Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1899-03-11
BOSSue'S VindiCatiOn
Row Charger Sustained His Dead
Masters Honor
NHTHEN NJ. de Bossue returned to
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N HEN NJ. de Bossue returned to
wv the court in France he was most
coldly received. The king refused to
see him and the kings courtiers were
quite uncivil. At his sweetheart's
house, in the Rue des Saints Peres, the
door was closed in his face. He was
filled with astonishme mt and grief, both
of which were increased when he went
to see his friends. All looked askance
at him, few deigned even to speak to
him, and none accorded him the expla-
nation 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 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 a long,
disfguring scar told where a saber had
cut deep.
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
campaign in America and the Indies;
of the famous battles in which he had
done his part under Montca and Vau-
dreuil-'but all this" he 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 mel"
One black thought was succeeded by
another, and his gloom and melancholy
increased till life seemed but burden
30 be got rid of. He was a man of
promptitude and decision, and, having
come to this conclusion, he did not pro-
crastinate. His pistol lay ready to his
Land-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 discon-
tented with his work. M. lie Comte de la
Puysaye returned to France and to the
court. He gained prestige at Mesdames
de Bufless', de Chauvelin's, de Surgere's
and Luxembourg asked new service
of the king, and solicited regiment.
He called himself 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; "impossible!"
"But yes!" said his informer; 1--WE re-
peat only what the reports said-re-
ports which were sent to the king di-
rect. NJ. de Bossue, it seems, disiIed
the enemy too greatly-so much so, in
fact, that he could never bring himself
to approach him."
"Bossue coward!" cried the count;
che must have changed greatly, then.
May not those reports have been false?"
"Well, 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
AoA AA SA4J SNASSS Va ASPtSoSASS' 49,
ended by renouncing him.
But" he said to himself one day, ~
can't forget him. loved him we'll, and l
believe l love him still. Very well.
shall allow myself this little eccen-
tricity-that of loving disbonored
wretch. Bossue remains my friend,
and of all the world l 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 some other souvenir
something which Bossue had used
He thought of the horse. 'Where is he
now2 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-yeIlowish
color, the product OF a cross between
Spanish barb md an Indian pony lie