The Madisonian. (Richmond, Ky.) 1913-1914, 1914-06-23
mother win thank you equally. II is
good present"


dens with a wide margin of time, and
the respiration had come as he looked
down the cleaning row of white let
tuce chat he would take tribute and
make the visit which the seigneur had
asked him to make.
General Gourgaud brought down bis
fist on a table so that it ratified and
Francois started-but not Alike.
Sabre de boisi" he threw at the
two children. you have ruined my
morning between you. meant to fin
ish those cursed chapters this morn
ing. But let them wait Having the
honor to receive a visit from an officer
of high rank, the least 1 can do is to
entertain him. What amusement do
you prefer, M'sieur the Marshal? /
am at your service
1t was natural to Francois to believe
every one kindly; he accepted with
simplicity, if with slight surprise, the
generals speech.
"The seigneur has fought battles I'M
der the great emperor himself?" the
boy asked in an awed tone.
YES came the abrupt answer.
"Think!" whispered the French boy.
ITO have fought under the emperor"
And the old soldiers heart thrilled
seigneur would tell me story of one
fight-of just one!"
"Ratisbon, Ratisbon!" clamored
Alike, and she scrambled over the arm
of his chair to her fathers knee and
her hand went around his neck. Tell
about Ratisbon and the ditch and the
ladders, father"
Haiti" ordered the general 81 have
not week to talk. But I will tell
about Ratisbon If you wish"
The deep voice stopped, then went
on again. The Austrians held Rats
bon and the bridge across the Danube
river. The emperor wished to take
the town and that bridge. Marshal
Lannes was ordered to do it You see
my children, the walls were 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 it was necessary to go down
into that ditch and climb up again tc
the walls, and all the time one would
be under fire from the Austrians or
the walls-do you understs nd that
children? Very we'll Twics the mar
shall asked for fifty volunteers to take
the ladders and place them in the
ditch Twice one hundred men sprane
. forward, and it was necessary tt
, choose the fifty. Twice they dashed
out, carrying the ladders, from behinC
the great stone barn which had GOV
cred them, and each time the detail
was wiped out-fifty men wiped out. 1
was like that, my children, the fight a
Ratisbon."
"The emperor" Francois breatket
Z the emperor was therei'
Probably nothing, which had not II
do with his daughter, could hav
touched General Gourgaud as did tina
tribute
"Sapristi!" he growled. "The arr
Of the little corporal reaches a lon
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" TIL
general was surprised How is that?
| In a boyish fashion, in homely lar
| guage of his class, yet with that drs
\ matte instinct which is characteristic
| ally French, Francois told his tale a
his grandmother had told it to him an
to his. brothers and sisters-the tai
!" which the children called "Napoleo
Comes" The general listened with
: sincere interest.
= My boy" he addressed the lad, 9
. do not know the law-I am a soldie
Il Yet by my idea you are chevalier, CT,
ated so by the act of the most power
full monarch who ever ruled France
by our Emperor Napoleon. The tim
may come when, as the emperor sail
u you may be a marshal of France unde
i another Bonaparte. But that is
e small thing if the time comes whe
you may help another Bonaparte t
g come to his right, to rule over Franc,
IS 1t is that Of which you must think ii
q the hour strikes, and then it is thu
e, which you must give your life for
IS Little Francois, the visionary, tn
II hero worshiper, trembled. 81 will d
u it, my seigneur," he said, frightened "
N inspired, lifted into a tremendous di
re Tying atmosphere. And with that
d secret which he had told no one, nc
Ie even his mother, broke forth. an
/ Cofo OF
Ie sometimes have dreams-yet the
t. are not dreams-in broad daylight.
d see things-I hear voices-which al
le not of our village Three times I sa
y long road up a mountain, and owe
81 the mountain was large star. I ga
% it three times, and once voice said :
d Is the star of the Bonapartes, but ais
NJ your star, Francois. Follow it."
ID The general was a hard-headed pc
son for ALE his cult of Napoleon, an
|; vision-seeing appeared to him MOI
d, sense. He pooh-poohed at once Ii
a idea Of star divided between til
house of Bonaparte and small pea
1T ant. .Your mother had better put
sr wet cloth in your cap" he advise,
Embarrassing stars in midday
d, Some one-legged old fighter has bee
9. gabbling before you about the star {
10 the Bonapartes, and that and touc
W of sunstroke In this heat, it may b
s. have turned you silly. Let me hear n
r, more of stars, but keep at your lesso
ID and learn to be-"
With that he was aware that tn
boy did not hear him. The light figu1
70 was on tiptoes-the large .eyes stare
at the wall, and the. child spoke in a
" unaffected voice as If something mu