Southern Argus. [volume] (Columbus, Miss.) 1834-1842, 1839-11-12
aYMEN-OR. THE GUILLOTlNE


/ HYMEN-OR, THE GUILLOTiNE
Some fruits of the revolution no.
and then exhibit themselves in France
In those days. the gnillotine was ii
great master of society, and to escap
from it became the business of life, a
to die by it became little less than
law of nature. In the period of thi
confusion, one evening, as citizen JAG
ques Tissot, a Federe in one of tn,
novels of Paris, was buckIing on hi.
cartouch box. and getting his muske
ready for the nights guard. he heard ;
tap at the door OF bis attic in the Mar
ais. He opened the door, and saw ;
figure wrapped in a large cloak, ant
with mans bat, Standing outside. :
want your assistance for a mo.
ment,' said the stranger.
Then you cannot have it, was the
answer of Jacques, for in five minute:
more must be on guard at the Hote
de Vile
'Iknow that said the stranger. sand
can tell you further, that you will be
sent with a party in a covered wagon,
at twelve tonight, on the St. Denis
road. TO bring back prisoner
Well, what Of that? said jacques,
ifitis my duty must do il, that's ALL
OF course said tie stranger, 'bur
as the night is cold, a handful Of francs
will do no harm either TO you or your
comrades; have brought them to
YOU So saying the stranger took out
a purse and shook it dazzlingly before
the eye of Fcderc. jacques was about
to be indignant, but in the act he dis
covered that the purse vibrated in the
fingers of a small and very pretty hand.
Jacques's sagacity was awakened,
whilst his fidelity was relaxed, and the
result of the negotiation was, that the
lair anlbassadress, the femme de-chana-
IRE Of tie Contesse de-, should
have the advantage of bis services in
obtaining ingress and egress to the
house where Madame la Confess was
confined by order Of Itobespierre.
TO pass further explanation, all
turned ont as had been expected
Jacques was drafted of with party
10 bring The lady to the conciefgerie,
from which her next ri p would inevi-
tably have been 10 the scaffoId. The
night was tempestuous, and as dark as
pitch. The half dozen rabbIe warriors
who had formed the guard, were found
caroCsing in the kitchen of the man
sion, and very much disinclined to be
relieved. The new reinforcement were
equally disinclined to return while the
prospect of such excellent fare, and 2
pred gious wood FIRE, was before them.
There was evon a difficulty in finding
any one of the party disposed to keep
guard al the gate, until Jacques volun-
teered, and gained great applause for
lis heroism in deserving the coteles and
ria dc Bourgogne which was at once so
new and so tempting to the appetite of
the sovereign people. He had not
been long on guard when, in the midst
of new rush of rain, he heard the
voice of The temme-dc-ctdmbrc behind
him; was informed of what he had to
do; and began to do it, by gently de-
posting his musket on the ground,
holding fast the line of a rope ladder,
which was thrown out of an upper WIN
dow, and receiving a descending form
in his arms. The form was the coun-
tess disguised in the dress Of one of
her women, and taking advantage G.
the moment to effect her escape from
the grasp Of Robespierre. UnluckiIy,
the vehicle in which she was to have
been conveyed across the frontier II 4
waited so long under the shelter of
some neighboring trees, teat its dri. er,
growing weary of the time, and sufi-
GENTLY pelted by the tempest, had
slipt into the kitchen, and being so
Hospitality received by his brother
sansculotfes, he was by this time dead
drunk. The horses, like their master,
tired of waiting, had also marched off,
and when the tcmmc-de-ch0mbrc, who
had been sent to reconnoitre, returned
with this disastrous intelligence, all
seemed lost. In the mean time flash
Of light from the kitchen window had
shown jacques that his present protege
was handsome brunette. His heart
had been liule touched by the bright
eyes of the fcmme-dc-ch0mbfe, but the
air nobly touched at once his taste and
his vanity, and he fell in love at the
moment, according to the manner oil
Frenchmen. But whatwas TO be done:
In five minutes more the corporal who
commanded the guard would march
the whole party to Paris, and the fate
of tile handsome Coafcsse would be
decided for life. The thought struck
him that as the cart which brought him
there remained, il would be much bet
fer employed conveying the lady and
himself across the frontier, than carry
ing a party Of ragamufins, who were
perfectly well accustomed to walk,
back TO their novels. The idea was
excellent. but the difficulty Of sucl