Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1900-10-08
THE KING AND THE IDIOT.

NfNG AMI ! lDIO
Bring the fellow in,' said the king
of Prussia.
"EIe is here, sire"
The idiot entered.
There was a moment of silence. The
kings eyes, like hands, searched the
captive. Behind him, drawn up stiff1y,
two aides-de-camp stood counting their
heart beats, and clock on the wall
licked out the seconds monotonously.
"Ah!' said the king, with his eyes
fixed on the fellows face.
The head was ignoble, with bristling
hair, with dead, lackluster eyes. 1t was
not a head; it was mass of clay
modelled in human semblance. Saliva
dripped necessarily from the pendulous
lips, and it hardly seemed possible that
a human soul could be imprisoned in
such a bestial specimen of manhood.
1t was pathetic.
And what do you think Of him,
gentlemen? Speak French before him.
What do you think?"
"That he is not an idiot, as he pre-
tends to be, sire, and that you can per.
fectly we'll question him."
You are the man." the king began,
"who escaped from the hands of my
grenadiers on the night of the 18th OF
this month with secret information for
NJ de Chevert." He stretched out his
hand and took up a paper which he
showed the prisoner. The man looked
down on the ground.
Yes" remarked the officer, 'he also
pretends to be deaf and dumb. He is a
clever rascal" and he gave the prisoner
shove. The idiot looked at the Prus-
sian and laughed silently.
81 insist" continued the king. "Here
is letter advising me of your mission
You are discovered. Drop this farce
and answer
The idiot gazed about him stupidity.
For some time an old general had
been studying the captive closely. He
was white-haired man, of some i'm
portance evidently. He drew near.
81 recognize you, monsieur lie mar
quis,'' he said.
The boy did not seem to hear word
His head nodded slowly and water ran
out of his mouth Silence again, and
the clock licked out the second. It was
pathetic
ct was you," the king continued,
"who advised NJ de Chevert, who had
taken up a position near Achem, to or
der up another corps formed of the
regiments of Navarro, Auvergne. and
40 companies of grenadiers. <"
The idiot was intently watching a fly
crawling along the floor, and suddenly
stamped at it with a resounding
thwack.
"* and two brigades of cav
airy, in order to attack Halberstadt.
Is that correct, monsieur" concluded
the king.
Only the clock replied.
The old general turned to the king
"I am absolutely certain, SIRE" he
said, that this man lis the Marquis
Antoine de Kerverscop de Coadilo of
Brittany. Two of his brothers are in
Chervert's army, and he also-all of
them brave, and known as the sslasher.'
On the 18th he had a beard;( today he
has none. That is the only difference.
I know you WE'LL" he contin-
ued, looking at the prisoner. A gentle
man would have clean teeth. Open
your mouth"
The poor wretch did not seem to I'M
derstand. A Prussian grenadier was
called in. He seized the idiots neck
and opened his mouth by sheer force.
The teeth were fairly filthy, as frightful
as a leper's This made the general
furious.
ooh he is bright! He is deep!" the
old bear exclaimed.
The idiot started forward a step and
caught up chair. He turned it name
1y around by it's back and finally
dropped it, probably ignoring it's use.
squeezing his eyelids tightly
together, he pulled out an eyelash with
a jerk
"He is clever! He is clever!" re-
peated the bear.
But the scene had made a great i'm
preston upon the young aides-de-
camp. They turned pale and one of
them murmured: Gle is really crazy;
look at him!"
The idiot gazed around him helpless
1y with a vacant stare. With his huge,
tremulous head and hideously leering
face he seemed the incarnation of mis-
cry and stupidity. 1t was pathetic.
"He will never speak," remarked
some one.
The king began to relent.
sI can not discover any signs of
aristocracy in this poor fool" he said.
Don't be too hasty, general. The