Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1914-03-17
CHAPTER xxx.
The Princes Brioht Shadow.

The Princes Bright Shadow.
There are old people living in Eng
land today who remember hearing
their fathers and mothers speak of a
young Frenchman of uncommon per-
sonality, constantly seen with Prince
Louis Napoleon during the last days
of his life in London in the year 1870.
Lady Constance Cecil nicknamed this
Frenchman "the princes bright
tie than brotherhood between them,
and the tradition runs that the mys-
teal prince had a superstition that his
luck went with him in the person Of
the Chevalier Beaupre.
1t was all as it should be: ne was
entirely happy. He had asked three
wishes of the good fairies, as he had
said long ago; that the prince should
be emperor-that he might become "a
marshal of France under another Bona
parte'-that Alike should love him.
The first two he believed about TO be
realized. The last? 1t was not now
the time to think of that. Alike had
kissed him good-by. That would more
than do till the fight was over. So he
sped back to London, missing Pietro.
but hopeful and buoyant. And in Lon
don there was a letter for him from
Virginia.
Dear Francois" Lucy began. ITO
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. l am distressed beyond words.
for l have made mistake which may
mean distress to you. You remember
the letter to Alike which you trusted
to me to send in case anything should
happen to you? l had it in my hand
the week after my wedding when 1 had
gone upstairs to get other letters for
Europe which my father had command
ed me to send by the next packet. And
in some stupid unexplainable way
slipped yours-your precious letter.
among them In place of one to my ia
theirs agents in London, and l hur-
ried down and gave the parcel to Sam.
DO, who was waiting to ride to Nor
folk with them. And then Harry and
went away ON visit to Martins
Brandon for three days, and it was
only when l came back that discov-
cred the dreadful mistake had made.
Can you ever forgive me? Harry and
I thought over every possibility of stop
ping it, but there seemed to be no
chance. Are you very angry with me,
dear friend Of Harry's and of miner"
The letter went on with reproaches
and regrets and finally slipped into a
tale of a new happy life which Fran
co.'s had made possible for the two.
He read it over several times. His
letter to Alike, which should have been
sent only after his death, had gone to
her. What then? She would know
that he loved her; that he had loved
her always; that he would love her
forever; that the one wish of his life
had been that she she uld love himself
not Pietro. He had said that in the
letter; that was all. He was glad that
she should know. though he would
never have told her in life. 1t was
done and he would find out now if
Pietro indeed cared for her, II she
cared for Pietro. And if not, then one
had waited long enough; then at last
the Joy of the thought choked him.
A knock came at the door of the
room in the London lodging where he
sat with Lucy Hampton's letter before
him. Fritz Rickenbach stood there;
his highness would like to see the
chevalier. All personal thoughts were
locked swiftly into the drawer with
Lucy's letter and "the princes bright
shadow" went to the prince.