The Starkville news. (Starkville, Miss.) 1902-1960, 1905-07-21

"For whom?" asked the first consul,
without deigning to raise his eyes from
the chess board.
For Philip de Montville."
What" cried Napoleon. bringing
his clenched fist down upon the table
so violently that the chessmen tot
tered; 'one of those ScOuudrels who
have set their heart on killing me? One
of those rebels who started the upris-
ing in La Vendee? Why, he was
wounded in an attack on the republic
Is not that SO, Fouche?"
absolutely so, citizen consul"
I'VE must exterminats these royal
ists!" cried Napoleon. Il shall not
pardon one of them"
Have mercy the marchioness ap-
pealed He is young, he was led into
it by others. We have been married
only a few months; he is hardly Of
age, and general, in striking down
him, you also strike me down, for
cannot live without him"
There was a silence in the room as
Napoleon turned the glare of his eagle
eyes upon the fair young wife of Philip
de Montville. For several minutes,
motionless as a statue, he remained in
deep thought.
Would it not be good politics 70 lib
crate this aristocrat and 80 win favor
with the royalist party? Might not an
act OF clemency raise him still higher
IN popular estimation?
Such were the thoughts that ran
through the mind OF this man Of des-
tiny.
Yet he was a Corsican, and Corsi-
can must have his revenge. Quickly a
scheme worthy Of Mephistopheles was
formulated in his fertile brain.
Bidding his partner, Junot, to rise
he beckoned to the marchionesS to
take the seat in front of him.
BE seated. Let us play"
Stunned by such suggestion made
under such momentous circumstances
the marchioness refused to move
thinking that BOnaparte was merely
trying to add to the weight of her al
fiction.
Come. sit down and play. The
stakes shall be your husbands head.
My husbands head?"
Eyes, your husbands head. II win,
it is mine; if you win, it is yours to do
with it as you please. Let Cod mean
the Supreme Being decide. Come
on!'
There was no alternative for the
marchioness She must bend to the ca
price Of this whimsical master.
Mechanically she took the seat va
Gated by Junot, wondering if, after all,
this was a nightmare or waking
reality.
Intense excitement prevailed among
the onlookers as the trembling hands
of the marchioness lost the first moves.
DE Montville is not doing very
WELL" Napoleon said, with a cruel
smile.
But l have king left" replied the
marchioness.
"All royalists have" said Napoleon,
with a sarcastic twinge or the lips.
The marchioness readily perceived
that she had not maze a fortunate al
lusion.
ASK your king to come to your as
sstance against me- said the first con-
sui with much bravadO, for he noted
the poor woman's embarrassment.
Thoroughly alarmed, ana realizing
the splendid prize at stake, she made
a desperate effort to contiol her feel
ings and attend to the game one by
one she took several men from her OPP
pOnent
Bonaparte scoWled.
Should he permit himself to be beat
en- by a woman? Tha. would be hdmil-
iating Napoleon. you know, was very
human.
Losing all sense of chivalry, he con-
tinued the game with furious ambi-
ton to win.
He moved his pieces so violently that
the chessboard trembled.
Taking advantage of this perturba
ton. the marchioness captured more
of his men.
A few additional moves and the
game would be decided. Even an or
binary player could see that Napoleon
would be beaten.
Fully conscious of impending defeat,
he resolved to avert it by accidentally