Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1901-10-09
FEAR THOU NOT
-sCrs-
A Tale of the French
q Revolution.

There are few who have not heard or
read of the great French revolution of
the last century, when cruel men seiz-
ed on the government of France, when
human life was of no account and
when, as if wearied with its wicked
ness, God seemed to have hid his face
from the sinful land.
No one may count up the tears that
were shed, the means that We're made,
the hearts that were broken in those
dreadful times, but here and there out
of the great mass of human misery his
tory has preserved record of the trials
and sufferings of some hapless ones,
reading which we shudder and thank
God that we live in happier days.
Some few years after the reign Of
terror-as this outburst of sin and
madness was well named-a man of
middle age entered a small inn in Ger
many and called for refreshments. His
manners were timid and shrinking, and
he looked as if he might just lrlve re
covered from some terrible illness-he
was so strangely, ghastly pale.
The landlord supplied his wants. and,
half curious, half in kindness, he made
some remark as to the strangers ap-
pearance, coupling it with the ques-
ton, ''Do you want aught else for your
comfortT'
NAY, nothing" said the pale man
hastily. II have food and light and
air. What could | want moreT And
he sighed deeply.
MY friend" said the landlord, seat
ing himself, you speak as if you had
known the want of these things. Have
l guessed arightY"
His guest looked up.
"Would you hear my tale?" he ask
ed. "For years have kept silence, but
today it seems as if it would tighten
my heart to speak. Listen and believe
it if you can. Less than seven years
ago l was a gay, light hearted youth in
this our quiet fatherland Having no
near relations, | was led to visit some
distant ones who had lived for many
years in a small town in France.
MY uncle, as | called him out of
friendllness, was a kind, good fellow,
well known and respected in the place.
where he carried on the craft of a
matchmaker, and he proposed that |
should become his apprentice and part
ner liked the little town, liked my
uncle, | liked my aunt, and | soon gave
my consent. They had no children-I
thank God for that now-but my aunt S
kindly soul could not be content with
out young people around her, so she
kept and clothed two house maidens,
children of some poor neighbors, Trim
and neat they looked, too, wearing the
costume of that part of Germany from
whence my aunt came, a pretty fancy
of her own. 1t seemed quaint enough
in a strange land.
"It was n happy household. No won
der / was glad TO belong to it, But,
alas, it was soon to be swept away by
terrible affliction. For some time we
had heard of strange troubles going OH
in Paris and the large towns, but our
little place was still quiet. One morn
ing, however we woke to find every
thing in confusion. Our mayor had
been ordered to resign, and his place
was to be filed by some one sent from
Paris.
"Still we never dreamed of what
fearful misery this was the forerunner
We had no time to dream, either, the
blow fell so suddenly. There had been
stir going on in the market place for
the two days following the arrival of
the new official, but my uncle and
were busy over a discovery which he
had made in our trade, and we were
less than usual in the streets.
"At noon on the third day. however
he went out for a stroll to rest his eyes
and look about him for a few moments.
My aunt and her maidens arranged, as
usual, the midday meal, and we were
all ready to sit down, only my uncle
was missing. He was usually so pune
tual that we wondered and waited, and
at last we dined without him. At the
close of the meal l stepped out to look
for him.
81 had not got a dozen yards from
our house when met our bakers wife,
her eyes staring out of her head.
"'Go back! she said. Go back. 1t
is too late. The monster, the wretch!
He has executed the honest man, with
out even the farce of a trial, on the ac-
cursed guillotine yonder"
Il was petritied with horror, Could
she be speaking of my uncle, so re
spected, so quiet as he was? 1t was
zoo true. The wretch in Office had lost
no time but had begun his work Of
bloodshed at once, and my uncle was
his first victim, his only crime being
that he was of foreign birth and had
sheltered under his roof some months
since a poor Swiss. | retraced my steps
to the house. My aunt's anxious face
met my troubled gaze. She had begun
to suspect evil, The two girls waited
fearfully in the background | tried to
speak, but i turned away and burst in
to tears. ! was young then. Master
TandIord and had tears To shed Nv