THE EMPRES'S AUTOGRAPH.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XXX, Issue 180, 1 August 1896, Page 4

THE EMPRES'S AUTOGRAPH.

: A LEGEND OF THE I^OB-OOUNTEB ■- --I" £v OF.^HB LOUyBBIN PARIS. ._ , ■ '" \ .Soai'cely had the ypo3tman gone out j»f the house, .after having , left r.- the morning letters, when Jules Dupre, who was watching from his ■,-'" Bixtb.-Btory window, descended hur- :-. riedly to the porter's office. .. A "Aiiy letters for me I ', ?" he a9ked. The porter pat on his spectacles, ; gathered, up the .letters which had c6me;"in, looked them' over one by ; onefand replied, laconically : '.' -"None. 1 ? - "Thank you," said the young • . mat., and he. slowly remounted the Btairs, where his friend, Armand, " ' was waiting f or him. ! Throrf^n eiißn'omy, tl^e two young xneh h'ved in tbe same room. There' •were to be seen all their furniture, all their books, and all"their papers. * There were more papers than anything else, because botn of them ran manuscript-mills. We* regret to bay that while the two I young men turned out a gseat deal of manu» '. script, they, succeeded; in placing very little. Once iu a jjwhile, one of them would get an article inserted in ■6nei : of. the papers, but &ey scarcely made enough to live oe, even by . 'making a partnership of their assets — and liabilities. > "Well?" said Armand, seeing his ompanion enter. ' . "Nothing, as I told you. We Bhall have to wait untill the end of the month. My uncle is a man who is a-believer in fixed dates, ' "We have five days! yet to; wait. Still, I would not object to breakfasting to-day instead bf five days from now-" . • ? : • ••We'needn'fc breakfast. In that •way, we can save taking! a cocktail." . . ' 'Oh, I ooind vpare thftt. , lam as hungry as a wolf. YoV\ know, we had ratner/a light supper yesterday." :' '"Yes, it is true thai a "smoked herring for two is scarcely gluttony," Armand, his hands in his pockets, walked up and down the room refleotively. •■•-""' ' - > "cee here," said he,; "don't you know anybody who could loan us a , hundred francs?" £ - - " " Yes, ; I know lota who could, but I know no one who would" armand suddenly cried out : " I '. '•' have an idea." * . " la it, a good one ? " . "liflten.^ Have you! not often spoken to me of an old Collector of autographs who lives in this house?" -, ■ •"'" ?lies.' r He lives' on tho first floor; a man named Bridoux." 1 " What sort' of a man &he ?" "Well, I don't knof. I have ; scarcely ' seen him mote than ' a qouple of times." ! . 'U-uppose we try and sell him something?" ' * " That is a good idea. :It is true . we have plenty of autographs, but they araxnostly our own? He wantß historic ones." \ " ' '• " " Are.you Bure that "no celebrity ever wrote to ub ?" , "I ddn't think ao,' bnt there is the . correspondence coffer. Lopk through = ' :' . Armand . seated . himself at the .; table, and began to go through the letters. For at least half an hour 'he 'barefuliy turned over the' sheets of :; paper*- j ifeaddenly he cried out'; ■ "Eureka! I have found it— a '"'. letter 5 from the Empr&Bs Marie -■'■ Louise,", ; •.-"' '.J- Feverishly he waved in the air a yellowing sheet of paper almost out in' two by the folds. ' ■ ! •.. • ' 'Jules . lbflked at it. " Why, I re- '., cognise, .ttiat 1" said he.' "It iss a ' note from little Marie Louise, who < ' used to be a sales woman dt the lace- ' counter in the Louvre. I got that letter from her when I w^s serving myvolunteeir term' of a 'Vear, .with , the grade of corporal." , 11 1 tell you, old man, that it is ' from the Empress Marie Louise, and it is addressed to the great Napoleon, . . ] ; ; v And dated 1872?" ' : "1813, my dear fellow, (The sev n looks 'exactly like a one, It is after the victorious, battle of Luteen, and this is what the empress wrote : .'»*• My Little Corporal : ;You have wou enough of laurels tor the -'moment; leave your army, and come to me at the louvre, where 1 amyawning in the midst of billows '■' 'of lace.' • Marie Lbuise.' " • "And you think you cati sell that to, bur neighbour Bridoux? Why, you are joking. It would . be a swindle.? 1 ' "You can aid me. Have you that false beard' that you wore at the masquerade last year ? " . ,< '•Yes, I think it is around someI where." ,- • ! ' "; Listen, then, and I will, teach you your rdle," * In a few minutes Armand. instructed hit friend what he had to do. and their putting the precious autograph in his pocket-book, Baid : "Do not forget. Knook ia|a quarter of an hour," : Armand repaired at once to the : apartment of Bridoux- The auto" graph collector lived alone, 1 He was a man, of about sixty years of age, Armand looked at him critically. "I wish to speak to M. Bridonx." « That's my name, sir." \ '•Iwißh to see you on.aseriouß afEair," ' " Come in," said Bridoux. Armand. entered, and Bridonx offered him a chair. "air," said Armand, "I have heard of you as being one of the most erudite autograph -collectors in Paris,' and I wish to show yoa something very rare— au autograph of the impress Marie Louise." bo saying, Armand unbuttoned his coat, carefully took out his lauk . pocket-book, and from it took the ' letter, which he placed under the eyes of the autograph-collector, Bridoux read it, mused, and said : "It is very short. You say that those eharacters are from the hantU of the Empress Marie Louise ? H«i autographs are very rare," . "It is authentic The Empxesi addressed it to the great Ivapoleor the day after the battle of Ltitzen." " But the Emperor lived at th< Tuileries then." . " Certainly, Bir, and that observa tion proves your intimate knowledgi of the history of the time. But i yon will remember, during thi absence of the Little Corporal; aa hi „.; whirled from battle-field to battle ... field, the Empress was in the habit 0 ; ,'*•'• .;%iiriiig'tojhe Louvre." .; . ;■ ; v JBridpux was; evidently flattered a ; , , ; ' bis historical knowledge being praieei "■.buV, 'robbing his nose reflectively, hi '■'■-,- : J- i'-said:;- fr ■ : -> • -' . ? >.'. « How did the letter fall into you