The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1878-04-11
OUR STORY TELLER.
THE CAVERN.

III but VI ohS
Count St. Valery, accompanied by his
wife and the faithful nurse of their
children, Marie, left the chateau by
side door, heavily laden, and made their
way through wooden valley to an old
deserted quarry. There they drew away
heaps Of furze and brushwood, and
crept into hole in the rock which led
to a narrow passage, expanding at length
into q lofty cavern, which communicated
with another, still larger.
They deposited their loads and re-
turned, closing the entrance carefully to
the chateau. Thus they labored most of
the nights in the darkest time of the
French Revolution, when no ones life
was safe from day to day, and when
bands Of men roamed about the country,
burning farms and the houses of the
gentry, dragging to prison all whom they
bad any cause to hate, excepting such as
met with a speedy death at their hands.
The servants had been dismissed from
the chateau except Marie and Andre,
the faithful gardener. Stores of useful
things, ready for an evil day, had long
been collected there; and the count
hoped to conceal his family in the
cavern till better days should dawn on
unhappy France.
close no timeI' cried he, one night
10 his wife. "The farm on the hill isin
flames. Our turn will be next"
Rosanne and Claude, the two little
daughters of the st. Valerys, were
reused from their beds, and Marie led
them through the dark night toward the
wood.
"Come saidp' the countess to her hus-
band.
az will follow you in few moments" !"
replied he. al must leave all as if the
chateau had been long deserted"
"I will not leave you'll" said she; eve
must come together"
Her husband insisted, and she hurried
after her children.
The count tried to give a deserted air
10 the one or two rooms lately occupied.
To his great horror flash of light
streamed in through the chinks Of a
closed window-shutier. He extinguished
his own light. Then through a narrow
passage-window he discerned men with
torches climbing the lofty wall of the
courtyard.
He made his way to the postern-gate,
by which he should have departed in a
few minutes. He heard voices of men
without.
All egress was thus cut off. All he
could do was to get out of a window
which was closed behind him, into q
bower-garden, and there to conceal him
self in a large clump of laurels and
rhododendrons.
"No one is in the castlep' shouted
voices, after while. "The rats have
escaped; let us set fire to the rat-hole ?
So the wretchessetfire to the hanging
in the different rooms and to the stair
cases, and flames soon issued from tn,
window and lighted up the little flower
garden.
"We will see if the rats have reall,
escaped. Now / will tell you why
brought this dog from Chateau Penthi
in Poitou; st. Valery is on his collar
He belonged to the owner of this house
who probably gave him to Citizel
Penthil. He will find out any rats VIII
may be concealed near the chateau,
said the leader of the gang.
Little Charmette, Rosanne's dog, VIII
had been brought to his former home
was let loose. He soon found out hi
old master, who was dragged from hi
hiding-place and carried off to the prisol
at Nantes.
eggs and chickens often came to tn
prison to sell such things to those of it
inmates who could afford to buy them
She gave little presents of farm pro
duce to the sentinels at the gate of tn
chief entrance.
One day woman answering her de
scription was seen wandering about tn
corridors. She had lost her way il
going from the room of some prisoner
who had money, to another. A turnke
recognized her as the usual visitant +
the prison, permitted to sell things t
the captives within, and he unlocked
postern and let her out into the street.
But n woman in dress exactly lik
hers had long before this gone down tn
great staircase, having sold her eggs an
chickens and received in return fai
sum of money from her customers i
the prison.
The first countrywoman was Madam
st. Valery. The second was not We
man at all, but the Count st. Valery
who had been supplied with the femal
dress by his wife, who had worn it owe
her.
By different routes they found thei
way TO the cavern, where the two chi
dren received them with the widest dt
light, and where they lived for lengt
Of time in safety with them and with tn
two faithful servants. It was Andr,
the old gardener, who had found out this
his master was imprisoned at Nante
and he was thus the indirect means
his escape.
In the meantime, little Charmett
whose loving instinct had betrayed hin
was quite a celebrated dog among til
sdns-cutottes, and his pretty name w,
changed to that of the "Ratcatcher
He was given to revolutionary leade
who afterward became one of the mo-
eminent Girondists, a party who owe
threw the most atrocious of the revolr
tionists, and who were more moderate
their actions, so that many of the GENT
who had emigrated returned for a time
France.
This leader, whom we shall ca
Lefeyre, was very fond of the Ra