Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1915-04-15

UONOvsAsSGuI'
isn't: II was thsr way when wss the
emperor In the play. I was IN actor
then. They said that no one could
have read the lines. actsd tho part, In
carnated the majesty and the soul u
him, % did 1 And why? Because I
was the emperor: his soul was mine.
his voice"
| I've often heard people say. sven
nowadays, that you look Hike him,
said LAtour-M Michel.
THE passion Of my lifei Why. up
In my quarters, sometimes. still put
on the bicorne hat, the boots, the long
cloak; and then biz spirit"
Jacques" said Latour-Michel, call
ing his comrade by his drst name, ~
he did occasionally. what do those
other fellows ont there know about
Napoleon7 They're brave. They're
good Frenchmen, good patriots: but 1t
devolves on us to make Napoleon's
spirit live again---to evoke, ~ you
have said, the immortal shade. And II
die, here" ssss,-...,
Their was a pause, m instant cf In
describabie silence. and then. through
the overpowering stiffness Of this
place where Napoleon slept, there
came 4 rcverberation Of distant thun-
der.
THE cannon. I hear the cannonl~
Grenadier Mere cried.
The thunder was repeated.
"AdjutAnt! Adjutanti us tho can
non!" the grenadieT cried AZ he
stepped In front Of his ancient friends
chair.
It seemed 90 II bullet. or q piece Of
shrapnel. or = shell from those very
cannon that were roaring now. had
stricken the grenadier where he stood.
For, stricken and petrinsd, he was
looking ut this old. old friend Of his
and the friend was sitting there dead.
Adjutant LAtour-Michel, more than
= hundred years old. the man who had
seen Napoleon. had died thsre at the
very side OF the place where the en-
peror slept.
After that first moment or two of
stupefaction the grenadier did q very
peculiar thing.
He was still looking ut the dead Gen.
tenarian, and he spoke to him 40 II he
could hear; spoke softly. but seriously,
m though he expected IN answer:
| spoke smilingly and coaxing1y.
Art thou--art thou. perchance." he
asked. gone to summon himT
To summon whomf The temerity OF
what he had said frightened Grenadier
Mere.
| Then, as he stood there In the
gloom, that hope of theirs came back
to him, no longer nebuleus, but vivid
and wild.
Just now Latour-Michel had spoken
OF the emperor's spirit as being awake
and near. Just now Latour-Aiichel had
spoken Of death: and here he was.
dead. Were there not many things In
the world that ordinary people did not
understand?
Mere tore open the greatcoat OF his
friend, tore open the shirt. put his
hand on the heart The heart was
still.
He heard step In the corridor be-
yond the crypt. There entered care.
taker, very old. who held his lantern
alcft and saw Mere standing there.
Good evening. NJ. Mere" he said
They still advanced"
The caretakcr saw the rolling chair
and the still form In 1t. Il was not at
al surprising to find these two CON-
rades here at any hour II the day or
| night.
And M. Latour. Michel. how In he!"
| tho caretaker asked. addressing the
form In the chair.
Said Mere softly:
HE sleeps"
The caretaker went away after a
cursory tour. Mere turned 10 HIS friend
and whispered:
Thou sleepest? Not 90, my COM
rade! And thou, thou---oh, Napoleuu!"
Then there occurred very strange
and beautiful thing. His old brain was
shaky. perhaps, and his old nerves I'M
strung; but he had q vision.
II was as II from the great sarcopha-
gus Of Finland granite there had come
wrath. scarcely perceptible at first In
the dim light then clearer and clearer
~ 1t mounted and took form. until he
was looking ut Napoleon himself.
Mere was stricken Win awe sad
nameless rapture
The emperor was raulnx with In.
domftable eyes out over = far-Gung
battlefield, where fass tossed In the
van OF charging regiments where can
non roared and filled the air with
smoke. and cavalry thundsred with
sabers drawn.
vive In Francel" cried the Grena-
der Mere In . strangial voice.
At the cry. the enemy broke md
| lied.
'vfvs Ia Fraace!"
The grenadier heard the echo OF his