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

manifest enough, and within three da!
after the old kings death onered
divorce Claude and make Mary d
queen. When she refused this latte
ing offer, his surprise was genuine. .
"Do you know what you refuser' :
asked In temper. II offer to NAL
you my wife-queen of $4,000. 900 OF tn
greatest subjects on earth-and are 20
such fool as to refuse a gift like tina
and man like me for husbandT
"That I am. your majesty. and Wit
q good grace. I am queen OF Franc
without your help and care not SO nue.
as one penny for the honor. 1t Is great
er to be a princess of England. As TO
this love you avow, would make 81
bold as to suggest that you have
good, true wife, to whom you would u
we'll to give It all. To me 1t Is moth
ing, even were you a thousand tmei
the king you are. My heart Is anoth
er's, and have my brothers permis
sion to marry him."
"Anothers? Gods soul! Tell me
who this fellow IL that may spit him
on my swordv'
mo, no! You would not. Even were
you as valiant and grand as you think
yourself, you would be but child In
his hands,"
Francis was furious, and had Mary's
apartments guarded to prevent her es-
cape, swearing he would have his way.
As soon as Brandon and I arrived
in Paris we took private lodgings, and
well It was that we did. / at once
went out to reconnoiter, and found the
widowed queen a prisoner In the old
Palace des Tournelles. With the help
Of Queen Claude l secretly obtained an
interview and learned the true state
Of affairs.
Had Brandon been recognized and
his mission known in Paris he would
certainly have been assassinated BY
order Of Francis.
When saw the whole situation, with
Mary nothing less than prisoner In
the palace, l was ready to give up
without a struggle, but not SO Mary.
Her brain was worth having. so fer
tile was 1t In expedients, and, while /
was ready to despair, she was only
getting herself In good fighting order.
After Mary's refusal Of Francis, and
after he had learned that the sacrifice
Of Claude would not help him, he grew
and determined to keep the
English girl in his court at any price
and by any means. So he hit upon the
scheme Of marrying her to his weak
minded cousin, the Count Of Savoy.
To that end he sent hurried embassy
to Henry VIII, offering, In case Of the
Savoy marriage, to pay back Mary's
lower Of 100000 crowns. he offered to
help Henry In the matter Of the impe
rial crown In case OF Maximiltan's
death, help much greater than any
King Louis could have given. He also
offered to confirm Henry in all his
French possessions and to relinQuish
III claims Of his own thereto-all as the +
rice Of one eighteen-year-old girl. Do
ou wonder she had an exalted esd
nate of her own value?
As to Henry, It Of course need not be
aid that half the price offered would
ave bought him to break an oath
sade upon the true cross itself The
romise he had made to Mary, broken
! intent before 1t was given, stood not
" an instant In the way Of the French
ing's wishes. and Henry, with
begotten of greed, was as
asty In sending an embassy to accept
lie offer as Francis had been to make
. 1t mattered not to him what new
,rture he put upon his sister The
ice, l believe, was sufficient to have
duced him to cut off her head with
S own hands.
II Francis and Henry were quick in
eir movements. Mary was quicker
er plan was made in the twinkling
an eye. Immediately upon seeing
e at the palace she sent for Queen
aude, with whom she had become
st friends, and told her all she knew.
lie did not know Of the scheme for the ,
voy marriage, though Queen Claude I
and fully explained 1t to Mary.
VhOukht Siduut WOulu De
ad to get Mary as far away from
'ance and her husband as possible,
d was only too willing to lend a
lping hand to our purpose, or Mary's, I
Their, for she was the leader.
We quickly agreed among ourselves G
At Mary and Queen Claude should q
thin an hour go out In Claudes new '
ich for the ostensible purpose of
airing mass. Brandon and / were to =
to the same little chapel in which
ne and l had been married, where q
ny said the little priest could admin 8
ar the sacrament Of marriage and =
form the ceremony as well as If he :,
re thrice as large. =
hurriedly found Brandon and re- =
red TO the little chapel where we -
tied for very long time, we thought. 9
last the two queens entered as if to :,
Ike their devotions. AS soon as =,