The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1883-07-05

The summers of Napoleon were spent
chiefly at Malmaison-the winters al
Saint Cloud and the Tuileries. Winter
had come on and the First Consul had
been holding court in the great apart
ments of the last of these places. II
was the third of that month, which Re
publicans well called Nivose, and in the
evening Bonaparte entered his carriage
to go to the opera, accompanied by his
aid-de-camp, Lauriston, and Generals
Lannes and Berthier The vehicle was
about to start, when female wrapped
in a black mantle, rushed out upon the
Place Carousel, made her way into the
midst of the guards about to accompany
Bonaparte, and held forth paper to
the latter, crying:
'sCitizen Consul, Citizen Consul, read!
read!"
Bonaparte, with that smile which
Bourriene describes as irresistible, salut-
ed the petitioner, stretched out his hand
for the issive. ga petition, MADAME"
said he, inquiringly, and then contin-
ued: Gear nothing; | shall peruse it
and see justice done"
Citizen Consult the woman,
impatiently joining her hands
What she would have futher said was
lost. The coachman, who, it was af-
terward said, was intoxicated, gave the
lash to his horses, and they sprang off
with the speed of lightning.
The Consul, throwing into his hat
the paper he had received, remarked to
his companions: Il could not well see
her figure, but think the poor woman
is young"
The carriage dashed along rapidly.
1t was just issuing from the street of
st. Nicholas when frightful defamation
was heard. mingling with and followed
by the crash of broken windows, and
the cries of injured passers-by. The
Internal machine had exploded. Unin-
jured, the carriage of of the Consul and
its inmates was whirled with undimin-
ished rapidity to the opera. Bonaparte
entered his box with serene brow and
unruff1ed department. He saluted, as
usual, the assembled spectators, to
whom the news of the explosion came
with all the speed which rUmor exer-
cises upon such occasions. All were
stunned and Supplied. Bonaparte only
was perfectly calm. He stood with
crossed arms, listening attentively to
the oratorio of Haydn, which was exc
cuted on that evening. Suddenly, how
ever, he remembered the paper put in
to his hands He took it out and read
these lines:
''In the name of heaven, Citizen Con-
sui, do not 60 to the opera tonight, or,
if you do 90, pass not through the
streets of St. Nicholas.
On reading these words, the Consul
CHANGED to raise his eyes. Exactly OPP
posite to him, in box on the third tier,
sat the young girl of the chapel of St.
Cloud, who, with joined hands, seemed
to utter prayers of gratitude for the es-
cape which had taken place. Her head
had no covering, but her flowing chest
nut hair and her person was wrapped
in dark mantle, which the Consul
recognized as identical with that worn
by the woman who had delivered the
paper to him at the carriage door on
the Place Carousel.
&C.," said he, quietly but quickly, to
Lannes; ''go to the box exactly oppo-
site to us, on the third tier. You will
find young girl in black mantle.
Bring her to the Tuileries. I must see
her, and without delay" Bonaparte
spoke thus, and without raising his
eyes, but to make Lannes certain of the
person, he took the Generals arm, and
pointing upward, '.See there--lookn'
Bonaparte stopped suddenly. The girl
was gone. No black mantle was to be
seen. Annoyed at this beyond meas
ure, he hurriedly sent Lannes to inter
cept her. 1t was in vain. The book
keeper had seen such an individual,
but knew nothing about her. Bona
parte applied to Fouche and Dubois, but
all the zeal in these functionaries failed
to find her.