The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1891-11-27
miscellaneous.
THE SABOTS.

General Gilbert Motier, Marquis de Lafay-
cite, kept the old family chateau, Chavaniac
in Auvergne, large, strong, seignoirial build
ing, yet without comeiness or character.
Not far away, among tall forests of beeches
and cbestnuts, sleep, rocky heights arose.
| Under the dim green light of these broad
woodlands dwelt in their rude cabins and la.
| bored shoulder TO shoulder charcoal burners
and resin galherers, bushel makers and COOP
ers, cobblers, and fashioners of clapboards and
| lalhs-the whole tribe of workers 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 the gratings of saws,
with the slowly curling smoke and lowtoned
songs that rose to heaven from mapy a hap.
Ply busy heart.
To this company belonged an orphan cob
bier boy, pensive and timid and silent, who
apart from the rest cut and clipped, pared
and pointed, followed and polished the sabots
that he made. His name was Razon in the
city would have been Raison-Reason but
the easy, careless people 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 raison-lacking wit. And then
because under an old musket hanging in his
hut he had set little picture of Marie An
toinette they laughingly whispered sometimes
to one another that he was in love with their
beautiful queen.
One day General de Lafayette came from
Paris to the castle of Chavaniac. 1t was in
those days that at Trianon the French court
played the pastoral under the leadership of
M. de Florain, captain of the dragons and
tla nd nd tbo fol-
ladies of the land disguised themselves as
swains and millers and country schoolmasters,
as shepherd girls and mikmaids. IT'S said
they all wore sabots, dainty ones, to be sure,
but veritable wooden shoes, with Marie An
toinette the first among them. Such was the
story which the good Marquis de Lafayette
brought to the eager list eners in his neigh
boring forests, and Darazon was there, most
eager listener of them all.
1.-THE queen, then, wears wooden shoon,
NJ lie Marquis? ?"
YES"
"And i'll made her pair you'd take them
to her. M. lie Marquis?"
Surely, if you can make such as sha Il be
more beautiful than any sweetheart ever
wore, and fine enough for our gentle queen"
And Darazon was off Night and day he
worked, nor stopped till he made in truth a
handsome pair, such as the Auvergne 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. Darazon, with his pair of sabots,
knocked at the chateau gate and asked for NJ.
lie Marquis.
1t is l." he said, "and here are the wooden
shonn."
"You have made them, to be sure and they
might well be tor your sweetheart, for they
are beautiful and you may be sure that l
will give them to the queen"
And indeed they were beautiful of chest
nut wood and narrow and cered and elegant,
finely cut and carved with delicate ornament;
upon the Toe was wrought 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 cobber had
exaggerated it little. The marquis took the
sabots and carefully examined them, admir-
ing them, yet smiling, too; for well he knew
the meaning of the letters written on the
shoes of every fiancee in Auvergne.
Darazon hurried home and underneath his
| tiny portrait of the queen he heavily traced
| in black the four mystical characters. Gen.
eral de Lafayette left for Paris, carrying to
| Trianon, as he had promised, The sabots of
Auvergne; nor did he forget to tell their story,
for the court was ever ready for shepherd
tale. The queen was greatly pleased; real
country sabots from the hands OF real sabot
maker of the mountains and so quaint and
| queer.
"The heart surrounded with rays, as they
make the Virgins head, | understand; but L.
T. L. ", Marquis?"
Your Majesty alone can permit me or COM
maHd me to declare their meaning"
II listen, Marquis. permit YOU
"Taimerai touta la vida"
,fnsw To
greatly puzzled.
"Patois of Auvergne. Otherwise, etaime-
raj toule la vie-Pll love thee my whole life
long )" and NJ. de Lafayette laughed heartily.
Not so the queen, and she said nothing.
| "The curious fact is that my simple young
| cobbler adores you under the form of a small
image, yet very like your majesty"
"BraVe boy! Poor felow!' murmured the
queen, deeply moved. THE sabots, NJ. lie
Marquis. are, think, little large; but 80
much the 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, bring
ing them we'll filled with gold.
Marquis, put this gold in casket and
send it to your cobbler with the queens best
thanks, and tell him, too-no. tell him moth
ing more" And General de Lafayette laid in
| handsome box and sent 10 Chavaniac the
two sabotfuls of gold and the queens acknow-
Judgments.
Marie Antoinette was pleased to put the
sabots on yes, they were a trifle large, as
| she had thought, and she might even have
fallen had there been time for her to wear
them. But it was the vigil of the Revolu-
| ton.
The years of the Revolution passed like
whirlwind blasts, with ever greater fury. Al
ready Collot d'Herbois had brought an in
dictment against General de Lafayette; al
ready the bright, golden head of the Princess
de Lamballe, mounted on pole, had been
carried through the boulevards of Paris.
| Daraz0n, in his quiet mountain home, knew
it and it took the color from his face and
sent anguish to his heart. And finally, when
he heard the royal family had been taken TO
the Temple, he grew more sad and serious
and one morning he was missing from his
hut, pretty box wide open, the old musket
gone, and the picture of the queen.
The poor youth had started for the Temple
ON foot, with his musket at his side, with
all the golden louis sewed in his drugget vest
and the picture of Marie Antoinette hung;
| around his neck. In his love and his ingeni-
BUSINESS he had thought nothing less than
that he might save his queen. He travelled
by night, keeping to the woods by day, weary,
famished, but ever going on.
Finally he reached the city the 18th Of Oc-
tober, 1898, worn and sick, and mad with
rage and tenderness. In the Place de la Bas-
tile he accosted patriot wearing Phrygi-
an bonnet and armed with club.
"To go to the Temple?" he asked.
| "What do you want TO do at the Temple ?"
RESCUE the queen"