The Logan County banner. [volume] (Logan, W. Va.) 1889-1903, 1890-05-22
HIDING A MARCHIONESS.
A Tale OF La vendee in the French
Revolution.


mus had an eye in the middle Of his
forehead; the clock of Pere Franchetear
had one In the middle Of his stomach
an immense eye, round as the eye OF ar
or, in the depths of which could be seer
passing and repassing, like gloomy
eyeball, the greenish-gray disk Of the
copper pendulum. The dial-plate was
= enormous, and enwreathed with flaming
roses such as one sees upon old Stras
burg pottery. The twelve Arabic fig
nres stood forth in blue upon white
enamel, and the monumental hands ter.
minated in pierced trefoils resembling
the arrows OF the weather-cocks.
Weather-cocks they clearly were, also,
Tor they moved according to their humor,
sometimes slowly, sometimes at gal.
Top. Often they made quarter of an
hour In five minutes, and then they
halted ten minutes to take. breath.
When they had reached the top of the
dial there was an internal shaking, q
noise of unlocking chains followed by q
ding-dong enough to deafen ones ears
Go il" said Pere Francheteau, .the
clock has again run off the track! 1t is
still the balls which it received into Its
system during the war which turned its
head"
How is that?" ask some gossippinp
friends; Is your clock so old? Tell us
then the story here, Pere Francheteau. y
The good man, who was as talkative
as magpie Of the Rue de Cordeliers, re-
quired no urging. And drawing from
h1s7pocket an old blackened pipe which
he slowly stuffed, he lighted it at the
flame of bit of fagot and began thus.
] should say to you at first that Fran
coiso (this was the name which he gave
to his clockJ and / are of the same age.
My father. made present of it to my
mother the day Of my baptism.
Then we were in '93. / was eleven years
old, and recollect it as if were yester-
day. People spoke only Of Chouans and
sans-culottes; the Chouans, above all,
were feared as the devil, with their
cries, their savage figures and their odd
accouterments. Almost all Ancenis had
removed to Nantes to avoid the Ven
dean acquisitions They had no more
bread nor meat; the mobiles monopolized
the grains and hid them in the forest of
Maumesson; in short, the people would
die of hunger. My mother wished me to
quit the city, but my father, who was
patriot, would not.
One morning in December the arrival
of the Chouans was announced. / has
tened to the door to see them come, and l
saw them climbing the Pontereau, howl
ing like devils, men and women, pell-
nell, all in rags, barefooted, with black
ened faces and. hair floating upon the
shoulders. True brigands In my fear
i re-entered the house and bolted the
door. My mother very much wished to
open to them, for she took their part,
but my father would not hear to it, and
when he had said: keep quiet about
thy Chouans!" he had said all Ny
mother lowered her head and said not a
word. In the meantime the Chouans
might be heard defiling under our win
dows, crying in the patois of the Bocage:
TO the Loire!' Some carried planks,
5oists and casks, and others rolled boats
upon cannon carriages. This was to
pass over into Vendee.
All at once young woman with the
head of a Marchioness knocked at our
door. Mamma, profting by the distrac-
ton of my father, opened to her.
Save my life, my good woman" said
she to my mother; .'the blues are in the
city massacring the Vendeansr'
By my faith it was TRUE. The streets
were full of soldiers afoot and on horse
back, sabering and shooting all who fell
within reach.
None OF the brigands for me-" said
my father to the lady; 81 have no wish
to have my jaw broken for you. Leave
here, quicklyr'
My mother interfered, supplicated,
wept, and ended by disarming my father.
Where shall we hide this unhappy
one? We have only one chamber below
] and an empty attic"
Whilemyfather.so sought, the Marchion-
esss-for she was that-said to him as she
extended bundle of papers:
1T is not my life which it is so i'm
portant to save; 1t is these papers,"
1t appears that she held them for the
Rochejacquelein, who had confided them
to her while passing the Loire.
My mother took them from her hands
without saying any thing and hid them
under the bolster Of the bed. There was
only time for this. At the same moment
was heard the dull thud of gun butt
upon the slate-stone at thed
"Open, citizens!' they cried
1t was the blues, who searched the
houses to make sure that no brigands
were hidden in them. My father, feel
ing the danger to the lady, as to us as
well, on her account, opened the case of
the clock and closed itquickly upon her,
saying: "Do not stir" Then he ran to
the door, but as it was not opened at the
first summons, the soldiers burst it in,
at the same time dfscharging their
guns. 1t seems strange TO me still that
no one was struck, probably the blues.
fired in the air, but it was the clock that
received all the discharge in the dial
plate. Look; you may yet see the holes.
Think you what were the emotions felt
by. the Marchioness! The clock stopped
short and has never gone properly since.
However, my father did not lose his
presence Of mind At the sight of the
soldiers who ran about the house, he
took down his hat, ornamented with a
tri-colored cockade, and swinging it aloft.
he cried, "vive la republique!' -
ssToo late, citizen" said an officer,
sswhy did you not open to us? Without
doubt thou hidest some brigand.
My father looked him in the eyes and
proudly crossing hisarmsreplied Thou
takest me for another!"
This staggering bearing produced its