New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-12-15
ssy Hike lovers-on q hight overh.ngiDg the seA
Az eyii tar occssioDed Madame Riesud TO advert

20 he, relations reasoned with her on that sub
;ect and demonstrated on the want Of duty and de-
cotton manifested in her allowing herself to De in
auenced by their jealous aDimOs,ty toward her hus
band Madame Rgsud retorted, retOrted. Mad
anne Rigaud grew warm; | grew warm. and pro-
voked her. / admit it. Frankness is part of
my character. Atlength, Madame Rigaud, 10 an sc
cess of fury that must ever depOre, threw herself
upon me with screams Of passion (no doubt those
that were overheard at some distance .tore my
clothes, tore my hair, lacerated my hands, tram
pied and trOd the dust, and finally leaped over,
dashiDg herself to death upon the rocks below
such is the train of incidents which malice has
perverted into my endeavoring to force from Mad
anne Rigaud REIMBURSEMENT of her rights and,
on her persistence in refusal to make the con-
cessiOn required, struggling with her-assassina-
ting her !"
He stepped aside to the ledge where the vine.
leaves yet lay stewn about collected two or three
and stood wipiDg his hands upon them, with his
back TO the light.
"Well," he demanded after silence " have you
nothing to say TO all that 7"
"It's ugly" returned the little man, who had
risen and was Frightening his knife upon his shoe,
as be leaned an arm against the wall
"What do you mean :"
John Baptist polished his knife in silence.
do you mean that have not represented the
case correctly ?"
"Al.trow returned John Baptist. The word
was an apology now, and stood for, 40, by no
means"
"What them"
presidents and tribunals are so prejudced."
"Well' cried the other, uneasily fingng the
erd of bis cloak over his shoulder with an oath,
Z" Let them do their worst %
Truly / think they WILL murmured John
Baptist to himself, as he bent his head to put his
knife in his cash.
Nothing more was said on either side, though
they both began walking to and fro, and necessa-
rily crossed at every turn. Monsieur Rigaud some
times half stopped, as if he were going to put his
case in a new light or make some irate remon-
STRANGE; but SignOr Cavslletto continued to go
slowly to and fro at a grOtesque kind OF jOg-trot
pace, with his eyes turned downward; nothing
came of these incliniDgs.
By.and.by the noise of the key in the lock ar
rested them both. The sound OF voices succeeded,
and the tread of feet. The door clashed, the
voices and the feet came On, and the prison keeper
slowly ascended the stairs, followed by guard of
soldiers.
Now Monsieur Rigau1," said he, pausng for
moment at the crate, with his keys in his hand,
have the goodness to come out"
Il am to depart in state, see"
"Why, unless you did" returned the jailer,
"yOu might depart in so many pieces that it would
be difficult to get you together again. There's
a crowd, Monsieur Rigaud, and it doesn't love
you
He passed on out of sight, and unlocked and I'M
barred low door in the corner of the chamber.
" Now" said he, as he opened it and appeared
within, come out"
There is no sort of whiteness in all the hues un-
der the sum- at all like the wilderness of Monsieur
Rjgaud's face as it was then. Neither is there any
expression Of the human cOuntenance at all like
that expression in every little line of which the
heart is seen to beat Both are con-
ventionally compared with death; blu! the differ
ence is the whole deep gulf between the struggle
done, and the fight at it's most desperate ex-
tremity
He lighted another of his paper cigars at his
companions; put it tightly between his teeth
covered his head with q soft slouched hat threw
the end Of his cloak over his shoulder again and
walked out into the side gallery on which the door
opened, without taking any further notice of Sig
nor CavallettO AS to that little man himself, his
whole attention had become absorbed in getting
the door, and looking out at it. Precisely
beast might approach the opened gate of his den
and eye the freedom beyond he passed those few
moments in watching and peering. until the door
was closed upon him.
There was an officer in command of the soldiers
stout, serviceable, profoundly calm man, with his
drawn sword in his hand, smoking cigar. He
very briefly directed the placing of Monsieur Ri
gaud in the midst of the party, put himself with
consummate Indifference at their head, gave the
word "marchl" and so they all went jiugling
down the staircase. The door clashed-the key
turned-and ray Of unusual light, and breath
of unusual air, seemed to have passed through the
jail, vanishing in tiny wreath of smoke from the
cigar.
Still, in his captivity like lower animal-like
some impatient ape, or reused bear of the smaller
species-the prisoner, now left solitary, bad
jumped upon the ledge to lose no glimpse of this
departure As he yet stood claspiDg the CRATE with
both bands, an uproar broke upon his hearing
yells, sbrieks oaIhs threats, execrstiOns, all com
pretended in it, though (as in storm nothing but
a raging swell of sound distinctly heard.
Excited into still greater resemblance to
Gagged wild animal by his anxiety to know more,
the prisoner eaped nimbly down, ran round the
chamber ltaped nimbly up again, clasped the crate
and tried to shake it, leaped down and ran, leaped
up and listened, and never rested until the noise,
becoming more and more distant, had died away.
How many better prisoners have worn their noble
hearts out go; no man thinking Of it not even the
beloved of their souls realizing it, great kings and
governors who had made them ca D!ive careering
in the sunlight jauntily, and men cheering them
on. Even the said great persOnages dying IN bed,
making exemplary ends and sounding speeches
and polite history, more servile than their instru-
ments, embalming them
At last John Baptist, now able to choose his
own spot within the compass of those walls, for
the exercise of his faculty of going to sleep when
he would lay down upon the bench, with his face
turned over on his crossed arms, and slumbered.
In his submission, in his lightness in his good hu-
me in his short lived passion, in his easy content
ment with hard bread and hard stones, in his ready
sleep, in his fits and starts altogether, true son
of the lsnd that gave him birth.
The wide stare stared itself out for one while
the sun went down in red, green, golden glory
the stars came out in the heavens and the FIRE flies
them in the lower air, as men may feebly
initiate the goodness of better order of beings