The public ledger. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1913-1968, 1914-01-31

the town and that bridge. Marshal
Lannes was ordered to do IL. You see,
my children, the walls we're very old
but filled with Austrian artillery, and
there was infantry on the parapets.
An old ditch lay under the walls, a
large ditch, dry, but twenty feet high
and fifty feet wide. All the bottom OF
It was a vegetable garden. To take
that town 1t was necessary to go down
into that ditch and climb up again to
the walls, and all the time one would
be under IRE from the Austrians on
the walls-do you understand that,
children? Very well. Twice the mar
shall asked for fifty volunteers to take
the ladders and place them in the
ditch. Twice one hundred men sprang
forward, and 1t was necessary to
choose the fifty. Twice they dashed
out, carrying the ladders, from behind
the great stone barn which had COW
cred them, and each time the detail
was wiped out-ffty men wiped out. 1t
was like that, my children. the fight at
Ratisbon."
THE emperor" Francois breathed
the emperor was there!"
Probably nothing, which had not to
do with his daughter, could have
touched General Gourgaud as did that
tribute.
"Sapristi!" he growled The arm
of the little corporal reaches a long
way. The child has not even seen him,
and VOLTA, he loves him"
The child's face flushed. But yes,
my seigneur." Francois spoke quickly.
But yes. ] have seen the emperor"
You have seen Napoleon" The
general was surprised. How IS that?"
In a boyish fashion, in homely Ian
guage of his class, yet with that dra-
matte instinct which is Characteristic
ally French, Francois told his tale as
his grandmother had told it to him and
to his brothers and sisters-the tale
which the children called Napoleon
Comes" The general listened with a
sincere interest.
my boy" he addressed the lad, 81
do not know the law am a soldier.
Yet by my idea you are chevalier. ere
ated so by the act of the most power
full monarch who ever ruled France
by our Emperor Napoleon The time
may come when, as the emperor said.
you may be a marshal of France under
another Bonaparte. But that is a
small thing IL the time comes when
you may help another Bonaparte to
come to his right. to rule over France
II is that of which you must think till
the hour strikes, and then it is that
which you must give your life for"
Little Francois, the visionary, the
hero worshiper, trembled. Il will do
it, my seigneur," he said. frightened yet
| inspired, lifted into a tremendous diZ-
Tying atmosphere And with that a
secret which he had told no one, not
even his mother, broke forth. MY
segneur, n strange thing happens
sometimes-I have dreams-yet they
are not dreams-in broad daylight.
see things hear voices-which are
not Of our village. Three times | saw
long road up a mountain. and over
the mountain was a large star, ! saw
it three times, and once a voice said 1t
is the star of the Bonapartes. but also
your star, Francois. Follow it"
The general was a hard-headed per
son for all his cult of Napoleon, and
vision-seeing appeared to him non
sense. He pooh-poohed at once the
idea OF a star divided between the
house of Bonaparte and a small peas
ant. Your mother had better put a
wet cloth in your cap" he advised.
"Parbleu--seeng stars in midday!
Some one-legged old fighter has been
Cabling before you about the star of
the Bonapartes, and that and touch
of sunstroke in this heat, it may be,
have turned you silly. Let me hear no
more of stars, but keep at your lesson
and learn to be"
With that he was aware that the
boy did not hear him. The light figure
was on tiptoes-the large eyes stared
at the wall, and the child spoke in an
unaffected voice as if something muf-
fed spoke through him.
Il see the star" he said. Il see it
| through n window whore there are