Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1914-09-17
CHAPTER XXXVI.
THE PRINCES BRIGHT SHADOW

CHAPTER XXXVI.
Fl 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 com personality,
constantly seen with Prime Louis Ma
poleon during the last days of his life
IN London in he ear 1910. Lady Con-
stance Cecil nicknamed this Frenchman
the Princes bright shadow" There
seemed to be a closer tie thai broth
erhood between them, and the tradition
runs that the mystical Prince had Il
superstition that his luck went with
him in the person of the Chevalier
Beaupre.
Inc lays of that ummer month were
full days for the c~onspirators. On the
surface. arranged to been seen Of the
world n to throw the world off it's
guard, was a steady round of gaiety; at
peasant Francois shared the honors and
the ionizing of the Prince. Because
ms visionary yes looked through
thlngs OF t1nsel to realities, the tinsel
did not dazzle him He gazed
at the butterflies of the world who
1uttered about him and saw people
with kind hearts. And the butterflies
themselves were seldom so tawdry but
that they responded to the simplicity
and loving kindness which he held out
to them. Few human telegraph sta
tons fail utterly to take the message
When the great anniversary wireless of
reality sounds the note. So that Fran
co.'s. no ~suspecting it, gained in a few
weeks on many English hearts a hold
whose memory has not yet died away.
Beyond this evident social side of the
London life lay the hidden life of prep
aratlon for the event to come-the at
tempt on Boulogne. And in this both
the prince and his close blower and
trlel-d really breathed and had their
pe1ng. There was constant excitement.
constant labor, constant anxiety. Once.
toward the end of the time, Francois
was sent ona flying trip to France, to
make arrangements unsafe to trust to
on French soil he found time for q.
two hours visit to Vicques and saw his
mother and Alike and the general.
Pletro, also, he saw, Pietro, who was
to have Joined the prince in London by
now, who had instead in%capacita-
ted himself for fighting for months to
come. A village child a run sud
denly out under his horses feet, and
Pletro, saving the child, had thrown the
morse n had been badly hurt. So
ne lay fretting his heart out silently at
the castle, and when Francois stood by
iN' w. MiiAidHt anu tense as an an
row on its way, Pietro took his
friends hand in both his own and
gripped 1T with all his force and then
turned his face to the wall without a
word. 1t was always Francois who was
the hero.
So that the princes secretary sped
back to England, sore in heart to miss
the friend of his lifetime at his side in
the good fight to come, yet too whole
hearted ready for the work to be any,
thing but an eager sword in the
princes hand. The day for which he
had longed all his life was at hand. The
general had sent him off to it with a
rough soldierly blessing; Alike had
kissed him sisterly: his mother had
stood in the farm house door. shielding
with her hand those calm saint-like
eyes, and he saw her lips move as he
looked back and knew what she said
as she watched him ride away to fight
for Prince Louis. To fight for the
prince! Who could tell if ever he
might ride back down that familiar
road under the chestnuts?
But IT was all as it should be-; he
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 HI might be-
come "a marshal of France under an
other Bonaparte"-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.
would more than do till the fight was
So he sped back to London.
missing Pietro. but hopeful and buoy
ant. And in London there was a let
ter for him from Virginia.
Dear Francois" Lucy began. ITO
think that the first letter sent to Won
by Harry's wife should be to tell you
that n has betrayed your trust in her.
am distressed beyond words. for 7
have made a mistake which may mean
distress to you You remember the
letter to Alike which you trusted to me
happen to you? / had it In my hand
the week after my wedding when I had
gone upstairs to get other letters for
europe which my father had COM
manded me to send by the next packet.
IAnd In some stupid unexplainable way
among them in place of. one to my
father.s agents in London, and I hur-
RED down and rave the parcel to
Sambo. who was waiting to ride to
Norfolk with htme. And then Harry
and went away on a visit to Martins
only when I came back tina I discov-
cred the dreadful mistake I nae made.
Can YOU ever forgive me? Harry and
4 tnought over every possibility Of
stopping It. but there seemed to be no.
chance. Arr you very angry with me.
2 friend OF Harry's and OF miner"
The letter went on with reproaches
and regrets and finally slipped into a
tale OF 9 new happy life which Fran
co.'s Shad made possible for the two.
He reAd e over several times. His let
ter 70 Alike, which should have been
sent only after his death. had gone t
that he loved her. thof ia hod Ic,rna