Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1856-01-24
for thus employing his time and thoughts,

''Mother,' said the proud spirited boy,
'swhat is the ribbon worth to soldier p
Worth everything. Glory is priceless"
'sAh, Claude, but what good does it do
thee to learn Latin and sing songs, play the
uitar, to fence, to paint-all very fine, my
son, but what does it bring in %
'Wealth-wealth, my mother, wealth to
the mind, wealth to the heart, high thoughts,
bright deeds, the hope of fame, the ambition
to be worthier to love Pauline"
The mother knew her sons love for the
beauty of Lyons, and strove to convince him
of its hopeless character but the infatuated
youth could not dream of aught but final
success. That very day had he poured in
to verse the warm promptings of his heart,
a tribute to it's idol He was emboldened
to do this by reason of Pauline's having
worn upon her bosom the flowers he had
sent her anonymously, each day for the last
six weeks, the rarest to be had, it was one
Of these boquets that engaged her at the
opening of the tale. He had sent the YER
ses to Pauline, having signed his own name
to them, and now impatiently awaited an
answer, and the q rival Of his messenger
Soon his comrade, who had borne his mes
sage, returns and hands him back the paper
he lad sent; his verses were returned to
him and with insult, too, for his messen-
ger had been beaten, and himself threaten
ed with a like welcome should he show his
face. Claude, perhaps, might have borne
with some degree of patience, the return Of
his verses, though he told his comrade and
messenger, in answer to his question, ''What
could you have sent that should so have Of
Tended them %
Not word that a serf might not have
written to an empress"
But blows-blows to his messenger, and
threats to himself-this he could not tamely
submit to; and while exercised by the pas
sionate feelings thus excited, he received
the letter dispatched from Beauseant and
CLAWS, at the Golden Lion, as we have be-
fore mentioned.
He snatched wildly at any chance for re-
venge, or at any rate to satisfy his own
wishes; nor could he tell which was the
strongest in his heart-love or revenge
when he read the assurance that Pauline
should be his. He hastenea forthwith to
the Golden Lion, and there he found his
tempters, who had laid out the plot that he
must follow. His honest nature revolted at
first in contemplating the proposed decep-
ton, but while in this angry mood, he was
led to consent to the wish of Beauseant, who
bound him by an oath to carry out the pro-
posed plan, and marry Pauline, disguised
as foreign Prince.
The plot was well conceived, and conduc-
ted with consumate skill; and soon Claude
appeared in Lyons, and at the house of M.
Deschapelles, through the introduction of
Beauseant, as the Prince Of Como. Well
did he become his splendid dress, and now
all the accomplishments which he had so in
dustriously acquired, served well his pur-
pose. Handsome, too-he was very hand
some, and no one could WOO Pauline as he
could do, for no one really loved her so we'll
Day after day the deception was successful
ly prosecuted, until Claude was at length
engaged to the beauty of Lyons as her fu-
ture husband. Pauline loved him with a
depth of affection rarely found in high life.
True she was at first caught by his noble
appearance and title, but she soon loved him
for himself alone. Each day Claude felt
more and more that he would give the whole
world, did he possess it, to be released from
his guilty oath, and though he endeavored
to persuade Beauseant to release him from
it, it was all in vain. The consent of Mad
anne Deschapelles was easily gained indeed
it rather anticipated the formal request, for
she was completely taken with the title and
the style of the Prince of Como, whom she
pronounced to be the most accomplished per-
son she had ever known.
There was an honest, rough old gentle
man, a cousin of the family, and Colonel
in the French army, resident at this time in
the family, man who had a supreme con-
tempt for princes and all dignitaries, other
than those the army recognized and created.
He was led by some slight circumstances to
believe that the Prince of Como was hum
bug, OF rather that he was no prince at all !;
and in the course of some conversation with
Claude, in which the latter outwitted him,
he became so enraged that he challenged
him to fight Claude at first refused, but
being pressed, he at length took the proffer-
ed sword produced by Colonel Dumas, and
after a short contest disarmed him; but
sparing his person, he returned him his
sword. This gentlemanly act on the part of
Claude was seed which took root in the
Colonels heart, and bore fruit in after time
to Claude, of deep and honest friendship.
Melnotte, in the practice of his character
as prince, scattered the wealth that Beau
seant had placed at his command, with.
lavish hand, secretly enjoying the irritation
that it caused those whose tool he now felt
he was. In vain did he beseech Beauseant
and CLAWS to release him from his OATH
Having now enjoyed the society of Pauline.
her confidence and affection, he loved her
more dearly than ever, and would rather
make almost any sacrifice than to deceive her