The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1903-11-25

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For an Instant ecas ero1cncd.
parte or any other potentate, and the
pretender, leading her, smiled like the
boy Of twenty that he was.
Napoleon can have no peace while a
Bourbon in the line of succession
lives"
"Oh. remember the Duke d'Enghien!
she whispered.
Then the door Of a lofty but narrow
cabinet hgnted with maps candles was
opened, and I saw at the farther end q
portiy gentleman seated in an arm
chair.
A few gentlemen and two ladies in
waiting, besides Mile. de Choisy, at
tended.
Louis XVIII. rose from his seat as
nv sister made deep obeisance to him
and took her hand and kissed it. At
once, moved By some singular maternal
impulse perhaps, for she was half a
dozen years my senior, as mother
would whimsically decorate her child,
.larie Therese took the half circlet OF
gems from the casket, reached up and
set it on my head.
For an instant I was crowned III
Mittau with my mothers tiara.
saw the kings features turn to
granite and a dark red stain show on
his jaws like coloring on stone. The
most benevolent men, and by all his
traits he was one Of the most beneVo-
lent, have their pitiless moments. BE
must have been prepared to combat
! pretender before entered the room.
But outraged majesty would now take
it's full vengeance on me for the un-
considered act Of the child he loved.
ssFirst two peasants, Eervagault and
Bruneau, neither Of whom had the au-
dacity to steal into the confidence Of
the tenderest princess in Europe with
the tokens she must recognize, or to
penetrate into the presence" spoke the
king, '.and now an escaped convict
from Ste. Pelagie, a dandy from the
empire"
was only twenty, and he stung me.
"Your royal highness," I said, speak
ins as I believed within my rights,
'smy sister tries to put a good front on
my intrusion into Mittau.''
took the coronet from ray head and
gave it again to the hand which had
crowned me. Marie Therese let 1t fall,
and it rocked near the feet Of the king.
your sister, monsieur! What right
have you to call Nine. d'Angouleme
your sister?'
"The same right, monsieur, that you
have to call her your niece"
The features Of the princess became
pinched and sharpened under the soft
ness Of her fair hair.
''Sire, If this is not my brother, who
is he?"
Louis XVIII. may have been tender
to her every other moment Of his life,
but he was hard then, and looked be-
yond her toward the door, making a
sign with his hand.
The door opened again. We turned
our heads, and grew bot at the cruel
ty which put that idiot before my sis
ter's eyes. He ran on all fours, his
gaunt wrists exposed, until Bellenger,
advancing behind, took him by the arm
and made him stand erect.
How long Bellenger had been before
hand with me in Mittau could not
guess. But when saw the scoundrel
who had laid ne in Ste. Pelagie and
doubtless dropped me in the Seine,
ready to do me more mischief, SNUG
and smooth shaven and fine in the red
collared blue coat Whick seemed to tie
the prescribed uniform Of that court,
all my confidence returned. was
Louis Of France. could laugh at
anything he had to say.
Behind him entered priest, who ad-
yanced up the room and made obei-
sance to the king, as Bellenger did.
Nine. d'Angouleme looked once at
the idiot and hid her eyes, the king
protecting her. I said to myself:
tsIt will soon be against my breast,
not yours, that she hides her face, my
excellent uncle Of Provence"
Yet he was as sincere. "a man as ever
said to witnesses, eve shall now hear
the truth"
The few courtters, enduring with
hardness sight which they perhaps
had seen before, though Nine. dan
gou!eme had not, made rustic among
themselves as if echoing, "Yes; low we
shall hear the TRUTH
The king again kissed my sisters
hand and placed her In seat beside
his armchair, which he resumed.
Monsieur the Able Edgeworth," he
said, having stood on the scaffold
with our martyred sovereign as priest
and comforter, is eminently the one to
conduct an examination like this which
touches matters Of conscience. We
leave it in his hands"
Able Edgeworth, fine and sweet Of
presence, stood by the king, facing Bel
lenger and the idiot. That poor crea-
ture, astonished By his environment,
gazed at the high room corners or
smiled e1perimentally at the courtiers,
stretching his cracked lips over dark
ened fangs.
"You are admitted here, Bellenger,'
said the priest, ito answer his maJes-
tvs questions in the presence Of wit
nesses."
Il thank his majesty" said Bellen-
ger.
The abbe began as II the idiot at
tracted his notice for the first time.
who is the unfortunate child you
hold with your right hand?"
tThe dauphin OF France, monsieur
the abbe,' spose- OPT Bellenger; his left