The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-09-29
de Ferrier.E One of those seven years

spent at Dartmouth. But the greater part
Of my knowledge | owe to Pastor Storrs.
Greek and Hebrew he gave me to add to
the languages I was beginning to own;
and he unlocked all his accommodations
Of learning. It was monks life that I
lived austere and without incident, but
bracing as the air Of the hills The whole
system was monastic though abomination
alighted on that word in Longmeadow.
took the discipline into my blood. 1t will
go down to those after me.
There man had to walk with God
whether he wanted to or not.
Living was inexpensive, each item be-
ing gagged by careful housekeeping. 1t
was sin to gorge the body, and cody
conversation was better than abundance.
Yet the pastors tea table arises with a
halo around it. The rye and Indian bread,
the doughnuts fragrant as flowers, the
sparing tea, the prim mats which saved
the CLOTH the wire screen covering sponge
cake-how sacred they Scent
The autumn that I came to Longmead-
oW, Napoleon Bonaparte was beaten on
the sea by England, but won the battle
Of AusterlitZ, defeating the Russian coali-
ton and changing the map of Europe.
felt sometimes puppet while
this man played his great part. 1t was
nothing to France. Though I did not see
Louis Philippe again, he wandered in
America two or three years, and went
back to privacy.
During my early novitiate at Long
meadow, Aaron Burr's conspiracy went
to pieces. dragging down with it tina
pleasant gentleman, Harmon Blennerhas-
sett, startling men like Jackson, who had
best befriended him unawares. But this
In noWise affected my own plans Of en-
pire. The solidarity of a nation Of In
dams on a remote tract could be no men
ace to the general government.
Skenedonk came and went. and made
Journeys to my people with him. But
there was never any letter Wattinge at
De ChaumOnt'S for me. After some years,
indeed, the count having returned to Cas-
torland. to occupy his new manor at LIE
Rayville. the mansion I had known was
torn down and the stone converted to
other uses. Skenedonk brought me word
early that Mademoiselle de Chaumont had
been married to an officer Of the empire,
and would remain in France.
The door between my past and me was
sealed. Madame de Terrier stood on the
other side of it. and no news from her
penetrated it's dense barrier I tried to
write letters to her. But nothing that 1
could write was fit to send, and I knew
not whether she was yet at Mont-Louis.
Forever she was holding the door against
me.
A0nNHGuoilh, COliillS anu SOlIS DIT
his caprice stayed a month in every year
at Longmeadow. where the townspeople.
having had as urfeit of aboriginal names,
called him John. He raised no objection.
for that with half dozen other Christian
titles had been bestowed on him in bap-
tism and he entered the godly list Of
Wiliamses as John Williams.
The first summer I spent in Long
meadow there was an eclipse of the sun
about the middle Of June. I remember
lying on open land, my book on it's face
beside me, and watching it through my
eyelashes; until the weird and awful twi-
light Of blotted sun in mid-hesaven sent
birds and beasts to shelter as from wrath.
When there was but O. hairy shining
around the orbed blaclness, and stars
trembled out and trembled back as if
they said: I'VE are here. The old order
will RETURN and the earth hold its brea tn
at threat Of eternal darkness, the one
loved seemed to approach in the long
shadows. 1t was a sign that out of the
worst comes the best. But it was a ter
ror to the unprepared; and Pastor Storrs
preached about it the following Sunday.
The missionary spirit Of LOngmeadow
stirred among the Willamses. and many
of them brought what they called their
mites to Pastor Storrs for my education
If We're made a king no revenue could
be half so sweet as that. The village was
place, but men were struggling then all
over the wide states and territories for
material existence.
The pension no longer came from Eu
rope 1t ceased when I returned from
France. It's former payment was consid
cred apocryphal by Longmeadow, whose
very maids-too white, with a pink spot
in each cheek-smiled with reserved
amusement at a student who thought it
possible he could ever be a king. I spoke
to nobody but Pastor Storrs about my own
convictions. But local newSpa perS, with
their omniscient grip on what is in the
air. banded the subject back and forth.
We sometimes walked in the burying
ground among dead Williamses, while he
argued down my claims, leaving them
without a leg to stand on. Reversing the
usual ministerial formula, IF what has
been said is true, then it follows, first,
secondly" and so on, he used to say:
"Eleazar. you were brought up among
the Indians, conscious only Of bodily eX-
istence, and unconscious of your origin;
granted. Money was sent-let us say
from Europe-for your support; granted.
Several persons. among them one who
testified strongly against his will, told you
thatyou resembled the Bourbons; granted.
You bear on your person marks like those
which were inflicted on the unfortunate
dauphin of France; granted. You were
Indignantly pursued while abroad :
granted. But what does it all prove?
Nothing 1t amounts simply to this: you
know nothing about your early
years; some foreign person-perhaps
an English ENTHUSIASTICALLY inter-
ested himself in your upbringing;
you were probably scalded IN
the camps;you have some accidental traits
of the Bourbons: a man who heard you
had a larger pension than the idiot he
was tending, disliked YOU. You can prove
nothing more"
l never attempted to prove anything
more to Pastor Storrs. 1t would have
been most ungrateful to persuade him
was an alien. At the same time he
prophesied his hopes for me, and many a
iudicious person blamed him for treating
me as something out of the ordinary, and
coclSering up pride.
blunter Williams used to take me by
the button on the street.
"Eleazar Williams" he would say, dc
Won pretend to be the son of the French