The Natchitoches enterprise., 1899-06-08
INDICATED.

Wren IL. de Bossue returned to Oh,
court is France be was most eoldly re
Ceived The king refused to see him, ant
the kings courtiers were quite uncivil
At his sweetheaFt's house, in the Rue
des Saints Peres, the door was closed il
his face. He was filed with astonish-
ment and grief both of which were in
creased hen>h went hisfrienSs,
All looked askance at him. few deigIS
even TO speak to him. and none accorded
him the explanation he sought.
Too proud to question strangers and
yet sentative enough to suffer keenly
under the treatment he had received.
he went to his room to brood alone.
There was q 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,
disGguring scar told where a saber had
cut deep.
He left the mirror and cat down de-
,jectedly. 81 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 aud the Indies,
Of the famous battles In which he had
done his part under Montcalm and
Vaudreuil. but all this. !" he told him
SEX. has been In vain. The king, my
love. my friends, they are none Of them
left to me. The only faithful one of
them aIl-my horse. who used to lick
my hand and neigh gladly at my com.
iug-he too, is gone. for / have sold
him. No one nothing il left to met
One black thought was succeeded by
another, and his gloom and melancholy
increased till life seemed but burden
to be got rid Of. he was man Of
promptitude and decision. and, having
come to this conclusion. be did not pro-
crastinate. His pistol lay ready to his
hand-one shot and the deed was done.
At court they sid. M de Bossue
had the fever Weeks end months
passed, and they spoke Of hinSNo more
But there remained to Bossue an old
time friend. After serving In Spain for
some ten years and growing discon$ent-
ed with his work Nj 10 Comte de la
Puysaye returned to France and to the
.Enlirt BE gained prestige at Mines
De Bouaess. De sChauvelni's, De Sur
CERES and Luxambourg's. asked new
service Of the king. and solicited a regi-
ment. He called himself a friend of
Bossue. Poor fellowi'' he eaid.
"Only 30 years odd What could have
made him leave MS in that wayf"
His face clouded when he heard the
story. for he was q brave man himself.
"a coward" be cried "Impossiblep
But yes. said his informer. 1--WE
repeat only what the reports said-re-
ports which were. sent to the king di-
rect n. de Bossue, ii seems. disliked
the enemy too greatly-so much 80, in
fact that he could never bring himself
70 approach him. :
rBossue cowardl'' cried the count
He must have changed greatly. then.
May not these reports have been false e.
Well. the marshal himself and
20 on La Puysaye heard the story re-
peated score of times. and found that
the mention Of Bossue's name brought
forth only curses or fepFoaches. He
ended by reuouncing him.
But, he said to himself one day.
8 can forget him loved him we'll
and ] believe | love him still Very
well ehall allow myself this little &C.
cantricity that Of loving a dishonored
wretch Bosaue remains my friend. and |
ct ell the world alone shall recall him |
with something other than disdain. !"
de hung the dead mans portrait on |
his wall once more But the portrait !
was an old one and no longer resem-
bled anybody la Puysaya. discomfort |
- wished fex coma other souvenir