The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1895-12-05
lMPERlHL MILLIONS
By JULIAN HAWTHORNE

IhlS evidently pleased the count very
much, and put him completely at his
ease. He sat down ON the little sofa in
the window. Olympia remained at her
easel, but laid away her palette and
brushes, and they were soon chatting to-
gether in the language of Paris with the
freedom and vivacity of old acquaint-
ances. Olympia did not find the count
the stiff and rather portentous being
that she had pictured him from Toms
description.
"And is this your first visit to Amer
ica?" she inquired at length.
81 feel already SO much at home that
/ can hardly think it is my frst," he re-
piled, land am nearly decided to make
this my home. France is not, or ever
will be. the France she was"
''Then, you are an imperialist? But we
have no emperors herev'
''Frenchmen are not like Americans;
they need the strong hand. The De
Lisles were Frenchmen generations be.
fore the first Napoleon left Corsica. They
were monarchists; but at present there
is still less hope for the king than for the
emperor. AS for me, / was with Ma
poleon during the war with Germany,
and owe him much"
"You knew Napoleon himself? Did
you like him?'
81 owe him much, repeated the count
81 cannot criticise him. He was great
adventurer, and he conquered fortune
for time"
''But what did he do especially for
your
t'Well." said the count, hesitating q
little, she gave me the Cross of the
Legion, and he gave me my title. My
father was plain gentleman"
''What had you done to win the crossr'
The count smiled. 81 was not great
soldier" he said, "but had good luck.
Opportunities came in my way. You re-
member that Bazaine fought at the battle
of Gravelotte, near Metz, on the eigh-
teenth of August"
Olympia nodded. 'sAnd he shut him
self up in Metz the same nightI''
Eyes; see you are not ignorant of
these things. Well, then, he wished to
send news to MacMahon, who was some
where to the west of us-it might be fifty
miles or it might be hundred. It was
really a hundred, as it turned out, for /
found him at Rheims, and lost another
thirty miles by wandering"
"You bore the dispatches from Bazaine
to MacMahon. then?"
81 did, and | had an unpleasant time
of it. My first horse was killed; my Sec
ond was drowned; I was myself wounded
slightly in the leg and in the arm with
one thing and another. I was three
days on the road. reached MacMahon's
handed in my dispatches. Napoleon
and the marshal were in the room to-
gether. MacMahon questioned me. The
dispatch said that Bazaine meant to
break through the investing armies un-
der Prince Frederick and Albert of Sax
ony and gain Chalons by northern
route. said that did not believe he
would succeed. The enemy were too
strong and were constantly REINFORCED.
Napoleon listened and kept his eyes on
me. "What should we do, then, Mr.. de
Lisle?' he asked me. "March to save
Paris at oncel' said. Napoleon glanced
at MacMahon and nodded. But, as
learned later. the minister of war in
Paris had sent orders to move on Metz:
MacMahon hesitated; Napoleon, wha
was i'll, would not decide, and in the
end,- no doubt you remember, made
moiselle, we set out for the Meuse. 1t
was when that order was given that
France was defeated. Sedan was merely
the corollary.
''And were you at Sedan also?a
eyes; saw the end. When MacMahon
got his wound it was still early in the
morning; he gave his command to DUO
rot, who was in his right senses, and
perceived that our only hope was to
break through to the westward and gain
Mezieres. But the French were doomed.
DeWimpffen, who had been appointed
MacMahon's contingent successor by or
ders from Paris, was mad enough to not
only countermand Ducrot's orders, but
to prepare to pierce the enemy's lines to
the eastward and march for Metz. You
may imagine, mademoiselle, the con-
fusion. 1t soon became CONSERVATION,
and, with some, panic. Meanwhile the
Germans encircled us; from the sur
rounding hills their cannon played on
us, converging. We could do nothing;
what we could we tried. In the morn
ing had, at Napoleon's request, headed
our line at Daigny, and held it for two
hours, and later, when Douay at last
gave way before the Fifth and Eleventh
corps at Floring and we were all being
driven in upon our center, joined in
the charges of our Seventh cavalry, and
| believe it was there that won the
cross. At any rate, was pretty badly
hurt there, and late in the afternoon.
while lay inside the fortress, listening
to the cannon and wondering if any one
would be left alive by morning, the em-
peror came in.
"He looked as if he had been wounded
to death himself; and so he had, though
not by sword or bullet. His heart and
spirit were broken. But he saluted me
courteously, and said: I'VE are ruined,
M. de Lisle. l am about to order the
white flag to be hoisted. But wish to
say to you that it is not your fault that
France falls today. You saw the rem
edy, and urged it; you have also ex-
posed your life like brave man, and in
a manner to effect the best results. You
have done well, and thank you. In an
hour shall cease to be emperor; mean
while, let me bestow upon you what is
in my power to bestow.' He then gave
me the cross from his breast, and put in
my hand folded paper-the patent of
nobility. i have observed your con-
Duct he said, 'and provided this recog-
milton of IT. Had DESTINY hean hind to