The Penn's Grove record., 1893-11-10
JEAN
Incident In the Life of thu Famous Old
Frenchman.

Auotuoab Al Az as "a k1N 80 Se1
Frenchman.
One of the French war-ships which
took part in the Columbia naval re-
view at New York was named the
Jean Bart. AS the ship was one of
the first class, and attracted conseI
quently a great deal Of attention, no
little curiosity was aroused by its
name, which to most people seemed
a strange one. In books OF reference
people were told that Jean Bart was
a French Admiral who flourished at
the close Of the seventeenth century,
and who, beginning life a. a fisher
man, rose tic high rank, and became
a popular hero; but none OF the cur
rent biographies contain any Of the
curious and amusing anecdotes about
him which rave come down from the
time when he lived.
One of these stories will serve TO
show what sort of man Jean Bart
was. When he had made O brilliant
record as a kind Of buccaneer, and
shown that he was u much ADLER sea-
warrior than any Of the officers Of
noble birth who commanded the navy,
King Louis made him first a lieuten-
ant and then the captain of a frigate,
in which position he greatly distin-
guished himself.
One day, while several elegant
courtiers were waiting In the great
monarch's antechamber for an inter-
view with the King, a rather rough
looking sailor came In. The eourtiers
and attendants were greatly shocked,
but the sailor announced that he was
Jean Bart, and that he had come to
see the King. Ono Of his men,
Keyser, had been condemned to death
for killing a man in q duel, and he
was going to ask the King to pardon
him.
''But, Monsieur lie Capitaine," said
the attendant, 'have you a royal in
vitation emitting you to an au-
dience?"
IA royal invitation" exclaimed
the Captain. "What do 1 want OF
that? The King and l are good
friends. No need Of all that nonsense
between us! You just tell him that
Jean Bart wants to talk to him, and
that'll be enough"
but l can't announce any one
| who hasn't an invitation" said the
| attendant"
'.All right" said Jean Bart; 'I'll
announce myself"
lie bounded toward the door Of the
| Kings apartment, very much as II
he we're starting to run up a main
mast. The attendant. with pale
!, face, placed himself before him, ex'
claiming:
'.But the Kings orders! Don't you
| obey the Kings orders?"
ooh we'll" said the sailor, 'if II
comes to that, I'll wait l won't &c
against the Kings orders"
He sat down among the astonished
courtiers. took out a pipe and some
tobacco, struck a light with his flint
and finder, and began to smoke. The
attendant protested that no one
smoked In the Kings antechamber;
but Jean Bart insisted that when be
was waiting he always smoked.
"Put him out!" some one whis'
pered; but no one ventured to do more
than whisper 1t. Soon the King
learned what was going on, and
ordered Jean Bart In as Don as he
should have finished his pipe. The
interview, in which Jean Bart con
Quoted himself with all due respect
to the King, ended In the granting
of Keyser's pardon, and Jean Bart
came back into the courtiers' pres
ence triumphant.
They all crowded about the bluff
Captain, very obsequious to him now,
and completely blocking his exit He
was In great haste to carry the pardon
to Keyser.
"Oh, tell US, Monsieur Jean Bart.
the courtiers began to exclaim, ''tel
us how you got out Of the harbor o
Dunkirk, when you were blockadet
there by the English fleetl"
"You want to know, eh?" asked
the Captain, pausing.
Certainly" they exclaimed
crowding still more closely abou
him.
"All right I'll show you Just hov
twas done. Look here; I'm Jeal
Bart, amt " Well. this room is tn
harbor of Dunkirk, and you fellow
are the English fleet blockadlng me
and now"
Whackl bang! whack! Jean Bar
laid about him, now administering
cuff, now a kick, and very forcibl.
clearing a way toward the door. A
he reached it, he exclaimed:
"Aud that's the way, gentlemen
that / got out of Dunkirk harbo
when I was blockaded there by tn
English fleetl Good-by!"
The war-ship that bears the nam
of this redopbtable sea-dog should b
q formidable antagonist