The Climax-Madisonian. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1914-1917, 1915-08-25

of the emperor's spirit as being awake
and near. Just now Latour-Michel 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 a step in the corridor be-
taker, very old, who held his lantern
aloft and saw Mere standing there.
Good evening, M. Mere he said.
"They still advanced"
The caretaker saw the rolling chair
and the still form in it. 1t was not at
all surprising to find these two com
rades here at any hour of the day or
night.
"And M. Latour- Michel, how is he?''
the caretaker asked, addressing the
form in the chair.
Said Mere softly:
He sleeps"
The caretaker went away after a
cursory tour. Mere turned to his friend
and whispered:
Thou sleepest? Not so, my COM
radel And thou, thou-oh, Napoleon!"
Then there occurred a very strange
and beautiful thing. His old brain was
shaky, perhaps, and his old nerves I'M
strung; but he had a vision.
1t was as if from the great sarcopha-
gus of Finland granite there had come
a wrath, scarcely perceptible at first in
the dim light, then clearer and clearer
as it mounted and took form, until he
was looking at Napoleon himself.
Mere was stricken with awe and
nameless rapture.
The emperor was gazing with in
domitable eyes out over a far-fung
battlefield, where flags tossed in the
van of charging regiments, where can
non roared and filed the air with
smoke, and cavalry Numbered with
sabers drawn.
give la France!" cried the Grena-
der Mere in a strangled voice.
At the cry, the enemy broke and
fed.
give la France!"
The grenadier heard the echo of his
own voice. felt the pounding of his
heart. Sheer emotion made him weak
Excitement overwhelmed him; but his
arteries were liquid fire.
Napoleon lives!" he stammered.
"He saves the country. Grenadier
Mere! Present, my emperor! Go
carry the word to General Joffre! Oui
| Quill
ooh, God!" cried the grenadier, who
had dropped his monologue for sup
plication. Your help, and our army
moves forward this night to victory, to
deliverance, following the immortal
shade of Napoleon!"
"
Joseph Dubois was doing courier
duty that night in a powerful automo-
bile that sped between Paris and the
| harried left wing of the allies, then
back again; then over the road once
more. He tells how, on one of his
trips, while nursing his machine
around a bad place, he almost ran
over an old invalid, a veteran of 1870
with silver plate on his neck and a
big package under his arm.
Take me to the 'front.' the veteran
demanded.
81 can't" Joseph says he responded
Take me-for the love of God!"
Joseph still hesitated.
Take me. It's for victory! It's for
France!"
in the absence of orders to the con-
trary," Joseph says, 81 did as the old
man requested. l carried him fifteen
kilometers to the northeast, and there
left him at the crossroads of Mes
signy, which was well within our
lines"
There will be occasion to quote Jo
seph again, little later on; but be-
tween the time at which he stops and
the time at which he begins again
there is a hiatus of several hours.
They were hours of lurid warfare
for the most part.
Then there came lull, with a noise
and glare of battle rolling off to the
eastward like a retreating thunder
storm.
The allied army, in this part of the
field, occupied the segment of a vast
amphitheater, where the hills slopeC
gently down to wide valley.
The lull strangely deepened. Some
thing was about to happen. The in
tuition, or telepathy, that sheds a com
, mon feeling through vast masses o
men was at work. Nerves strained
. muscles quivered, lungs labored, anC
every pair of eyes that had that blacl
silhouette of a ridge against the reC
background in range was staring il
2 that -ready-ready for NJ
one knew what.
Then a single figure appeared.
It appeared out there on the ridge
, all alone-a short, stout figure in ;
; long cloak and bicorne hat, majestic
calm-the figure of Napoleon. 1t hat
, come out of the night 1t had beel
conjured up by the cannon.
The word spread, faltering, We
rapid, from post to post and trench t.
trench.
J Napoleon!
. 1t came first from the noncommis
I stoned officers, the sergeants and tn
q corporals who were cheek by jow
I with their men, and who stare,
: through their binoculars, transfxed
i Then it was seen that the higher off
f GERS were staring, too.
There were audible cries:
: THE emperor!"
, Its Napoleon!"
. He's come to lead us!"
. The culver, the thrill, was contagI
: Gus. 1t spread from company to com
pany, from regiment to regiment, from
y corps to corps. 1t revivifed hope
glorified courage, gave an almost ST.
perhuman sense of confidence an
: power.
| T.
o Then there was the rush of an aeris
9 express train and shock of blindin
thunder, as the enemy resumed tn
| bOr,o ho rdr