True American. [volume] (Steubenville [Ohio]) 1855-1861, 1855-02-08

certainly the oldest about the house, for
no one recollectcd the time when he first
entered it. The people of the country
even pretended that he knew Marshal Fa-
bert, and assisted at his DEATH
At this moment my interlocutor made a
gesture of surprise; he paused and asked
me what allied me.
Nothing replied. But in spite Of
myself thought upon the black man, Of
whom our innkeeper had spoken the pre-
ceding evening.
Monsieur de C continued:
'One day, in the preseiice of Yago-that
was the name of the negro-I gave up to
my despair on my obscurity and the inu-
tility of my days, and exclaimed /: fual
gire ten gears Of my life to be placed in
the first rank of our authors
Ten years? said he coldly, 'it is a great
deal; it is to pay dear for very little thing.
1t matters not, l accept your ten years. |
will take them; recOllect your promise, and
! l will keep mine
q will not portray to you my surprise at
hearing him speak thus. l believed that
years had impaired his reason; shrugged
my shoulders, end quit, a few days after
this castle, to make journey to Paris
There I found myself cast into the society
of men of learning. Their examples en-.
couraged me, and published several works,
the success of which / will not relate to
you here All Paris was eager to applaud
them; the journals re-echoed my praises
the new name which [ had taken became
celebrated, and yesterday, young man, you
admired it,
Here new gesture of surprise interrup
ted the story.
You are not, then, the Duke de C?
/ exclaimed.
No. he answered coldly,
And 1 said to myself: "A celebrated
man of learning-is it Marmoutel? Is il
dAlembert?- Is it Voltaire?
My unknown interlocutor sighed; a smile
of regret and contempt ran lightly over his
lips, and he resumed his story:
The literary reputation which had GOV.
eted, was soon insufficient for soul as
jealous and greedy as mine aspired to
more noble success, and l said to Yago
who had accompanied me to Paris and
would not leave me: There is no real glo
ry, no true fame, except that acquired in
the career of arms. What is man Of
learning,-apoet? Nothing Talk to me
of great captain, of general, Of an ar
my: this is the destiny which l covet, and
for great military reputation, I would
give ten of the remaining years of my life.
4 accept them responded Yago; 4 will
take them; they belong to me; don't forget.
At this part of the story, the unknown
man again paused; and seeing a species Of
trouble and hesitation depicted in all my
features, he continued:
Il have told you truly, young lnun; you
can not believe it; it seems you dream
a chimera and to myself also. And YET
the rank which I have obtained was moi
an illusion; the soldiers whom / have led
to battle, the redoubts taken, the standards
conquered, the victories with which France
has resounded-all this was my work, all
this glory belonged to me-
While he was walking with hasty strides
and spoke thus with warmth and enthusi
asm, surprise had chilled all my senses,
and said to myself: WHO, then, is this
near me? Is it Coigny? Is it Richlicu!
Is it Marshal de Sake?
From this state of exaltation my un.
known interlocutor had relapsed into des.
pondency, and approaching me he said,
with sombre look:
'Yugo spoke the truth; and when later,
disgusted with this vain smoke of military
glory, aspired to that which is alone real
and positive in this world; when at the
price of five or six years of existence, /
desired gold and riches, he granted them
to me. Yes, young man, yes, have seen
fortune second aud surpasS all my wishes
lands, forests, castles. This morning
all these were in my power; and if you
doubt me, if you doubt Yago>-wait-wait
he will comc-and you shall go and see
yourself, with your own eyes, that that
which confounds your reason and mine, is
unhappily too real
The unknown man then approached the
chimney, looked at the clock, made ges-