The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-12-01

ence, and now that fair girl turned out to be the sister of his earliest friend. Oh, if he could but see her and speak to her again! But there was De Beau yais. The Marquis loved her, and how could he doubt that the Marquis was loved in return? A deep sadness swiftly succeeded his joy.
 The Abbe came a second time. and, after skillfully but unavailingly try to get Tom to utter some word of dis respect against the First Consul, he begged that he would meet De Beau yais at the outposts the next night and allow h i'm to take refuge in his quar- ters. De Beauvais had fallen under the displeasure of Bonaparte ana was going away forever. But first he must say farewell to Marie-his love.
 Against his better judgment. Tom consented and de Beauvais arrived. He had the look of a hunted man ana talked wildly. But he must see his cousin, As he made his rounds the morning after the arrival Of De Beau yais. Tom met Marie de Meudon walk ing in the park For moment sne gazed steadfastly at him and then said: And you. too. the dearest friend of my dear Charles? Would you be false to those who have been true to you!"
 Tom stood in speeches. astonish- : ment She knew his story then-had known it all along. But what did she mean by her allusion to his being dis loyal? Hastily she explained to him that the royalists, who were at that time actively plotting the Chouan up- rising. were enmeshing him in their plots and using him for their purpose. He was spied upon and suspected by the government. Tom, protested his tnno- cence and asked her to explain further, but she said: Leave me-quickly-I see people watching us from the ter race" and was gone.
 When he returned to his quarters he spoke frankly with De Beauvais and De Beauvais as frankly replied. He was a Chouan emissary, and would, If he could win Tom to the side of the exiled Bourbons. He eyen threw on the table the commission of colonel signed by the hand of the fugitive King.
 Angrily rejecting the proposition, | Tom conducted De Beauvais outside the lines But that night he received a note from Marie de Meudon saying that | a party of Chouans. among whom was | Henri De Beauvais. were in deserted castle some leagues off, and were to be | surrounded and seized before daybreak Would he risk all to warn her cousin ? | He did risk all-and lost. He had hard | ly reached the conspirators swhen the Consular troops arrived and Tom was "a | General dAuvergne. who still be- lieved in him. came to see him. Tom was surprised at the accurate knowl- | edge that the government had of all | his conversations and associations; but when he learned that the Abbe dErvan was the celebrated mutton" Mehee de Ia Touche his wonderment vanished. Through the influence of Marie de | Meudon with Josephine and of D'Au. vergne with Napoleon, Tom was at last | freed from confinement and, as an ofi. cer of the generals staff. ordered tc | toin the army which then lay upon the frontiers of France preparing for the | campaign which ended at Austerlltz The First Consul had become the Elm. peror Napoleon and all the pomp of a royal court was once more seen at the | -uilleres
 AS Tom went with his general f, take his leave of the court before join ing the army, D'Auvergne confided t, the young man that as years had nov stricken him. this would. in all prob ability. be his last campaign. He ha, made his will and had left everythlnl
 to Marie de Meudon. He had been ,
 friend of her father and now propose,
 to adopt the girl as his daughter
 %Adopt, General?" cried the Emperor
 when the old general told him of hi plan. NO, no! You must marry. Come I If Ia my command. The young lad has no objection to you The Empres has sounded her. Thus. and thus only
 can you give her your protection an
 your wealth" The Emperor had take
 to marrying his officers on by tn
 wholesale at that time, and before Gen
 eral d'AuverEne left the palace he wa