St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, 1861-01-17
ST. CLOUD DEMOCRAT,
JASH q. swlssHELM, EDITOR PROPRIETOR
THURSDAY, JAN. 18th, 1860
VOL 9, NO. 25-
Continued from First page.

Continued .from First page.
to meet the bullets, said, "There is brave
fellow They might have better said,
"Therc is a man who loves his mother"
"One day letter brought me tho It'd
ings that she was ill-my own poor moth
er!-I longcd to go to her. | asked for
leave Of absence; it was not granted. I
remembered her Inst words-'If thou love
thy mother, do thy duty l submitted.
A little after I heard that she was dead
Oh! then my senses torsook me at any
risk determined to travel to tho country.
Whence proceeded so ardent, so impetuous
desire to see once more place where my
mother had just died? will tell you !;
and AZ you have mother, and as she loves
you, and as you love her, you will under
stand mo.
awe peasants Of Morvan are simple
aud coniling race. Wehavo not received
the instruction, nor attained the knowled sc
that they have in the cities; but we have
our beliefs, which the townsfolk call SUPER
stition. What matters the namc? Be
they suporstitions or beliefs, VIC have them
and clever would be the man that could
uproot them. Now, one Of these beliefs
to which wo cling the most, is that which
attributes to the first flower that blows in
the grave mould such virtue that he who
gathers it is certain Of never forgetting
the dead, and of never being forgotten by
them. Belief, how dear, how sweet -
With it, death has no terrors for death,
without forgetting, or being forgotten, is
but a sweet sleep, but calm repose after a
long trial. That Aower-I painted to see
it bud painted to gather it II aband-
oned my post and went on my way. Aft
er ten days of long and weary march, I
reached my mothers grave. The earth
seemed yet fresh-no flower appeared. [
waited. Six weeks elapsed, and then one
lovely morning saw little blue flower
'forget-me-not.' AS I plucked it I shed
glad tears, for mo thought that little flow
er was my mothers soul; that she had felt
that I was near, and that, under the form
Of that flower, she had given herself to my
heart once more.
''There was nothing now to detain me
in the country, for my father had soon fol-
lowed my mother to the grave, and l had
plucked my precious flower; what more
did want! I remembered my mother
chargc-"Do thy dutyv I sought the
gems d'ornees, and l said, L am deserter
- arrest me- * * And now I am to
die; and if, as you assured me, I have in
you a friend, I die without regret, for you
will do for me the only service require.
The flower which, at the risk of my life, I
plucked from the grave, is here, in little
case next to my heart. Promise me that
you will see that they do not take it from
me. 1t is the link which unites me to my
mother; and if thought it would be bro
ken-oh! I should not have the courage
to die. x * * Say do you promise to do
what I ask Of you?'
II promise,' said the officer.
"Your hand, that may press it to my
heart. You are very kind to me; and if
the Almighty God were, in his omnipo-
tence, to give ME my life a second time, 1
would devote it to YOU"
The friends parted.
The next day had dawncd. They ar.
rived at the place Of execution; and al
ready had the fatal sentence been read,
when the low murmur that ran through
the ranks changed into almost deafeniDs
shouts
"The Emperor the Emperor Long
live the Emperor
Heappeared, dismountod from his horse;
and then, with his short, quick step, he
walked up to the condemned.
"Piene," said heto him. Pierre gazed
at bin, and made an effort to speak, but a
sudden stupor scenncd to overwkelm him.
"Plerre." continued the Emperor, "remem-
Der your own words of last night. God
gives thee life second time; devote it
not to me, but to France! She, too, is a
kind mother! Love her as thou didst thy
frst-thine own"
He then turned to depart, and greeting
shouts of admiring love followed him till
he was out of sight.
Some years after this, a captain Of the
Old Guards fell MORALLY wounded on the
field Of Waterloo.
Amid the din Of battle, he was heard to
shout in his death pangs:
''Long live the Emperor! France forev-
er My mother: My mothorv'
It was Pierre Pitois.
STATE TEMPERANCE CoNEvNTIoN.-
A meeting of delegates. from different