Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1888-02-10
A SQUARE IN THE HAND.

/ am unable to say where or when the
events narrated in the following pages took
place. Neither can give any details con-
corning the personal circumstances of the
narrator All know is that she was young
woman of French nationality, and that the
"uncle" of whom she speaks-her senior by
some thirty years-was more distinguished
as a philosopher than as an enthusiast
Whether the conspiracy against the reigning
authorities in which our heroine and her
friends were implicated happened to be Of
any historical Importance is also more than
can say. As my object in reproducing the
narrative is merely to illustrate the curious
operation through natural channels Of laws
which are usually regarded as ''occult, and
the activity of which on the material plane
has given rise to the common notion of ''mir
acle,'' do not propose to trouble the reader
or myself with any preamble of merely local
interest So. without more introduction,
leave the diary of the writer to recount the
adventure set down therein by her own hand
I was concerned in very prominent way
in political struggle for liberty and the peo-
pies rights. My part in the struggle was,
indeed, the leading one, but my uncle had
been drawn into it at my instance and was
implicated in a secondary manner only. The
government sought our arrest, and for a time
we evaded all attempts to take us, but at last
we were surprised and driven under escort in
a private carriage to military station,
where we were to be detained for examina-
ton. With us was arrested a man popularity
known as "Fon," poor weakling whom
much pitied. When we arrived at the sta
ton which was our destination, "Fon" gave
some trouble to the officials. / think he
tainted, but at all events his conveyance from
the carriage to the caserne needed the con-
Joined efforts of our escort, and some COM
motion was caused by his appearance among
the crowd assembled to see u.s. Clearly the
crowd was sympathetic with us and hostile
to the military. I particularly noticed one
woman who pressed forward as "Fon" was
being carried into the station, and who
loudly called on all present to note his feeble
condition and the barbarity of arresting a
witless creature such as he.
At that moment my uncle laid his hand on
INV arm and whispered; "Now is our time;
the guards are all occupied with 'Fon;' we
are left alone for a minute; let us jump out
of the carriage and rum" AS he said this he
opened the carriage door on the side opposite
to the caserne and alighted in the street. l
instantly followed, and the people favoring
us, we pressed through them and fled at the
top of our speed down the road, As we ran
espied pathway winding up hillside away
from the town and cried: ALet us go up
there: let us get away from the streets!' My
uncle answered: mo, no; they would see US
there Immediately at that height; the path is
too conspicuous. Our best safety is to lose
ourselves in the town. We may throw them
off our track by winding in and out OF the
Streets Just then little child. playing in
the road, got in our way and nearly threW
us down as we ran. We had to pause mo-
ment to recover ourselves. "That Child may
have cost us our liyes.' whispered my uncle