South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1913-12-24
CONTINUED from Tuesday,
CHAPTER XXXI.
Brothers

Brothers.
Colonel Hampton's study was dark
from floor 10 ceiling with brown oak
wainscoting and was lightened by
dull brightness Of portraits. An an
cestor in a scarlet coat. the red turned
yellow and brown with time; an an
cestress in dimmed glory Of blue satin
and lace and pearls; a judge in his
wig and gown, gave the small room
Importance. a broad window looked
through bare branches. lacy-black
against sky, across a rolling country
and groups OF woodland
ON the morning OF the first day OF
April. 1897. Prince Louis Napoleon
Bonaparte stood at the window. star
ing at brown fields and trying to
trace a likeness between this new
world and the ancient country which
he Csiled his; France, where, since he
was seven years old. ne had been al
lowed to spend but a few weeks;
France. which had freshly exiled
him; France, the thought of which
ruled him, as he meant one day TO
rule her: France. for whom he was
eating his heart out today, as always.
thousands of miles from her shores.
His gaze grew retrospective; i'm a long
panorama he saw the scenes of his
picturesque life-surely a life of
heights and depths such as few have
known. Dimly he remembe the
gorgeOusness of his uncle's court.
himself conspicuous there-a little
lad of five-a princeling whose birth
had been celebrated by one hundred
and twenty millions of people, in
twenty tongues and dialects; vaguely
he felt the agitated atmosphere of the
1 L. 4. l..
and his brother, in hiding with their
mothers dressmaker, had trodden
Paris streets as children Of the peo-
pie. And then came his theatrical
| escape. with mother and brother. into
an exile lasting unbroken for fifteen
years
He recalled the happy life at Aren
enberg. in Switzerland, and the work
and play and SOldierly training which
all pointed. in the boys mind, to one
end-to serve France service
which did not at that time mean SOW
ereignty, for the Duke of ReichStadt,
Napoleon's son, was alive and the
head of the house of BOnaparte. He
thought of his short career, his and
his well-belOved brothers together
with the Italian insurgents against the
Austrians. and the lonely mans heart
| lOnged for his own people as he went
| over again that time OF excitement
and sorrow, ending with the older
| boys death at Forli and his own ill
ness and narrow escape from capture.
What a mother" he cried aloud,
tossing up his hands with French
| demonstrativeneSS as the memory
came to him of the days in Ancona
| when he lay at deaths door, hidden
in the very room next that of the Aus
TRAN general, saved only at last by
the marvellous mothers wit and cOur-
age. The journey through Italy to
| France, that was drama enough for
one life. Recognized at every turn.
| betrayed never, and ending with
| Prince Louis smiled his slow dim
smile-a fitting ending indeed to days
| whose every minute was adventure.
| He thought of the landlord of the
| inn, the old cavalryman; the young
| n-Beaupre-that was the
name; it was set in his memory; it
| had been in that tenacious memory
] since an afternoon of 1924, when a
! runaway schOolboy prince had slipped
| over the Jura, and played with three
| other children, about a ruined castle;
he saw Francois Beaupre take rever-
emily in his hand the sword which
| Napoleon had held-and then the
alarm That was a fine Sight-the
| dash Of the youngster through the
startled mob of Austrians: the flying
| leap to the horse: the Skirmish to get
| free, and. at last, the rush of the
| chase. He had seen il ALL watching
| quietly while his mother and the land
| lord implOred him TO hide himself.
| That young Frenchman-if he should
be alive-if ever he should meet him
| again Prince Louis would not forget.
1t was psychological that he should
| have been thinking this when knock
sounded deferentially on the door of
] the room. But picturesque conci-
dences happen in lives as we'll as on
the stage; in Louis NapoleOn's there
was more than one. ''Entrez" he
| called sharply, and then, Come inn
The door swung slowly and Aaron,
white-aproned and white-eyeballed,
stood in it.
| 'MarSe Prince" he stated with a
| dignity of service which crowned
heads could not daunt. "ole Marse
sen me bring You dis hyer Marse
| Gopray."
light figure stepped before the
! black and white Of Aaron. and halted.
| and bowed profoundly. The light
| from the window on the face and the
| dark immense eyes that lifted toward
| Prince Louis. and for moment he
! stared. puzzled. Was he in the
present? Surely this man was part Of
! the past which he had been review