Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1914-09-16
CHAPTER xxxy1.

~ w
There are old people living in Eng
land today who remember hearing thei-.
Iathers N mothers speak Of a young
frenchman of uncommon personality,
constantly seen with Prince Louis Ma
poieon during h last days of his life
IN london In the year 1910. Lady Con-
stance Cecil nicknamed this Frenchman
the Princes bright shadow" There
seemed to be a closer tie than BROTH
erhood between them, and the tradition
runs that the mystical Prince had a
superstition that his luck went with
MIN In the person of the Chevalier
Beaupre.
Inc days of that summer month were
Iull days for the conspirators. On the
surface. arranged to been seen of the
world and to throw the world off it's
guard, was a steady round of gaiety. at
one brilliant function after another the
peasant Francois shared the honors and
the l1onlzlng Of the Prince. Because
ms visionary eye looked through
tnlngs OF tinsel to realities, the tinsel
did not dazzle him. He gazed
at the butterflies of the world who
With kind hearts. And the butterflies
themselves were seldom so tawdry but
that they responded to the simplicity
ana loving kindness which he held out
to them. Few human telegraph sta
IONS fall utterly to take the message
w WlIClcSS OF
reality sounds the note. So. that Fran
CO.'S. not suspecting it, gained in a few
weeks on many English hearts a hold
who's memory has not yet died away.
Beyond this evident social side of the
LONDON lie lay the hidden life of prep
aratlon for the event to come-the at
tempt on Boulogne. And in this both
the prince and his close blower and
friend really breathed and had their
oelng. There was constant excitement,
constant labor, constant Anxiety. Once,
toward the end of the time.
was sent ona flying trip to France. to
a arrangements unsafe to trust to
writing, for the princes affair. While
on French soil he found time for q
Two hours visit to Vicques and saw his
mother and Alike and the general.
Pietro, also, he saw, Pietro. who was
to have Joined the prince in London by
now, and who had instead incapacita-
ted himself for fighting for months to
come. a village child had run sud-
denly out under his horses feet. and
Pletro, saving the child, had thrown the
morse and had been badly hurt. So
ne lay fretting his heart out silently at
tne castle, and when Francois stood by
MS bed. brilliant and tense as an ar
row on its way, Pietro took his
Irlends hand in both his own and
srlpped II with all his force and then
turned his face to the wall without a
word. 1t was always Francois who was
the hero. ""S
/, So that the princes secretary sped
pack to England, sore in heart to miss
the friend Of his lifetime at his side in
hearted ready for the work to be.any-
thing but an eager sword in the
princes hand. The day for which he
had longed all his life was at hand. The
general had sent him off to 1t with a
LiGuga soldierly blessing: Alike had
stood IN the farm house door, shielding
with her hand those calm saint IKE
eyes. and he saw her lips move as he
looked back and knew what she said
as she watched him ride away to fight
Tor Prince Louis. To fight for the
prince! Who could tell IL ever he
might ride back down that familiar
road under the chestnuts?
But It was all as 1t should be; he
was entirely happy. He had askei
three wishes of the good FAIRIES, as he
q said long ago: that the prince
come "a marshal Of France under
other Bonaparte'-that Alike should
love him. The first two he believed
about to be realized. The last? It was
not nov the time to think OF that.
would more than do till the fight was
over. So he sped back to london.
missing Pietro. but hopeful and buoy
ant. And In London there was a let
ter for him from Virginia.
Dear Francois" Lucy began. "To
think that the first letter sent to YOU
by Harry's wife should be to tell you
that she has betrayed your trust In her.
am distressed beyond words, for I
have made q mistake which may mean
distress to you. You remember the
letter to Alike which you trusted to me
to send her In case anything should
happen to you? I had It in my hand
the week after my wedding when I had
gone upstairs to get other letters for
europe which my father had com.
9 me to send BY the next packet.
ana IN some stupid unexplainable way
! slipped your-your precious letter.