The Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Scott Co., Iowa) 1841-185?, 1849-10-11
DlYBRElK AND PEEP OF DAY.
A FRENCH GuARDHousE LEGEND.

In those days the grenadiers we're all
six fee, high, and the kings daughter used
to stand at the window TO look at them as
they marched by in from, of the palace,
with their drums and flies playing before
them. To see them as they advanced, you
would have thought it was solid wall Of
heroes, moving along in single piece
There was not one pigtail among them a
hairs breadth longer than another, and the
buttons Of their CATERS were as even rs
the lines Of a book. And no wonder il
should have been SO; for the recruiting SER
geants used TO pick out the finest men
from every province to form these compa-
MES, just as body might pick out the
handsomest flowers in a garden to make a
nosegay for his sweetheart In fact it was
out Of the veteran remsins of troops like
these, that, 10 later days, marshals Of
France were taken from the ranks by do
Zens.
Now, Of all the grenadiers Of the various
corps, those of the kings regiment were out
and out the finest Superb fellows! and
then their uniform! it was splendid; white,
with azure blue facings, and orange lace.
If YOU had seen them on review day,
fresh shaved and powdered, you would hive
taken the soldiers for officers, and the Off
GERS for generals.
The kings regiment was then in garri-
son at Nancy, in Lorraine, the prettiest
town in France, with its streets all ranged
as regularly as battalion under arms. A
likeabIe place it is, and pleasant quarters
for the soldier, barring that wine is rather
dear there. Now, as ! have said, the gren-
adiers of this regiment had not their fellows
in the whole army; and among these same
grenadiers, the handsomest and dashingest
chap was Des9iIets, who went by the
name of Daybrcak. He was strapping
lad from Languedoc, and prime sample of
the breed Of the province-as brazen-iaced
as a page, brave as a sabre, as ready Mt a
lie as guack doctor, up to all sorts Of fun,
a capital dancer, neat hand at the fife,
aud frst-rate swordsman. He would tell
stories to keep the gnard.house awake all
night; and as for singing, when he was in
the humur, he could keep at it from now ill
tomorrow without even singing the same
thing twice over. leave you to guess il
Day break was not admired by bis comrades,
esteemed by his officers, and favorably re-
garded by the girls Of Nancy. So finding
The service quite 10 his liking, and thinking
there was nothing finer in the world than
TO be grenadier in the kings regiment,
he made his younger brother, Jean Desc
iIlets, join the corps and become grena.
der like himself.
He was handsome fellow too, was
young DesGilIets; but he was, may be, >
quarter of an inch shorter than his brother
He got the name of Peep of Day. Moth
ing could exceed the polite attentions shown
him by his new comrades; and with the
he p of their obliging instructions, he prom
ised to become, in a short while, an honor
to the regiment, like his elder brother.
Unfortunately for Peep of Day, the good
will shown him by his comrades was the
surest of all means to make him detested
BY his commanding officer, Major Lerpi-
Mere, who, after all, was only a soldier of
fortune. Nobody liked the major, for he
was an i'll conditioned, brutal tyrant, and
the marks OF friendship lavished on raw
recruit excited his mean jealousy to the
highest pitch. Don't ask me TO explain to
you how It is that, in certain malignant dis
positions, the smallest little pique imagin-
able goes on fostering until it becomes a
great venomous hatred; try, if you can, to
comprehend the inhuman rascality that
can take delight in low, sneaking, treacb
erous vengeance; these are things ! can.
pretend to explain 10 you: God forbid!
Nothing was easier for ,~aior than to
send grenadier to prison. Peep of Day
spent the best part Of his time in the strong
room of the barracks, and his name was
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