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Show v A Beau Sabreur I ITILDERGARDE HAWTHORNE has written iu I xJL tne forin of a biography the life story of H j Maurice de Saxe, one of Napoleon's favorite H j marshals. He was a Bohemian of the old days. H I His uncle was the lover of the ill-starred Sophia j Dorothea of Hanover, wife to the Elector, who subsequently became George I of England. His H father was "Augustus "the Strong," of Saxony. I His mother was one of the illustrious family of I Konigsmark, a race that was made up of dash-Ift dash-Ift ing soldiers and clever intriguers. She was Ik bright as a dollar, but not very good. Born in H i such a family and at such an age, of course H Maurice, while sensitive in his ideas of honor, had HI no especial morals. ; This youth started out ready for any warfare M that might come his way. He won his marshal's star and cross from Napoleon by his utterly reck- I less bravery on the battle field. He knew no such thing as fear, and it is said of his personality H that the glow and glitter of his temperament sub-? sub-? jugated and bewitched men and women alike. He Among his letters and papers was found an W appealing portrait of Adrienne Lecouvreur, who Hi has been made famous by the tragedy which every j actress of note has tried to portray. It was the Hj favorite role of Rachel, of Modjeska and many Hi others. When she was dying, and the priest refused re-fused her the consolation of her religion unless she abjured her profession as of the devil, she, stretching her arms toward Maurice, in a gesture full of tenderness and despair, cried "There is my universe, my hope and my God," and fell back dead. The ambition of the marshal was to be a kingf " hnd the story runs that almost anything would have done for a kingdom, so if it were large enough to perch a throne upon and to support a sufficient number of fighting men he was satisfied. This idea he pursued all his life. He lived at that time Avhen all Europe was ringing with the clash of arms, thrones were being overturned and dynasties dy-nasties wasted and destroyed; and he, being utterly ut-terly without fear, his theatrical temperment induced in-duced him to take any risk, however desperate, that would make him conspicuous. He was wonderfully beloved by his soldiers. During the campaign in Flanders he carried with him a troop of players. Old Carlyle said "The devil loved Saxe as a 'soldier and his personal popularity pop-ularity with his men was enormous." Thus he flashed through life, utter:y fearless, utterly unscrupulous, and when he came to die he said to his physician "Doctor, life is only a dream. Mine has been a beautiful one, but it has been too short." |