The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1914-09-17
CHAPTER xxxvL.
rHE PRINcEs RRIGHT sHApov

LM.". -.#.#H - #-. .#LU
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 personality,
constantly seen with Prince Louis Ma
poleon during the last days or his life
In London in the yea 1910. Lady Con-
stance Cecil nicknamed this Frenchman
the Princes bright shadow" There
seemed to be q closer tie than broth
erhood between them, and the tradition
runs that the mystical Prince had q
superstition that his luck went with
him In the person OF the Chevalier
Beaupre.
The days Of that summer month were
full days for the c-onspirators. On the
surface. arranged to been seen OF the
world and to throw the world or its
guard. was a steady round of gaiety; at
one brilliant function after another the
peasant Francois shared the honors and
the lionlzing OF the Prince. Because
his visionary eyes looked through
things OF tinsel to realities, the tinsel
did not dazzle him. He gazed
at the butterflies OF tho world who
iuttered about him and saw people
with III 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
lions fail utterly to take the message
when the great anniversary wireless of
reality sounds the note. So that Fran
coils, not 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
aration for the event to come-the at
tempt n-Boulogne. And In this both
the prince and his close follower and
friend really breathed and had their
being. 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
writing, for the princes affair. While
on French soil ne found time for a
two hours visit to Vicques and saw his
mother n Alike n h general.
Pietro, also, he saw, Pfetro, who was
to have Joined the prince in London by
now, and who had instead incapacita-
ted himself for fighting for months to
come. A village child had run sud-
denly u under his horses feet, and
Pietro, saving the child. had thrown the
horse and had been badly hurt. So
he lay fretting his heart out silently at
the castle, and when Francois stood by
his bed brilliant and tense as an ar
row On its way, Pietro took his
friends hand In both his own and
gripped It with all his force and then
turned his face to the wall without a
word. It 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 nght 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 n knew what she said
as she watched him ride away to fight
for Prince Louis. To fight for the
prtncel Who could tell IL ever he
might ride back down that familiar
road under the chestnutsf
But II 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 he 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
nOIeA AON A8A0 LlHlO 70 Llluk OF LQaI-
Alike had kissed him goodbye. That
would than do till the fight was
over. 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 you
by Harry's wife should be to tell you
that she has betrayed your trust In her.
I am distressed beyond words, for I
have made a mistake which may mean
distress to you. You remember the
letter to Alike which you trusted to me
to send her n case anything should
happen to your / had It Ia my hand
the week after my wedding when I had
gone upstairs to get other letters for
Europe which my father had conn
manded me to send by the next packet.
And in some stupid unexplainable way
i slipped your-your precious letter.
among them in place Of one to my
fathers agents In London, and I hur-
ried down and gave the parcel to
Sambo, who was waiting to ride to
Norfolk with htme. And thee Harry
and ! went away on a visit to Martins
Brandon for three days, and II was
only when / came back that / discov-
cred the dreadful mistake I had made.
Can you yer forgive me? Harry and
/ thought over every possibility OF
stopping 1t, but there seemed to be no
chance. Are o very angry with me,
dear friend Of Harry's and OF mine RI
The letter went on with reproaches
and regrets and finally slipped into a
tale OF q new happy life which Fran
co.'s had made possible for the two.
He read It over several times. His let
ter to Alike, which should have been
sent only after his death, had gone TO
her. What then7 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 should love himself
mot Ptetro. He had said that In the
letter; that was oil. He was glad that
she should know, though he would
never have told her In life. It was
done and he would find out now IL
Pietro indeed cared for her. II she
cared for Ferto. And IL not, then one
had waited long enough; then a. last
the Joy OF the thought choked him.
Through the years Of remuneration that