The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1860-07-17
TIE rRlrE OF LIFE.

cam" 10 tell uS Tint tn pn>t-rhHiS' ~. fc.i'.
NV m"thcr auI sister flung them, rcs INTO
my AIMS.
"Therc is still time" they said; give up
thi- journey and stay with us.'
"Mother. am of noble birth. twcn'y ye rs
of age; must make name for myself in the
counuy--eilher in the army or at court
mus, make my WAY To- fame
"And when you are gone, Bernard, what
will become of me?
"You will be proud and happy in hearing
Of your sons success"
"And if you shouli be killed in battIe?"
"Wcll, then, never mind! After all, what
is life? Does one think about such things
with name to sustain, and Mt twenty? Just
fancy, mother, tha you see m" returning,
some years hence, either colonel or with a
lace at court ~
"And what will the result beW
81 shall be respected here and considered
somebody"
"And them
"All will bow down to me-"
"And then!'
81 shall mary my cousin Hcncctc | shall
see my two Young sisters well married, and
We shall all live happily together on my prop
erty in Brittany"
"And what is there 10 prevent You from
commencing today Has your father not left
~ the finest property in the county? is
there. for ten lraIucs round, SO rich a domain
rs that Of Rochc Blnad? Are you not look
ed up TO and respected by your vassas! Do
not leave us my son; stay near yorr friends,
your sstc,s, Your old mother, who will perhaps
b" no moro when You return! Do not waste
DAYS which A. 20 quickly in vain glory and
care Life is sweet thing, my son, aud
Brittany is a noble slor!'
THUS speaking. from tn window she show
ed me the alleys Of the park. the old Ghost
nuts in bloom, the lilOcS and hon"ysuckl"s,
filing the the air with their p rtume, as a
bright sun shone upon them.
In the aute-chanber stood the old gardener
and bis family, sorrowtul and silent at my
projected departure.
Hortensa, my elder sister, clasped me in
her arms and Ameli-, tn" younger one, who
WAS occupied in n corner with the pictures in a
volume OF La Fontsiue, came towards We with
tAa bA.ok, and said
"Resd-read, brother" and she burst into
tears.
1t was the fable of the 1.-TWO Pigeons" l
rose hastily and pushed them all aside.
Il am twenty Years Of age; hav" name
10 make. | must acquire honor and glory.
Let me go
And rushed into :ha courtvara. Just as
| was getting into the rost-chn's" g''l ap
pe.rrd ON IN" 'or "r t,est u, l"rA;r. .''.. ''.'
hou.e l. was II rr..t.. =" ~ ut
weeping neiti,rr lid she urt"r q ~, h"'.
II 4
With handkerchief. which si,r u.' "a -
hand, she waved M n final adiru, al II
tainting to the ground.
flew towards her. raised her, AMI. pressing
her to my heart, vowed to be ever faithful To
her
When | saw tha, ,he had recovered her
senses, lett her TO my mothers care, and
rushing to my carriage. sprang into i, wi'bor,
tuning my head Had done So should
not have left. In fnw moments was on
the high road to Paris.
For some time ;hought Of nothing but nv
mother and sisters, and above all, Of Henri
etle; but by degrees, as the towers Of Roche
Bernard faded away IN the distance, ny dream
of glory alone occupied my mind. What
castles in the air | built in my pos.chase!
riches, honors, digni,icS, and every species Of
success. refused myself nothiug-nothing
was too great for me to aspire to, and as | al
vanced on my journey, my rank and honors
seemed to Increase also. became duke and
peer-governor Of a province, and Marshal Of
Flance-wheu | STOPPED at night al my road
side inn.
The voice Of my valet, who only addressed
me AS Monsieur le Chcyalier, forced me to
come to my SENS, :.
The next day aud the folowin. ones, it
WAS tho same sur, Of madness, the same
d,eamings. was going to Sedan, to the
Due de G.. au oil! friend aud protector
"f my father. H. WAS to take me with him
To Paris. whihor h" was going at the end of
the month; aud woud present mo at Yer
sailles. and obtain company uf drago"ns for
ne. through the interest Of s,,'.r g his, the
MatquiSc lie F.. u charming Young so
u,an. n great tavoritr at court | arrived AT
Sedan in the evening" and b.iug 10 lac to
pIsseut mvsc,f al the chateau Of INV protector.
| put off my visit until the following dav,
and went to the hotel OF the sign Of "rhe
Arms of France the rendezvous e all the
officers quarlcred in Sedan, which is lrrce
garrison town.
huppeu W lue pupIiC topl', ""' hShVu
what road should take on the morrow to 90
to the Due de C---'s chateau about three
leagues of.
"Auy one will show you," they said sit is
yell enough known in the country. 1t was
there that the greatest warrior Of bis day died,
Marshal Fahcrt'
And the conversation naturally turned,
among military men, on the battles he had
gained, his great exploits, and the cSraordi.
nary humility which made him refuse the
titles of nobility and the ribbon Of his order
from Louis XIV. Above all, they spoke Of
his iuconceivahlc luck To- have risen so high
t'om having been a simple soldier - become
Marshal Of Frauco - le whn was the san uf u
po"i printer i WAS the ouly example - &c
ord AT that time. aud even during the lie of
abcri, that had given rise among the vulg,t
In hint of sorccry. They said that from hi-
childhood he had been eugaged in magic arts,
and had entered into compsc, with III" Evil
One.
The master Of the hostcry, who possessed
all the crelulity aud superstition at u Breton,
assured us most ser ously that in he Due de-
g. chateau, where Fahert died,