Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1878-04-20

Nothing"
"You are smuggler, then ?"
"Oh, no."
"Why, then, do you cross into France
every night? What other motive could
induce you to expose yourself to such
peril ?"
"That l will never disclose"
Recollect that the only means of
saving your life is a frank and unreserved
declaration Of"
"I know it, but | will not do it.
will reply to you, my lord, as l did to
your judge / have never smuggled.'
Whether cross nightly into France or
not is my own business, and my motives
are my own. Ny doom is spoken let
it be executed; | am ready to suffer 1t.
My lord, l shall not answer another
inquiry"
From that moment she was insensible
to advice, menaces, or entreaties.
Nothing could overcome her obstinate
silence. During three days l was con.
stantly with her, and did all that |
could toextract her secret from her; but
she treasured in the bottom of her heart
what she wished to conceal from ME,
while she sooD guessed what / dared not
disclose to her. Yes, it was in her chill
and comfortless cell that l--her Judge,
her lord, the arbiter of her life fell at her
feet and revealed in passionate accents
what she had already read in my looks
and gestures. 1t was in her prison that
she coldly repulsed my love and rejected
her pardon on the terms offered IL. No
one who had seen us then would have
said: He Is the judge and she is the
victim" She was always calm, cold and
resigned, while Iendured all the tortures
of disappointed love irritated by repuses.
The vault of the prison resounded with
my entreaties and angry exclamations
with my sighs and passionate appeals
and / momentarily was the prey OF every
COntending emotion-now ready to kill
Milanetta, and now resolving to save her
at all hazards; now begging her to be
mine, and now determined to bid the
executioner perform his fatal office. was
no longer myself loved for the first
time, and the being TO whom | poured
out my heart and soul in protestatioDs
of alteration, transport, and idolatry,
cOldly answered: 81 cannot listen to
you; I love another" After an awful
outbreak of rage at such an announce.
ment, insisted upon knowing who my
rival was, but she replied with the same
calmness of tone and look, "That you
shall never know"
At this juncture a violent knocking
was heard at the prison door. Ny peo,
pie were looking for me on all sides, as a
French nobleman had just arrived in
great haste at the castle, and demanded
to see me Immediately. went to him
at once, striving in vain to hide from my
servant the emotions with which was
agitated, and at whose violence / myself
was alarmed. l made my appearance in
the great hall, prey to the most gloomy
forebodings. | there saw young man
who was,pacing the hell with hurried
steps, and who desired to converse
without witnesses.
81 am the Marquis de Clairval," said
he; 81 possess a castle in France, which
like yours, is on the very frontier, and
like you | am engaged in suppressing
smuggling and executing justice against
those engaged in it."
The name of the marquis was familiar
to me, as we had corresponded together
to devise measures for the security of the
frontier.
But" continued he, "Aowever rigid
aud unrelenting may be our justice
against those taken in the act, it is
rather too much that we should condemn
innocent people to death merely because
they refuse to give reasons for their be,
havior
ITO what do you allude, Monsieur"
Listen to me. A young girl, named
Milanetta, has fallen into the hands ot
your oficers..."
Ha can you explain ?"
THAT is the sole object Of my visit
1t vas but this morning that heard Of
her arrest, her condemnation and that
she declined disclosing the motive of hel
frequent trips into France by night.
know the cause and am come to UNFOLD
il to you; but it is in full confidence o
your honor and discretion. Milanetta il
mine !"
Yours? You Milanetta's loverl"
You seem surprised at this, because
such a beautiful creature as Milanettf
did not reside with me in my castle, ol
that did not take her with me to Pari
during last winter. You may be alsC
astonished that noble of France should
be sufficiently enamoured of peasant
girl to submit to the constraint of mys
terry and the harass and trouble of nightly
and dangerous interviews. But Milanetti
is not one of those women who vielC
easily, nor is she one whose influence
can be easily shak,n of"
81 think l know her character"
added.
ooh, no! Ysu never can know tn,
deep well of love and energetic feeling il
the heart of that young creature. She
has risked everything to see me and t,
love me in secret, and now you have tn,
Object of her nocturnal journeys, whicl
she would not disclose to you becaus,
she would have had to blush at the con
iession, and least public declaration
made to her Judge should come to tn,
ears of her father To prevent this sh
would have died without opening he
lips. Now, my lord, l have said suffi
cient TO convince you that she is uniustl,
condemned, You are absolute here.
ask her pardon of you and feel assured
that you will gladly, concede it."
The marquis's language, the love whicl
he confessed, and Milanetta's passion 70
him, of which he boasted so proudly anC
fervently, threw me into rage and despair
Ideas of vengeance and of blood rushet
through my brain till l grew giddy
Without a consciousness of what wa
doing, or going to do, rang the bel
impatiently and ordered MiIanetta to b.
brought Immediately before me.
"Do not let her see me " cried tn
marquis; "let her not be ac1uainte,
with what have done If she learne,
that it was to me that she owed her life
her feelings towards me would be al
absorbed in gratitude, and it is her Low
only that desire"
This expression increased my frenzy
whilel the marquis, who was nearly a
much sgitated as was, did not perceiv
my emotion. He only heard the SCUM
of steps in the corridor, aud thiukin
that it was Milanetta who approached