The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Conte \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.
   [Webster 1913 Suppl.]