The Washington times., 1902-10-26

at LIE Rayville, the mansion had known
was torn down and the stone converted
to other uses. skenedonk brought me
word early that Mademoiselle de Chau-
mont had been married to an officer Of
the Empire. and would remain in
| France.
The door between my past and me was
scaled. Madame de Ferrier stood on the
other side OF it. and no news from her
penetrated its dense barrier. / tried to
write letters to her. But nothing that
could write was fit to send. and l
knew not whether she was yet at Mont
Louis. Forever she was holding the door
against me.
| Skenedonk, coming and going at his
caprice. stayed month in every year at
Longmeadow, where the townspeople,
having had surfeit of aboriginal
names, called him John. He raised no
objection, for that with half dozen
other Christian titles had been bestowed
on his in baptism; and he entered the
godly list of Williamses as John VIII
liams.
| The first summer l spent in Long
meadow there was an eclipse of the sun
about the middle of June. l remember
lying on open land, my book on it's face
| beside me, and watching 1t through my
eyelashes; until the weird and awful
twilight CT blotted sun In mid-heayen
sent birds. and beasts 70 shelter as from
wrath. When there was but hairy
shining around the orbed blackness. and
stars trembled out and trembled back,
as IL they said: I'VE are here. The
old order will RETURN and the earth
held its breath at threat of eternal dark
ness, the one L loved seemed to approach
in the long shadows. II was sign that
out of the worst comes the best But it
was terror to the unprepared: the
/ Pastor Storrs preached about 1t the fol-
lowing Sunday.
The missionary spirit of Longmeadow
stirred among the Williamses, and many
of them brought what they called their
mites to Pastor storrs for my education
If l were made king no revenue could
| be half so sweet as that. The village
was richer than many stonier New
| England place, but men were struggling
then all over the wide States and Terri
tories for material existence.
The pension TO longer came from Eu-
rope. 1t ceased when l returned from
France. It's former payment was con-
sidered apocryphal by Longmeadow,
whose very maids,-too white, with a
pink spot in each cheek-smiled with
reserved amusement at student who
thought 1t possible he could ever be
king. ! spoke to nobody but Pastor
local newspapers. 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 leg to stand on. Reversing
the usual ministerial formula. IF what
has been said is true, then 1t 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 against his will. told you that
YOU resembled the Bourbons; granted.
You bear on your person marks like
those which we're inflicted on the unfor-
tunate 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
wears: some foreign person-perhaps an
English Williams - kindly interested
himself in your upbringng; you
were probably scalded in the
camps; you have some accidental
traits of the Bourbons: a man who heard
vou had a larger pension than the idiot
he was tending dsliked you. You can
prove nothing more"
never attempted to prove anything
more to Pastor Storrs. 1t would have
been most ungratefui to persuade him
was an alien. At the same time he
prophesied his homes of me, and many
iudicious person blamed him for treat
ing me as something out of the ordinary,
and cockering up pride.
A bIunter Williams used to take me
by the button on the street.
'Eleazar Williams" he would say,
do you pretend to be the son of the
French King? | tell you what! l will
not let the name of Williams be dis
graced by any relationship to any
French monarch. You must do one of
two things-you must either renounce
Williamsism or renounce Bourbonism!"
Though there was liberty of con-
science to criticise the rastor. he was
autocrat of Longmeadow. One who pre-
ceded Pastor Storrs had II told about
him that two of his deacons wanted him
to appoint ruling elders. He appointed
them; and asked them what they
thought the duties were. They said he
knew best
Well said the pastor. lone of the
ruling elders may come to my house be-
fore meeting. saddle my horse, and hold
the stirrup while l get on. The other
may wait at the church door and hold
hin, ub;la 7 oat off and oftor p,oat;,o