegant suit of rooms and was lordlng
it high over the admiring Americans.
The fastest horses in Buncombe county
We're always at the command of 'his
grace, - and wild dashes over the noun
tain and dale were the daily sport of
Virginia Staunton and Vicomte de
Grenet Virgie was one of those frolic-
some, daring girls, always in for any
thing and what you might term in the
vernacular Of the jeunesse doree dead
game sport
'sThere was no mawkish sentimental
ity about her nor the die away languorgf
charming incapacity assumed by wom
en- of fashion. She was vigorous young
woman, full of life and bubbling over
with mirth and jollity. Her companion
ship was delightful, and half the time
you forgot that the handsome creature
by your side was woman, so intelli-
gently and sensibly could she converse
about things of masculine interest.
Horses, dogs, hunting, fishing, every
manner of sport was as fond and ia
miliar subject with her as the latest
style Of Paris gown. The same cordial,
hearty manner to all alike, no one could
tell upon whom Miss Staunton looked
with most favor. Although she rode and
danced with him and scarcely appeared
without the vicomte tagging along at
her heels, it was evident that she did
not regard the Frenchman in a senti-
mental light. In fact, it was well
known that she had kicked him twice
and always met his most importunate
overtures with chilling courtesy.
''He was the typical foreigner you see
at Bar Harbor, Narragansett and New
port, where titled nincompoops do
most congregate. He was shrewd and
keen as a brier, with a machiavelian
expression of countenance which SEEM
ed to be particularly charming to the
women. overheard one of them say
once in discussion of which the vi
comte was the subject: 'Ob, he is just
too fascinating for anything! He is so
deliciously wicked' That he really
possessed this charming attribute no
one can gainsay. Virginia regarded the
foreigner more as a pastine than as
beau or friend, always styling him her
dear froggie. At times she was most
freezingly distant when his presump-
tion carried him too far, but with her
mother it was very different She was
thoroughly captivated by The vicomte
and his very aFistocratic bearing. Per-
ceiving that he had made most palpa-
BILE hit with the mother, he Immediate
ly proceeded to pet the COW i'll order
to catch the calf. 1t was even talked
about the hotel verandas that the i'm
pudent Frenchman had really address
ed Mrs. Staunton.
Zone day while out on one of their
mad rides over the mountain Virgie
was thrown from her horse and severe
ly hurt. A messenger was dispatched
to the hotel for help, and the uncon-
scious girl was brought home on a lit
ter. The accident was never satisfac-
torily explained, and / have always be-
ieved the designing scoundrel had pre-
concerted the fall and its result Upon
hearing of the accident l hurried to
Mrs. Staunton's apartments to offer my
services and was very much surprised
to find Grenet in attendance upon the
injured girl. He was STOPPING over the
bed bathing her face and temples and
was administering some drug. Mrs.
Staunton hurriedly thanked me for the
offer of my professional services and
stated that the vicomte was distin-
guished surgeon, and as he was already
in attendance she would not wound his
feelings by calling me in. He is so
sensitive and feeling, she added as I
left the room, that I could not have
the heart to offend him. That he was
a physician I have never for moment
believed, and it has always been
source of self reproach that I did not in
terfere with the Vaccinations of this
incarnate fiend and scotch them in the
beginning But l was a younger man
then, lacking mature judgment and de-
termination, and allowed the matter to
pass.
Virginia Staunton remained in
state Of Inconsistencies for "a hours,
and when she at last awoke il was with
burning fever and in wild delirium
For six long weeks this poor girl was
racked with pain and suffering, fiuctu-
ating between life and death, entirely
at the mercy of Vicomte Grenet, who,
besides her mother, was the only person
permitted to see her. He was most at
tentive, exerting himself both night and
day. His usual gay and frivolous man
ner was changed to the deep earnestness
of man playing for heavy stakes. He
seemed to gain most singular and
complete ascendancy over the mind of
Mrs. Staunton. She willingly acquiesc-
ed in all he proposed and was complete
ly dominated by him. Of course the
poor woman was wretched and misera-
BILE, for her daughter was her idol, and
the thought Of losing her only child
would bring Oh paroxysm after paroxysm
of grief. During these hysterical at
tacks the viscomte would give the suf-
fering woman concoction which had
the effect OF quieting the nerves, but
weakened the mind This arch fiend
had discovered i'll some way powerful
drug, which, given continuously and
Systematically, gradually softened the
brain and destroyed the intellect. The