The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1899-04-22
HIS VINDICATION.

When M. de Bossue returned to the
court in France he was mostly coldly-
received. The king refused to, see him
and the kings courtiefs were quite I'M
civil. At his sweetheart's house. In
the Rue des Saints Peres, the door was
closed in his face. He was filled with
astonishments and grief, both Of which
were increased when he went to see
his friends. All looked askance a.
him, few deigned even to speak to him.
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 wal 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 q
long. dishguring scar told where a
saber had cut deep. i
He left the mirror. and sat 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 and thu
Indies; of the famous battles IN which
he had done his part under Montcalm
and Vaudreill-t..but all this" he told
himself, has been in vain. The king.
my love, my friends, they are ono 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 I
have sold him. No one-nothing Is
left to me-
One black thought was succeeded by
another, and his gloom and melancholy
increased until life seemed but a bur-
den to be got rid of. He was a man
Of rromptitude and decision, and, hav-
ing come to this conclusion, he did
not procrastinate. His pistol lay ready
t, his hand-one shot and the deed
was done. g.
At court they said: I'M. de Bossue
had the fever Weeks and months
passed and they spoke no more of him.
But there remained to .Bossue an
old-time friend. After serving in
Spain for some ten years. and grow
ing discontinued with his work, NJ. lie
Comte de Ia Puysaye returned to,
France and to the court. He
gained prestige at Mcsdames
do, Boufless'. de Chauvelin's. de
Surgers's, and. Luxembourg's. and
asked new service of the king, and
solicited a regiment. He called him
self . friend of Bossue's.s Poor fell
lowT' he said; ''only 80 years old. What
could have made him leave us in that
way?"N f.
'tHis face clouded when he heard the
story, for he was a brave man him
self. "A coward!!" he cried; impossi-
bier
:".But yes" said his informer. I'VE
repeat only what the reports said-re-
ports which were sent to the king d.
rect. n. 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 those reports have been
false?" s
"well. the marshal himself" and
50 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 r%enouncing him.
But" he said to himself one day,
Il can't forget him. I loved him we'll.
and I believe I love him still. Very
we'll, I shall allow myself this little &C.
centricity-that Of loving a dishonored.
wretch. Bossue remains my friend. and
OF all the world I alone shall recall
him with something other than dis
dain."
He hung the dead mans portrait on
his wall nee more. But the portrait
a an old one. and no longer resem-
bled anybody. La Puysaye. discon-
tented, wished for some other souvenir
. something which Bossue had used.
He thought Of the horse. "Where is
he now? They tell me that1he sold
him. That horse carried poor Bossue
for ten years. I must IND. him"
Once. while his friend still. served
with him. he had seen the horse-a
curious besst,ofs dark-yellokish color;
the product or cross between q span
ish barb ana m Indian pony. He was
able to furnish Inscriptions 81 thA n
imal to certain men whom hA sent In;
search Of 1T 4 "A 4 ss ~ 5s
The men were away three months.
One. day Ia Puysaye received notice
thstsa horse answering to the descrip-
ton given had been found in q field in
Artois. He went to the place and
bought the animal at once. It was.
indeed, Bossue's extraordinary beast.
the friend Of his friend, old ana thin,
worn by the hard service before the
plow and the i'll treatment Of the farm
hands. There were the white . legs.
still rs ine 40 those Of 4 racer. the
long black tail and name, and those
eyes-dark, cold, clear and hxed-that
made one uneasy. Strange animaf!s
thought La Puysaye.
He had It fed. RrOomed and saddlad.