Rock Island Argus., 1917-08-16
I Ii 9 u a ilv
Short Story

Paris
u ann commemorating the scene we
+ witnessed today
He was having tatt0oed on his right
arm I'm india ink q picture oE zulI0-
tine with a figure lying on it
What are YOU doing Hgw2 asked
the other again
II am beginning DO have tarlooed ua
der the picture Of the guilI0tne me
words Death 70 kings and fyrauts'"
These men had been stationed with
their corps about the scaHold on which
Louis XVI had that day been bahaa4
ed He who f8ttcoed his arm was
young and an enthusiastic revolution
5st So devoted was be 90 the cause
OF the people OF France against their
aHg Jhat he dad not suppose he w0usd
ever be royaiist AS % his being
Eiug that Of course was absurd He
was but a French peasant and q SER
gaaHt I'm the ranks of the army.
But that was an age when the people
OF France rose to the surface The
kings and mobiles passed away and The
c0mmoucrs took their places "A great
commander arose, and with him he
pulled up many others. Among them
was the soldier who had t8tto1ed his
arm Sergeant Jean Beruad0tte under
Napoleon became a marshal of France
and married a relative of the emperor
During the early part OF lhe nine
feenth century BOuaparte was conquer
ug kingdoms He did not make re-
uubltcs of them. He had been "a res
publican and had made up his mind
that the government France most need
ed was a monarchy, with himself al
its head. The people he conquered he
Ea-rs 50 NJ f.
these kings were usually members Of
his own family Even if Napoleon did
NOT conquer q kingdom his influence
was so great that he could control ITS
government
The throne Of Sweden became va-
cant. and Napoleon nominated whom
The man who had stood guard over
his king when be was executed and
had tattOCed picture of the deed on
his right arm with the woG5s under it,
Death 20 kings and tyrant8."
Here was 9 king with his own con-
deunation indeHbly stamped on his
person. There was no eliminating it
The king was doomed to wear the uow
hated picture of the death of bis SOW
ereign tin his own death should de-
stroy it,
The supreme object Of the king Of
Swedeus life was 10 guard his secret
Ea valet was called upon TO hand him
his clothing when he dressed iu the
morning or 10 take it from him when
be disrobed al night The office af
master of the robes was q siuecura
Had II not been for that which clana
like a serpent TO his arm he might
have at times forgotten that he was
French peasant OF whom another COM
mouer monarch had made a king But
the 8ccursed spot would not out III
the morning when he performed hts
aBiuUOus there it was barred 20 his
gaze. AT night when he disrObeG 4
stared at him as with the malicious
eyes or O. serpent.
Ia those days when q person was III
the doctors drew blood from him. This
was done by iaBc!ug the right arm
There is q story that the king al
sweden fell iIl and the doctors sug-
Eested that he bare his right arm -
he bIed. The king refused. The doc
tors told his majesty that If he did
not permit them to- bleed him they
would not be responsible as tg what
might happen to him. The king w0ala
NOT yield, but barred his left arm. he
was told that it would not Doe profess
s.aHaL to bleed him on his left arm.
Nevertheless. since the king would not
yield he was bIed from his left arm
The king recovered, but he was des-
tined Go ale iu his bed When his las.
Illness came upon him and he believed
his end was approaching he sent Tor
DIR GorEeu=eH- his principal physician.
and charged him in case he died 70
see that his right arm was exposed 70
no one except himself FEa alone was
to possess the secret under 81 pledge