The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-06-09

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PART ].
Manythings.are toldtof that redoubt-
nble adveuturer Paul Jones-whom i
knew well--to concede him with Mr..
jefferson and Dr. Franklin the most SUI
rreme lncrit.as man of resource.
Made as heryas with. the tireless spir-
st of effort, itNvas 10 be,expccted that he
should end as he did disappointed in
his career. i know ofynothing saddcr,
more tragical than the'end of that poor
chevalier of the Order of Merit of Louis
XVI. who had been aunost doughty cap
tain in our navy, and-an admiral among
the Russians, where political intrigue
obscured his ability, dying as he did in
Paris in 1892. / like TO think of him
better as / knew him in the fame that
the victory of the. c.Bon lIomme Richard
over the SeraIis had secured him--
when he took OH ratherthe manner of a
beau, assumed fine airs, sported the
sword the king had given him, was
petted by the ladics-evcn by Marie
Antoinette, then in the fine heyday of
her gayety before'her sud end. mean
the time when he had his celebrated
affair with la ComtesSe deaBourbon, and
with Mime. Thellison.
For this little swarthy,fellow, with
his peering eye, his boastfng over the
greatness of the republic he served 50
well, was ever the admircr of n petit
coat when its wearer was fair. / am
told he had several duels on his hands
on that account, of one, OF which and
dts mysterious cause DIR. Franklin him
self has preserved the account.
But there is another-one between
himself and one,of the fairest, cleyerest,
most charming and dangerous women
of the court at Versailles. which I
have never seen recorded, and which I
will put down as / had it myself from
rhe great captains lips.
The lady was la Comtesse Hortensc
lie Fevre, q rich young widow, and who,
besides Capt. Paul, had many aspirants
TO her favor, among others Lord Whit
tlesey, of the English'fore Office. In
the end -he became, as you will remem-
iber, the countess of Whittlesey, the
mother of the present earl (1s13).
Now, at that time, the English were
piqued ut Capt. Jones, would not allow
him any merits, ts,excepting of the Capt.
Kidd order, and dearly wished TO catch
him that they might swing him from n
yard-arm.
Well. Capt. Jones, just then idle, and
because he was man who must have
some activity, even if it were playing
with the fire of the devil, found time
for mary affairs. as have said. Among
Others he conceived the passion lor
Mime. Le Fevre. She was of medium
height, fair. plump, with the most be-
witching lips, and enticing grey eyes.
always exquisitely gowned among
Marie Antoinette's ladies-always most
proficient at the affected simplicity that
played about The Little Trianon.
And behold our swarthy American
captain, the great son of Scotch gar
dener, ,sighing for her, until all the court
noticed 1t, and made sport of him, and
called him Nine. Ia Comtesse's "Poor
Paul" And madame herself liked it
all, counting him but one more victim.
but she played him off, as she did many
other gentlemen. French, italian, Ger.
mans and Russians, who wrote verses
TO her and called her the fair, cruel,
cold lie Fevre after the fashion of that
dGywhen the entimentality,asM.R Rous-
scan so well expressed 1t, but hid the
horrid seriousness of the time under
this veneer all "out of joint"
She smiled. as I say, on all; had no
favorite; fiirted and encouraged just
enough without suffering scandal to
1cuch her skirts. And in the mean
time, though no one knew it, she had
become secretly plighted to Lord Whit
tlesey. 1t would rot have been prudent
for a lady who courted popularity at
Versailles at this period to have con-
fcsscd penchant for an Englishman.
Now, while our captain was shrewd