American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1874-01-10

his majesty has left the manner in which
your punishment shall be inflicted en-.
tirely to me. Do you understand me, Sir
Satirist ?-entiiely to me-
Good heavens, you arc" stammcred
DeSforges.
The Marquise de Pompadourr' inter
rupted the lady; "the same Pompadour
whom you have exercised your wit in
slandering, and who will now exercise
hers in devising some mode of punish
ment worthy of so gifted Grim hi"
Desiorges stood like statue, his eyes
fixed on space, and seeming unconscious
OF what was going on around him.
In obedience To Il gesture of the mar
quise, the screen was removed, discover
| ing a cage made of strong rods of iron.
Il propose to preserve this rare speci-
men OF a poet" continued the marquise,
there in this cage :; his wonderful imagina-
ton will eHrbfe-hfm, | doubt not, to en-
! large this narrow prison To the dimen-
sions of a Bastile. 1t is small, you see,
very small: it's dimensions are such that
a man in it can neither stand up, sit, nor
lie down; but a poet is not a human
being of the everyday sort, and therefore
| l would not see him imprisoned after the
manner of your vulgar, everyday felons. :"
Another gesture of the Marquise's fair
hand intimated that her victim should be
placed in the cage. She was instantly
| obeyed. the door being securely locked
! she herself taking the key.
| There, my youthful Juvenal," she con-
! tinued looking at him through her
| iorgnoB, "now you shall be shown TO the
! caGdille of Paris, that they may amuse
| themselves with you as they do with the
monkeys in the menagerie at Versailles"
With this the beautiful executioner left
her victim to the frightful doom she had
SO ingeniouSly prepared for him. Des-
FORCES the while spoke not a word; he
felt that he was at the mercy OF heartless
woman whom no prayers of his could
| move.
1t was not accidental that the Marquis
dc Beauvoir and Mile. de Marnevile were
married in the church of Notre-Dame on
the same day the unfortunate satirist was
conveyed to the pillory in his cage, to be
pelted with rotten apples and despatched
with mud by the dregs of the people.
Beauvoir had arranged it so.
Years had passed. Desforges mad long
since been forgotten, even by the two
marquises, who were virtually worse than
his murderers,-for was not his fate worse
than death when one day rusty key
was found in the drawer of the Marquise's
dressing-bureau, which no one recollected
to have ever seen before. 1t was tried in
found to belong to none of them.
."Oh, | have t." cried the Marquise,
suddenly. "I'll wager it's the key to the
cage | had that poor devil of satirist
put into some years ago. What was his
name:"
sDesforges," replied one of her women.
''True, Desforges," repeated the Mar
quise. II wonder if he is still alive?
Well, I am in gracious mood to-day; if
he still lives he his pardoned. Let some
one go Immediately to the Bastile and
give him his liberty; on one condition,
however-that he leave France within ten
days"
A Switzer FASTENED to the Bastile to
execute the orders OF his mistress.
When Desforges was told that he could
leave his narrow prison, he stared vacant
Iy for some moments at his liberator, and
then began to weep and laugh alternately
like child.
Il cannot, monseigneur," he stammer-
ed; "my limbs have become SO stiff that l
cannot
1t was with not a little difficulty they
were able to get him out of his cage, and
some days elapsed before he could make
sufficient use of his legs to leave the Bias
tile even with the aid of crutches.
1t was mid day. Paris shone brightly !
in the spring-time sun, when bent rag
clad figure tottered across the Place Louis |
XIV, looking to the right and left at the |
houses, windows and passers-by, |
with all the curiosity of peasant.
Suddenly a runner crossed the square,
crying:
Beauvoirr'
"Beauvoirr' murmured the man in
rags. Beauvoir-where have heard that
name? Who is this Beauvoir: ~ he asked
of a passing burgher.
''Our Minister 10 "Spain," was the re-
ply.
E so, SOL" muttered the man in rags. |
And now there passed a carriage in which |
sat, beside a distinguished looking man, a |
beautiful woman, with all the coquettish |
airs, and in the elegant costume of the |
rocco period, chatting gay ly with an |
officer who rode beside the carriage.
.'Adricnne," cried the man in rags, |
when he saw the lady, and made sud |
den movement toward the carriage. She |
glanced toward the strange figure. the
aged beggar, as she supposed, and re-
sumcd her conversation with the officer,
as she rolled rapidly across the square.
''Adrienne!' repeated the unfortunate
poet "Adrienne!" but she was already
out of sight He staggered into a narrow
street, sat down on the Curbstone, and
wept like child. And there he sat. long
after the stars came out; then, suddenly
rising To his feet, he extended his hands
towards heaven and uttered d terrible
curse:
"Accursed be all women to whom rank
is more than worth! Accused these
tyrants who tread US. under foot Ac-
cursed be they, aye, ten times ac-
cursed ~
The curse OF the poor satiIist was des-
tined 10 prove prophetic.
With her last gasp, Nine. de Pompa-
dour uttered the ominous words, after
me the flood :" and the food came in the
shape of a deluge of blood-the revolu-
ton of 1880.
Forty years after Dcforges was exposed
to the jeers of the canGiLle in his cage, he
saw. on the same spot, under the guillo-
tine, the heads of the Marquis and Mar
quise de Beauvoir.-Ifdnstdt6d from ha
GerH10H FIR -4opLetol's Journai.
-RheumatISm-A correspondent in tne