Connecticut western news., 1891-12-31
FORGOTTEN

There are few who have not heard or read of the great French revolution of the last century, when cruel men seized on the government of France, when human life was of no account, and when, as if wearied with it's wickedness, God seemed to have hid his face from the sin ful land.
 No one may count up the tears that were shed, the moans that were made, the hearts that were broken in those dreadful times; but here and there out of the great mass of human misery his tory has preserved a record of the trials and sufferings of some hapless ones, read ing which we shudder and thank God that we live in happier days.
 Some few years after the Reign of Terror-as this outburst of sin and mad ness was we'll named-a man of middle age entered small inn in Germany and called for refreshments. His manners were timid andsshrinking, and he looked as if he might just have recovered from some terrible illness-he was so strange ly, ghastly pale.
 The landlord supplied his wants, and, half curious, half in kindness, he made some remark as to the strangers appear ance, coupling it with the question, Did he want aught else for his con- fortr"
 May, nothing," said the pale man hastily; Il, have food and light and air. what could I want more?" and he sighed deeply.
 My friend" said the landlord, seat ing himself, ''you speak as if you had known the want of these things. Have guessed aright?'
 His guest looked up.
 "Would you hear my tale?" he asked. "For years I have kept silence, but to- day it seems as if it would tighten my heart to speak Listen and believe it if you can. Less than seven years ago I was a gay, light hearted youth in this our quiet fatherland. Having no near relations, I was led to visit some distant ones who had lived for many years in a small town in France.
 ''My uncle, as I called him out of friendliness, was a kind, good fellow, we'll known and respected in the place, where he carried on the craft of a watch maker, and he proposed that I should become his apprentice and partner. liked the little town, liked my uncle, 1 liked my aunt, and 1 soon gave my consent. They had no children-I thank God for that now-but my aunts kindly soul could not be content without young people around her, so she kept and clothed two house maidens, children of some poor neighbors. Trim and neat they looked, too, wearing the costume of that part of Germany from whence my aunt came, 9 pretty fancy of her own; it seemed quaint enough in a strange | land.
 "It was happy household. No won- | der 1 was glad to belong to it; but, alas! | 1t was soon to be swept away by terrible | aff1iction. For some time we had heard of strange troubles going on in Paris and | the large towns, but our little place was still quiet. One morning, however, we woke to find everything in confusion. Our mayor had been ordered to resign, and his place was to be filled by some | one sent from Paris.
 Still, we never dreamed of what fear ful misery this was the forerunner. We had no time to dream, either, the blow fell so suddenly. There had been stir going on in the market place for the two days following the arrival of the new | official; but my uncle and I were busy | over discovery which he had made in | our trade, and we were less than usual | in the streets.
 | ''At noon, on the third day, however he went out for stroll to rest his eyes | al, h fr. foy ,t, My aunt and her maidens arranged as usual the midday meal, and we were al ready to sit down, only my uncle wa: missing. He was usually so punctua that we wondered and waited, and al last we dined without him. At the close of the meal I stepped out to look for him.
 ''I had not got dozen yards from ou1 house when I met our bakers wife, hel eyes staring out of her head.
 eco back she said, go back! It ii too late. The monster-the wretch! H. has executed the honest man, withou even the farce of trial, on the accurse( guillotine yonderp
 II was petrifed with horror. Coult she be speaking of my uncle, sorespected l SO QuleI oS uc WAS! lG WAS lOO u uc l III
 wretch in office had lost no time, but hat
 begun his work of bloodshed at once, ant my uncle was his first victim, his onl
 crime being that he was of foreign birth and had sheltered under his roof, som
 months since, poor Swiss. I retrace
 my steps to the house. My aunt's anxiou
 face met my troubled gaze. She ha
 begun to suspect evil. The two girl
 waited fearfully in the background.
 tried to speak, but I turned away an
 burst into tears. l was young ther
 Master Landlord, and had tears to shed
 My aunt passed me by and rushed int
 the street, straight to the market place I could not follow. What happene
 there was told me later.
 "Wild with agony at her husband fate, my gentle. loving aunt had burs
 into flood of reproach of his murder
 In these days this was crime enough fo
 the heaviest punishment, and befor . evening she had fared the same fate g 8 my uncle.
 1.-The Reign of Terror had indeed begu
 with us. Tho girls had fled, terrified 6
 the fate which had befallep their prt