Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1879-09-19

drank ana ne urank, and he went to
sleep with his head on the table. To
him the Swiss went, and shook him.
Arouse, said he, you must go to your
boat;' and so he took him by the arm
and led him to his own room, put him
to bed, took away his clothes and locked
the door. Then he came swiftly to the
surgeon and told him to prepare. That
night we would be off Then he bought
bread, cheese and water, and put on the
shallop, and took her in the twilight up
a little creek.
"And we! We cried in each others
arms when the surgeon told us that lib
erty was so close at hand. France and
libertyl Never in battle had our hearts
beat SO fiereely! And yet II was TN
easy. | had a sense of what my part
was to be, butt could not think of it /;
and l talked and talked to Brissac of
what our plans would be. The surgeon
was sure he could escape, for he was no
longer closely ly.w.-tched; and at midnight
a stone was to be thrown against our
window by the Swiss; and then we were
to bl eak the bars, and, upon ropes made
of our bedclothes, we were to descend.
1t was near midnight when, as we sat
and watched the minutes slowly creep
ing by, that l took my courage in my
hands, and | told Brissac he would have
to go alonel l don't like to-day, Louis,
to think of what he said, and how he
begged. could not persuade him that
l could not walk to the boat. Even if l
could not, he said, there would be three
of them, and they would carry me. He
could help me out of the window, and
the Others could receive me at the
ground; then he would follow; and, be-
tween them, they could get me easily to
the boat. reminded him of my size
that was not a slim young fellow like
him, but heavy and almost helpless. He
would listen to nothing. The worst of
it was. for me especially, that all he said
was true, and that it could have beeen
managed just as he said, if it had not
been for the fact of the danger of
detection, l could have slid down the
rope, and, with their help, could have
got to the boat, if we were unmolested :;
but if we should have chanced to meet
any one, my presence would have been
fatal to the whole party. / could not
run. would at once be known; and
Brissac, / knew, whatever the others
would do, would never desert me, and
the end would be that we would be
slot. To this the faithful fellow an
swered that the night was dark, the
hour late, and the road led out of town !;
so the chances were that we would meet
no one. We kept up this discussion,
sometimes sadly, sometimes with heat
and sharp words until after stone
struck the window; and even after Bris-
sac had the rope ready, and had en-
braced me, he urged me to go. MOI.
said l, finally. If you are in France,
you can work for my release. If l go,
we may all be lost; and if you stay, as
you still threaten, of what use will it be-?
We shall come to feel that God gave us
an opportunity and we refused it. Go,
then, urge my release, and tell my
mother that l still remember not or
think of Jean Berthold first
"Well, he went. We both wept; but
he went. Then l crept to my bed :;
was alone. The guard passed the door
If he should come in,' / thought, even
yet they could be overtakenr and, in
English, | call out, 'Brissac, my lad,
give me the water; l die with thirst'
and then [ upset chair. The guard
paused, and heard him laugh, and he
went on. In the morning | threw up
the bed-clothes on Brissac's bed and
when our breakfast came, the guard
said: "That lazy fellow, is he not up
yet?" 1t was noon before it was dis
covered, for | sang and talked, and it
was thought we were both within. The
surgeon was first missed"
Wasn't there a great fuss madeP"
asked Louis, eXcitedly.
Indeed there was; the drums were
beat, the guards put under arms, the
country secured by horsemen, but, as |
repeated again and again, that Brissac
was good walker, they did not set sail
to look for him. The Swiss was never
thought of until, when | was released, |
sent the Norwegian money for his shall
lop."
"Then you did get Off" said Louis.
"Of course | did," replied his uncle,
laughing. chow else thinkest thou 1
would be hereP"
"And howP" asked Louis.
"My king sent for me-" said Jean Ber-
thold, proudly. 1.-The merchantmen had
told wonderful tales of what we did to
save them, and it was thought we were
all lost; so when Brissac reached St.
Malo-and it took them forty-eight hours
the people rose and would have
smothered him with kindness. They
took him in triumph through the streets,
and he broke from them and told them l
was in prison yet. / don't know what
nonsense he talked, but the queen heard
of it, and she sent for him, and the end
was the king paid for my release"
did you ever see the kingP" cried
Louis,
"Yes, and the queen, and one of the
princes. There was too much fuss made
about all that, LOUIS"
There couldn't ben' cried Louis,
standing up in front of his uncle, and
looking at him with flashing eyes.
"Uncle Jean, | think you are the great
est man alive"
"I am one of the biggest" said his
uncle, with smile, looking down at
himself, land if l sit about at home and
tell stories I shall be larger yeti" Chris
id11 Union.