Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1883-06-02
Then he resumed his tramp.

4
knew that he could reach Vienna
before night if the horses on the
road had not been taken for army
use, and ne did not care much for
| the extra ride.
But the lady i'm the carriage, who
was none other than Inez de Real
accompanied by her maid Babette,
was desolated at the disappoint-
ment and loneliness that confronted
her. As they ratified on with much
creaking and jolting, she could only
weep for fear of what might come
to her, while Babette, seeing her
mistress frightened, wept to keep
her company.
So matters rested for an hour or
more, when both women started
violently at the sound of a sudden
distant boom on the road ahead of
them.
Babette shrieked
"Oh, mademoiselle, they are
fighting again. What shall we
d0?"
"I don't know, Babette. We can
only trust to heaven" replied poor
Inez. "Perhaps I did wrong ever
to leave Berlin, but | could not stay
there"
Boom! Boom! BoOml
More guns far away, and the car
riage began to slacken its pace, while
the postillion called out:
"Soldier3, gracious fraulein, COM
ing this way at gallop. Shall we
turn back ?"
aN> ooouorod Jnaz r,Oro calm
ly; "they cannot injure us surely:
Go on as if nothing had happened. ="
The carriage ratified on again, and
in short time the women heard
the clatter of cavalry coming toward
them.
Presently a single hussar, covered
with dust, his face all bloody from
wound, galloped by without no.
ticing them, and soon after several
others passed in the same manner.
Their horses were white with
foam and dust, and could hardly
muster up gallop. They looked
as if they had been worked hard
lately.
Soon after this came the rapid
patter of a vOlley ahead, followed
by the dash of considerable body
of men coming down at a galiop,
and Inez saw an officer of Austrian
hussars by her window. He seemed
to be excited. ...
"Gracious heavens, ladies, what
are you doing here" he cried.
'Turn back, or you will be killed or
worse. The French have taken
Vienna, and we are falling back.
Their cavalry advance is just over
the hill, in force. Turn back and
gallop hard as you can.'
Even while he was speaking
came the cracking of firearms ut a
distance, and crash came bullet
through the carriage, while the
postillion uttered Il cry of fear.
The hussar officer looked round.
"Get out of the carriage" he
cried. ave will take you back.
They've killed one of the horses.
Here, quick, get up behind me.
There is no time to lose"
Indeed there was not.
At that very moment came 81
loud shout on the road ahead, and
the Austrians broke and fled, de-
serting their officer, who shouted to
them in vain to stop.
But when he saw that the French
horSemen were advancing at a
sharp trot, firing carbines as they
came, even he thought flight advis-
able, so the end of the matter was
that Inez found herself sitting in
her carriage, with one of the lead
horses dead in its harness, while
through the front window she could
see Il DUuy Oh Frencn uraSOOnS ITOt-
ting rapidly up.
In q few minutes they were all
round the carriage, and she heard Il
hoarse voice shouting out in COM
manding tones
Forward, my lambs, forward +!
Drive them over the top of the hill
and halt there"
Then they went on, and she saw
a French officer come to the door.
He looked i'm and saluted pO-
liteIy.
"SOrry to have troubled you la
dies, but who are you and where are
you gong"
Inez felt thrill of relief at the
sound of the familiar French tongue,
and had already made up her mind
to surrender to her own people at
the risk OF the anger of the empe-
ror.
ooh, monsieur" she said. 81
am glad to be under French prOtec.
tion once more. | am madamoi-
selle de Real, maid of honor to her
majesty the Empress Josephine. In
Heavens name, monsieur, tell me
where are the emperOr's quar-
ter5?"
The dragoon seemed to be
beyond belief; but he an
sWered:
"His majesty is in the Imperial
Palace at Vienna. If you desire
will send you there with an escort,
but it will be best to do it through |
Marshal Murat, who has charge Of
the advance"
Anyway, anyway, so long as |
am out of this fighting" cried lnez,
"Oh, monsieur, / have |
had a terrible trial since escaped
from Berlin"
The dragoon seemed more and |
more puzzled. ...
"From Berlin! And you are a
maid of honor to her majesty? EX-
cuse me, mademoiselle, but it be-
comes my duty to send you to the
under guard" .
He evidently mistrusted herstOry
md took her for Il spy, but Inez
knew nothing of what were his
thoughts, and felt great deal of
'elief when he went away and she
iOund herself once more proceeding
IN the road to Vienna, more slowly
low, for she had only pair in-
tead of four horses to draw the car
'iage.
Her one consolation was that she
lad got rid of the Prince of Pots
lam, that individual having left
Ter at Zittau, for what reason she
ieved at his absence.
She had expected him to follow,
lain her, and carry her back to
Berlin by force, and his failure To
10 so was an agreeable surprise.
Therefore, as she rolled along on
he road to Vienna, she was re-
learsing in her mind all sorts of
'leas to be made TO the emperor to
induce him to relent from his pur-
,ose of marrying her to the hateful
,rince. She did not know that i'm
uch matters the Corsican Man of
Destiny was pitiless.
After two or three hours travel
he carriage with its escort of a '
oxen Dragons stopped at post
ouse, which was quite surrounded !
W the hiNnnan of SnNnrul rnuirnnnt.,