The Vermont transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1864-1870, 1866-05-18

l"sA' "h' oNIitllOIS, ana respected
by the men under bis command. the
grief was universal that one SO brave
and noble should fall a victim to an
assassin.
As brave man lives. SO he meets
ms death. Calmly and courageouslv
he summoned the attending physician
and heard his doom, and then he told
to the few who surrounded him I
being one of tho number the follow
ing strange but thrilling passage Of n
portion of his Youthful life:
Several years before when | had
Just entered upon life MS u military
man, l met in tho military circles OF
Paris a beautiful orphan girl. daugh-
ter OF captain of artillery who died
at Quntre Bras This lady whose
name was Madeline Lavalette, was
remarkable for her spirit and dash
Her parentagc. which was very re-
spectacle, her exceeding beauty and n
little fortune she possessed. gave her
the cntree of the best society: but
alasl her extraordinary freedom of
manner and badnage made her envied
and Stunned by her female acquaint-
ances, and only the prestige Of her
fathers name and her male friends
sustained her in the position she oc-
cHpied | secretly admired, but
alas, for consistency - openly spoke
of her. While / felt myself yielding
to her beauty and esprit, | also felt
that | had not that trust necessary for
a lover to feel before lie places his
happiness in the chosen one. One
evening after meeting her, surrounded
by Il group of young officers, on the
boulevards, attended party where
she shone the brightest and gayest
there. In fit of unaccountable pique
| remarked to some gentlemen with
whom | was convcrsing; That poor
girl is evidently looking for husband,
but, alas she will never get one"
"Why not ~ asked ystander
We were chatting gayly and lightly,
as men are too prone to do. | meant
to be witty was cruel.
Because, pQarre erant, she has a
wooden leg
At this all eyes were turned towards
Mile. Layallette To my utter dis
comiture, she was within ear-shot,
and overheard every word Of my ma
heius Joke. 4 deadly paieness over
spread her countenance / was hor-
rihed; all having to leave Paris the
next day, knew not that my sorry Jest
was the Joke Of the day Nothing was
talked OF but Nellie Layallette's wood
Ell leg. Lavallette's wooden leg was
the standing Jest of the club, and the
ladies Heaven forgive them 4 have
avoided them ever since said every
thing Now, the only foundation for
this, than M canard, was an almost
imperceptible halt in Madamoise!le
step. This defect had never before
been noticed, but now Ii was the
theme Of a thousand female tongues.
The animus that had long been nour-
ished now found vent, and nothing
was heard of but the .jQH,be de bols
Mile. Layallette, courageous as she
was, could stand it no longer She
disappeared from society, and nothing
could be asccrtaincd Of Der wherea-
bouts The janje dc jo,s had killed
her as elfectually as though she had
committed n crime Ridicule is more
potent than hate
On my return to Paris heard IN
dismay, of ali this | have never
ceased TO regret my cruelty | en-
deayOred Ia every way to find her adj
dress, and my life was one long search
for !he gay, thoughtloss maiden,
whose future 1 had So married. l ex.
pected hostile cartel from some Of
her numerous admirers, but, although
my address was well known,I received
none.
Time wore on, and my regret be-
came softeued; when, walking home
one evening, from the theater at Tou-
Ion, on the 18th of May, / was sud
denly confronted by a stranger, whose
striking likeness to Mile Lavallette
stamped him at one as her brother. /
attempted to apologize, but, calling
me by name, he challenged me on the
SPOT, and, bidding me defend myself 7
liercely assaulted me.
| soon found | had no mean antag-
onist. He parted my favoli;e lunge
and bnt for rib his sword would .
have pierced my heart The ayenger
of sisters fame disappeared. / re-
member nothing more.
Again | was met in the Bots de Bou- +
logne, and again we fought. The un-
known would not hear one word of
his sister. Again we met at Fort Brot- /
teaux-and here i lie
/ know nothing further of my tor
mentor, except that he is an exquis-
ite'swordsman, and has always aimed I
at my leg; and l have no doubt it is a
brother of Mile. Lavellette, who is de /
termined to avenge the foolish fling / |
made at his sister"
Thoroughly exhausted with his long
confession the Captain tainted and
his alarmed friend thought that the
end had come. A good constitution,
and every care, triumphed over the
grim monster Death, and slowly but
surely Captain Malsherbes recovered,
then a relapse occurred when hope
was brightest, and then again no slow
ly recovered his health: his soldierly |
bearing unaltered, but, alas he had a
wooden leo