| Show I An Au Episode of f r 1794 94 While The T Little Door w lt 1 vj 7 i By Lupton L Wilkinson M LE MARQUIS DE DE EAU iy made a l most l st execrable prisoner All AU the c citizen t zen guards who had occasion to Come near him cursed Mm vigorously j when when they were safely out of hearing heating i S As AI A for the ge gentleman in question he sa said little but when he spoke he d demon demonstrated mon mor- c strat d that in the matter of oaths he c far exceeded the citizens citizens' proficiency y The Tho history of M. M le Ie M Marquis up toa to a the time of his annoying incarceration o forbids Its Ins telling family name was waso I o derived d from lupus in the Latin and t rt i agneau in the trench French He was fond lond of f explaining that the de L were werewolves k tf 1 wolves olves am among ng m men n and lambs among the ladies The family motto was impudent 1 almost blasphemous He lived up fairly J i w well lI both to the name and the motto So universally was de cle u associated as as- as associated in the public m mind nd with the idea o of ot re reckless kless killing that he was virt virtually ally the th thelast last Parisian nobleman to be seized Wh when h the follies of the tho French aristocracy aristocracy brought revolution racy and retribution A large but not too confident delegation I of citizen police approached ched his bis town townhouse r house bouse and admitted were without question ques tl tion tiba n by an old servant They were j shown through to the courtyard where I M. M le Marquis sat smoking and sipping wine in lazy content and idly watching the afternoon light and shadow Y o that i- i I played against the wall waIl t So he said with a smile smite they c somebody with 5 0 courage enough to tot toj j t come fo for rne inc me Ver Very well I fancy that it will be rather a a 1 relief t to be dead with t U all other gentlemen n guillotined or in hid- hid ing f ft r t Ho rose abruptly y At t the expression i 0 i p t I t on his face the arr arresting party stepped involuntarily backward then assumed attitudes which bespoke r readiness a iness for a struggle I want you to tb understand M. M le Ie Marquis thundered scowling until his eyebrows were a straight unbroken line that from now until my execution no noone one of you ou is to lay ay hands hand on me ne If I must be killed by the order of f yo your r tribunal that I will bear for any steel is clean But your hands I will not suffer Will you come with us peaceably asked the leader of the party I shall go in front of you replied do de And so with his guard trailing somewhat somewhat somewhat some some- what sheepishly behind M. M le Ie Marquis walked to prison Wearing his sword and nd step stepping ing jauntily as one might walk to y a rendezvous tie W was s a nuisance from irom the start The prisoners at that time were forthe for forthe forthe the most part Upper tipper bourgeoisie charged with concealing members of the nobility or attempting to aid them escape At Atthe th the tho door of one of the great rooms where offenders against citizen government were herded de do L threatened in vitriolic language to cut out any keepers keeper's heart eart who sought to put him behind the grating They gave him a room to hims himself himself him him- s self lf and then in the corridor swore irritably at each ach other One would have thought the pr prisoner oner owned th the place He Hc protested against the food that was served him He in in- insisted l isted on shaving la facilities One day he swore for two solid hours until the sentry outside his cell celI throwing hands toward the tho ceiling in despair and cry cry- i jug ing g that he ho was was being driven mad maci went and washed his his' face as s M. M le Ie Marqui l had I demanded of him the moment he appeared ap ap- appeared ap- ap on duty Finally the day of f his hearing before before be be- fore the revolutionary tribunal arrived Wo We 0 must ask risk your sword M. M le Ie Marquis said the warden It is is' ordered Take it was the reply If you attempt tying me I can probably choke you to d death ath They let him walk unbound to a a haIl hall where three thre robed black-robed men sat functioning functioning functioning as judges jury and counselors Why is this ma nan man not se secure asked one of the tribunal frowning g. g De told them taking teh tei minutes in the telling and adding for diversion a quantity of comment on his his' hearers They listened first in amazement amazement amaze amaze- ment then in anger lastly in a sort of helplessness Let him die in his pride said the president when the prisoner had don done Tomorrow at noon M. M le Ie Marquis went back to hi his cell ceil still with that careless stride Behind him the judges held a hurried conference before the next t defendant was called This de do was va making a mock of revolutionary dignity they decided He must be humbled They sent an order to the warden It read i There will wiil be beno beno beno no exception to the the rule rule that all condemned condemned con con- men ride to execution in in inthe the tied hand f foot ot What followed next morning wa was a classic of action n. n M. M l le Marquis Went b berserk They had taken his gentleman's gentleman's gentle gentle- mans man's the sword weapon They were going t to tie him Hk like canaille So i he fought them in a manner no mad do dog could equal Only Ony th the greater t terror of r v lu- lu authority c could uld have conquered the fear he already had inspired in tb the guards or their task once begun could coul have har kept them determined d in the face fac of the resistance the they met Pulling hair scratching gouging eyes even So fa far descending from nobility of combat a as asto to bite ears de drew cup cups of of blood from his assailants and andya Was ya va s himself a. a sorry spectacle before the they y bound him But bound he was and thrown with wit h little ceremony ceremony into the where e S the jeering sat him upright ai and d 1 let his twined rope-twined legs hang stiffly from fron a athe the carts cart's end Black rage lage boiled in th the e 0 heart of M. M le Ie Marquis For the first firs t time in his life he had been humiliated I I and the thO humiliation had come at th the Shands e S hands of men whom he had called dogs and vermin n n S The way to the Place de rie la In Greve was not long and fortunately M. M le Ie leMarquis Marquis Marquis rega regained ned control ov over r his faculties ties and fought down the blindness of his chagrin The first thing he saw clearly deatly was not the crowd It was the face of bl f the guard who tr trotted b behind hind the cart The mans man's eyes were staring Fear horror and s something that seemed to tobe be shame distorted his face His glance never l left lt the thO dirty tattered defiant nobleman The prisoner prisoner passing over for the moment the puzzle of the guards guard's expression expression ex ex- ex looked scornfully at the throng which jostled beside and behind the They were out for a holiday diversion di rarer than usual but for all aU of that the beetling fury of de de' de deLu Lu- Lu brow had awed wed the nearer neater followers and there thereas was as little reviling Suddenly not thirty feet away a lace lac Copyright ht l 1823 1923 2 by by Pu Public Le Ledger er Company c 0 d ci handkerchief f waved and the face of a e S i woman strained as if she stood on ti tiptoe tipa tip tip- 1 a toe s smiled bravely in greet greeting ng S Tho The eyes of M. M le Ie Marquis gleamed He drew a deep breath His bloody C Ups lips curled By Br a strange coincidence dence he e had mentally identified the I guard at the same moment he I Yvonne L Latour tour The man had worked saw on In the de estate years What ago the devil was the fellows fellow name l Ah I Gilbert I growled the prisoner I What is it sir th the man asked drawing nearer and trembling Untie me I i But sir I cannot Veins corded the the brow Marquis Marouis of M M. le Ie ie USo So So help me God Gilbert 1 I. I whispered I uI shall put the as I I die if it do curse on you you not loose me Do you think flunk I 1 am going to run away away me Obey Feverishly still trembling pitifully ly the guard hacked at the hS rope with L Lyon bayonet t. t The strands his s severed vered As de with ah ati oath shook himself free and leaped to the ground Gilb turned and arid ran sobbing Gilbert rt through crowd the The little drama had b been en played literally in in s seconds but the fear losing its prey of Prey beat in Upon I e the of the mob They minds howled and nd those nearest reached f for r M. M le Ie Marquis You will have your your fun he shouted in in their faces face but G God d help the who hinders me mc man His arms like flails and fists like like- crushing mauls maul de do way made his way to the Wom woman n wh who h had d smiled him at She s sought to en encircle ircle his neck t i c. c A u U but he s her sh shoulders uld rs and nd h held ld her bel just c close ose enough t to s speak eak in h her r ear If ever you have loved me Yvonne h h. h said said be steady now Walk with m me say sar nothing and above all else smile The crowd looked on n in winder A Aa AB order would have set them h him but but the upon m pr press ss was so great that no in one in authority offer offered d was able to approach h. h H fl lIt the woman his arm Then with Ws his' hair all tousled all aU 11 M his face bloody h his s clothes ii 1 Ie Ic torn and s soiled J j Marquis L beside 3 de Lu igne u step stepping ng jauntily his hundred lady walked two yards to the Place de la Ia Grove Greva and a across ross the flagstones Platform to the ug ugly Y standing there All the a lane way o ned ns as if by V magic The exand executioner ex- ex on a n nearby n the s saffold and t the officials balc balcony ny Stared when hen t the unbelievingly ng was pair cam came it in sight The affair ridiculous Straight up the wo wooden den and anI stairs the Woman man went nt and if the like to faint latter W Wt her few could on the arm Wh which h supported rt d tell teil it re reached ched the De U platform Latour bent over Yvonne Yvonn bled s hand and kissed it it She stumbled down th the steps As r. 1 r l Ic Marquis the bl block ck he bowed hi his h head bead d to toMay turned his face May v You aU all i sideways chilly r roast aSt in ln hell h he cheerfully said A E. TT IS b a fact r IT said 1 wife that is bIe t to dress my on little money What I d rie man nan Come C 18 1 also t it m marC mar mar- r. r me now 1 Wb t lo do inea mean by t bu Q com I ely U. little lU iu Sn n on n u little 1 she ehe thinks sh ah Pared with ith what whit ought to hay have 4 |
