The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1914-10-01
CHAPTER XII
THE AccoLADE AT LAST

It is a common tragedy that men,
being human, cannot see all sides Of a
| question; that a decision right in one
light may bring disaster in another. If
events had stayed where he left them,
Francois Beaupre and Colonel u
and his regiment would nave won hon
or and eternal gratitude from Louis
Bonaparte for the quarter of an hours
| work which made the arsenal theirs.
Events, instead of standing still. or go
! ing forward, took an unexpected sinis-
ter turn, not long after Francois go
ing.
The happy Prince, smiling the shad-
owy smile which made his face win
ming, stood in the center of triumph
ant turmoil. his new followers, the men
Of the Forty-sixth, crowded about him
shouting, cheering, kissing his hands,,
n the loyal fourth artillerymen fra
men of h line regiment. The narrow
courtyard was a hubbub of ~rapturous
excitement, and the Princes officers
Montholon, Vaudrey, Voisin. rqu
D'Hunin, Querelles-these and others
whose names Frenchnlen knew. sur
rounded the small figure which yet
had SO much of royalty, and laughed
and chatted light-heartedly. In a few
moments, when Colonel Laity's engin-
GERS and the third artillery should have
arrived, the Prince would have 5000
men under his command. The great
game was practically won-Prince
| Loui was all but Emperor.
Suddenly, above the sea of sound, a
commotion was heard at the farther
end of the barrack yard. The colonel Of
the Forty-siXth, Colonel Talandier, had
arrived. Very loyal to Louis PHILIPPE,
I very angry at the scene before him, he
would not believe the news. He called
l ayaifnG1r q ND tho MANS ynjnnS died
down as they saw him gesticulating,
Soldiers" he cried, you are de-
ceived! This man for whom you are
shouting is an adventurer, an tmpos-
tor"
In the shock Of silence which fol-
lowed his words, another voice rang
out, clear n indignant. the voice Of
a staff officer whom they all knew.
1T is not the nephew of the Emperor.
1t is the nephew of Colonel Naudrey! |
recognize hint. the officer cried in a
strong staccato. and a gasp as il
ice water had been scattered went
through the crowded place.
There is nothing more absurd in MS
tory than the instant effect of this
quick witted lie. Only with a mer-
curial French mob, perhaps, could it
have succeeded, but it succeeded here
with hopeless swiftness. 1t flew from
mouth to mouth-they were cheated,
tricked; the emperor's newphew, their
prince, had not come; this young man
was a make-believe. a substitute, the
nephew of an officer; som of the SOL
diers who had show most enthusiasm
almost lost their minds now in rage.
Colonel Talandier began to form his
men,; the prince, composed as ever,
yet earnest. swift. tried to rally his,
but it was impossible to start any
where, in this confusion, for line and
artillery had become mixed in an uTl-
manageable mob. A word from either
prince or colonel and blood would have
flowed. De Querelles begged leave to
force a way through the infantry for
the prince. But Louis B~onaparte, con-
siderate and s~elf-controlled, would not
shed a drop of blood OF these men who
had hailed him emperor a moment be-
fore-he would not believe them his
enemies. He threw himself into the
midst of them and they received him
with bayonets fixed, even forcing him
seize a troopers horse that SO he might
be a rallying point for his column, but
that failed, too.
Yet the steadfast mind kept its
hope; he glanced every momen to-
ward the ramparts. The Third must
many minutes. They would turn the
tide. One glimpse of that solid swing
ing regiment and the day would be
saved-and salvation was certain. The
Third was coming, would be here any
second-Francois' faithfulness could
be trusted.
Slowly, with his officers crowdine
about him, he was driven toward thu
barrack wall. and, in a flash, from
somewhere, a man was before him
thrusting a bit of paper at him. Witt
a swift movement he had 1t open anC
read:
Destiny throws arsenal into oul
hands. Have taken Third artillery t.
hold it. I wait to bring the news
jewel for your crown. Vive I En-
pereur! Beaupre."
Few men ever heard Louis Napoleon
sob, yet the officers who stood abou
him at that moment caught a sount
that wrung them. It meant the end
and they new it. Passionately he
crushed the paper and threw it int
the seething mass.
Fool! He has thrown away the EN-
pre- he Kissed through set teeth. Il
I could run him through"
Then, quickly, he was himself agar
Serenely while the maddened soldier
pressed on him. he turned ard spok
a quiet word to his friends. and Their
serenity, too, with q gaze that was hal
contemptuous, half friendly, he lie
himself be made prisoner.
Yet the fight was not all over eve
now, On the ramparts, where tn
prince and his column should hay
Deen, naQ RalnereQ from the fauDOu
Pierre a formidable crowd, who ad
vanced angrily to his rescue, and petite
the line regiment with stones, an
cried again and again, "Vive PEmper
curl" Colonel Talandier had to recko
with a many-sided trouble. But tn
heart Of it was In his hands, an
slowly order and the old rule wer
+ coming back.
, . The tumult of the struggle ha
quieted. the volatile Forty-sixth reg.
ment, returned to its allegiance, stoo
! formed III ranks. in appearance as fri
, for the king as the everlasting hill
and at the end Of the court was a sa
and silent. yet a stately group OF me-
the prince who had almos been en-
peror and those who had watche
slipping with his hope. their hopes
grandeur.
Suddenly a horses hoofs rang dow
t the lane from the Faubourg: a ride
r clattered at gallop into the yard ar
across the front of the soldiers, an
every one in the agitated company sa
that the mar reeling in his saddl WI
wounded. With blind gaze he stare
about as he refined in, and then /
= caught sight Of the sorry group. tt