Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 193 — page 22: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

' Then on the 25th January, 1814, the allies be- gan their last march, and the emperor showed that the General Bonaparte, who had fought thirty battles in two years, and defeated six armies larger than his own, was still alive. Then came the last struggle, as the desperate emperor, with only forty thousand men threw himself into the midst of his foes, and struck — and left, hurling back, first one then the other, reeling in defeat. ' Wherever he came he won. ‘ black bearskins of the Old Guard made their appearance, Russian, Prussian and Austrian went down. If the cavalry had no Murat to lead them, they needed no leader. They were veterans. ‘The grim old Death’s Heads did wonders, They charged in every battle, rode over the enemy’s infantry, fought like giants. Champanbert, Montereau, Montmirail, they ‘were at all of them, fighting all day and march- as Mee night. one month they had destroyed seventy thousand of the allies, either as killed, wounded or prisoners, and it seemed asif France was to be saved at last. And then, like a clap of thunder from a clear sky, came the shameful news that Marmont had yielded Paris to one army, while the em- peror was hard at work fighting the others. And last and worst of all, the Senate, that had bowed to himin prosperity and recorded his whims as the edict of a free people, when he was the idol and tyrant of France, set the seal Trial Toseige trcope-in Parla th passed ore troops in Pa ) a decree depeetua the emperor, and Inviting a quiet and snuffy old ee eman, who had been living in London for twenty were to take the throne of France as Louis XVIII. And the snuffy old gentleman entered Paris under a white flag embroidered with gold lilies, while every shopkeeper mounted a white cockade, and the work of the Revolution was undone. The people had driven out the Bourbons; the Prussians browght them back. And in the midst of all these disasters Gabriel, Count of Friedland, followed by Casse Tete, rode into the viliege of Fontainebleau. How well he remembered that day in after years. He had cause to. The army had been fighting incessantly, day after day, without seeing a paper, knowin nothing of what was going on, save that, as fast as they beat one enemy, another rose to take his He had been sent forward with the remnant of the Death’s Head Cuirassiers, nearly all that was left of his proud division of cava ry, for it ‘was said that the enemy was marching on Paris and the army was trying to save it. Behin them, strewn along the road for miles, were the toiling columns of recruits, made veterans al- y by dint of battles in one campaign, and | r himself was coming. The army was on the march to save Paris. As they neared Fontainebleau the young gen- eral could not contain his impatience to see his ‘wife and child, and he dashed on ata sharp trot, reaching the place half an hour before the column; and careless of danger from the Cos- sacks, though he knew they were scouting all round the country. Rapidly the two old friends—master and ser- ‘vant—passed through the forest and entered the village. It wore a lonely, deserted look. There ‘were no men in the streets, and few women and ch As he passed by, one of the women up her hands with a wild cry: late. Oh, “Eh, mon Dieu, monsieur, it is if you ad come sooner!” ‘ What is too late?” he asked, reining up and seeing something meaning in her looks. ‘**Too late for anything. Even for the poor emperor. Too late.” ‘“What do you mean?” he cried, angrily. Mean, monsieur? Eh, have you not heard the news?” *“No. Weare coming to drive the Prussians from before Paris.” ‘*Eb, monsieur, but they have taken it, and the Senate says we are to have a king, and no more 6» peror.” ' ** WHat!” shouted Gabriel, in a terrible voice. The poor woman began to ery. ‘“‘ Indeed, I couldn’t help it. It is the Senate, monsieur. They say we must all wear white ecockades and ery ‘ Vive le Roi’ now; but I’m sure I always loved the emperor. He gave my peor boy the Gross.” | Gabriel could hardly understand what she meant. ‘“*Tell me plainly what you have heard, my good woman,” he said, trying to keep cool. ‘* Eh, monsieur, it is only what I have told — They say Marshal Marmont has given up aris, and the Senate has deposed the emperor. It was a white cockade that came in this morn- ing and put up the proclamation.” ‘What poweiee ” “There it is, monsieur.”’ She pointed across the street, where a large ote was nailed up on the side of a house, and he rode over to look at it. It was a proclamation of the Senate deposing the Emperor Napoleon and announcing that the — _—— Wherever the | — ——- — a a The Man in Red. ee ee ee French people had called back to the throne of his ancestors ‘‘ our gracious lord, Louis XVIII, King of France.” — It exhorted all Frenchmen to relly around the throne and leave the usurper, Napoleon, to the punishment of his crimes, and closed with the words: “VIVE LE Ror!” To Gabriel, who had grown up under the Re- public and Empire, the language of the bil! seemed like a profanation. Ful! of anger and disgust, he tore down the paper, threw it under | his borse’s feet, and cried out, so that the people in the street could hear him: ‘* Vive VEmpereur! The army is coming, and we are going to drive out the Prussians.” Then he wheeled his horse and dashed up the of horsemen filed slowly up the street as grim and gloomy as ever. Their horses were still sleek and fat, when the coats of others were staring, and they took a great pride in the neatness of their appearance in the midst of the hardest campaign. A flush of pride crossed Gabriel’s face as he answered the salute of Major Foulard the sole surviving field officer of the regiment who rode at the head, and he said aloud: ‘*Good day, major. With such men we con- a Europe once and we can yet drive the russians out of France.” The men heard bim and a murmur ran through the ranks, a murmur of approval of street with Casse Tete, to be greeted with a | musket shot, which struck full on his cuirass, and nearly knocked him over with its force, | though nearly spent. Casse Tete uttered a warning cry: ** The Cossacks!” And then they saw a single Cossack ride out from a cross street, shake his lance defiantly at them, and trot away. Truly the enemy were in France at last. CHAPTER XXXI. - TOO LATE. Tuer Cossack was soon perceived to be the ad- vanced vedette of a picket of some twenty more who rode out of the forest on the other side o the village, and seemed disposed to attack the two cuirassiers. Casse Tete drew his sword and said to his master, in a matter-of-fact way: ‘*T can take care of three of them, my gen- eral, if they don’t spear the horse; but if your honor will take my advice you will let me go on alone.” Gabriel shook his head. ** No, no, old comrade. does the other. The regiment will soon be here now, jand we can keep those fellows at bay till then. But they could see the Cossacks clustered to- gether as if consulting, while they spoke, and presently some one rode out alone whose green uniform glittering with gold-lace in the sun showed him to be an officer. He came out alone, and when he was within a hundred yards or so, Gabriel re ized in him the young Count Doktoroff, whose ac- quaintance he had made under the flag of truce at Moscow. The young officer halted and took out his handkerchief as soon as he saw Gabriel plainly, then came on and called out: ““T apologize for the shot my man fired. He is a stupid lout, and I’ll have him well whipped, sir. . I suppose you know the war’s over at He looked Gabriel was paign through which he had just passed ugh which he had jus . Fhe war is not over,” retorted the young general emphatically. ‘“‘ His majesty the Em- ror of the French is in the field, and will be ere in an hour, so that I would recommend you to turn your horse and ride back, Count ktoroff.” The roung eount looked surprised, ‘‘How? You know my name? Oh, yes, Isee now. Pardon me for not remembering the face, but you are greatly gs in It is Monsieur the Count of Friedland, is it not?” **It is, monsieur, and Master of the Horse to his Majesty the Emperor of the French,” ‘ ™ tite my dear rege \. reflect. vom emperor as been de $s Own people, and the allied Prleclanee will not treat with him. I tell you the war is over.” Just at that moment they heard the sound of a cavalry trumpet, far in the rear, and Gabriel threw up his head. ‘“*Does that sound as if the wars were over?” he asked. ‘' Monsieur, retire. That is the trumpet of the Death’s Head Cuirassiers. Did you ever hear of them?” The Russian bowed his head gravely. ‘Who has not heard of them?’ he said. “T have always understood there was n6t such a regiment in Europe. Ah, there they come now,” ‘* And I tell you, monsieur, to retire,” Gabriel said, sternly, as the tall crests of the black col. umn came in sight at the other end of the street, “‘the Senate may depose the emperor, the mob of Paris may how! for the flag of Louis as they once yelled: for the tricolor, but the army will never desert Napoleon till he bids them disband.” The young Russian looked round for his own men, and already the Cossacks were turning their horses to run. u see,” observed Gabriel sarcastically, ‘they have recognized the uniform and do not coe JE 8 come closer. Farewell, Monsieur le om “Not farewell,” returned young Doktoroff yes mee ‘€ T shall see you again.” , Then he cantered away and the dark column If one of us dies, so te , happy and handsome, while thin, pecgare and tired out with the three months’ cam- the sentiment. But only two squadrons remained of the once famous regiment and these could not muster two hundred sabers. ‘‘Encamp on the outskirts and picket the forest,” was Gabriel’s order, and the regiment passed on, while the young count rode tc the palace and dismounted at the door of his own apartments. Inezseemed to have been waiting for him for she came out at once looking pale and sad, and greeted him with the words: ‘*Ah, mon cher, you have come home for ood now. I longed for it; but not this way. ou have seen the edict.” j ‘‘T have torn down something which pretend- ed to be an edict, ma belle ; but the emperor is coming. All will be well yet. We shall drive them out.” She shook her head sadly. ‘It is useless, mon cher. They have hoisted the white flag again and the ple have sub- mitted. The Marquise de St. Jean has gone to Paris to see the king and it is all over.” ‘*How did that proclamation come hers, Inez? Who brought it?” ‘‘A king’s messenger. The people cheered him and he read it aloud. They shouted ‘ Vire le Roi!’ Itis all over, Gabriel, but oh, mon cher, how sad I am for the empress.” ‘Who? The Austrian?’ **No, no, not her, but our own, our dear Josephine. ‘“‘Ah, mon cher, the luck left France when she went back to Malmaison.” And Inez began to c She had never for- given the emperor for the divorce. Gabriel came into the house while Casse Tete took the horses round to the stable. No one penne to be stirring in the grounds of the ace. ‘* Where have they all gone?” he asked, “To Paris, mon cher. All the world has gone there to pay court to the king.” She seemed but a shadow of the bright, cheer- ful Inez he had known and her eyes were sur- rounded with dark str . “Where is the child?” he asked presently. “Asleep. Alas he was up nearly all the night with the rest of us, full of the noise and excitement. Thank Heaven, he does not un- derstand it yet.” ‘Has he heard them shout ‘ Vive le Roi?’” ” = a and he does not likeit. Poor child, he shook his little fistat the messenger yesterday and screamed out: ‘ Vive /Empereur’ as loud as he could,” ‘* Thank God,” said Gabriel fervently. Inez answered with a proud smile. ‘‘ He bas no traitor’s blood in his veins mon cher, and does not know how to change like older ple.” : Just at that moment Gabriel turned his head to the window and saw the old Baron de Belle- ville coming slowly along the terrace, his hands behind his back, looking at the ground. He went to the window and beckoned in bis old comrade, who said, with a sad expression: ‘** You bave heard the news, my friend?” “T have. It is good for you, baron.” ' De Belleville shook his head, “You are wrong. Itis true I am, as far as opinions go, a legitimist; but no one could serve him ten years, as I have, without know- ing the greatest man in the world. My friend; I thought I should be glad, and it is strange, I feel to-day as if I had lost my only son.” Gabriel wrung the old man’s hand. ‘*Do not be cast down. It isa heavy blow; but the emperor is coming. It will all be well again. The baron shook his head. “Do not deceive yourself. He cannot fight against fate. The prefects of the towns will not obey him. Afon Dieu! they are sending in their submissions from all quarters, In three weeks he will have no army, and the Allies have three hundred thousand men in France.” And even while they were speaking they heard the clatter of accouterments and the rapid tramp of horses’ feet, as the emperor, at the head of his staff, rode up to the palace, while the bands of the infantry regiments could be heard in the forest as they came the road, and the black bear-skins of the O1 Guard were in plain view entering the village. “Now, then, what think you” asked the young general, starting up. ‘‘Do you see the Old Guard, baron?” ‘Tt comes too late,” replied the baron, as Ga- briel hurried away to receive his master at the gates. JOO co (ECO NMC cS