The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1877-07-11

(dlCnOuSn nc was revolutionary TcpuDI
cam, he had flung himself heart and soul
Into the cause of liberty at the outset of
the revolution. He was one of those
>lobles who in one night, that night which
had been called both the might Of sacri-
fees and the night Of i,ssonity, stripped
themselves of their fortunes, of their priv
ileges, Of their armorial bearings, of their
very names; forgetting what was due to
their ancestors and their descendants, to
the past and to the future, and paid SO
dearly for their imprudent enthusiasm
during the remainder of their lives.
They are all now dead. Some died the
served; some lived too see how little good
their sacrifices accomplished.
Count Victor was imprisoned in the
donjon tower of the mansion; in other
words, the dovecote of the conquerors
establishment. The pigeons which had
dwelt there in the days of peace were now
replaced from time to time by captured
chouans--chouan (the patois name for
owl or bird of night being the title
given to the royalists by the republicans.
The dovecote still retained its peaked roof
of white slate and its tall weather cock,
nor had it been thought necessary to put
iron bars into the narrow lofty openings
through which the doves once went and
came. Little indeed had been added to
the furniture of the place for the acconmo-
dalton of the new kind OF birds who were
too often Gagged the,e-nothing but some
straw upon the pavement, on which
Count Victor stretched himself in default
Of any chair.
He smiled at the idea of being shut up
in pigeon house. If he could free his
bands he thought, and get hold of a
guitar, what pretty. little ballad he
might make out of such situation!. AS
he was thinking over his ballad and wish
ing for the guitar, he heard the sound of
violin and bagpipes. These lively in
struments were playing a gay march.
Count Victor started up from where he
lay, and, by showing the straw up to the
wall, managed, in spite Of his 81. bound
hands, to climb up to one of the openings
and to look below him. He looked down
on merry .fete. There was q long pro-
cession of young men and fair women, all
III white, preceded by the music Of the
village. The procession moved but slow
ly, though the air played was gay. As it
passed under the pigeon-house Cor, if you
will, the donjon keep of the fortress) a
young girl looked up anxiously.J She was
fair, she was elegant, she looked sad and
pale. Count Victor saw at once she knew
| it contained a prisoner; and, as they
passed on, he whistled the air of King
Richard in his captivity:
Dams at,ae tour obscure.
For he was young man skilled in ballads
as we'll as arms, as good at a guitar as at
sword thrust, a fearless rider, gay dan
GER; in short, brave young nobleman of
the old school, specimens of whom we
may still see among the French octoge-
narians; but the race is no longer raised
under the changed social conditions of
the present day. .;A+@.-.>s,.. -:
The wedding party passed out Of his
sight. 1t was not exactly marriage pro-
cession, however. It was only betrothal.
Count Victor broke off his melody. He
heard a noise at the door of his apart
ment. A man entered his prison.
1t was the master of the mansion-a
marquis under the late Capet, now only
Captain Hamelin. He was Blue, but
| WI oil llAdU oil uOuCSI, hluu1y Stulltuldu
As early as the meeting Of the states gen
eral, he had been fired with enthusiasm
for the republic. To her his heart, his
hopes, his sword and his house were given
but he could not become mean or cruel
at her bidding. That very morning he
had been informed that a party Of chou
ans had passed the night at one of his
farms. He set out at once at the head Ut
a detachment, putting off the ceremony of
his benothal till the afternoon. We have
seen how he captured Count Victor. That
duty accomplished and his prisoner Sc
cured, he came back with all speed to
his postponed betrothal.
Capt. Hamelin was not so utterly given
over to republicanism as to have forgot
ten the obligations of hospitality accord
ing to the Breton code. He therefore
thought it his duty to pay visit to his
prisoner, choosing the time his wedding
guests were assembling for supper.
"What can do to serve you, monsieur?"
he said politely to Count Victor.
"Lord of this CASTLE" said the captain,
with bow, "please to give me the use of
one of my hands,"
"Both hands shall be set at liberty,
monsieur" replied Hamelin, 'provided
you promise to make no attempt to get
away. Only, before you promise, it is
proper you should know that you will be
sent off under a guard to Nantes at 6
o'clock tomorrow morning."
"And at shall be shot, said Baude-
lot.
The republican officer made no reply.
"Well, monsieur" said Baudelot, 'un-
less am rescued by any of our men, l
promise, on my word Of honor as chris