River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1883-07-12
AN ANXIOUS POLITICIAN.
His Progression in Politics through Petit.
coat Persuasion.

propose to relate the gallant and politl-
cal adventures of NJ. dc Montsegur, deputy
of the reimbursement of Saint Chanland,
department of the Saone- Inferieure.
MOntsegur was elected deputy in Febru-
ary. 1871, in the most unexpected manner
He had no political antecedents, and had
hardly reached the age Of parliamentary
| igibilitY-twenty-f years. Montsegur
possessed a fine estate in the environs OF
Saint-Chamand. He commanded a bat
talon of mobiles during the war, behaved
brayely, and was wounded at Metz on Jan
nary TO- 1871 He was in the ambulance
| at Sainte- Croix when he received the news
| of his election to the Bordeaux assembly.
As sooN as he recovered from his wound
he went direct to the theater of Bordeaux.
about the beginning of March At that
| moment France had no particular opinions,
| and MontsegUr shared the opinions of
| France Nevertheless, the majority of the
chamber inclined in favor of the restoration
of the monarchy, for the simple reason that
the empire had finished badly, and the re-
public had made a bad beginning.
Montsegur studied the list of his col
leagues. he found the names of two of his
friends among the members of the RIGHT
Centre, or the monarchical prc..,y He vent
ana sat by thu 4hss.a, and dgfins fye years,
ttrr<vla 1871 to jS7e, psacstuiiy, dociiely, and
/ w HAc.g DCcdSl3u NOIeu WIN MS group.
During these five years Montsegur spent
a great deal of money. He was young,
rich, bachelor, master of his life aud for
tune, and he made very stupid use of
both. He fell in love with young person
| whom | shall call Turlurette, and who from
time to time played little roles in the Pal
ais Royal Theatre. Turlurette was
blonde, with large black ewes; her heart
was very large, and her hand was very
small The thing which contains is not all
ways larger than the contents, and the SMALL
er a'woman's hand is tho more money il
can hold, this is how, during the course
81 This legislature, five or six hundred thou
sand francs had passed from Montsegur's
pocket into the tiny hands of Turlurette.
In the elections of 1876 Montsegur wish
ed to be reelected. He had contracted
taste for political life, and had begun by
fulfilling his duties conscientiously. He
was assiduous in his attendance at the
chamber, and took part in person in ell the
| votes, shouted enthusiastically when he
saw his gtOup enthusiastic, and groaned
rhsS ne heard his group groan. In short,
he was a model deputy. His afternoons
belonged to his country, his evenings 10
Turlurette.
But in 1876 there was real contest
| MOntseg1r had to contend against a radical
! and against legitimist. BE managed mat
tiers very well; he declared that the form of
government was almost indifferent to him;
that he could accept the republic easily
provided it inclined toward monarchy, or
monarchy, provided it inclined toward the
fepublic. He was elected by a majority of
six thousands the legitimist polled two thous-
and the radical candidate five hundred. i
Montsegur resumed his functions at the
chamber, and found Turlurette more blonde
and moro greedy than ever. Ard SO be
| continued TO see his money slip through his
| fingers until the day when Gambertin, his
| colleague. who ives member and secretary
Of tbs left Centre, invited him to dinner
! Nine. Lambertin was delicious brunette
slender, and yet plump in places where
| plumpness is pleasing Her waist meas
| ured eighteen and quarter inches; her
shoulders were irreproachable. And so
she took PLEASURE in dong the hOnors to
het Guests; she even displayed little more
| than these dazzling shoulders; in this re-
| spect, indeed, she went to the extreme linn
| it, and showed all that can be shown at a
! political dinner.
1t was a political dinner. Nine. Lam
| bertin was Il very intelligent woman, and
very ambitious. She was perfectly aware
| Of the insignifcance of her husband; al his
| value and merit we're due to her, Laure
| 1nmbeftin. Her name vas Laure. It
! was Snt, ana kile atone, WHO DGi mute
! Lamberiin municipal councillor, may or,
councillor general, deputy, secretary Of the
| Left Centre, etc. Now she wished to make
| him minister, and the way to the ministry
was the presidency of the Left Centre.
| This was why she was working to increase
| this group and to stock il with her friends.
| Nine. I,ambertin took possession OF
| Ncntsegur after dinner, and treated him
| in a corner 10 a very eloquent political dis
course. The country was Left Centre!
/ Why was not NJ. de MOntsegur Left Cen
| ire? LauTe Lambertin talked with much
| force and warmth Her animation added
| to her beauty. Montsegur did not listen 10
| Nine Lambertin. He looked at her talk
| ing lie remained there motionless, lost N
the contemplation of those ideal shoulders
and of their appurteuances. He had heard
many orators formerly, when he used to be
present at the sittings Of the chamber; but
neither Theirs, nor De Broglie, nor Gam
| beta had succeeded In producing upon hin.
| such an impression. One night at the
presidency, after dinner, M. Theirs had
| celebrated a. length the virtues and charms
| Of the Left Centre. Montsegur had been
proof against the eloquence Of Theirs; he
| yielded before the lIoquence of Nine
| Lamhertn. But then Theirs was not
| dec0tietef
Nentsegur felt himself softly attracted
| toward the Left Centre when Madam Lam
| berlin said to him;
! Believe me- monsieur, believe me, ours
is the only group
| Laure I;ambertin had an excellent dress
| maker; The cOrsage of her dress was mas
| terpiece of bodness and precision. Mont
! segur's eyes rested complacently on the
clear indication of the contours of a pretty
! left centre and pretty right centre, form
| ing harmonious group. Montsegur said
| that he thought it would be very agreeable
| to belong TO the Left Center group. He
| became one of the habit,res Of the salon of
LambertIn, Aud he forgot Turlurette
Finally. one day, Montsegur went and
had his name inscribed among the members
Of the Left Centre There was a cry Of
| Joy in all the ibaral pressi The monarch
lists were coming over to the republci The
| surprise and Indignation Of AIontsegur's
political friends were great They pro-
nounced the word treason"
| "Pooh" he replied, France has advanced;
| I advance with France"
MontseGur's flop insured his reelection
at Saint Chumand. The district had adj
yaneed; it would have rejected Montsegur
member Of the Right Centre; it acclaimed
| Montsegur member Of the Left Centre, and
gave him majority of seven thousand.
| The principal editor of the Saint Charnand
/ ANtN' it1 bGtliAtN Alltit 4lOllbGSAIs Will Htl~
mirable political foresight, had seen the
reefs on which the chariot of the republic
was running. But yet. in reality, that was
not what Montsegur had seen
He returned to the chamber mole deeply
smitten and more Left Centre than ever
| He little thought what was in store. IF the
| district of Saint Chamand had advanced
the district of Bargeton, The constituency
| that Lamherun represented, had advanced
more rapidly still, and IN order to keep his
| seat Lambertln had been obliged to Join the
| Republican Left group.
When the electoral period was oyer-it
seemed eternal to Montsegur--his first visit
was made to Madame IIambertin,
lnd he showed himself very anxious TO re-
sumo their previous friendship, but
Madame Lambeytiu stopped him gently,
and said:
~Mon ami, which group do you intend to
| ioint"
Which group? Can you immagine that
| have ever entertained the thought of
| abandoning the Left Centre?"
oh, you know" she replied, "lre have
abandoned the Left Centre Edouard has
joined the Republican Left"
THE Republican Leftl'
Yes; and what Edouard has done you
cannot fail to do-you surely owe him
| that"
Madame Lambertin had charming
ana irresistible way of pleading her causes,