Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1903-07-24

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AsvIttesn md nendsrsd Into No.
koden's Memoir
:. By Edwin Caskodoa [Caaries MaIwl
OppWtohtv IAN osG 1901,
bv ~ 80sren-MegvW COnsp0ao

u0hTtbu4uBo VI tAS yOuuS OuhO, WulS
responded all too loudly to her velvt
touch and almost frightened her I
death with their volume Of sound late
on. This Francis d'Angouleme, til
dauphin, had fallen desperately in loy
with Mary at nrst sight, somethin
against which the fact that he wa
married to Claude, daughter Of Louil
in no way initiated. He was a yer
distant relative Of Louis, going ava
back to st. Louis for his heirship t
the French crown. The king ha
daughters in plenty, but, as you know
the gallant Frenchmen say, according
to their law sale, 1.-THE realm o
France is SO great and glorious herr
tage that it may not be taken by
woman" Too great and glorious to b.
taken by a woman, f0rsoOth. Franc
would have been vastly better of hat
she been governed by woman nov
and then, for country always pros
pers under queen.
Francis had for many years lived a
court as the recognized heir, and, a!
the custom was. called his distant cous
in Louis Uncle" Uncle" Louis In
turn called Francis Zee Gros Garcon,'
and Queen Mary called him Monsieur
mon beau fils,' in mock motherly
manner that was very laughable. A
mother Of eighteen to a good boy" OF
twenty-two! Dangerous relationship
And dangerous indeed 1t would have
ho1 hn hann O
pure and true as she was willful and
impetuous. Mon beau fils" allowed
neither his wife nor the respect he
owed the king to stand in the way OF
his very marked attention to the queen.
His position as heir and his long resi-.
gave him ample opportunities for press
ing his unseemly suit. He was the
first to see Mary at the meeting place
this side of Abbeville, and was the
kings representative on all occasions.
Beau fills" was rather a handsome
fellow, but thought himself vastly
handsomer than he was, and had some
talents, which he was likewise careful
to estimate at their full value, to say
the least. He was very well liked by
women, and in turn considered himself
irresistible. He was very impression
able to feminine charms, was at heart
a libertine, and, as he grew older, be-
came a dsbauchee whose memory will
faint France for centuries to come.
Mary saw his weakness more clearly
than his wickedness being blinded to
the latter by the veil Of her own inno-
cence. She laughed at and with him.
and permitted herself a great deal of
his company-so much, in fact. that |
grew a little jealous for Brandon's
sake, and, if the truth must be told, for
the first time began to have doubts of
her l seriously feared that when
Louis should die Brandon might find
a much more dangerous rival in the
new king, who, although married
would probably try to keep Mary at
his court even should he be driven to
the extreme of divorcing Claude as
Claude's father had divorced Joan.
l believed, in case Mary should vol
prove false and remain in
France either as the wife or the mis-
tress of Francis, that Brandon woulG
1oietly but surely contrive some mcar
o take her life, and hoped he would.
spoke to my wife, Jane, about the
lueen's conduct, and she finally admit
ed that she did not like 1t, so l. unable
o remain silent any longer, determined
D put Mary on her guard, and for that
purpose spoke very freely to her on the
ubject.
"Oh, you goosew she said laughingly.
He is almost as great fool as Hen
y" Then the tears came to her eyes,
nd half angrily, half Historically.
baking me by the arm, she continued:
Do you not know? Can you not see
hat would give this hand or my eyes,
lmost my life, just to fall upon my
ace in front of Charles Brandon at
his moment? Do you not know that
woman with love in her heart such
3 have for him is safe from every
ne and everything; that it is her sheet
nchor, sure and fast? Have you not
it enough to know that?
ASSt hoNSS lCspOAucu, lut
me completely -silenced. With her ia
orite tactics she had, as usual, put me
the wrong, though l soon came
gain to the attack.
But he is so base that 1 grieve to
e you with him."
81 suppose he is not very good" she
sponded, but it seems to be the way
these people among whom l have
lien, and he cannot harm me-"
''Oh, but he can, One does not 20
ar smallpox, and there is moral
ntagion quite as dangerous, if not so !,
and equally to be avoid
=. 1t must be wonderfully healthy
oral nature. pure and chaste to the y
re, that will be entirely contagion '
oof and safe from it." '
She hung her head in thought and
en- lifted her eyes appealingly to me. /.
m not that, Edwin? Tell me, Tell g
frankly; am / not? 1t is the one J,
ing of good | have always striven d
:. l am so full of other faults that if d
have not that there is no good in l
:" Her eyes and voice Were full of !,
rs. and | knew in my heart that l n
cd before as pure a soul as ever In
ne from the hand Of God. 1e
You are, your majesty: never y
1bt," l answered. 1T is pre-emi- III
ltly the one thing in womanhood to "
ich all mankind kneels" And 1 fell "
,n my knee and kissed her hand "a
h q sense of reverence. faith and e