The evening world., 1910-12-28
fr0U That Oh
III II i s t O r y
By Albert Payson Terhune

cpynsht 1910 b. The Pres rMnAns Co. chs New FORK wOdU.
Nc. f5-An Opened Window That Destroyed a kin edom. Il
HUGE, awkwardly built travelling coach numbered through Q
French village on June 81, 1891. 1t wa the sort of carriage to At.
trnct notice anywhere. Gided and blazoned like a circus chariot,
~ 1t was also piled higher than a moving van with all sorts OF
luggage.
As the four painting horses dragged their tremendous load through the
village they we're forced to halt for a moment while IN obstacle of some sort
was moved from the road. A man opened one OF the coach windows and
thrust out his head to find out why they had stopped. 1t was the fussy,
foohsh action OF a fussy. foolish man. But 1t cost France her king and
her king his head. and 1t led to a series of horrors that convulsed the world.
his nut OF 1t the history OF the following few years would have been utterly
different Here lis the story:
The people of France had awakened at last from centuries Of homeless
apathy. They had walked to find themselves oppressed, starved, robbed;
bound hand and foot in a bitter slavery by the court and the mobiles 1t was a
terrible Weakening The French tore of their shackhes m turned upon their
tyrants They smashed he power of the royal court N
A Terrible they slaughtered the mobiles by hundreds Then they set
nL,.- up "a Government by the People, and made their KIM
Sign a Constitution guaranteeing them their rights
ne King CHANGED to be Louis XvI-thick-headed.
mean weak His wife,. Queen Marie Antoineue "A as silly rs her hw-
badw s stupid; as wnful as he vas rreslute. She was like a vain bird hal
gayy preens Its plumage in front Of the spotsnans loaded gn a terrible fate
was daily drawing in closeru upon her. And instead of avoiding that fate as she
vhinst the King to ignore the peoples rights, by committing wild exravsgances
while thu peasants starved ad by q dozen oher fomes she greatly FASTENED
the day of reckoning
At last the King and Queen we're hu. u their own palace. virtually prisoners
Each new bunder of heirs plunged them deeper into trouble. The people were
drunk with a new-found liberty They low had 10 reverence nor regard for BIZ
royal family. Louis XVI W as a mere ngurehead, likely al, N moment to be
toppled over. IN course Tor safety alone remained: If tn King could escape
IRON Franco. reach some adjoining country N taxi refuge there her European
powers would quickly raise a mighty arm in his behalf n IN him iumphanuy
people IA a thing hat the monarchs of Europe had always dreaded. And for
their W sakes. by way of example they would be glad to help Louis thrash bis
reberious subjects and resume his former power.
So the royal family decided to escape This would nave been a very simple
matter had sensible persons been concerned In It, For instance the Kings brother
quietly got intoa plain hired carriage an drove to Brussels unhtndered and IN
suspected. But that IA hot spectacular enough to sui Marie ntonette. She
Though thu net OF vigilance vas last closing about the palace. here were
sim man ioonbolc in Tho meshes Inrmd Of takIng advantage Of, these and hr-
-hz a. % ~. Aa,,yrya a. a-Ae ~. nn~o, At.axl 49,