Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1890-09-11
New Series, Vol. 80, No 81

lifeless on the ground. But presently
he showed some signs of life and was
carried into neighbOring cafe, where
he was laid upon a table, which is shown
to this day. a surgeon was called, and
the wounded man showed such signs of
vitality under his treatment that it was
soon evident that he was preserved for
some other fate than that of Pyrrhus. As
he recovered his senses, BernadOtte
slowly raised himself on one elbow, and
looking at the faces crowded in the door
way, was attracted by one, that of a
beautiful young girl, whose big blue
eyes were suffused with tears of pity for
him. But faintneSs Overcame him, and
when he again recovered the sympathiz-
ing face was gone.
Bernadotte was not long getting over
the effects of the blow that had pros
trated him, and when he was quite re-
covered he lost no time in endeavOring
to find the maiden whose face he re-
membered like that of some pitying an
gel For some weeks his search was in
vain, but one day, as he was walking
along and trying in vain to persuade
himself of the futility of the search, he
raised his eyes, and there before him
was the face which had haunted him so
long. The girl walked past him with
out recognizing the wounded sergeant
of the "Day of the Tiles" He followed
her, and, entering her home, made him.
self known to her parents, and offered
himself as candidate for the hand of
their daughter.
At first the fair Amelie was well enough
pleased to receive the attentions of the
smart young soldier; but after while
rival suitor appeared on the scene, and,
as he was the owner of matchmaking
establishment that yielded a comforta-
BILE income, his prOtestatiOns of love
sounded sweeter to her ears than those
of the pennileSS sOuS-O officer. At last the
day came when BenadOtte was met on
the threshold by her mother, who in
| formed him that Amelie had the even
| ing before betrothed herself to the
matchmaker. His fury knew no bounds,
and, rushing from the house, he sought
his rival and challenged him to duel.
| The civilian was no coward, and they
met the same evening; but the watch
maker was no match for Bernadotte,
who was considered one of the crack
swordsmen of his regiment, and, after
the exchange of few passes, he fell
with severe wound in his side
The victorious soldier hoped that now
Amelie would listen to his suit, but
when he told her what had happened
she rallied at him as the murderer of her
lover, and told him never to let her see
his face again. In six weeks time she
became the bride of the man who had
braved death for her sake, and soon aft
er BernadOtte left GrenOble and began
the career that landed him on the throne.
When he was occupying the palace
and directing the affairs of the nation,
his old love, Amelie, was wrinkled, de-
crepit old woman, the general drudge of
wayside inn.
Ill health had come upon her husband,
and though she had struggled bravely
to tide over the bad times by taking in
washing, she had not been able to make
headway against the evil fortune which
pursued them. Her husband died, and
she sank to the lowest level of depend |
ence.
Amelie was fond of repeating the sto- |
ry of her earlier days, and used to say: |
"Ah, sir, | should have done much bet |
ter in marrying NJ. Bernadotte. All! l
made mistake, for l assure you, sir, |
that Bernadotte was no common man,
and l always hada presentiment that he
would distinguish himself. But when we |
are young we do not reflect, though do |
not think that many can have been pun
ished for their thoughtlessness by the loss
of a kingdom.
All remembrance of her husbands |
devotion seemed to have been driven |
from the woman's head by brOoding
over the grand position she might have
occupied had she refused him. When |
asked if she ever heard from him, she
replied:
"No, sir. l have written to him sew
eral times since he became king, but |
he has never answered my letters. Per |
haps he is still annoyed at my having
refused him."
What an illustration of the workings
of fatel The woman who might have |
shared Bernadotte's throne longing for
his washing, and prevented from OBJ
tanning even this by her extreme power
ty.-Chdmbers' Journal.