, 1874-08-12

friend but at the moment when the family
thought of sending her to France to effect this
project. she was struck with a languishing ma
lady, which resulted in her death.
Madame Renaudin, deeply affected and dis.
appointed, proposed to Monsieur and Madame
Dc la Pagerie that Josephine should take the
place of NJ Irie in the marriage with the Wis.,
count Beauharoais. Josephine's parents ap-
proved of the plan, but Josephine herself was
opposed to it. At the urgent desire of her pa
rents she finally consented.
Before the marriage, Josephine, with some of
her friends, consulted an old negress named
Euphemia, who bore the reputation of being q
good fortune-teller. She predicted for jose
phine a brilliant future. Another tradition Of
Martinique describes her and her companions
as having consulted Madame David, a kind of
Bohemian or gypsy, who was also celebrated
for the correctness of her prophecies. This
woman told all their fortunes, and foretold for
Josephine a great and glorious destiny. 1t is
not unlikely that after her marriage with NapO-
leon, and his accession to the throne of France,
this prediction might have presented itself to
her mind, and that she told it to her husband
as a curious incident in her life. 't">
Josephine was not the only woman of Marti-
nique who left that island to share a throne.
Even more romantic than her story is that of
Aimee Dlbuc de Rivery. We can give it only
in outline. On a gentle slope of a high noun
tain near Fort de France, the summit of which
is more than four thousand feet above the level
Of the sea, was in former years a very valuable
sugar estate, the property of N. Dubuc de Riv-
cry. He was the possessor of considerable
wealth, and had formerly been an officer of dis
tinction in the French army. In the year 1866
his daughter Aimee was born. At an early
age she was sent 10 the convent of the Ladies'
of the Visitation, at Nantes, France. At this
establishment she received a finished education,
and was considered one of the most beautiful
and accomplished ladies of her time.
At the age of eighteen she was sent for by
her parent. Under the care of her governess,
a lady of mature age and capabilities, she en-
barked, in 1884, on board a French ship for
her native land. When they had proceeded as
far as the island of Majorca the vessel was at.
tackled and captured by a pirate, and Aimee
Dubuc de Rlvery and her governess were taken
prisoners and conveyed to Algiers. Here she
was separated from her governess, and sold as a
slave to the Dey, who had become enamored
of her beautiful person. Although she was
surrounded at this time with all the ~luxuries of
a magnificent Eastern establishment, she refused
to be attlred in the costume Of the harem, and
successfully resisted all the advances and i'm
portunities which the Dey p~ractised to obtain a
return Of bis love. -
In order to crafty a feeling of revenge, and
to lngratiate himself in the good graces of his
sovereign, the Dey of Algiers sent our young
heroine as a present to Selim III, Sultan Of
Turkey. At the seraglio her ~modesty, beau
ty, and accomplishments gained for her the
love and respect of her companions, among
whom were the flower of the youth and beau
ty of Georgia and Circassia.
Realizing the fact that she was in a posi-.
ton from which it was impossible to extri-
cate herself, and obeying the natural instincts
of a lovely woman who possessed the accom-
p%lishment of music and a voice of great sweet
ness, she participated in the amusements Of
her felloW-prisoners, and endeavored to excel
them. ta ..a
Upon one occasion, when she was sing.
ing and accompanying herself on the harp,
the Sultan, who had never before seen or
heard of her, happened to pass near the apart
ment appropriated to music. His attention
was arrested by a sweet, plaintive, cultivated
voice, entirely new to him, singing melodious.
ly a solo from an opera with which be was fas
miliar. He was deeply interested, and on
seeking out the owner of the voice he was
SO amazed and entranced with her modessy
and beauty that he tenderly inquired, into
her history. Her replies affected him to such
a degree that be determined to make her. hs
S,ltc1o o1J nEkon oouo,oI srkarwsa<us~ nnporn,V.