The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1899-11-08
The Werewolf.

forest-the tramp OF fhe horses feet
the furious barking OF the hounds. the
dismal bowling OF the wolf Is heard
above the tempest. The peasants are
crouching With fear. IL not this aerial
chase the forerunner OF III Were
Wolf? Listen to their uncanny steps!
Hark. Shots are heard in the dis
tance.
Again, the forester, has not yet re-
turned Marie. his only child, is alone
az her home.
open. Marie! IL is Pierre"
Where is father?"
Here | am. What a time we had
| Just missed it,"
The two men look cautiously around
| outside before entering, then lock the
! door, place their guns near the wall.
| take their pipes and smoke i'm silence.
| Marie puts the supper on the table.
! Come. Pierre; after "A smoke there is
nothing better than good meal to re-
! viVe ones spirits" says Alain, mo-
! tioning Pierre TO a seat.
And specially when Il is prepared
! by such a fine cook as Marie" adds
! Pierre gallantly.
Tha old cry of the Couans rcsounds
In the air.
father
mo supper for me. stay with Marie
tin / return.
Seizng his gun the forester starts out
Df the cottage. Pierre. the richest far
mer FOR miles around, is an ardent ad-
mirer Of Marie. Her father faNors his
SUIT. Marie questions Pierre about the
events Of the dav. and makes him re-
late everything In detail. He describes
eood-humorcdly the panic fear of his
shcpherds.
From the bleating hear In the huts
-ffa,r af. 4
n't dar" - venture outdoors. even in
broad daylight. SO afraid aye they of
he We're Wolf"
There is a pause.
Now that we are alone dear Marie.
will YOU give me your answer? | have
been wa ing weeks and months for IL.
I have loved YOU since | first knew
what love is; I will never love any one
but YOU"
Marie slowly lifts her eyes; they are
fun ~ tears.
Have ycu forgotten my promise tn
Hoel?"
There is a deep silence. II Is brokan
Nv Marie. she looks earnestly at him.
but there are no more tears in her
eyes.
Your own words Pierre arc my an
sWer. ! have loved Hoel since I first
knew what love is; 1 viii never love
any one but him"
Pierre understands it is useless to
press her any further.
Another good supper spoiled, \
plague on worthless curs!" grumbles
the forester. knocking AT the door. Ma
iie let's him in Pierre sits moodly by
the fire his head I'm his hands.
Hum" says the Old man. in an un-
dertone they do not seem 20 have had
a good time. either. Foolish glrl-al-
WAYS the samen
Marie viii surely be taken to task
for her obduracv. Pierre, feeling the
searching gaze ~ Alain. starts 10 his
feet and takes his gun.
1T is getting late-good night:
have yet a long way to GO
ON the shAGe-nf one of -tA-- f.e.-ies+tble
rivers which coss Britanny in all di-
rections. I'm narrow valley on the bor-
der of a forest OF hollies and ilex. sep
arated from the next valley by heath
covered with imposing cromlechs, stood
an old woman gathering herbs. She
seemed to be part Of the country Where
did she come from? Nobody knew.
She was wise--cOul1 predict the
weather 10 certainty. and I'm prescrib-
ing remedies for sickness among man
and beast, she had not her equal The
peasant called her the wise woman" to
her face. ana the night witch behind
her back.
Might Witch" Was il because night
at night had no terror for her? No one
dared 10 offend her for fear Of the evil
spells she might work on their crops or
flocks. Still nobody could remember
that she had ever done wrong to any
one.
Good morning-have you seen the
young mistress" asked Yvonne. Marie's
foster M. .ther. of the old dame.
There she is yonder by the ford"
Marie was gazing intently at the old
castle on the hill.
Poor child, Grieving for the absent
one, She, pledged TO Hoel. and her faith
er wants her To marry Pierre" said |
Yvonne sorrowfully.
A daZed look had come lately into |
Marie's eyes. She was listess. absent /!
minded, neglected her duties and wan |
dered for hours in the forest. Her faith |
er upbraided her for her strange con- |
duct; but it was useless.
She neve answered his reproaches A |
complete change had come over her she |
walked as in trance, or under some 1
powerful spell.
Pierre, one evening. came across two
young people on the border Of the for
est. There was "a parting kiss-the wom-
an was Marie? But who was the other?
From his gait aud costume, he was
surely none of their people. \ young |
shephs rd boy came rushing breathless |
To Pierre. The fattest lamb of the flock |
had been carried away. No trace Of the |
thief. Since the killing OF the mysteri-
Gus she-wolf a few years ago there had |
not been such depredations in the viii
lage and in the forest Not that the !
depredations were continuous; there |
was a respite, and then another lamb !
disappeared The forester himself was |
kept busy hunting imaginary poachers; |
the game was gone, but no poachers |
found. The Wolf. surely
Pierre had not been the only witness |
OF Marie's meeting with the stranger |
Several shepherds had seen her at ev-
cning. when they were driving their |
hocks through the valley. They whs-
pcred that IL was nCt stranger-it was |
the Were-Wulf himself They knew |
him: had they not seen him many times |
~ dusk on the heather an uncouth |
'reature. half wolf and half man. fee |
ng az the approach of human beings. |
when they utared him, all at once no |
would assume a human guise and elude |
n I'm. The boldest ONES followed him as
ar as the fores.: but never did anybody |
are 10 venture any further on his
racks.
Marie would sometimes be gone the |
hole daE. she had lost All interest I'm