Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1901-10-20
~wen. why notyv she said. q am their

well Why not. 1He SUI -
/ Queen"
Then she stood up. every inch a stately
Sovereign. and, casting a glance In MIR
ror, added: Yves, az once, in the Audience
Chamber"
She spoke in 4 level monotone, as
though she were preparing for the most
ordinary thing in the world. The waiting
women were now called to be In attend
ance were Mortified at what was before
them. and two Of them tainted outright.
your Majesty" said General Latour,
before he Withdrew, Il swear by my NE
that these women Will offer no indignity
to your presence. Indeed, If your Majesty
viii permit the suggestion, two OF their
leaders viii keep guard. They both seem
to have much influence with the mob.
A slight inclination Of the head slgnihea
Marie Antoinette's consent.
Still the furious carnival proceeded in
the halls below. There was much to oc-
cupy the attention Of the insurgents, the
decorations, the rich tapestries, the ex-
auisite carvings and rare paintings. Above
all were the eourtiers themselves. The
coarse-featured, shrivelled-skinned toilers
with hands, too, often hard and knotty,
denizens Of another world for whom they
had been taught to have contempt.
Soon the murmur rose that 1t was time
the Queen received them.
Indeed, at that very moment her Maj
esty was receiving two of their number
none other than Juliotte Marigny, who
was as dlgnified as Marie Antoinette her.
self, and Louise Chabrey, who shrsnk be-
meath the ordeal and was like to faint
The quick perception of the Queen saw
the disgust OF the Court ladies about her
that she had SO far forgotten her high
rank as to stoop to receive these crea-
lures from the lower world. Accordingly,
with intention TO reprove them. she UNI
bent, and was even gracious to the two
girls
But neither the Queen, nor black-eyed
Juliette, nor fair little Louise, nor any, Of
the ladies' who stood around remarked the
conduct of General Latour. He again was
seized with emotion as his eyes rested on
Louise. AS noble a woman as any Of
them" he thought.
"And what is your trade, girl?" asked
the Queen, addressing Juliette.
Madame, she replied. II was flower
no one now to buy flowers. Hardly any,
one has enough to buy bread" She spoke
in clear. firm tone, by no means afraid.
And what are your parents?'
II have no parents, madame, Ny father
died in the wars. My mother died from
starvation. My sister was trampled to
death by your Majesty's soldiers"
The girl was dry-eyed as she spoke, but
her direetness of answer, summing up so
much in so few words was such that even
the hearts of the most callous were
touched.
To the alabaster cheek of the Queen
there came a hasty tinge of colour. But
it died away. I'VE will talk later on, ;" she
quietly said to Juliette. :
Rumblings of disorder were heard. It
was the women in the outer corridors
growing impatient. When the doors were
opened there came raging, riotous rush.
There was cheering and laughter and hur-
raining.
When Marie Anto.nette saw the crowd
lank-haired, with many u visage scowling
defiance and others grinning yacantly and
all in tatters-she instinctively shranb
from contact with them.
1T is their manners, not their hearts
that offend, madame" said Juliette, in q
| whisper.
The Audience Chamber was, of course
specially adapted for its purpose. In the
centre was a slightly raised dias, where
her Majesty sat. and hanging about Were
heavy velvet curtains of deep purple
marked at intervals with golden fleurs-
de lis. The apartment was high an6
vaulted, and the roof studded with silver
stars, while upon the walls were hung
pictorial representations of the most ia
nous episodes in French history. On one
side of the chamber was a doorway. I'm
mediately opposite was another, and ii
was necessary to pass The royal seat or
the way.
Something in the manner of the Queer
checked the ribaldry of the uncouth in
habitants of the poorest quarter of Paris
as they now approached the presence
Royalty was SO far Off so far above them
that they regarded it, in their poor imagi-
nations, as something absolutely beyond
the world, with nothing apDertaining to
earth about it. True, there had grown ur
a rancorous antipathy to Marie Antoin-
cite, the Austrian. Yet the woman was
often thought of as distinct from the
Queen.
They had come to see the Queen. Dimly
they conjectured they would see a great
lady, in robes of purple and gold, on a
golden throne with golden crown upon
her brow. What they did see was a
woman, very pale, with deep sorrow in
her eyes and the trail of pain in the lines
upon her forehead. She was simply clad,
and about her shoulders hung a shawl;
for great royalty itself had to beware of
draughts.
1t was, however. not the Queen, not
Marie Antoinetto they saw. 1t was a sad
woman. There was an instructive affinity
between them and her. They would htve
scoffed, ieered and derded the pomp of
royalty when once they had come close to
it and seen how earthly it was. But here
there was nothing to scott at, nothing but
a woman, white, as cold as marble, with
eyes that might on occasion be fiery and
repellant, but could, alas! also, as now, be
soft and sympathetic. For Marie Antoin-
cite knew intuitively there was no real
vice in the scuffling throng that slowly
surged past her, commenting upon her
appearance in hushed voice, and marvel
ing that she was so little different from
them
Try to picture the scene. Imagine the