Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1880-07-08

WERE eageTlN SOugub dItor anu TeIdlneu
as pages: :,
continued De Lanier; and if your ns1s m a.
jesty would desire it. / will order him
to perform some of his feats."
"Pray, do" said the queen But
let us go out and sit beneath the shade
of the trees"
Merrily chatting the party of ladies
and gentlemen left the neat little dairy.
When all were seated on the violet
dotted grass. Monsieur de Lanier gave
LIE Santerelle a sign, whereupon the lat
ter began series Of most wonderful
performances.
! He caused mysterious eggs to sudden
ly appear in the grass; he swallowed
poinard after poinard; he produced
yards of gayly-colored ribbon from his
hat; he caused six white mice, with
pink eyes, to jump out of the pocket of
the Duchess de Polignac, so startling
that naughty dame that she quite forgot
her dignity, and acted like scared
schoolgirl.
And, last of all, he nearly sent every
one into convulsions by his gymnastic
performances. He hoped, leaped,
rolled, and distorted face and form into
the most grotesque shape.
Shrieks of laughter rang out at every
new effort.
"That is enough" said the queen,
rising at last, while tears of merriment
were rolling down her lovely face. 81
can laugh no more. Monsieur de La
nier, we are much indebted to you.
Come, Louis, let us take q stroll among
the trees before the sun sets and the
dews fall" and she and her husband
sauntered away.
Scarcely had the two royal person
ages left the group ere De Lanier said:
Come LIE Santerelle, show us some
more. Give us something new Prove
your agility as monkey by leaping
over that ditch.n pointing to ravine
some six or eight feet in width, at the
bottom of which babbled tiny stream
with pebbly bed.
The dwarf hesitated.
Indeed, MASTER" he said, slowly,
'' I would obey you if l could; but ]
fear that this is beyond my power. 1
cannot Jump Sc far"
Indeed he cannot" spoke out Louise
d'Argent. SIT is asking too much of
The obliging little man. Besides there
are stones down there, and Monsieur lie
SanterelIe might severely injure him
self, to say nothing of soiling that pretty
costume. So pray, Monsieur de Lanier,
do not command him thus"
"And why should Mademoisele
Louise expect that / should heed any re-
quest hers She scorns mine," said
Monsieur de Lanier, in low, bitter
voice, and with look in his eyes that
made the young girl both frightened
and angry. "No," he continued; lie
Santerelie must do as command him."
The poor little dwarf gave one look
of entreaty at his inexorable master,
and then, smiling gracefully as he saw
the sympathy on the faces near him, he
threw aside his cloak, measured the
distance with his eyes, and then took
the leap.
The result was what might have been
expected.
There was fall, and sight of
green body rolling down among the
stones and briers,
'sToo bad," murmured the mobiles
"Stupid ~ muttered De .Lanier.
6 ''Helas he's killed 70 shrieked the
ladies, while Louise d'Argent exclaim-
ed, with much Indignation:
8 1t was cruel-nay, das tardly act
to compel the harmless little creature
to take leap which has, perhaps, re-
suited fatally to him.
Seeing that De Lanier made no effort
to ascertain the condition of the dwarf,
she herself descended into the ravine,
and raised the head of the poor little
man upon her knee.
He was not dead, but tainted from the
pain and loss of blood from a deep cash
in his forehead, where a jagged stone had
l. A 4 81 y. L.
queen, alarmed by the shrieks, returned.
'What is the matter ?" inquired Marie
Antoinette, anxiously.
tones, whereupon her majesty colored
with indignation, and, turning to De
Lanier, she said, in a voice of stern re-
proof:
6 Monsieur de Lanier, am sorry that
any gentleman of my court should
have acted so cowardly."
The king also administered a severe
rebuke, and then his majesty and the
queen went down to the little group
surrounding the dwarf.
De Lanier flushed purple-red, and
then grew deadly pale, at the words of
his royal master and mistress; and as
they turned away his hand rested on
his sword, and he said in threatening
tones, while lurid light cleaned in his
cruel eyes:
"You have your day now-mine will
come by-and-bye. shall live to see
those naughty heads bow down to
the dust And Louise d'Argent, too
curse her bewitching beautyr" and SO
saying he strobe away, aud was soon
lost in the shades OF The forest.
Many events have taken place since
the ones last recorded. The sunshine of
prosperity has changed to the storms of
adversity. All France is shaken with
the throes ofa terrible agony.
Paris, the beautiful, has changed into
huge butcher shop-the streets run
red with the blood of human beings.
Men have gone mad. Riot and fapine
have reared a goddess and worshiped
it under the name of Reason.
Who does not shudder when recalling g
that epoch known in history as the
"reign of terror"
A few miles out of Paris there ras, at
that time, q large graystone chateau, the
property of Monsieur de Lanier.
Its former owner had fallen a victim
| to the guillCtine, and the property ol
the deceased has been bestowed upon
De Lanier as gift from his friend,
Robespierre-
One dark, rainy night there sat in an
o~.,t ~, oxt IF tho chafnan a vny1nV ron.