Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1895-04-18

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"No, it is too shameful to be true! Car
man acknowledge in this unblushins
way that he robbed his mother of he,
diamonds and took money for them
That he crept through her room a,
night to make off with every jewel
oh, not that valued the diamonds, ]
would SO gladly have given them il
you had asked. Oh, oh, oh, the cruel
the accursed things that make me de
spise my own flesh and blood, nv owr
son! No, what am 1 saying? l have
| no sons
stop, stop, my mother! Go softly
here. Is it that the long monotony ant
disappointment have disordered you;
OF what were you speaking? What is
it thatyou say about diamonds?"
She threw out her hands toward the
empty cases on the table, his eyes fol.
lowing the movement. For q moment
he was silent and transfxed, and he re.
manned silent with perplexity and won.
dernent. But, directly his quick wit
had taken in the truth. he looked al
her again, the tears sparkling suspend.
ed on her cheeks. There were tears in
his own eyes. He took her hand. My
mother" he said. Il would not think
that under any circumstances you could
have believed this of your son. Do you
not see how it is? Victorine took your
jewels. Pierre has disposed of them,
and with the price of them he goes into
his enterprises. 1t is the meaning OF
his wealth. ana It IS with the money
he receives for the Beauxlieux diamonds
that he buys the Bieuxlieux titles!"
What is it that l hear you say?'
cried the duchess, half startled out OF
the one terror by a new one. 1.-The
Beauxlieux titles! What of the Beaux-
lieux titles?''
'Why, nothing, except that sold
them to Pierre last June, and it is the
matter of which l have been speaking.
Not yours, madame; not any title be.
longing to you; you still retain your adj
dress of honor, you are still the Duchess
des Sarazincs Beauxlieux, if you choose,
douairiere. But those which were my
OVID. have I any use for them? I. a
man without fortune, and with other
views? In these days when thrones GO
under and empires disappear in the
gulf, and man, man climbs out, my
mother, | count it shame to hold titles,
not won by myself, but won by men
whose very ashes no longer exist!
say to nysclf-the titles, they are a
voice. q breath, they are non-existent
of% .s1, T,,% u.
foolish Pierre is willing to pay me for
leaving him alone if he assumes them
what can l not do for the people that
were given in trust to those ancestors
of mine who betrayed the trust? II
will buy land, houses, maintain the
prophets, the priests, of liberty. Per.
haps-who knows-buy dynamite"
"Beauxlieux!'
SIT will, at any rate, make my
mother at case ali her days, l said
What succor will it take to sufferers
And if by means of it can forward
the cause Of their uplifting and their
freedom-ah, were it only one man
who had held his head like beasts tc
the earth that helped to hold it up in
the face of God, it is better worth tc
me than all the titles of all my fore.
fathers. And SO l sold them to him
sold them every one. l, Louis Dago
bert Clovis Francois Maria Angclique
no longer Duke des Sarazines Beaux
lieux, Prince De Franche Haupte
Count dcs Aiguilles, Conte dc Grandes
Landcs, Baron Boissy, and all the alb
surd rest of them, my mother!"
"And for what remains" he said
nfter pause, IF it is honor to be
Beauxlieux, the sale of no title car
take that honor away. am always
and forever Bcauxlieux," with an in
expressiblc pride of bearing.
"But it is impossible!" cried his
mother. Il forbid it!''
at is donc," said Beauxlieux.
"But you do not confer titles--it Ia
the king, the council, the ministers,
the government"
1.-The government confers no more.
You forget that, whether one lives mp
to it or not, the motto now is liberty,
fraternity, equality"
You appall mel And. besides, lie
will not be allowed to wear them, the
lache"
"INho is to interfere? / shall not.
Nor am l ever to marry. No." as he
saw the protest in her face. Bring
others into the world to sorrow, tc
struggle, to endure? No, no, there will
never be anyone to disturb him. He
appears in the world Of Paris as the
Duke des Sarazincs Beauxlieux, and nc
one will ever be the wiser"
But my son, Heaven forgive me-do
you then assist at fraud, a felony?"
Hardly" said Bcauxlieux, "the
thing is too unsubstantial. What dc
the titles mean now in republics
Nothing. He gives me a certain pay
ment for leaving him to play his part
in peace. My pride might rebcl-but
the money is SO needed by those 9TH
ers, those poor creatures. And, more
ever" said Beauxlieux, Il find the play
sufficiently entertaining"
And then suddenly the duchesse
threw back her head and opened her
mouth with such peal Of laughter as
in many year before had not rung
through that old pile.
"Victorine.' she cried, "Victorine
the Duchesse des Sara1ines Beauxlieux.