The Richmond palladium., 1865-03-31

JOSEPHINE interests everybody, and we
gladly give our readers the following
from correspondent of the Knicker-
booker Magazine: snz .14e
The history of Napoleon is yet to be
written, and BY an American. The world
has been amused with fables of this man
of DESTINY which have been transmitted
as heir looms until they have reached
him who now sits upon the throne O..
France, and is pleased with the title,
1.-The man of destiny.
This though 3 favorite idea with every
class of Frenchmen, undoubtedly arose
from the story of Josephine, and through
her attachment of Napoleon. Though
her simple story is smothered in the
more brilliant one of her husband, ye.
it was well known that long before Ma
poleon's admirers claimed for him tn.
great destiny he fiAaliy accomplished,
was a common story in Paris which W..
are about to tell.
twas while almost child that Jose.
phine, in some of her wanderings with
her school fellows, came across vagran
gipsey or fortune teller. The woman.
attracted in some way towards the beau
tiul child, insisted upon telling he.'
fortune, even against her will and with
out reward She told her that she woulo
very soon be a wife, a widow. and after
wards Queen of France. The prediction
in itself was common enough, but
simple as it was, it had its effect upoI
Josephine, who Immediately embrace
it as a fact, and could for long time
think of nothing else
When the fulfllment came to the firss
part Of the prediction, it Of course
siren gthened her in the belief of the rest );
and even when in prison under sentence
of death, and her bed was taken from
her at night because she was to die in
the morning, she bade her friends have
courage, that it would not be so, and
that she would sit upon that throne then
in ruins beneath the bloody feet of
Robespierre; and when the jailors. in
derision, called upon her to name her
maids of honor, that they might be ready
when she was queen, she did so, and her
nomination was finally fulfilled to the let
ter.
On that very night Robespierre fell.
Had his downfall occurred one week
earlier, Josephines husband would not
have been one of his victims !; had he
lived one day longer she would have been
another of them.
There was but little lapse Of time be
tween her liberation from prison and her
marriage to Napoleon, and it was by the
influence that she exerted that he was
appointed to the command of the army
of Italy, after which the path that led
them upward was clear and open, until
the destiny she insisted upon was accom-
plished and the crown of France was
placed upon her head.
But there was one thing more that
Josephine had foretold for herself which
was the utter loss of power and rank to
which she had been so wonderfully ele-
waited. and still while she brooded over
this, Napoleon, was her lord, gathering
new power and yielding to new ambi-
tions, she tried to crush it. and to point
out what should be his true aims; but he
was an Emperor, and desired to be the
founder of a new empire.
How well her instincts told her that
the time was rapidly approaching when
that ambition would make him put her
away. Then came the close of the cam
paign of 1909, and she saw that the hour
was approaching still nearer that was to
seal both their fates. There was no
longer the confidence of the past be-
tween tuclu no lOuSeE Tue ScchiHR VI
sympathy and advice.
1t was on the Goth Of November, 1909,
and the court was especially gay in
honor of the visit of the King of Saxony.
Josephine sat at the window of her
boudoir, looking out upon the river.
when she heard step at the door, and
rose to receive Napoleon who caught
her in his arms, with more of the olden
= cba for
months. She led him to the sofa on
which she had been sitting, and seated
herself by his side. For a few moments
there was silence, and he spoke.
"Josepeine, you have been weeping
Are you unhappy ?"
mo, Sire! not with you.''
Nonsense. Josephine, who do you
call Sire OF late you are making these
forms overshadow all our happiness
"Then, why should they not be for
gotten by both? You have now reached
that point of ambition that should con-
tent you. Will you turn the unquiet god
from your bosom and own our own hap
piness?
.You misunderstood me. lady," he
said. quickly rising from his seat and
leaning against the window: 81 m seek
ing nothing for myself, but everything
for France.
1T is for France, Napoleon" she said,
drawing close 10 his side and taking his
hand in hers, ''that you would put away
from you, not only a true wife but true
friend Think not that ! have been
blind, Sire. to this. My alarmed heart
has told me all, and believe me that am
offering no protest to your will, but oh,
Sire examine well your heart before
you act
He stood silent while she was speaking,
and then. with face turned full upon the
streaming moonlight. he drew away his
hands. She went on:
'.And, oh, Sire believe me, that though
am to leave your throne and your side,
/ shall never cease to love you too deep
ly for my peace. Therefore it is that
plead that you will look well into your
heart before you yield your future to bad
counsels."
You cannot sympathize with me
Madame, act only with reason The
good Of the individual must yield to the