Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1898-06-25


which / received at court and wearied
by the constant round of gayety which
constituted my life in Paris, it was my
habit to seek as retreat the old manor
house of Kerzigolet, an estate lost in
the depths of Brittany, and which had
belonged for centuries to my husband S
family Bounded as it was upon one
side by the sea and upon the other by
the forest, my seclusion was complete.
Still, in order to lose for short space
my identity, indeed my very personal
ity and sex, / adopted male attire and
so arrayed in a hunting suit spent a
few weeks securing the woods, hunting,
fishing and riding with old Gruigny
(my husbands overseer) as sole compan-
ion and attendant Maids, fripperies
and furbelows were for the time left be-
hind in the gay metropolis.
Here | was as free as airl Even in
the village five miles westward, | was
known only as IN le Marquis, and
when I staggered jauntily up the aisle
of the little village church ON Sunday
morning, with my spurs jangling and
my sword clanking behind me, who
could have dreamed that | was the IA
nous toast and beauty Of the court
the celebrated "Marquise de B?'
The forest abounded in game. Cru
igny and rarely failed to return from
our expeditions with game bags over
laden with feathery and furry spoils
Many were the legends and stories
told in the outlying villages of that al
most impenetrable forest, and it had
been my ambition for years to explore
it even to its very depth, but had ever
been held in check by old Gruigny, who
told me, crossing himself the while, the
most blood curdling tales relating to a
certain werewolf which was said by
the peasants to haunt the heart of the
grand, mysterious woods.
"It is not that Mime. la Marquise
would fear a wolf, were or not were, !"
the old man would grumble in his thick
mustache, ''but it is always preferable
to meet a foe, canny or uncanny, in a
spot where gun can be leveled straight
growth, as Nine la Marquise knows,
there would be no use in aiming at all. ="
One evening, about an hour before
sunset, as l was sauntering slowly
homeward on horseback along the edge
of the forest the reins hanging loose
on my mares neck, | noticed with sur
prise that the four dogs who accompa-
81 I xxrbi Cd
and called for a time in vain, and final
ly concluded that they had lost me run
uing after game and would find their
way back to the manor house before
me, for l was still good three miles
from home Before the thought had
fairly formed itself in my mind, how
ever, chorus of frantic, furious barlzs
broke upon my ear, rising and falling
in widest excitement.
"What have they unearthed?' Iwon-
dered sit can surely be no ordinary
game, and as the sound grew nearer
and seemed to be scarcely 100 yards dis
tant / rose in my stirrups and tried to
peer through the dense foliage. 1t was
just then that my mare took fright and
~
road, but half rearing she swerved as
though terrified and turned into a mar
row forest glade. l snatched at the reins
helplessly, for with the bit between her
teeth l was powerless, and she tore
blindly on as though maddened by fear.
Scarcely had l time indeed to bend my
head upon the creatures name and by
lrir
killed, by the low branches of the trees
which crisscrossed thickly above my
head.
In this position and clinging tightly
TO both name and pommel l could see
behind me- The hounds continued their
thunderous baying, when, suddenly
bursting through the dense thicket, /
saw "a tremendous wolf emerge, closely
followed by the furious dogs. Straight
on it came after me, Could it be giving
mo chase? THE werewolf" Imurmur-
ed and closed my eyes in an agony Of
terror.
How long that mad ride lasted new
er knew. When / awollo as from a long
sleep which was III reality a deep
swoon, found myself in the midst Of a
clearing in an unknown part of the for
est, while the moon poured its rays full
into my face lighting up the space
around me with brilhancy Horse, dogs
and wolf had disappeared was alone.
Slowly regaining my senses found,
to my surprise, that / was absolutely
uninjured, and as / started to my feet
in bewilderment, wondering which way
to turn, felt q gentle touch upon my
shoulder. Turning, with suppressed
shrek, l saw an old man, a beggar he
seemed to be by the poverty of his
clothing, standing tall and straight in
the moonhght before me. saw him
plainly. l soc him plainly today in
memory. In one hand he held gourd
and fastened to his shoulders was a
knapsack SPECIFICS with terror, /
started to run. do not flee, sweet an
gel of France" he said in the gentlest