Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1914-01-21
CHAPTER VII.
The Grown Of ErIendshlp.

In the claw-footed, carved, old ma
hogany desk of a Virginia house, in a
drawer where are packets of yellowed
letters tied up and labeled, is a letter
written years later, referring to that
earlier time in France. Perhaps this
bit Of the chronicle of Francois Beau
pre- could not be told so wildly as in
these words of Francois written from
his prison. He begins with the ac-
count OF an adventure, of ride for
life
so. dear Alike" he finishes this
the detailed story of his capture
down went the poor horse, and over
his head / spun into the ditch with
a bump on the skull which dazed me.
And when | came to there were the
heavy Austrians around me, gaping
TO see the Prince. And only Francois
Beaupre to see. which they found out
pretty promptly, as l have told you
before, and also how / defied them.
I'm a great danger they say one
thinks more clearly than usual-one's
mind works with smoothness and at
leisure. II was so during that ride.
for / followed out as l dashed along.
hearing the shouts of the men back
of me, the whole train of circum-
stances from one of those mornings
with Coz in the park. to this adven-
ture of life and death. II was the
morning-you will know before | say
it-when Jean Philippe Moison, in his
lovely purple clothes, came miucing
down the graveled drive, as If afraid
of spelling ais good shoes-and
think he waste the seigneur, who
taught us to ride Coz. Do you re-
Amember how your father Numbered at
him?
"A strange monsieur to see me?
Impossible! / am engaged. Tell him
| win not see him.
And Jean Philippe smiling, for all
of them understood the seigneur, and
saying gently, Yes, my Seigneur.
turned away with the message And
your father shouted after him:
"'Stopi Come back herei What
do you mean by that? Bring the mon
sieur to me- And the purple clothes
disappeared and appeared again in
few minutes cleaning in the sun
against the gray old walls--I can see
il all now, Alixe-like large violet
blossom of a strange flower. And be-
hind Jean Philippe was a tall man
in long travelling. cloak. and behind
him a tall little J1y. And as they
came the seigneur turned to go to
meet them, and stopped and stared.
And the monsieur in the cloak stopped
and stared; and you. mounted on Coo,
and |. holding Coqs bride. watched
curiously, because of the other child,
and we saw how the seigneur sud
denly began to shake as If i'll. and then
with q hoarse shout rushed to the
tall man and threw his arms about
him and held him. and sobbed aloud
That was a strange thing to see the
seigneur do. and / never forgot it, And
TO think that the child who stood
there. shy and unknown, was Pietroi
1t seems unreasonable that ever there
was a time when you and Pietro and
did not know one another we'll
las | rode that day, with the Aus
TRANS after me. thought out the
whole chain OF events; how Pietro had
come and had stayed while his father,
the marquis. went to America, and had
fitted into our life and become dear to
us. the big. beautiful. silent lad. And
how then, because of the death of the
marquis Pietro had come under the
charge of your father. the seigneur,
and how he and went away together
to the military school. always more
and more like brothers and-all the
rest. | need not recite those things
to you, yet l like to do il. My
thoughts. in that wild dangerous mo-
ment. seemed to go in detail through
all. from the morning that the Mar
| quis Zappi arrived with his little son
at the chateau, through the ten years
of our life together, to my coming
into Italy as his secretary and from
that, by a rapid step. TO this castle
prison"
The rest OF the letter be'ongs TO
later part or the story. that little
Pietro zappi should be lei into the
narrative by the hand of has closest
/ friend was the object for which the
letter was introduced, and that &C
complished. the course of history
bends back 10 the quiet Valley of
Delesmontes and the children growing
up under the shadows of The castle
/ towers.
The general, sitting in his library
the morning after the arrival chron-
;cled in the quoted letter. stared at
his old friend from under his heavy
brows as if trying vigorously to con-
vince himself of his presence The
marquis, an Italian OF North Italy, tall
and proud and quiet, had the air more
OF student than Of a soldier. A
little the air. also. OF an invalid. for
he stopped and walked languidly, and
cough caught him al times. He was
talking. on that morning in the library.
while the general listened; 1t was not
the usual order of things
so you see. Gaspard. the marquis
went on In his quiet reticent wey.
that have believed IA our old friend
/ ship. I have taken fer granted well
come for my boy could not have
done it with another man. The voy-
age to America and my stay there
viii last, it may be A year, l have
| brought Pietro TO leave him with you
| IL you will have him.