The weekly Butte record., 1862-03-22
The Legion OF Honor.
e you willing he should 90 p

; -AU04cs II were uot "iiltA5 ~ give IIg AN>-
band to my country. France needs all her
sons in this extremity. l thank God l have
Henri to offer on her altar
Her sister shrugged her shoulders. q" You
always were romantic, my dear" she said.
d. For ny part. if l had handsome husband,
splendid estate in Normandy. hotel in Paris,
diamonds. cashmeres, equipage, servants as you
have, should not be willing 10 risk them SO
lightly. Suppose Henri is killed You viii
be widow, and for time at least can enjoy
none Of these things"
" Oh Adele, bow can you talk SO? Has
not the good father Lacoir been telling Us
ever since we were children, that the curse of
monern times was its materialistic views of
life THAT to eat, drink asd be merry, seemed
to be the whole purpose Of existence? That
luxury had eorroded national virtue? That
the days Of heroism had passed How often
has my heart sweied against these imputa-
tions, for l will not believe human nature has
sunk so low. No. l have often told him the
diviner parts Of our race have not all died out.
We are still capable, We women, of making
sacrifices for our country and our husbands,
fathers, brothers, sons, are still capable of
dying for it, l could myself if the occasion
called for it, be hope, second Joan of Arc.
l never loved Henri half so much as when he
came home the other day and told me that, in
this crisis of Frances fate, he had determined
to offer his sword, and, if necessary his life.
We can die bu. once. What more glorious
than to die in a holy cause?" And the young
wife looked sublime as she spoke it.
Natalie had been married but year or two.
Her beauty, accomplishments and amiability
had won for her at eighteen the heart of Count
de Thankervie, the greatest match of the
season. Passonately attached to each other,
they spent the hours continually together
they read, they rode, they did everything in
company. The life they led was more like an
idyl than like life Of modern society in Paris.
In the midst of his dream of bliss came tie
news Of the retreat from Moscow All Europe
rose against France. The Emperor beaten
back from Dresden to Leipsic and from Iep-
sic to the Rhine, was making a last desperate
effort TO retrieve the fortunes Of the nation 1t
was in this extremity that the young Count
stepped forward. His father had been con-
siitutional royalist in the last days of Louis
XVI, and the family had never emigrated it
had never on the other hand attached itself to
the fortunes of Napoleon. So long as the
great Emperor pushed his career of conquest
so long the Tankerists held aloof from him.
But now, when the question was not Napoleon,
but the nation, the young Count felt that the
time had come when his country demanded his
services. In view of the dismemberment of
France, what were lands, houses, life ITSELF
Save the nation - was the cry that rose to
to every patriotic lip. Women brought their
jewels, men brought their lives. Foremost
among these were Henri and his wife.
Well" said Adele, who was one of those
cold selfish natures that could not understand
how anybody could do anything noble or he
roic. a. think you and your husband are mad.
But go your own ways"
Il wish you were mad in the same way.
We are mad as Leonidas was mad as Tell was
mad, as Bruce was, as every other hero was
mad who has died for liberty. 1t is not now
question of the Emperor. 1t is question of
the country. 1t is not whether Napoleon shall
reign, but whether France shall be dismem-
bered. 1t is whether that flag of the nation,
that glorious tri-color which waved at Marengo
and Austerlitz shall be trailed in the dust, or
shall bring terror to the eyes of Frenchmen, n
foreign lands, floating from the mast heads"
We will not dwell on the parting of husband
and wife. Natalie bore up heroicany. Not
even Lady Russel, when leaving her lord on
the sad morning of his execution, controlled
herself more nobly than did Natalie now. But
when the door Closed on Henri, when she
heard the catter of bis horses feet down the
street, then she flung herself on her bed, and
wept as if her heart we're breaking.
1t was an eventful winter A battle was
fought almost daily Like lion in the tolls
Napoleon turned first on one and then another
of his foes, and always Unexpectedly. In the
brightest bays of intellect be had never been
so terrible as now. Henri was foremost in all
these terrible battles. Once he saved the
Emperors life. The cross of the legion of
honor soon decked his breast. He received
the decoration from Napoleons own hand, on
the very day he heard Natalie had presented
him with son. But the genius of the Empe
ror and the valor of his troops were of no
avail. Treachery was at work at Paris while
Napoleon was absent in Champagne. The
Capital was surrounded. The Emperor was
forced to abdicate.
Every one knows what followed The Bour-
bons came back forgetting nothing, as was
said, and forgiving nothing.
All, my bleeding country" Henri would