The leader., 1899-03-08
BOSSue'S VindiCatiOn
How Charger Sustained His Dead
Masters Honor


NTHEN NJ. de Bossue returned to
w the court in France he was most
coldly received The king refused to
| see him and the kings courtiers were
quite unciviI. At his sweetheart 5
| house. in the Rue des Saints Peres the
| door was closed in his face He was
| filed with astonis hment and grief. both
| of which were increased when he went
| to see his friends. All looked askauce
at him. few deigned even to speak to
| him, and none accorded him the eXpla-
Eation he sought.
Too proud to question strangers. and
| Vet 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 III this
he surveyed himself The hardships of
war had deprived him of his good looks !;
his face was drawn and haggard. his
skin wrinkles; his eyes were dull and
sad: while across his left cheek a long,
dsfguring scar told where "a saber had
| cut deep.
He left the mirror and sat down de
jectedly. 81 am grown ugly" he said,
and poor. and therefore they shun
| me-" He thought of his life offered TO
his country and to glory; of his hard
campaign in America and the Indies !;
of the famous battles in which he had
done his part under Montcalm and Nau-
dreuil-"but all this" be told himself.
has been in vain. The king. my love.
my friends they are none of them left
to me. The only faithful one Of them
all-my horse who used to lick my
hand and neigh gladly at my coming
he. too, is gone. for | have sold him
No one-nothing is left to me-"
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, he did not pro-
crastinate. His pistol lay ready to- his
Eand-one shot and the deed was done.
At court they said M 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 discon-
tented with his work. NJ. lie Comte de Ia
Puysavc returned to France and to the
court. He gained prestige at Mesdames
de Buficss' de Chauvelin'S 5, de Surgerc's
and Luxembourg's; asked new service
of the king. and solicited regiment.
He called himself 4 friend of Bossue's.
Poor fellow" he said; only 30 years
old. What could have made him leave
US in that way.
His face clouded when he heard the
story, for he was brave man himself.
"A coward" he cried; ''impossble!'
But yes!" said his informer; I'VE re-
peat only what the reports said-re-
ports which were sent to the king dl-
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 coward" cried TIE count;
''he must have changed greatly. then.
Nav not those reports have been false:
well. the marshal himself and so
on. La Puysaye heard the story re-
heated a score of times. and found that
the mention of Bossue's name brought
forth only curses or reproaches. lie
ended by renouncing him.
But" he said to himself one day, 81
cant forget him. | loved him well. and
believe love him still. Very well, |
shall allow myself this> little eccen-
tricity-that of loving dishonored
wretch. Bossue remains my friend,
and of all the world alone shall recall
him with something other than dis
dain."
He hung the dead mans portrait on
his wall once more. But the portrait
was an old one, and no longer resem-
bled ANYBODY. La Puysaye, discon-
tented, wished for sor other souvenir
something which Bossue had used.
He thought of the horse. where is he
now? 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 dark-yeliowish
color. the product of a cross between Il
Spanish barb and an Indian pony. He
was able to furnish descriptions of the
animal to certain men whom he sent in
search of it.
The men were away three months.
One day. La Puysaye received notice
that a horse answering to the descrip-
ton given had been found in a field in
Artois. He went to the place and
bought the animal at once. 1t was, in
deed. Bossue's extraordinary beast, the
friend of his friend. old and thin, worn
by the hard service before the pillow and
the ill-treatment of the farmhands.
There were the white legs, still fine as
those of racer. he 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 10 be little rest for him. \ note
from the bureau of war awaited him,
informing him that his request for a
regiment had been granted; that ii was
| TO be known as the "Grenadiers Puy-
saye;" and that he must join il near
Fribourg as soon as possible. Taking
hardly time for the writing of letter
aud the saying Of an adieu. be departed