The Democrat. (Scotland Neck, Halifax Co., N.C.) 1884-1896, 1885-03-05

uc IS 81 SOOu-udCuTcu ana nanuSOHc-
''You forget, Mere Peraubier, that he
is plain, untitled citizen. He has no
de to his name, said Robespierre, mock
ingly. "Would she play with his love,
say you?" he added, fiercely. "La p'tlte
Marquise will put him to every torture
she knows. She will tell him the same
moment that she loves and loathes him.
She will taunt him with his low birth.
She will rouse in him every possible feel.
ing of hate, love, jealousy, repulsion,
passion, until she tires of him and she
comes back to us. People say that oul
party is hurrying France into revolution,
anarchy, and don't know what, beside.
But if revolution comes, it will not be
we who bring it about. 1t will be these
scoundrelv men and women at the court
from the Imbeci!le and the Austrian
down to the painted La P'tite Mar
quise!' They are dancing away on a
volcano, which is growing hotter and
hotter each day
He stopped suddenly ashe heard some
one on the stairs The door opened,
and in walked Jacques, my boy, but oh
how changed! He wore no powdered
perukc, his coat was torn, and he was
wounded in the arm, and great cot OF
blood lay over the wound. He staggered
slowly to his chair and let his arms dangle
down toward the floor, while he gaZcd
vacantly into the air, with sudden
stare, like an idiot, or drunken man.
His face expressed no-fear, horror, OF
anger. 1t was immovable and express
sionless as mask His eyes had lost
their brilliancy and now looked dull and
dead, seemingly snnken far back in his
head. He took no m6re heed Of as than
five had not been there, sitting almost
Alliisci esssin in my chair and Robespferre
.cocfly standing before the fire, studying
: Jacques as It he had 1cen dying frog.
!: IA volcano, which. as said, Mere
rPeEaubier,n hessaid eoolly,. s''is groEina.
hotter every day, and is causing. littld
..eruptions like this sone,, ,,"and he smiled
lsarcastically on my roorsboy. 4
E went over and knelt before my poet
boy, and took his cold hands in ming. :
my child" 1 asked, "what has Mp.
pened, and what caused this QkoR
your arm!" ~
He paid no more attention to- ma9HaA
to shudder and draw away his hants.
Jacques, will you tell me WHAT'S the
matter. l ask it, ], your motherH
ITs n9ther,v ean mv he mo{hsI, sPid h"ski'y ae"'y
M. Robespierre came forward and
stood before him. "Why dotTou ask
that, NJ Peraubier?'' he said Aow1y aud
calm as fzhe were bidding him 'sbon
matin, y but his voice seemed, for alls,its
calmness and quietude..to do what mine
could not-bring him to his right mind.
"Why do I ask? Is she not a womans
I once thought all women were good
and holy saints, but L find that they are
lying fiends.. Who can say any woman
is gooa9 Who can say that this woman,
though she be my mother. may yet"
b And l thought my mother heart would
break.at the words he was saying, and l
threw myself at his feet: before he could
finish, crying out in my agony !: = -: !! j.
ooh, my son, my son, "and he stopped
and passed his hand over my eyes!
''You are right, mother. You, at
least, can believe in: but that woman
oh, my God !' and he sank back in his
chair and commenced plucking at the
fragments of his coat and tearing them
into little pieces as a dying man plucks
at his coverlet. M. Robespierre walked
over to him and laid his hand on JAG,
ques' shoulder.
"Well, mon ami, did you kill him OF
her?" he asked quietly.
81 saw them down in the little harbor
by the fountain of Diana. He was
''Never mind whom. [ know La
P'tete Marquise' we'll enough to guess, !"
interrupted M. Robespierre; ''but you
what did you do?''
81 burst in upon them with my drawn
sword. He was brave enough. l, who
once thought him my friend, can say
that. He fought for love of her, and his
her, and my hate was stronger than hif
love. When he fell turned to kill hers
but she had gone. I rushed through the
grounds of the park to find some traces
of her, but could not, so I came here.
And now I shall go to see my god father.
M. Beaumarchais, and seek his advice st
"You shall have it," said voice be-,
hind me. l turned and saw M. Caron
himself. 'sSeek your safety in fight,
and that Immediately! l know all the
story. l heard of it just now at the
court and came to this house to help
you. There is horse outside Take it
and ride like the wind until you reach
the frontier"
"And that means leave France for
ever" added NJ. Robespierre.
"Better that than DEATH" said M. Car
on, gravely.
81 have future for Jacques better
than that" said NJ. Robespierre. II can
give you safety for the present and re-
venge for the future! Come with me,
Jacques, and will hide you so safe that
Necker can never touch you, with all his
SPIES" and he took his arm and they
would have gone out together had not M.
Caron stood in the way.
''Rather die yourself, Jacques, than
help to kill France" he said, sternly.
II know you, NJ. Robespierrc, and your
schemes. A free France, I hope for, but
not such France as you would bring
about"
Jacques turned toward him fercely.
81 would rather serve under Danton than
La Fayette, M. Caron. There is no one
in the court whom would wish to live.
M. Robespierre, 1 am ready.
x X
Extract from the stocking of La
Rouge, the old woman with the yellow
rosette on her cap, who sits near the left
of the knitting row.
"This Captain Peraubier seems very
squeamish young man. l must watch.
When La P tite Marquise, as they used
to call her, was being brought along in
L L 4