Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1861-09-06
MISCELLANEOUS.
THE LEGION OF HONOR.
nv JAMES %. DANA.

enthusasucalIy. tnoulu u~pisc my
.eli. Adele IL was not willing to give my
husband to my country. France needs Nil
her con. in ,hi. extremity. thank God
have Henri to offer on her altar"
Her sister shrugged her shoulders. "You
always were romantic. my dear, che said
For my part, IL had handsome hu..
band, n splendid estate in Normandy, q bo-
tel in Paris. diamonds, cashmcrcs, equip.
agcs. servants. m you have, ! should not
be willing TO risk them so slightly. Sup.
po-c Henri is killed. You will BE- q widow,
and, for time a, least, .an enjoy none OF
these thing..'
"oh, Adele. how can you talk so? Has
no, the good father Lacoire been telling us,
ever since We were children. that :hc curse
Of modern times was its mater,ali.tic view
u lfc7 Tha, to eat, drink, and be merry
seemed TO be the whole purpose Of existence!
That luxury had corroded national virtue
That the day. OF heroi.m had passed How
often ha. my heart swelled against these i'm.
putations. for I will no, believe ,ha, human
nature has sunk 80 low No. have often
told him, the divIncr parts Of our race have
no, all died out We are still capable. We
women. OF making sacrifices for our coun-
try /. and our husbands, fathers. brothers,
son.. still capable OF dying Tor IL. could,
myself, II occasion called for IL. he, hope,
second Joan Of Arc. never loved len.
ii half - well n. since he came home. the
other day, and told me. that, in this cri.i.
OF France. fate. he had determined to offer
her hrs sword. and, II necessary, hi. life.
We can die bu, once. What more glorious
than to die in holy cause :" Aud the
young wife looked sublime a. she spoke It.
Natalie Lad been married bu, year or
two. Her beauty, accomplishments, and
amIability bad Won for her. a, eighteen. the
hear, Of the young Coun, dc Tankerville,
the creates, match OF the season. Passion.
ately attached TO each other, they spent tho
hour. continually together they read. they
rode. they dId everything in company
The life they led was more like an iIyl than
like life in modern society and in Paris.
In the md., Of this dream oI bliss came the
news o! the rc,rca, from Moscow. All Ea.
rope rose aeains, France. The Emperor.
teatcn back from Dre.len 20 lcip.lc, and
IRON Lrirsic 70 the Rhine, was making a
las, desperate enor, to retrieve the fortunes
o: the nation. II was in this extremity iha,
the young count stepped forward. Ills IA.
ihcr had been constitutional royarlist in
the las, days OF Loui. NVl. and though
the family bed never emigratcd, 1t had nev.
er. on the other hand attached itself 20 the
fortunes Of Napoleon. ~ long as the great
Emperor pursued his career of conquest. 81
long the Tankevilles held alool from him.
Bu, now, when the question was not Ma
polean but the nation, the young count fel'
,ha, the time had come when his country
demanded hls services. In view Of the die
memberment OF France. wha, were lands,
houses. life itself? "Slye the nation 80
was tho cry ,ha, rose TO every patriotic lap.
Women brought their jewels, men broush,
their lives. Foremost among these were
Henri and bis vile.
Well, .aid Adele, who lad orc OF those
cold, selfish natures, that could no, under.
stand how anybody could do anything no.
bic or heroic, 4" think you and your hu.'
band mad. Bu, 60 your own ways"
wish you were mad in the same way
We are mad Us LconiJas was mad, as Tell
va. mad. ns Bruce was mad, as every other
hero was mad that la. died for liScrty. I,
is no, now question OF the Emperor. II
i. question OF country IL il not whether
Napoleon shall reign, bu, whether France
shall be dismembcrcd. Ii is whether the
fag of the nation. that g'oriou. ,ricolor
which waved at Marcngo and Aus,erlir
shall be ,railed in the duet, or shall -till
bring tears TO the eyes Of frenchmen when
they see il, in foreign land., floating from
the mast t-head."
/ We will no, dwell on the parting Of hus
band and wiic. Natalie bore up heroicslly
Not Lady Russell. when leaving her lord
on that sad morning OF his execution, con
trolled herself more nobly than did Natalie
now. But when the door had closed on
Henri. when che heard the clatter OF hi,
horses feet down the street, then she aung
herself on her bed, and wep. as IL her hear
was breaking.
l, was an eventful winter. a battle wa
Tough, almost daily. Like a lion in th,
tolls. Napoleon turned fr-t on one and ther
on another OF his foes, and Away. unexpec
tedly. In the brightest days OF hi, intel
lrct he bad never b-cn 30 terrible as now
Henri was foremost in all these battles
Once he saved the Emperor's life. The eros
Of the legion OF honor soon deckea his breast
IIc received the decoration from Napoleon
own hand. on the very day that he hear
Natalie had presented him with q son. Bu
the genius Of the Emperor and the valor o
bis troops were OF no avail. Treachery va
at work a, Paris, while Napoleon was nb
sent in Champagne. The capital was sur
rendered. The Emperor was forced to al
dicate.
Every one knows what followed. .Th
Bourbons came back, forgetting nothing, a
va. ,aid, and farsivins nothing.
"Ah! my bleeding country" Ilcnr
would cry to bis young wife. A, o,be
times IL was. "Oh for one hour by th