The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1903-07-14


wife upon the old one rather than risk
the necessity Of having to do IL without
any. / say no more. but come with all
the speed thou knowest. NARY.
1t is needless to say that Brandon
started in haste for Paris. He left
court for the ostensible purpose of
paying me a visit, and came to Ipswich,
whence we sailed.
The French king was dead before
Mary's message reached London. and
when we arrived at Paris Francis I.
reigned on the throne OF his father-in-
law. had guessed only too accurate
ly> As soon as the restraint of the old
kings presence. light as 1t had been,
was removed, the young king opened
his attack upon Mary In dreadful ear
nest. He begged and pleaded and
swore his love, which was surely
manifest enough. and within three days
after the old kings death offered to
divorce Claude and make Mary his
queen. When she refused this fatter-
ing offer, his surprise was genuine.
do you know what you refussT he
asked in q temper. ~ offer to make
you my wife-queen Of 1900 900 Of the
greatest subjects on earth-and are you
such fool as to refuse gift like that,
and a man like me for husband7"
THAT I am, your majesty, and with
q good grace. am queen of France
without your help and care not so much
as one penny for the honor. 1t Is great
er to be a princess Of England. As for
this love you avow, would make 20
bold as to suggest that you have
good, true wife. to whom you would do
well to give 1t all. To me 1t il moth
ing. even We're you a thousand times
the king you are. My heart Is anoth-
er's. and I have my brothers permis-
sion to marry him."
"Another's? Gods soul! Tell me
who this fellow is that may spit him
| on my swordy'
| mo, MOI You would not. Even were
you as valiant and grand as you think
yourself. you would be but q 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 ! arrived
in Paris we took private lodgings, and
well II 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 a prisoner In
the palace. / was ready to give up
without a struggle, but not SO Mary,
Her brain was worth having. 30 fer.
tile was Il 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
desperate and determined to keep the
English girl In his court at any price
and by any means. So he hit upon ths
scheme Of marrying her to his veal
minded cousin, the Count Of Savoy
To that end he sent a hurried embassy
to Henry VIII. Offering. in case Of ths
Savoy marriage, to pay back Mary
dover Of 100000 crowns. He offered :,
help Henry In the matter of the impe
rial crown In case of Maximilian,
death, help much greater than AM
King Louis could have given. He als.
offered ta confirm Henry In all hil
French possessions and to relinQuisl
all claims of his own thereto-all AZ tn,
price of one eighteen-year-old girl. d,
you wonder she had an exalted esd
mate OF her own value?
As to Henry, 1t of course need not b
said that half the price offered woul
have bought him to break an oat
made upon the true cross itself, Tn
promise he had made to Mary, broke
In intent before 1t was given, stood nc
for an instant In the way Of the Frepe
kings wishes. and Henry. with
. promptitude begotten Of greed. was q
, hasty In sending an embassy to acceI
, the offer as Francis had been to max
! II. 1t mattered not to him what ne'
. torture he put upon his sister. TIL
, price, believe. was sufficient to hav
) induced him to cut OF her head wit
his own hands.
! II Francis and Henry were quick
Z their movements, Mary was Quicke
Her plan was made In the twinklin
,, Of an eye. Immediately upon seein
Z me at the palace she sent for Quee
t Claude, with whom she had becom
? fast friends, and told her all she knew
. She did not know of the scheme for ii
e Savoy marriage. though Queen Clauc
I did and fully explained 1t to Mar,
Naturally enough, Claude would
: glad to get Mary as far away fro
e France and her husband as possibl
and was only too willing to lend
helping hand to our purpose. or Mary
!. rather. for she was the leader.
/ We quickly agreed among ourselv,
that Mary and Queen Claude shou
: within an hour go out in Ciaude's ne
E coach for the ostensible purpose
:. hearing mass. Brandon and l were
go to the same little chapel in whi,
!, Jane and I had been married. whe
u Mary said the little priest could admi
n lister the sacrament of marriage al
perform the ceremony as well as IL
We're thrice as large.
e ! hurriedly found Brandon and I
u paired to the little chapel. where '
waited for very long time. We though
a At last the two queens entered as II
Z make their devotions. As soon
- Brandon and Mary caught sight
: each other Queen Claude and ! beg
to examine the shrines and declph
the Latin inscriptions. If these tS
had not married soon, they would ha
,e been the death Of me. was compel
W at length to remind them that til