The citizen., 1914-02-13

his brilliant exquisite smile into the
older boys face.
Mel am peasant" he said cheer
fully. Il have no house."
He is a peasant-yes. But he is
our brother. Pietro's and mine, and no
prince is better than Francois-not
one"
"Or half SO good" Pietro put in with
his slow tones.
you are likely right" the stranger
agreed laconically.
And then without questions asked,
in rapid eager sentences, the three
had told him how 1t was; how Fran
co.'s, refusing to leave the cottage, was
yet the son of the castle. With that
they were talking about the village of
Vicques, and it's antiquity, and then
of the old chateau; and one told the
legend Of the treasure and of the
guardian dog.
Just over the wall there is the
opening where he appeared to old
Pierre Tremblay," Francois pointed
out.
Il think should like to climb the
wall, the stranger said.
And he did. The others watching
anxiously, he crawled out on the un-
certain pile ten feet in air. A big
stone crashed behind him; he crawled
on. Then there was a hoarse rumble
OF loosened masonry, and down came
the great blocks close to his hands
he was slipping! And, above, the wall
swayed. Then, in the instant Of time
before the catastrophe, Francois had
sprung like cat into the center of
danger and pushed the other boy, vio-
lently reeling, across the grass out OF
harms way.
Alike screamed once sharply. Fran
co.'s lay motionless on his face and the
great stones rained around him. 1t
was all over in a moment; in a mo-
ment more shout o. joy rose from
Pietro. for Francois lifted his head
and began crawling difficulty, with
Pietro's help, out Of the debris.
Il have to thank you for my life,
Monsieur the peasant" the stranger
said, and held out his hand. More
over, it is seldom that prophecy is so
quickly fulfilled. You said few min
utes ago that you should one day do
a thing worth while for Bonaparte.
, You have done 1t. You have saved my
life"
Francois hand crept to his cap and
he pulled 1t of and stood bareheaded.
Monsieur, who are you?" he
brought out.
The strange boys vanishing smile
frightened hts face a second. Il am
Louis Bonaparte," he said quietly.
The little court of three stood about
the young Prince, silent. And in
moment, in a few sentences, he had
told them how, the day before, he had
been seized with a hunger for the air
of France, which he had not breathed
since, as a boy of seven, his mother
had escaped with him from Paris dur
ing the Hundred Days. He told them
how the desire to stand on French soil
had possessed him, till at last he had
run away from his tutor and had found
the path from his exilsd home, the
castle of Arenenberg, in the canton of
Thurgovie, in Switzerland, over the
mountains into the Jura valley.
1T Is imprudent," he finished the
tale calmly. "The government would
turn on all its big engines in an uproar
to catch one schoolboy, if 1t was
known. But had to do it." He threw
back his head and filled his lungs with
great breath. "The air of France"
he whispered in an ecstasy.
For two hours more they told sto-
ries and played games through the
soft old ruins of the savage old strong
hold, as light-heartedly, as carelessly
as If there were no wars or intrigues
or politics or plots which had been
and were to be close to the lives of
all of them. Till, as the red round
sun went down behind the mountain
of the Rose. Francois quick eye
caught sight of figure swinging rap
idly down the mountain road where
the Prince had come
But look, Louis" be called from be-
hind the rock where he was preparing,
as robber baron, to swoop down on
Prince Louis conveying Alike as an
escaped nun to Pietro's monastery in
another corner.
And the boy Prince, suddenly grave,
shaded his eye with his hand and
gazed up the mountain. Then his
hand fell and he sighed. "The adven-
ture is over" he said. 'T must GO
back to the Prince business. It is
Monsieur Lebas."
Monsieur Lebas. the tutor, arrived
shortly in anything but a playful hui
NOR. The boys mother, Queen Hor-
tense, was in Rome, and he was re-
sponsible; he had been frightened to
the verge of madness by the princes
escapade.
The playmates were separated
swiftly. Monsieur Lebas refused with
something like horror the eager sup.