The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1912-04-30
CHAPTER xxxI.-contlnued.


Prince Louis saw the dawning or
CONSERVATION. Rapidly he considered.
Was II we'll to take away mans hap
piness and courage Just before fightY
He remembered some words OF Fran
coils spoken three years before. words
whose dramatic baroness had struck
him. when a knight Of the old time
went into battle" the young man had
said "he wore on his helmet the badge
OF his lady, and the thought OF her in
his heart. A man fights better So"
Very we'll This blind knight should
have his letter, with the meaning he
had read into II. for his lady's badge,
and he should fight tomorrow with the
thought of her in his heart. The let
ter suggested another meaning to So
phisticated Louis Bonaparte, but there
Is no need to hasten the feet OF un-
happiness. The resonant French voice
spoke at last in an unused accent OF
cordiality and tho Prince lied. with
ungrudging graciousness.
Mistaken, my Francois! Not at ALL
The little billetdoux breathes love for
you in each line-there Is no question!
But, mon ami. you have not finished
your story" So Francois explained
about the letter left with Lucy Hamp-
ton and its premature sending That
has reached her now-she knows now
that / love her, she knows what has
really been my lifelong wish-she has
hurried this" and his hand crushed
the note tenderly-"she has hurried
this to me before the fight-that
might know her love also-that
might fight better for you, my Prince
--Louis-with that Joy in my heart. "
Prince Louis, his head thrown back,
his expressionless eyes watching the
rings of smoke which he puffed from
his mouth-ring after ring, mounting
In dream-like procession to the low
ceiling, considered again. Somewhere
In the chain of events OF this love
affair his keen practical sense felt q
link that did not fit-a link forced into
connection. Vaguely he discerned how
It was-something had happened to
the Virginian letter-there had been
a confusion somewhere. To him the
four words OF Alixes postscript were
final. "Pietro sends his love-" A sub
conscious reasoning made him certain
that Pietro would not have come into
such letter II 1t had been indeed Q
love-letter; that the three lines ol
writing Just before the battle coulC
not have held another mans name, Il
they had been written to the mar
whom she loved Very dimly, very
surely the Prince concluded these
things; and then he lowered his cigar
and his gray dull eyes came dowr
from the ceiling and rested, kindly OF
the radiant face. "You are right, m!
friend. It was an exquisite thought o
your lady-love TO put this other weap
on, this bright sword of happiness int
your hand, to fight with tomorrow
Mon Dieu, we will reward her by send
Ing her back q Marshal's baton b,
you; a Marshal's baton tomorrow
Francois! How would 1t sound, pa
example. to say Madame la Mare
chale'?"
The light from Francois eyes wa
like lamp.
my Prince-Sire-there are thre
things / have desired all my life, a
great things, but of them that one
the baton Of Marshal--ls the leas
II might win her love-I have said
n might help put you in Napoleon
place and shout 'Vive lEmpereur' fo
you on the throne Of France; II
might fulfill the Emperor's prophec
and be not Marshal some day an
longer but Marshal Of your empire
It is asking much Of one lifetime, aboy
all for man born peasant. Is
not? Yet OF those three wishes or
wonderful fulhllmept has come to me
he gripped his letter closer--"ar
one, believe tomorrow brings. B
fore tomorrow night"-his great eye
we're lifted toward the ceiling OF Il
room, and In them was the rapt loc
Of the child of the farmhouse In Il
Jura. look of seer Of visions, a loc