Morning journal and courier., 1891-05-27
The Sabots of Mnrie eAntofuette.


 The sabots of Marie Antofnette. From the French of Anne Giron, in the Figaro,
 translated by Cornelia A. B. Rogers.l
 General Gilbert Motier, Marquis de La Fayette, kept the old family cha teau, Chavaniae, in Auvergne, a large, strong, seignoirial building, yet without comeliness or character. Not far away, among tall forest of beeches aud chestnuts, steep, rocky heights arose. Under the dim green light of these broad woodlands dwelt in their rude cabins and labored shoulder to shoulder charcoal-burn- CTS and resin. .gatherers, bushel-makers, and coopers, coblers and fashioners, of clap boards and laths-the whole tribe of work CTS in wood And this little people ate and hewed together in the open air under leafy shadows, mingling the deafening blows of axe and hammer, the grindings of files, ,and and the gratings of saws, with the slowly curling smoke and the low-toned songs that rose to heaven from many happy busy heart.
 To this company belonged an orphan 
 who apart from the rest cut and chipped, pared and pointed, hollowed and polished the sabots that he made. His name was Razou; in the city 1t would have been Raison-Reason; but the easy careless peo- pie of the province had rounded its sharp, rough corner and softened it to their own liking But since he lived alone and spoke but little, the neighbors thought him dull and stupid and dubbed him Darazou-De- xuif under an old musket hanging in his hut he set little picture of Marie Antoinette they laughingly whispered sometimes to one another that he was in love with their beau tiful queen.
 One day General de La Fayetts came from Paris to the castle of Chavaniac. It was in those days that at Trianon the French played the pastoral under the lead ership of M. de F1orian, captain of the Dragons; and the rich, grand seigneurs and the fair, great ladies of the land dis guised themselves as swains and millers and country schoolmasters, as shepherd girls and milkmaids. 'Tis said they all wore sabots, dainty ones, to be sure, but veritable wooden shoes, with Marie Antoi- nette the first among them. Such was the l story which the good Marquis de La Fla yette brought to the eager listeners in his neighboring sand Darazou was there, most eager listener of them all.
 'The Queen, then, wears wooden shoon. NJ. le Marquis.'
 ',Yes."
 "And if made her pair you'd take them to her, NJ. le Marquiss" "Surely. if you can make such as shall be more beautiful than any sweetheart ever wore, and fine enough for our gentle | queen"
 And Darazou was off. Night and day he | worked, nor stopped till he had made in | truth a handsome pair, such as the Au- vergne peasant fondly fashions for the maiden of his choice; and they-for they are the wedding sabots-are ever treasured by the young wife and the aged dame. Darazou, with his pair of sabots, knocked at the chateau gate and asked for M. le Marquis.
 'It is I,"he said, land here are the wood en shoon."
 "You have made them, to be sure; and they might well be for your sweetheart, for they are beautiful; and you may be sure that will give them to the queen" | And indeed they were beautiful; of chestss | nut wood, and narrow and cered and ele- l gant, finely cut and carved with delicate ornament; upon the toe was wrought a heart encircled with rays and wreathed above it these four letters T. T. L. V. As | for the point, since it was for royal foot, the simple cobbler had exaggerated it lit tie. The Marquis took the sabots and care fully examined them, admiring them, yet l smili ng, too; for well he knew the meaning | of the letters written on the shoes of every l fancee in Auvergne.
 Darazou hurried home and underneath his tiny portrait of the queen he heavily traced in black the four mystical charac- ters. General de La Fayette left for Paris, carrying to Trianon, as he had promised, the sabots of Auvergne; nor did he forget ready for a shepherd tale. The queen was greatly pleased; real country sabots from the hands of @ real sabot-maker of the mountainsl and SO quaint and queeri
 "The heart surrounded with rays, as they make the Virgins head, I understand; but T. T. L. v, Marquis2"
 "Your Majesty alone can permit me or command me to declare their meaning"
 q listen Marquis: 1Permit you"
 'T'aimerai touta Ia vida"
 "Well9" exclaimed Marie Antoinetfe, greatly puzzled.
 "Patois of Auvergne.- Otherwise, Je t,aime raj toute la vie-I'n love the my
 whole life long"; and M. de La Fayette laughed heartily. Not so the queen, and she said nothing.
 ssThe curious fact is that my simple | young cobbler adores you under the form
 of a small image, yet very like your Majes-
 ty."
 Brave boyl Poor fellow!" murmured the queen deeply moved. ''The sabots, NJ. le Marquis, are, I think, 6 little large; but
 so much better for the reward" and Marie Antoinette spoke low in the ear of the Princess de Lamballe, who took the sabots, ) went out quickly, and soon came back, bringing them we'll filled with gold.
 "Marquis, put this gold in cssket and
 send it to your cobbler with the queens
 best thanks, and tell him, too-no, tell him nothing more" And General de La Fa- yette laid in handsome box and sent to . Chavaniac the two sabotfuls of gold and the queens acknowledgements.
 1 Marie Antoinette was pleased to put the
 sabots on: yes, they were e trife large, ae
 she had thought, and she might even have
 fallen, had there been time for her to wear them. But 1t was the vigil of the revolu. tion.
 The years of the revolution passed like
 whirlwind blasts. with ever greater fury Already Collot d'Herbois had brought ar indictment against General de La Fayette 1 already the bright, golden head of ths
 Princess de Lamballe, mounted on 6 pole 7 had been carried through the boulevards o ) Paris. Darazou in his quiet mountain } home, knew it. and t took the color iron