Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-12-08
A KINGS NEW-YEAR'S NIGHT.

It was in the evening of the 31st OF
December, 1899, that King Henery ". OF
France lay yawning on the sumptuous
lounge of his sitting room, in the mag
niiccnt palace Of the Louvre, in Paris.
He was then fortY-seven years old, but
looked much younger. He had accom-
plished whatalmost every body at the time
had deemed an utter impossibility-he
had made himself the sole and sovereign
ruler of one Of the great nations Of the
Old World, which, until then, had been
torn into discordant and bitterly hostile
factions. He had made France more
powerful than ever, and, with the assist
ance of the great Sully, restored the pop
ular prosperity to such an extent, that
erybody said, "France has never before
had such a great and wise Monarch"
At the same time his personal amiabil-
ity and magnetism were such that the
people idolized him, and that he could do
with impunity what none of his Royal
predecessors had dared to do-namelv,
to go out alone and unarmed in the dead
of night into the streets of Paris, which
were then narrow, crooked and very dark.
But Henry w., Notwithstanding his ex-
traordinary successes and his proverbial
good humor, had at times the blues, and
such was the case on this occasion.
''These incessant stiff court festivals y
he said to himself, shave become disgust
ing to me. This is New Years night, and
I do not intend to spend it in the midst
Of my fawning courtiers. I believe will
sally out into the street in plain attire
and mingle with the people. That will
be by far more amusing to me-"
He doffed his rich velvet suit, donned
rather threadbare clothes, put on an old
soldiers hat, filed his pockets with gold
pieces, wrapped himself into White
cloak, and left the palace through Sc
cret passage without being seen by any
body.
As he stepped into the street, neigh
boring clock struck ten. He walked
hastily over the vaulting bridge that
spanned the Seine, and soon found him.
self in that labyrinth Of narrow and
crooked streets where the bulk of the
Partisan population lived at that time.
The streets were crowded yet, for the
Parisians always went late to bed.
Bending into the Rue de Courboys,
the disguised King saw large crowd fol
lowing q strange procession, which
moved toward the eastern end of the
street.
Accelerating his steps, the King was
not long in overtaking this procession.
He was surprised beyond measure up
~, fhof ~ &c
naked women, whom some twenty arch
ers were dragging along. The women
were weeping and sobbing, and the crowd
seemed to sympathize with them.
At last the procession halted in front
of a large and brilliant building.
It was the office of the Lieutenant o!
Police. Monsieur De Goroy, one Of the
most influential men in the country. as
his powers extended all over France.
The archers dragged the unfortunate
PRISONS ;nto the vestibule of the office
There young man received them.
"Bawds", he said to them, haughtily
tonight you will receive your fifty lashes
here and to morrow the same dose at the
Spinning house, where you will be con
fined for five years."
The young women burst into loud la.
mentations. Many Of them protested
emphatically that they were respectable
girls, and that the archers had dragged
them wantonly out of the houses of thei,
parents. The man who had announced
their sad fate to them, turned his back
on them scornfully, and ordered the
archers to take them to the whipping
post, when Henry w., who had quietly
entered the place, said to him:
Chow do you know that these women
are bawds?"
''We have to leave that to the archer:
who arrest them," answered the man. 'sAt
any rate, it's none Of your business, old
fellow. Get out of here!'
clio, hop rejoined the King. ssNone
OF your impertinence. l am the bearer
of message to Monsieur de Goroy, His
Majesty's Lieutenant of Police
s'Ah!"
"Where can I find Monsieur De Goroy?'
"He is at carousal at the Golden
Hart tavern. I'm his nephew, Chandon
De Vicitry, and attend to his business in
his absence. Where is your message2"
you won't get it, young chap. All, if
King Henry ". knew how you we're car
rying on here!"
"You mean about those women9n
swell, yes.''
"Pndieu, Monseigneur De Culayry,
the Governor Of Paris, told my uncle the
other day there were too many bawds in
Paris, and so be must arrest every night
forty or fifty girls
Il thought the Lieutenant Of Police
did not receive any orders from any body
but the King9"
cold fellow, you are right. But he
does, though, and how is the King going
to find it out9 Henry ~. pays no at
tention to such trifes. They saw that he