\Conte\, n.; pl. {Contes}. [F.]
A short narrative or tale, esp. one dealing with surprising
or marvelous events.
      The conte (sic) is a tale something more than a sketch,
      it may be, and something less than a short story. . . .
      The ``Canterbury Tales'' are contes, most of them, if
      not all, and so are some of the ``Tales of a Wayside
      Inn.''                                   --Brander
                                               Matthews.