Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1877-07-19
The Queens Little Shoes.
Home Journal.

Home Journal.
On the 9Th of January, 1776, at the
feast of the Epiphany, there occurred
ON board of the French frigate Heron,
as she lay at the peer previous to her
departure from France, a scene pi'
quaint enough to merit recital.
All the officers whose services were
not in actual demand were promena-
ding the quarter deck, smoking, chat
ting, and otherwise Willing away the
time, when suddenly q young mid
shipman mounted the gang-plsnk from
the pier, crying, Hats off. gentlemen!
hats off 1.-THE Queen approaches Yet,
strange to say, Marie AntOinette had
not quilted Versailles, for at that mo-
ment she might have been found in a
corner of the chateau, under the shell
ter of etiquette, playing high comedy
en- famille, taking the cue from Count
d'Artois, and having for prompter the
Count de Provence, her brothers-in-
law. She filled the principal role in
DE Devrin du Village, The Village
Soothsayer,-and sang with feeling
J'ai perdu mon serviteur
J'ai perdu tout mon bonheur-
words which she had occasion after.
ward to repeat often enough,-poor,
unfortunate Queen!
Who, then, was the usurper? Who,
twelve hundred leagues from Yer.
sailles, had taken up the sceptre which
the legitimate Queen had for an In
slant abandoned for shepherds g
crook? Let US hasten to assure the
reader that there was no imposition,
no crime, nor high treason; the royal
ty that honered the Heron with its
presence was only the fugitive royalty
of the beau,' which, by chance, had
fallen to a pretty Creole Of Martinique,
q relative of the Captain, who, under
the charge of an aged aunt, was joGr-
neying to the metropolis iH . vague
search for fortune and inheritance.
In truth, it was to be regretted that
the young Queen was only playing
Queen, for she carried her high and
novel honors with grace which Cath
arine ii, or Marie Theresa might have
envied.
,On your knees, beautiful page, said
she, addressing the youth who had an
nounced her; do you not see that
have dropped my glove? Approach,
nv Ministers, and do not smile, for
the question to be discussed is grave
one. | love my subjects, and do you
hear?-I desire above all things that
nv subjects love me in return; We
must. then, decide as to whether i shall
wear blue or white rosette to gain
their homage. How is this? 1t seems
thai my Prime Minister permits him
self to puff the smoke of tobacco into
the nostrils of his sovereign In lieu OF
Incense And thus, with thousand
innocent salIies, with thousand little
coouetries, did she cause the old sail.
ors to laugh so heartily and long that
fine fire of their pipes died out, and
they forgot to light them.
But one who seemed to enjoy the
sport more than the rest was Pierre
Hello. q native of Breton, an old sea-
doy. with more scars than wrinkles,
who upon that very morning had re-
ceiyed a medal of honor-a tardy ac-
acknowledgement Of his long service
and who. for that reason, had been ad
,nitted as guest to the Captains ta-
BILE for the day.
Marie Rose, as the little lady was
called, listened breathlessly to the
wonderful stories related by the old
man Ot.WAE s%tildu, duu Adu COHpii-
mepted aud carPssed him until the
heart of the Old sailor palpitated with
as much emQtion at the praises of this |
Young beauty as at the moment when |
ne received his medal. He alone wait |
ed upon her, and, indeed, upon him i
the Care of the child, owing
10 the fact OF her aunt's being suffer-
er from gout and unable to leave hel
comfortable chair, and spent most of
her time reading the life of her favorite
saint, Augustine, only looking up,
from time to time, tc cry, This way,
Minette! this way Marie Rose!' as she
aaw. her cat or her niece chasing sum
beam.
But Mare Rose, with that daring
aud perfect freedom possessed by most
young girls of her age, one moment
vould climb up the cordage, balancing |
srself on the ropes, while brave {
PIERRE watched from below, ready toi
atch her In his arms should she be