Gloucester County Democrat., 1899-03-16
INDICATED.


the kings courtiers were quite uncivil
At his sweetheart house. in the Rue
des Saints Peres the door was closed in
his face He was filled with astonish-
ment and grief. both of which were in
creased when he went to see his friends.
All looked askance at him, few deigned
even to speak to him. and none accorded
him the explanation he sought
Too proud to question strangers and
yet sensitive enough to suffer keenly
under the treatment he had received.
he went to his room to brood alone.
There was a mirror here and in this
he surveyed himself The hardships of
war had deprived him of his good looks
His face was drawn and haggard, his
skin wrinkled, his eyes were dull and
sad, while across his left cheek long,
disfiguring scar told where a saber had
cut deep
He left the mirror and sat down de-
jectedly II am grown ugly" he said
land poor and therefore they shun
me He thought Of his life. offered to
his country and to glory. of his hard
campaigns in America and the Indies,
of the famous battles in which he had
done his part under Montcalm and
Vaudreuil But all this. he told him
self "has been in vain The king. my
love- my friends, they are none of them
them all-my horse. who used to lick
my hand and neigh gladly at my COM
ing-he. too, is gone, for | have sold
him No one nothing is left to mel
One black thought was succeeded by
another and his gloom and melancholy
increased till life seemed but a burden
to be got rid of He was man of
come to this conclusion, he did not pro-
crastinate- His pistol lay ready to his
hand-one shot and the deed was done
AT court they said IN. de Bossue
had the fever Weeks and months
passed. and they spoke of him no more
But there remained to Bossue an old
time friend After serving in Spain for
some ten years and growing discomfort
ed with his work M lie Comte de la
Puysaye returned TO France and to the
court He gained prestige at Mines
de Boufess' De Chauvelni's. De Sur
CERES and Luxembourg's asked new
service of the king. and solicited n rcgi-
ment He called himself a friend of
Bossue poor fellowf he said
"Only 80 years old What could have
made him leave us in that wayf''
His face clouded when he heard the
story. for he was brave man himself
IA cowardi" he cried. .'Impossibler
But. yes. said his informer 1--WE
repeat only what the reports said-re-
ports which were sent to the king di-
rect NJ de Bossue, it seems. disliked
the enemy too greatly-so much SO. in
fact, that he could never bring himself
to approach him.
''Bossue a coward cried the count
HE must have changed greatly. then
May not these reports have been falseT
We'll the marshal himself = and
so on La Puysaye heard the story re-
peated a score of times. and found that
the mention of Bossue's name brought
forth only curses or reproaches. He
ended by renouncing him
'But. he said to himself one day
81 can t forget him loved him well,
and believe / love him still Very
well. / shall allow myself this little &C.
centricity of loving dishonored
wretch. Bossue remains my friend. and
of all the world alone shall recall him
with something other than disdain.
He hung the dead man s portrait on
his wall once more. But the portrait
was an old one and no longer resem-
bled anybody La Puysaye, discomfort
ed. wished for some other souvenir
something which Bossue had used He
thought of the horse Where is he
nowg They tell me that he sold him
That horse carried poor Bossue for ten
years | must find him
Once, while his friend still served
with him. he had seen the horse-a
curious beast Of a dark yellowish color.
the product of a cross between a Span
ish barbEand an Indian pony He was
able to furnish descriptions of the ami
NAL to certain men whom be sent in
search of it
The men were away three months
One day La Puysaye received notice
that horse answering to the descrip-
tion given had been found in field in
Artois He went to the place and
bought the animal at once 1t was in
deed. Bossne extraordinary beast the
friend of his friend old and thin. wcrn
by the hard service before the plow and
the i'll treatment of the farm hands
There were the white legs. still fine as
those of racer the long black tail and
name and those eyes dark cold. clear
and fixed that made one uneasy
Strange animal' thought La Puy
saye
He had it fed groomed and saddled
and set out for Paris at rather halt
ing gallop Much fatigued he arrived
| at length But tired as he was there
was to be lil1le rest for him A note
from the burean of war awaited him
informing him that his request for
regiment had been granted that it
was to be known as the Grenadiers Puy
saye and that lie must join it near Fri
nourg as soon as possible taxing narti-
| " tins for the writing of letter and
the saying Of an adieu. he departed for
that place, and gratifying his own wish
! he went there ON Bossue's horse.
His new grenadiers grumbled among
themselves is il with that plug.
they said. "that he means to lead us =
La Puysaye's friends looked at the
beast critically An ensign lifted its
| lip s'No use. said the count. he's
an old horse. and his teeth no loI ger
mark his aye.
bat why didn't you come on iiour
black fellow z
"Oh. Constantine broke his leg, and
but do not laugh messieurs--lNoor
and old as is this charger he is good
enough for the campaign judged hat
we should be only amusing ourselves
here and / did not wish to honor the
enemy by riding too fine a horse.
The officers saluted sinilingly, and
the colonel wishing to see the marshal,
Nj. de Coigny. inquired the way to his
| quarters Before going thither be left
his horse with his orderly. who was 20