The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-08-28

to set up the little laundry. The laundress
was devoted to her, and would serve her
at the risk of her life. The count told
| Catherine that Blanche had a child, a
boy, of whom he was the father, and that
| the child was now at nurse in the coun-
| try. Blanche begged that Catherine
would seek out the boy and bring him
to her at a certain castle near Jemappes,
not far from the Belgian frontier.
AS they talked there came the sound of
soldiers at the front door. Catherine
aided the count into her own bed room
and locked the door, Then she let in the
soldiers, who by this time were pounding
| furiously for admittance. Sergeant Le-
febvre was in command Of the squad.
crowd of loafers who followed the SOL
ders declared that they had seen an
Austrian enter the house. well, you
see he isn't here" said Catherine. Lee
| febvre looked Catherine squarely in the
face and-suspected. "Give me the key
| to that ROOM" he said. Catherine pro-
tested that she would not have her bed
room invaded by a mob. well, will
search It myself" raeplied Lefebvre. She
gave him the key and look at the same
time. When he came out of the bed room
he said to his men: mot there, citizens.
With two wounds in him he must have
fallen In one of these alleys. Be off after
him. The grateful look which Catherine
gave her lover was his reward for
stretching two points-Jone of veracity
and one of duty So the Count de Ueip
IN 11o n history
which was without honor.
It transpired that Blanche de Lave
line was being forced by her father to
marry the Baron de Lowendaal. to
whom he was heavily in debt. The
condition of affairs In Paris had caused
postponement of the wedding, the
date for which had now been fixed as
November 6, and the place selected the
Chateau de Lowendaal, near Jemappes
The Baron. alarmed at the way things
we're going, had fed from Paris and
Blanche's father was to leave the next
day, taking Blanche with him. Blanche
had written letter, telling the Baron
that abe was secretly a mother and
that she would marry no one but the
father of her child She appealed to the
Baron's sense of honor and trusted that
| the knowledge of her motherhood
| would prevent his further pressing his
suit. The letter she gave to the Bar
| on's servant to be delivered to his mas
| ter after he had passed the city bar
| riers. The boy was to be brought to
the castle, SO that in case Of necessity
Blanche might dramatically reinforce
her refusal to marry the Baron by pro-
ducing the child and publicly claiming
him as her own.
Events marched at the pas de charge
after that memorable August 10. Cath
| crime no longer washed for Captain
Bonaparte; she had married Lefebvre,
who had become a captain in the army,
and had followed him to the field as a
vivandiere. Captain Bonaparte had been
ordered to active duty again and had
begun that career which was to con
tract history and expand imagination, >
| to throw a doubt on all past glory
| and make all future renown impossi-
ble." And now the army of the French
republic had halted before the redoubts
of Jemappes, one of those villages upon
| the heights surrounding the town NJ
Bons, which the Austrians had heavily
fortified and strongly garrisoned. Be-
tween the two lines lay the Chateau of
LowendaaL The Austrians had occu-
pied 1t as an outpost and there the
Baron de Lowendaal had met the Mar
| ouis de Laveline and his daughter for
the purpose of concluding that mar
rage the mere thought of which was
SO abhorrent to Blanche. Blanche was
there, a virtual prisoner.
To her surprise the Baron had given
no indication of having received the
letter which she had written him when
he left Paris. The fact was the Baron S
servant had opened and read the letter
and instead of delivering it had re-
solved to keep 1t and hold it over the