St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1896-05-30
A TERRIBLE FRIGHT.

cry. like water down ones back, you
| know
''Fright?" questioned one Of those adj
dressed. '.Oh, if I'm frightened, l
scream right straight out, nothing can
stop mel just yell"
you Just dol. corroborated another
OF The pretty conelaye round the fire,
| with a isugh. "1 never heard any
thing like 1t; when that tramp we met
| yesterday in the avenue at dusk sud
denly addressed us, you made the well
Kin ring. and pinehed my arm black
land blue. until | made you understand
the wretehed creature had only asked
his way"
T There was the usual desultory chat
and exchange of condolences, between
mouthftlls Of muffin, concerning alarms,
past, present and future, when a hand
some woman with mischievous eyes,
who had not hitherto spoken, lex
claimed Were none of you girls ever
struck dumb with fright?''
What a question: they chorused.
why, Mrs. Treherne, were you ever
taken like that?"
"On one memorable OCCASION was
the reply, while a comieal expression
settled about the corners of mouth
which Venus herself might have en-
We'd for its outlines. Il lost the entire
faculty of speech during fully ten min
ntes. [ was struck dumb, and only
found my tongue too late to be of any
use"
The speaker looked across at her
hostess. She was met by an amused all
of increduiity. Let us hear the story,
Kitty. | cant believe in your being
frightened; but unbosoln yourself,
dear. intend keeping you until the
men come in to introduce my brother,
so you've plenty of time" Amid MUIR
murs of excited anticipation Mrs. Tre-
herne began:
1T was an evening ike this-dark
and dreary, with a thick, white fog.
Butl'd better go back to the beginning.
or you won't understand. We were
living in Highfortlshire during the last
years of my husbands lifetime, and my
dream was to become an artist. I'm
sorry to say it has never been realized.
There was even at that time a school
OF painting near us at Treeleigh, and /
soon found lady al tist willing to teach
me the rudiments. ~ drawback to COM
plete happiness in my newly-adopted
vocation was the distance between our
house and this woman's studio, for Mr..
Treherne, much as he disliked my
painting craze, as he called it, objected
to my being alone about the roads still
more; and must admit they were un-
commonly dark at times. I may add
and the droli look erept up to her
eyes-.he had two special bugbears
These were the artists and the models.
He declared they were all scamps,
and that, if / escaped from the arti-
fees of the one, should sooner or later
be garotted by the other. The male sex
he more particularly referred to, but
must confess he had no very high
opinion of the women either.
Therefore, much as he hated his
horses being out at night, he insisted
on sending the carriage for me in all
weathers,a and firmly believe the coach
man had orders to give a receipt for my
person every evening.
Whether the presence of a good-look-
ing young fellow who used to go about |
with one of the artists, and whose, no
doubt, well-intentioned g1ances my
husband had surprised in church, con-
tributed at all to this frame of mind, |
never knew. But [ had my suspicious,
as matter of fact. I never SO
much as spoke to the man, or heard his
name.
Zone day in the winter, had been I
working in the life..class till after five,
and owing to a dense fog the carriage |
was late. l suppose I ought to have +
waited for it, but the tempter in the
shape of girl friend persuaded me to
take. tea in her rooms. Nor am Iquite |
clear if directions were left at the stu |
lho to enable the carriage to find me.
Il dare say you imagine the party |
included men. If you do, you are
wrong. Whatever Mr.. Trehernc I
thought, morals were very strict, I can
tell you, IN Treeleigh.
eve were half a dozen girl students, I
of whom one played diyinely ON the,
cello, and it must have been quite an
hour later before I started, my body
guard not having turned up, to trudge
home in the mud alone.
II have said the roads could be very
dark, but never knew them so bad as
they were on this particular evening. t
Lamps there were few even in the viii /
age, and the fog obscured such as there
we're. / felt very sorry for myself on
leaving the comparative illumination
IF the street for the utter blackness of
the lonely road that lay between me
and home.
II wondered where the brougham
could be, and for once missed its COM
portable cushions, and the inspirding
presence of our fat coachman. The fog
penetrated eyes, nose and ears. Tt
blinded me and made me cough
With difficulty, by aid of my UNI
orella and the palings, | was able to
Seep upon the apology for sidewalk,
though in places~I literally had to
crawl along as best could.
DUST at first there were. people
lbout, grown large and indistingmsh-
able in the mist. A boy passed me
n popular air. I envied him
lis courage, and would have liked to
initiate it. He passed on, and I felt
more lonely than ever. The tree trunks
oon1ed like huge phantoms in thcd
nurlsy stiffness, and the whole world /
seemed dead "a