Middletown transcript., 1877-10-06

bade her good bye after Wlshing her
much good fortune with her baby.
The young mother seized his hand,
and pressing her lips to it, said the
baby should be brought up to revere
his name.
The Marquis JournOt drove to his
hotel, and in half an hour had forgot
ten both episodes of that January day.
And now we must take the reader
to pass over period Of twenty years
20 years of French history, crowded
with incident, with tragedy written in
letters of blood. Twenty years of
checkered Partisan life. Louis XIV.
was dead. The new king Louis XVI,
had appointed the Marquis JournOt to
an important local civil Office. He
had married. His wild oats were long
ago sown, and he had become a worthy
and useful member Of the govern
ment.
Political France was at that time in
ferment. Jacobinism began to rear
its head. Human. equality social
ism, was asserting itself, the same
spirit which in later years showed
itself under the name of the Commune.
Even nature seemed to lend its hand
to the turbulence of the period, for
just then occurred the awful hurri-
cane. of July, ITS, by which all
France was devastated, and banditti
ravaged the country, the precursor Of
the revolution which followed soon af-
ter.
Then came the great uprising-the
destruction Of the Bastile, the attack
upon the Tuileries, and the reign Of
terror.
This reversal Of the wheel Of fortune
found the Marquis Journot stripped Of
everything. Fortune, place, all was
gone, and according to the popular
verdict he was a traitor. True, he
had been traitor so far as to defend
his king against the attack of the Red
Republicans. He freely risked his
own life to protect that of the royal
family, and consequently he was de-
nounced, seized upon, thrown into
prison, and condemned to death.
Journot was a brave man. He did
not fear death. Yet still he could not
forget that he had a wife and two
lovely children dependent upon his
protection. Indeed, he knew not what
became of them, what had been their
fate in this terrible confusion and up
rising. He was permitted no inter
course with any one, but was kept un-
der strict guard in that famous prison,
the COnciergerie, upon the banks of
the Seine.
It was midnight Journot was awak-
ened from q deep sleep by a sound
which at first he was disposed to think
was the fabrication Of dream, but at
last the sound became SO regular and
distinct that he got up from his straw
bed and listened intently. It was all
darkness in his lonely cell. The sound
evidently came from beneath the floor,
until presently it came nearer and
nearer. What could it possibly sig
nify2 Was some fellow prisoner try
ing to make his escape? He could
only wait patiently and see.
Soon a large stone which formed
part of the pavement of his cell floor
was removed, and light from q Ian
tern burst full upon his eyes. In an
other moment the body of a man came
up through the floor and stood in the
cell.
"Be silent" said the new conner.
"Who are you ?" demanded the
marquis.
Listen, and I will tell you"
"I am all attention"
I am jailor here"
''Then you have the keys?"
"Of course"
"WHy seek the entrance to my cell
after that extraordinary fashion if you
have key to the door ?"
"You shall be informed"
"Or why have you come at all 7"
"You shall know. Citizen Journot
do you remember that twenty years
ago when you were riding through the
Rue de la Paix, of stopping and free
ing from the officers a man who had
been turned out of his house for debtr'
The marquis thought for some mo-
ments before he could recall the cir
cumstance.
q do remember something of the
sort"
! "I am that mani I have never lost
sight Of you or yours, and I have
sworn if ever 1 had the chance, let it
cost me what it might, 1 would repay
that generous act, so noble and so dis
interested"
"What do you propOse?"
"You are condemned to die to-mor-
row."
"I know it"
"You shall livep