Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1894-12-09

anu now men piued, women Wcpt, al
| frowned and wondered and kept silence
That young, vain, caprlclous beauty -tht
pet and spoiled child from her very cradle
| OF gay and luxurious court. worshlpec
| Tor her charms like a second Aphrodite. in.
| toxicated With the love OF admlration--thai
should one be inconstant, feklel should
| swerve from her fealiy to the dead--a ques-
tionable fealty always--and be won to a
rash second love by the falsehood and
treason OF man, young brave and hand
some, falsehood which had deceived wise
men--that such should be the course OF
events. men aaid. was neither strange nor
monstrous. 1t was a fault, a lapse Of which
/ she had been guilty, which might indeed
make her future faith suspected. which
would surely Justify Charles de La Hire
In casting back her proftered hand, but
| which at the worst was yenlal and deserv-
| Ing no such doom as the soul-chilling clois-
! ter
She had. they said. in no respect particle
pated In the guilt, or shared the treacheries
Of Armand. On the contrary, she. the vic
tim Of Ills fraud. had been the frat to de-
nounee. to spit at. to defy him.
Moreover. Il was understood that, al
| though De La Hire had refused her hand
several OF equal aud even higher birth than
no had offered to redeem her from the
clolster by taking her to wife of their free
choice. Jarnac had claimed the beauty. and
II was whispered that the Duke de Nevers
had sued to Henry vainly for the hand OF
the unwilling novice.
But the King was relentless.
Either the wife of De La Hire, or the
bride of God In the clolsterv was his un-
varying reply.
No further answer would he give-no dis
closure Of his motives would he make, even
to his wlsest councillors. Some, indeed. au-
CURED that the good monarchs anger was but
felgned, and that deemlng her sufficiently
ntluiEnnu already ha dnrirotfa qfi11 Of
forcing her to be the bride of him to whom
she had been detained, and whom she still
despite her brief lnconatancy, unquestion-
ably worshlped In her heart. For all men
stlll supposed that at the last Charles would
forgive the hapless girl, and so relieve her
from the living tomb that even now seemed
yawnlng to inolose her. But others--and
they were those who Understood best the
mood Of Frances second Henry-vowed that
the wrath was real; and felt. that, though
no man could fathom the cause OF hls stern
Ire. he never would forgive the guilty girl,
whose caprice, as he swore, had caused such
strife and bloodshed.
But now It was high noon. and forth
hled from the palace gates a long and gilt
terng traln-Henry and all his court, with
all the rank and beauty of the realm,
knights, mobiles, peers and princes. damsels
and damea--the pride of France and Europe.
But at the monarchs right walked one. clad
in no gay attlre-pale langull, wounded and
warworn-Charles de La Hire, the victor.
sad gloom o'ercast his large dark eyes
and threw A shadow over his massy fore
head-his lips had forgot to smile, his glance
10 tighten, yet was there no remorse, no
doubt, no wavcrlng In h's calm. noble fea-
ture5-only fixed. settled sorrow. His long
and waving hair Of the darkest chestnut,
evenly parted on his crown fell down on
each cheek, and flowed over the broad plain
collar OF his shirt, which, decked with no
n-rtl raid tsa ,.,f- 81.
cape OF a plain black pourpoint, made
of fine cloth, indeed, but neither laced nor
passemented nor even slashed with velvet |
a broad scarf OF black t3ffcta supported bis |
weapon-a heavy dOublo-edged straight |
broadsword-and served at the same time to |
support his lett arm, the sleeve Of which |
hung open, tied In with points Of ribbon. |
His trunk hose and neither stocks of plain |
black allk. black velvet shoes and Eouched |
hat, with neither feather nor cockade, COM |
pleted the suit of melancholy mourning which |
he wore
In the midst of the train was vet sadder
eight, Marguerite de Vaudreull. ROBBED In the |
snow-white yestments ofanqvice. with all her |
glorious rights flowing in loose redundance
over her shoulders and her bosom, soon TO be
cut close by the fatal scissons-pale as the
monumental stone and only not as rigid A
hard-featured, gray-headed monk supported
her on each hand. and long train of priests
swept after With cruclAx and rosary and
censor.
Scarce had this strange procession issued
from the great gates of Les Tournelles the
death bells tolllng still from every tower
and steeple. before another train gloomler
yet and sadder, filed out from the gate OF
The royal ult-yard at the farther end of
which stood superb pavilion. Sixteen
black Benedlotlne monks led the array chant
Ing the mournful miserere, Next, behind
these. strange contrast, strode on Tho grln
gqlluE farm Glad n HE -ak, ~. !
md bearing full displayed his broad two
handed axe-full emblem Of his odlous call
ng-the public executoner OF Paris. I'M
neilately In the rear of this dark function
n.y. not borne by his bold captains nor fol-
owed by his gallant vassals, with arms re-
'ersed and signs OF martial sorrow, but ig-
supported by the grlm-vlsaged
ninLsters OF tho law. came on the bier OF
Armand, the last Count de Laguy
stretched in coffin Of the rudest material
.nd construction, with his rale vlsage bare,
Displaying stlll In It's distorted lines and
happened features the agonies OF mind and
'ody which had preceded his untimely dls-
olutldn, the bad but naughty noble was
,orne to his long home Ia the graveyard OF
Sotre Dame. HIS sword, broken in twain,
vas laid across his breast, his spurs had
'een hacked from his heels by the base !
leaver of the sculllon. and his reversed
seutcheon was hung above his head.
Narrowly saved by his wrOnged kinsman's
ntereesslon from dying by the heademon's
Weapon ere yet his mortal wounds ahould
ave let out his spirlt--he was destined m
ne shame OF dlshonored sepulcher-sueh /
vac the Kings decree. slasl memorable. 4
Ine funeral train proceeded. the King and 6
is court followed. They reached the crave 5
ara beneath those superb gray towers.
ley reached the grave in remote and !
iooiny corner. whore, In unconsecrated \
arm reposed tho executed felon. The 4
RESTS attended not the corpse beyond the n
reeincts OF that unholy spot; their solenn a
aaht died mournfnlly away; no rites were =
one no prayers were said above the sensc-
~ clay, nut In silence was It lowered Into h
le ready pit. silence disturbed only bv tbe y
esp hollow sound Of the ciods that fell Il
lst and heavy on the breast OF tho q,,IItv p
ooie For many a day a headstone mich, i
! seen-not raised BY the kind hands Of :,
PROVING friends nor waterod by the tears \
hnsnen, but planted there, to tell of hls Ii
4giaceiul doom-amld the nsmeless graves 81
me selt slain, and the recorded reslinr A
secs OF weil-known thieves and folons II =
as or dark gray freeatone. and II hore y
lNe brief words-brlef words but in that :,
'uAeoh speaking the voice OF volumes:
OF git Armand II
lie Dernier comte de Laguy.
= hree forms stood beside tho groye-rtood y
u the last clod had been heaned unon H. \
hdred clay, and the dark hesdatona g,
anted. Henry, the Klngl and Charles the W
arOu de Ia Hira. and vac =.