Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1914-02-28
RAYMOND SHIPMAN ANDREWS II
ILLUSTRATIONS o. LLLSM1ORTH -

assurance of an aristocrat. He smiled
his brilliant exquisite smile into the
older boys face.
Me- am a 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"
tOr half so good Pietro put in with
his slow tones.
You are likely right the stranger
agreed laconicalIy.
And then without questions asked,
in rapid eager sentences, the three
had told him how it 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 its 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.
81 think 1 should like to climb the
WALL the stranger said.
And he did. The others watching
anxiously, he crawled out on the I'M
| 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 slippingi And, above, the wall
swayed. Then, in the instant of time
before the catastrophe, Francois had
| sprung like a cat into the center of
danger and pushed the other boy, vio-
lently Keeling, 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 a shout of joy rose from
Pietro, for Francois lifted his head
and began crawling difficulty, with
Pietro's help. out of the debris.
81 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 a few min
utes ago that you should one day do
a thing worth while for a Bonaparte.
You have done it. You have saved my
life
Francois hand crept to his cap and
he pulled it off and stood bareheaded.
Monsieur, who are your" he
brought out
The strange boys vanishing smile
frightened his face a second "I am
Louis Bonaparte,' he said quietly.
The little court of three stood about
the young Prince, silent. And in a
moment, in a few sentences, he had
told them how. the day before, he had
been seized with 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 exiled 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 it was
known. But / had to do it, He threw
back his head and filed his lungs with
a great breath. ''Tfe air of France
he whispered il 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 eve
caught sight of a figure swinging rap
idly down the mountain road where
the Prince had come.
But look. Louis" he called from be
hind the rock where he was preparing
as robber baron, to swoop down or
Prince Louis conveying Alike as ar
| escaped nun to Pietro's monastery in
another corner.
And the boy Prince. suddenly grave
shaded his eye with his hand anc
gazed up the mountain Then his
hand fell and he sighed THE adven
ture is over he said. 81 must &c
back to the Prince business. 1t Id
Monsieur Lebas-
Il Monsieur Lebas, the tutor, arrived
shortly in anything but playful hu
NOR The boys mother, Queen Hor
tense, was in Rome, and he was re
sponsible; he had been frightened tc
the verge of madness by the princes
escapade-
The playmates were separated
swiftly Monsieur Lebas refused witt
|, something like horror the eager sug
/