The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1902-05-09

l had set myself to listen and
poured out n glass for myself
"aye, long story and one that will
make your eyes open wide with the
Wonder Of it, and If 1 be not mistaken
your ear will not tire till you hear the
END Of 1t; but by heaven, 1 must again
have your promise, on your honor, that
no word Of mine shall have repetition
from your lips"
told him when he had got thus far
that 1 was not an auld wife to sit by
the fire and gossip of my master, and,
as was never fond of long prefaces,
was ready to listen to what he had to
tell. without more palaver.
"Gillicuddy," he cried, "you have a
delicate way Of putting forward your
thought, but I will not gainsay that
you are wise about the preface, so I'll
cut that short as far as may be, and
into the story sans palaver; but, mind
me, there will be need of some bit of
rhetorical preface ere you can be pre-
pared to understand my story, and, as
you are man of some erudition, with
your leave bit Of history, as 1 may
call 1t, will not be amiss."
When he had come to this point, he
filled his glass with that grand caya-
lier manner of his and, taking a sip,
began:
"You will understand, Gillicuddy,
that France had been for q long time
like bankrupt with little credit
There was no revenue to be got from
any source to maintain the government
Inv 70,
been pumped dry, and what with taxes
and tithes squeezed from the common
people to support wheen of my
friends of the court and the clergy in
an extravaganza Of living that was
past belief there was little wonder
that the whole nation Of wage earners
had become a multitude OF impover-
ished and hungry men and women.
II had spent long stretch Of time
In Paris, and, while feared nation
al calamity, vet l had little serious
thought of danger ahead for myself or
friends till that woeful 18th Of July
came Of which you know full well,
Gillicuddy, and the Bastille was lev
eled by the excited populacc OF Paris,
with Santcrre anu Maillard at the
head of 1t. That was signal for some
of my friends Of the court to pack
their kists with small ceremony and
seek climate more agreeable; but,
though could see there was trouble
brewing for the gentry and like to be
bit more OF fury. | just bidcd quietly
in the background as one may say,
and waited fOr the storm to blow over.
Inn bn % Ia,
began bonny dance.
1T was through all of this devils
time | was in Paris. Gillicuddy, after
scores Of my friends had got over the
frontier, thinking it safer 10 be Mt Il
distance. AS for myself. not being n
Frenchman born, thought | might
hang on awhile longer and watch the
turn affairs were taking: but. indeed
If | had dreamed of the wild rascality
OF the city and the i'll temper Of the
rabble you'd have seen me at Glen
haugh bit earlier in the day.
"With excitement and anxiety and q
kind Of merry cruelty possessing all
men. each day brought forth some
newly invented and diaboIical antic.
and, what with bells ringing and fires
burning and mobs of tattered and
starving wretches tramping ceaselessly
in the streets, with drums beating and
carrying slaves and torches, the most
hellish carnival was kept up that man
had e'cr seen.
"But as You care not for long pref
ace. I'll just say no more than this
that Paris was in a terrible state of
disturbance, with the national assem-.
bly, sitting Mt Versailles trying to re.
generate France and the king in n
swlthcr wondering at it all, when the
first incident Of my story pushed itself
forward, and it came about in this
way:
TO BE CONTINUED