The Washington herald., 1914-04-05
By JAMES MORGAN

=
former minister from the republic of the
, West, who afterward became the nego-
| tiator for the purchase Of Louisiana and
President of the United States.
| Mile. Augie, Nine. Campan's niece. is
| passing the sugar to her sweetheart. Gen.
| Ney, who has just taken a cup of coffee
! from the tray borne by Josephine's lit
| tie black page from Martinique. Murat.
| with folded arms stands behind the chair
| Of Caroline Bonaparte. Joseph Bonaparte.
| whom his brother is covering with the
| highest ambassadoTial honors. is chat
| ting with the foxy Talleyrand: but Ma
| poleon despairs of him: He is too good
| to be a great man. he has no ambition
| OF a very different and more ardent
/ type is brother Lucien, who is dispelIing
\ now the gloom of his widowerhoOd with
gallant smiles for Nine. Recamier. For
| Lucien is willful, headstronE and ava
ricious. His shameless corruption while
| in the ministry and while on diplomatic
missions has crammed his pockets with
gold.
/ his peculations. Napoleon. caring moth
ing for wealth, was showerinC fortunes
| on his family. He had installed them
| all in princely town and country estab-
lishments. all except Joseph. whose mar
| riage with the wealthy Julie Clary had
made him independent. Mother LetiZia
| looks on tho scene with provincial wonder
and prudent misgivings she contracts
| il with the lot of the family seven and
eight years before. when they were lit
orally in the bread line" at Toulon and
Marseilles.
One of her sons is absent from the
evening at Malmaison. This is the baby
boy. Jerome the only one Of the Bona
parte brothers who is too young to have
remembered and profted by privations.
He is already a prince in profligacy. and
Napoleon has sent him of with the navy
to American waters to remove him from
the temptations Of Paris-to keep him out
of mischief.
The Villain on the Scene.
Berthier. Cambaceres and l. Rrun
glance up from their cards to listen 20
the singer Everywhere rove the ferret
like eyes Of Fouche. the villain in the
scene always steaIthily seeking out the
weak spots in his fellows. particularly in
the armor OF Napoleon. He has already
read aloud to the First Consul in tho
presence Of others a newspaper report
that the divorcinG of Josephine was con-
tempIated because she had not presented
her husband with an heir. While nOsilv
pretending to laugh at IT a wild ab-
surdity. he searched the countenance OF
Napoleon. who. however. affected not to
listen to the report or ray any attention
10 the reader.
Josephine. too. has frequently been
made to listen to the same disqnietinC
suggestion Her new position in the
not a very ambitious woman. II she
still did not love her husband. she had
grown fond enough to be loyal to him
and to suffer the pangs of jealousy from
his disloyalty.
As the dyer's hand is subdued to what
II works in. a man cannot exercise a
despotism without developing a despotic
nature. Napoleon had become a law unto
/ himself in all things great and small.
! II am not a man like other men, ho
frankly told Nine dc RemUsat. and
] 1aW ha n nf Il 4
not apply to me" As his iron power
over nations increased. he could no longer
feel hound by the silkHn tic NJ matrimonv,
and every day the poor. little wife saw
her eagle soaring farther and farther
away from her.
As his fame waxed greater. her hsppi-
ness was lesscned As his glory grew,
the shadows deepcned around her. The
dread problem OF an hereditary success
sion arose and Lucien Bonapartc made
hold TO say % Josephine. whom the ycars
were fastening toward forty: You
should go to PlombicreS for tho waters;
YOU must 20 there to hav" a child. An
heir is absolutely necessary-by fair
means or foul
At the suggestion of deception Jo-
sephine rctorted. as she repeated to
Thibaudeau while barring her Grieved
heart TO that councillor Of state: Il
would go away from here and work for
my living rather than lend myself 10
such an infamy. You can have very
little respect for France" she added
n.
such thing. You will end by running
vour brother" Although she went tC
Plombierrs and took the waters. she
told ThihaudcaU: i do not regret that
] have given my husband no children.
II I had l should trembIe for their fu-
turc."
The shadow of the Throne.
The net of intrigue. drawing about her
day by day. grew finer and finer in
i-S r,sSb To cain r,nre influence in the
hostile counsels Of the Bonaparte fam
Murat with Caroline Bonaparte, relying
on Murats friendship to aid her. In in
crcasing desperation and though loving
her dearly. she sacrificed even her own
daughter to save herself. AnxiOusly pro-
noting further alliance with the Bona
parties, she made match that was no
match at all between Ho-tcnse and Louis
Bonapartc. They hated each other. and
the bride was led weeping to the altar.
Their first baby being hoy. Josephine
welcomed him as a candidate for the
succession and ne was chrstened Ma
pOleOn Charles.
The lack of an heir probably was not
JoscphinN's only motive for CounseIing
her husband against dynaStic ambitions:
very likely a womanS native prudence
was also among her prOTpJinEs. Her
heart sank now as in the days of hCT
cOurtship when she marked the wild
flights of his fancy and ambition.
Josephine'S Alarm.
Once Napoleon asked her to toll him
his defects and she replied. Il know
only two: Weakness and indiscretion.
You permit yourself to he influenced by
persons who arc only seeking Your down
fall. and you are SO fond of arguing that
yoH let your secret thoughts escape" IIn
fondly took her in his arms as he ad-
mittcd the correctness of her diagnosis
and put aside her womanly intuition. She
warned him again and again. as she
told Thibaudcau. that two things ruin
mcn-wcaknCss and ambition" But she
complained he would not discuss politics
with her. lid a man ever discuss his
plunGrs with his wife?
Seating herself on his knee and run
ming her hand through his hair. she said
To him: u cntTCat you. BOnaparte. do
not make yourself King" But the hus-
hand gently and SmilingIy dismissed her
like a child. Come now, You interrupt
mc-leaVe me- alone" Bourriennc reports
tho interview and also JoSephiueS later
appeal TO him. when he told her that he
feared Napoleon could not be- disSuadCd
from placing a crown on her head. My
God, BOurricnnC." she replied. such an
ambition is farthCst from my wish. Try
to prevent his making himself King
The secretary confessed that he had al
ready exhausted his influence to thwart
him that being Childlcss he would have
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