Waterbury evening Democrat., 1893-07-08
ATREACHEROUSMAID

Mime. Loufourcade, the wife of an | army officer during the French revolu- | tion, was applied to by the wife of an- other officer to afford concealment for l her husband. Mime. Loufourcade lived a short dis l tance from the city of Lyons. She had | four servants, and the main difficulty, provided the officer could reach her 1 dwelling without discovery, was how best to guard the secret from them.
 It was finally decided that one of the females should be taken into her conf | dence and that the officer, who was a rather effeminate looking man, should come disguised in female attire and be passed off as a cousin of Fanchette.
 So Fanchette, rather pretty girl, was made acquainted with everything.
 Captain LaveEgne made his appear ance in due time, disguised as woman, and so well did he look and play his part that he was not suspected by the other servants of being different from what he seemed. In order, however, to incur as little risk as possible, he pre- tended to be greatly fatigued by his journey, and was, soon after his arrival, shown to private room on the upper floor, which he did not leave again for week, it being given out that he was quite i'll.
 At the end of the time mentioned some eight or ten soldiers made their appear ance at the mansion and demanded the person of Captain Lavergne.
 If you think there is any such individ- ual under this roof, you can make your search" replied Mime. Loufourcade. When the servants were called togeth- CT, the lady perceived that Fanchette was pale and trembling.
 As soon as the officer saw her he ex- claimed:
 Well, wench, did you tell the truth or not? If you did, it's all right with you, and you needn't be scared; if you didn't, it's my honest opinion you'll soon be head shorter"
 What is this?" cried Mme Loufour- cade, in astonishment.
 Well. I don't carcr' said Fanchette assum ng an impudent manner. Its | time the aristocrats was put down and made to know that other people is as | good as them. 1 heard there was a re- ward of a thousand francs offered for this man, who's dared to come here and pass himself off as a female, and thought Id just as good right to the money as anybody"
 And for this you have sold your soul," groaned her mistress.
 Don't come any religious talk over meT cried Fanchette. Il know more of what's been going on than you think. Religions been swept away by decree, and deaths an eternal sleep"
 That's all true, girl" chimed in the officer with an emphatic oath. "But while we're talking the man may get away. Here, guard, seize and bind all these parties"
 | There was no resistance made by the mistress and her terrified servants, and in very short time all except Fanchette were secured with cords.
 ''Now, girl" said the officer, with a coarse laugh, show us the way to your sweet female cousin"
 Captain Lavergne meantime was not entirely ignorant of his peril. From his window he had seen the approach of the soldiers and rightly conjectured they were in quest of himself. His apartment was so situated that he could not go down stairs and escape without being seen by some of the servants. He was F alarmed, and his mind became active to 9 devise some means of defense or escape. He had in his possession brace of load ed pistols, and his first idea was to bar , ricade his door and sell his life as dearly as possible, but in looking about the apartment he noticed the fireplace and discovered that the chimney was large enough to admit his person. He could see the light at the top, and it occurred to him that perhaps he might escape and he resolved to make the trial.
 Taking his pistols with him, Captain Layergne hurriedly pushed his way uI the chimney, with the view of getting on the roof, but when he had ascended
 some eight or ten feet he discovered t<
 his agreeable surprise that there was (
 kind of recess, such as were sometimet
 left in old fashioned chimneys for th'
 purpose of opening another fue when - ever it might be wanted, large enougl
 to conceal him from the view of any ont
 looking up from below.
 Hastily getting into it, he breathed | II