The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-02-16

200 guns.
away, heading for France. Long after
the battle had sunk below the horizon
Of the peasant his cars heard the flu
rious din. Then there came. q pro-
The corvette had been blown up.
The next day. In thicket on the
Breton coast. there was Il strange spec
guns. scythes, poles. bayonets and
swords were on their knees before the
man who had escaped from the sea.
Their eyes. full Of terrible fire, were
fixed on him with sort Of savage
worship.
A young man stepped forth Mar
duis," said he. there are 1000 OF US
in these woods. morrow there Will
be 10000 This morning we attacked
yonder farm. where the Paris battalioni
have captured them all. What shall we.
do with the wounded and the pris- |
oners?"
Shoot them
shoot them. And burn the farm
and the hamlet for giving shelter to
the enemy
A month later four men were gath
cred In the back room of hous. in |
! Paris. One OF these was Robespierre. |
The second was Danton. The third was
Marat- The fourth was n man obscure
humble! but he belonged to the
Eveche.
Under the most revolutionary there
Is a subsoil and the bravest atop in
alarm when they feel beneath their
feet the movement that they have caus-
ed above their heads. The Commune !
watched the Convention, the Eveche |
watched tho Commune. Marat defied
the Convention. led the Commune and
feared the Eveche In that Eveche
this fourth man was silent. tragic |
power.
His name was cimourdain. No one
] ~ H., L. Tot u nov n
than one such terrible Unknown.
Clmourdain had been. a priest. He
had ceased to believe, but at soul he
was SIN a priest gloomy spotless;
endless hatred for monarchy. Like the
sea eagle. he sloried In the maddened
tempest OF the Revolution. When Eu-
rope attacked France and France at
tackled Paris he prayed that his god
dess might In time OF need cast an
Internal glare at the demons and pay
them back terror for terror.
TO this man Robespierre was sayin g
The Vendee has chief, she ~
going to be tremendous. He is. the
MARQUIS de Lantenac. who calls HIM
self Prince OF Brittany
II know him. said Cimourdain.
was a priest at his castle"
..He is frightful," said Robespierre.
He burns villages. massa'eres the pris-
dan. this man Is the greatest danger
now to the republic one Nendee is
more dangerous TO France than ten
Ge,rmanys; He must be taken and
+ by the Committee OF Public Welfare
I with full power"
II accept" said Clmourdain.
You will be sent as delegate to the
! commandant of the column that is act
ing against Lantenac- He is young
| man. and is showing admirable bravery
| has held the old marquis in check"
But he has one fault" interrupted
Marat. .Clemency! a crime! What
would you do with republican gen
| erai who gave a royalist general his
| iiberty?"
II should have him guillotned with
in twenty four hours" answered Cim-
lourdain.
pierre. Citizen Cimourdain, the COM
mandant over whom you will have full
power Is former viscount. His name
cimourdains face grew pale as
death.
This avenger, who loved mankind,
Ing only one human heing-a pupil
whom he had taught and formed. of
whose mind he had become the father,
whom he had come to love incffably.
pouring out on him all the affection
that another man might have lavished
on a woman. And that pupil was
Gauvain-and Gauvain. was the nephew
the scourge of Brittany.
Wnen C1mourdain reached Brittany
| he found evidences everywhere of the
added fierceness that this relationship
| gave to the war in La Vendee. Placards
| signed by the Marquis promised his
| nephew "a speedy death If captured.
! Placards signed by Gauvain responded
| IN kind. As If to add lust to lust,
| placards of the republic Haunted an
| other decree of death to all who might
connlve at helping royalist prisoners
/ to escape.
\ nj
| rible forest country he learned that
the Marquis had struck at the town
/ of Dol because it would give him a
fastness on the coast where the Eng
/ lish could land forces to help him; and
1 Gauvain had FASTENED with an inferior
force to rout him out.
Dreaming of no attack the peasants
encamped Garelessly in the market
officers to investigate the points for a
coast battery to cover an English land
ing. Thus it happened that before
mess ras, rs co e9uid bring him back to
town, surrounded 1t and drove the
peasants off in wild panic.
When all was over Gauvain ap-
s'You are my prisoner. You are a brave
fellow. Como. YOU are wounded" And
he held out. his hand to him.
Like tiger the peasant fired and
/ would have been killed instantly out
for man on horseback, who hurled
i himself between the two like pro-
i iectile The horse received the bullet,
the man the sabre stroke, and both fell.
Gauvain looked at the man. The
4 blood was pouring from a sabre cash
on his face and formed a red mask.
a surgeon brought water and spopged
i it Off
4 "Cimourdain!" cried Gauvain. "Ci-
mourdain! It is you! This Is the sec
on9 time you have saved my life"
ed Soon he was in the column, march
4 ing with sabre and pistols which no
(. one ever saw him use. He faced the
shots and gave none in return. ret
throughout Vendee he was known rs
"the cruel" for he lost no opportunity
to proclaim that mercy to an enemy
of the. republic was treason to the
/ revolution.
Again and again these two men. low
ms each other and opposed, to each
cy, and one. the priest, preaching ter
! each other, Take care" said Cimour-
daln to him, take care, CauVain, Won