Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-10-29

dissembler. the woman who lost for France
an empire greater than all France, stepped
now to the bedside of the dying monarch,
inclining her head to hear what he might
have to say. Was Maintenon, the outcast,
the widow, the wife of the king, at last to
be made ruler of the Church in France2
Was she to govern in the household of the
king even after the king had departed? The
woman bent over the dying man, the COW
etousness Of her soul showing in her eyes,
struggle as she might to retain her habit
ual and unparalleled self-control.
The dying man muttered uneasy. His
mind was clouded, his eyes saw other
things. He turned back to earlier days,
when life was bright, when he, Louis, as q
young man, had lived and loved as any
other.
Louise" he murmured. Louise! For
give! Meet me-Louise-dear one. Meet
me yonder-"
An icy pallor swept across the face OF the
arch hypocrite who bent over him. Into her
soul there sank like a knife this conscious
ness of the undying power of a real love.
La Valliere, the love of the youth of Louis,
La Valliere. the beautiful, and sweet, and
womanly dead and gone these long years
since but still loved and now triumphant
she 1t was whom Louis now rememh. red.
Maintenon turned from the bedside. She
stood an aged and unhappy woman, old,
gray and haggard, not success bue failure
written upon every lineament. For one IN
slant she stood. her hands clenched slow
anger breaking through the mask which,
for a quarter of a century, she haG so sue
cessfully worn.
"Bahr' she cried "Bahl IT'S pretty
rendezvous this king would set for meIe
And then she swept from the room, ragged
and of ambition.
AT length even the last energies of the
once stubborn will gave way. The last
gasp Of the falling breath was drawn The
herald at the window announced to the
waiting multitude that Louis the Four
teenth was no more.
Long live the kingr' exclaimed the null
titude. They hailed the new monarch with
r1ockery; but laughter. and sincere joy and
feasting were the testimonials of their emo
tions at the death of the king but now de-
parted.
On the next day a cheap, tawdry and UNI
Imposing procession wendad its way
through the back streets of Paris, IT'S leader
seeking to escape even the edges Of the
mob, lest the people should fall upon the
somber little pageant and rend it into frag-
ments. This was the funeral cortege Of
Louis. the Grande Monarque Louis the
lustful, Louis the bigot, Louis the ignorant,
Louis the unhappy. They hurried him TO
his resting place, these last servitors, and
then FASTENED back to the palaces to join
their hearts and voices to the rising wave
of joy which swept across all France at the
death of this beloved ruler.
Now it happened that as the funeral PRO-
cession of the king was hurrying through
the side streets near the confines of the
old city of Paris, there encountered 1t, en-
tering from the great highway which led
from the east up to the city gates, the car
riage of gentleman who might, apparently
with justice. have laid some claim to conse-
quence. 1t had its guards and coachmen,
and was attended by two riders il livery
who kept 1t company along the narrow
streets. This equipage met the head of the
hurrying funeral cortege. and found occa-
sion for moment to pause. Thus there
passed, the one going to his grave the other
to his goal. the TWO men with whom the
France OF that day was most intimately