River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1877-07-12
COUNT VICTOR.

fayOrably in the autobiography of the old
duchess Of Orleans. mother of the regent
in the minority Of Louis XIV. Though she
befOuled without scruple the memories oil
the leading men OF her own day. not spar
ing her own granddaughter or her own
son, she always speaks with high respect
of Casar BaudelOt. Saint Simon, too,
although he looked at human nature too
generally on Its wrong side, has always a
good word for Baudelot; and when in
1888 the war between rOyalists and repub-
licans broke out in La Eendee the De
BaudelOt who was then head of his house
was among the first TO Join those who took
up arms to curb the excuses Of the reyO-
luton. He fought as all his noble COM
rades fought with heart and hand. He
was the friend Of CathelIneau, Lescure.
La ROchejaqueiin, and the rest of their
gallant company. He went into battle
with light hearted grace cared nothing fo
discOuTagements or dangers, and his gay
spirits were almost gayest after fight, so
soon he had ceased to hear the groans and
Outcries of the field Of battle.
What war was ever so ferociOus as the
struggle in La Vendeel But / have no
design Of dwelling on IT, Others have
painted il too often; some with their
brushes dipped in glowing hues, others
in darker cOIOrs All have to do is To
tell YOU the story of Count BaudelOt, who
one day was surprised in a farmhouse,
together with a detachment of twelve
royalists, by body of Blues, as the re-
publicans were nicknamed in In Vendee.
The count called out to his few men.
50 Retire immediately The farm house
Is about TO be surrounded. Fly. Carry
off the women and children. / will stay
and defend the door; can hold out ten
minutes. There are three hundred of
them, They will murder every one they
capture. Farewell, my gallant lads. Do
not forget me. 1t is my turn to die to-
day-it will be yours tomorrow
In those DAYS of glorious herOism and
seIf-devotion nobody was surprised at any
instance Of self sacrifice. Dramatic
heroism, common enough among French
men in other wars, had no one To admire
it. To record it, to be surprised at this
war of determination and despair. 1t
was no time or place for any Quixotic ex-
hibitiOn Of courage and devotion. Self
sacrifices were accepted as mere things of
course. and BaudeiOt's twelve soldiers i'm
mediateIy Obeyed him.
The count remained behind after they
left, making all possible noises, harangu-
inc, disputing. giving Orders. rattling
his gun against the floor and clicking its
locks. lie made row enough for whole
regiment at once, and the Blues were
cautious in their approaches. But after
a while his voice began 10 fail, and. jjudg-
ing that his men must By that time be
safe, the careless Frenchman cared no
longer to command an imaginary com
pany; and leaving off ms orders and ex-
hortations. barricaded the oak door and
waited further action. For some min
utes the door resisted the fresh assaults
Of the enemy. Then it began to yield.
The Blues fired through the chinks into
thd chamber.
Count Victor was not wounded; and, as
he had been surprised when half through
breakfast, he sat down to the table
Ia finish his bread and cheese, saving
Ia himself with every bite. . Il Is my last
mouthiul."
At length the strong door yielded-the
Blues burst into the apartment. 1t took
some little time to push back the OBJ
struCtions and to see clearly what was
through the smoke of their own vOlley.
They drew their swords, and, as the dim
ness cleared away. glared eagerly around
"a see what had become of that large body
Of trOOps who had resisted their entrance
for half an hour
Imagine their surprise, instead of find
ing the owners of all those voices, they
saw ONLY one Young and handsome man,
tall. calm. and with a merry twinkle IN
his ewes, eating a slice of black loaf and
washing it down with the weak wine of
the country.
The soldiers Of the republic paused in
establishment This pause gave Victor
BaudelOt time Ia toss of the last drop and
swallow the last mOuthful.
Your good health. gentlemen, he
cried. lifting his wine glass To his lips.
THE garrison Is much obliged 20 you for
your kind consideration"
A. he spoke he rose and went up 10
their commander.
Monsieur said he, d" am alone in
this house You can shoot me behind
the shrubbery we see out yOnder.
lie paused, and To his great surprise,
was not shot moment after. II may
have been because his captors were re-
cruitS new TO Eendean warfare. 1t may
have been because they were interested
bv his handsome face, his gallant bearing.
and his cool indifference. Maybe they
felt ashamed of shooting in cold blood a
man who had defended himself against
three hundred of them.
They tied his hands behind his back.
and, under a strict guard. sent him to a
country house near Nantes, which had
once been a noblcman's mansion. The
master Of the house was in command of
e very Blues who had just seized and
bound him. 4 Breton and gentleman
talthough he was a revolutionary republic
cam. he had flung himself heart and soul
into the cause Of liberty at the outset OF
he revolution. He was ono of those
lobles who in one hight, that night which
h.d been called both the night II sGcri-
fess and the night If insanity. stripped
themselves of their fortunes, of their priv
iIe.rcs. Of their armOrial bearings of their
very names: forgetting what was due tC
their ancestors and their descendants, &c
IN mast and to the future, and paid 50
dearly for their imprudcnt enthusiasm
durinn the remainder Of their lives.
They are an now dead. Some died the
victims of that movement they too rashiy
served; some lived too see how little good
their sacrifices accomplished
Count Victor was imprisoned IN the
dnnion tower of the mansion; IN othel
words. the dovecote of the cOnqueror :
establishment. The pigeons which had
d,yrIt there in the days of peace were now
rrn,aced from time to time by captured
.bou.ns- r6ouan tthe patots name fol
anvil or bird of night being the title
ariven to the royaiists by the repuoieans
The doyecOte still retained Its peaked TOO
of white slate and Its tall Weather-coeA
nor had it been thought necessary 10 pu'
iron bars into the narrow lofty opening;
through which the doves once went anu
came. Little indeed had been added c
tn furniture of the place for the acconlilo-