New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1854-11-08
NUMBER s12.
a scene in a Gonscript's 9 Life.

4 The sergeant and the priest advanced /; thss
two friends embraced and kissed each other
Keanmer retired to a spot where the other sol
dier was standing; and, kneeling on one knee
leaned his face on his hands. still convulsivelY
and unconscionsly grasping the spade, if fol
support; the other twelve men had formed d
double line, about fourteen PAGES to the front ot
| Jean, Who vas between them and the ernbank-
ment, his Ehite-clothed figure, thus set in relief
4 by the dark ground beyond, presenting cleaF
aim to their muskets He knelt down on hin
| right knee, resting on the other his left arm
\ he said, in q firm voice--ssI am ready The
priest was about to bind o handkerchief about
his eyes; but he said ~
"No-I pray may be spared that; let me
see my death /; am not afraid of it"
The priest, after consulting the sergeant's
look, withdrew the handkerchief; Colon retired
| to the place where Reaumer and the other SOL
dier were; and the priest, after having received
from his penitent the assurance that be died in
charity with all mankind and having be.
| slowed on him last benediction, and laid on
his lips the kiss of Christian love, also retired
on one side Colon gave the word Of command
Prepare o-the twelve muskets were brought
| forward" Present." they we're leveled The
sergeant was raising his cane as the last signal,
to sspare the victim even the short pang Of hear
| ing the fatal word ssFire!' when Roi1o, with a
He had been started from his slumber by the
roll Of the drum and, looking Mt what was
going on, pereeving Jeanleft kneeling all alone,
and all SO silent, except Reaumer' family heard
sobs, his Instinct seemed to tell him his master
was in some danger; his whining was unheard
| or unheeded he felt this too. and ceased, but
madefa desperate effort to break the rope that
held him, which, weakened as it was by his late
gnawing and tugging at it when in the out
house at Charoile, soon gave way, and, as above
mentioned, he spraug with yell 10 bis masters
side. Bnt jeans thoughts at that moment we're
too seriously engaged to- heed even Rollo; ne
only raised his right arm, and gently put the
dog aside, his own mild, unfinching gaze, still
| fixed on the soldiers before him But the dor,
was not checked by the movement Of his master;
still whining, and with his ears beseechingly
laid back, he struggled hard to get nearer to
him. Colon felt for jeans situation, and made
o sign to Reaumer (who, wondering at the pause
since the last word of command, had raised his
eyes,l that he should try to coax the dog off
he did SO by whistling and calling, but, Of
course, quite in vain. sst s...'-,..,. { l,4
It will be at once seen that, though this has
taken some time in the telling, all that passed
from the time of Roflo's arrival was little more
than the transaction Of moment. Still it was
| delay; and the men were ready to fire; and
Colon, not thinking the incident of sufficient
weight to authorize a suspension of the execu-
ton, however temporary, muttered, Great
| lpity--the poor fellow will die too" He turned
| his face to his men, and was again about to give
| the signal, when he was second time inter-
rupted by hearing loud shouts from behind
| him, accompanied by the discharge of q park Of
cannon He glanced towards the opposite hill
| at his back, whereon the village stood, and
there he saw all was confusion and hustle
officers galloping to and fro, and the men form
ing hurriedly into q line; he hastily gave the
word, g AS you were!'' For along q line OF
road to the northeast Of the hill, he saw thick
cloud of dust, from which quickly plunged out
group of horsemen, evidently officers; the
| foremost not so tall ms most of them, nor so
graceful rider as many Of them. though he
sat firmly too, was recognized by Colon and his
men (long before he was near enough for them
| to distinguish a single feature of his face) by
his gray froek- and small fat three-cornered
| cooked hat.
| Colon gave the word of command ; and in an
other minute Napoleon, at the head of his staff
reined up on the top of the hill. He had left
the march of the grand army some leagues be-
| hind, and ridden on towards Labarre, in order,
with his wonted watchfulness, to take the de-
| tachment by surprise, and see what they were
| about. His eagle eye, whose glance saw every
thing like another's gaze, had at once de-
| tected the party on the hill and he had ridden
from the road at full speed up the slope to dis
cover what the object of the meeting was O
glance, too, told him that and while he was
yet returning the salute of the men and their
sergeant, he said, in a voice painting after his
hard gallop, g Hey! what's this "a deser-
| tion :" ,, ~ 5t==.- s,s7 ts4E mss
"Y Yes. sir--no, sir; not exactly stammered
Colon. .1s n M, s5s s.fs h. 5RS.srs. X. W.T.
sNot exactly! what them" asked Napoleon
| in rather peevsh tone, his face assuming more
than its usual sternness for hardly any thing
more provoked him than hesitation ON the par
| of those he addressed. S4 II If4fz
s'Absenee against orders, sire,' replied Colon
e Aha! for how long Is that his dog ''aI5=
6 Yes, sire; only q few hours.'' l Vi III
" A few hours Who gave this order, then? !
| General -, sire." ts5a s-4y5E
"What character does the man bear ~ s.
He is brave man, SIRE" al 9.t @#
He is Frenehman,' retorted Napoleon
proudly 8 but is he honest, and sober, and gen.
orally obedient ?''}#lzyr za5 a S
. Yes, sire; this is his first fault" 81
% Hem how long as he served Z" fLgsz
ss Three years last March, SIRE" 5J s5-z
| A louder and higher-toned 6 hem y escaped
Napoleon ; and his attention was at the same
moment attracted by Reaumer. who, with q
timid step, had approached the Emperor; and
kneeling on one knee, with clasped hands and
broken voice, cried, g Oh sire, if you-if yor
/ would spare his life-he is innocent of-any in.
tention to odesert-thatI cam
ss Are you his brother % interrupted the EN-
peror 81
ss No, sire," answered Reaumer; IS his friend
his dear friend'
''And how know you what his intentions
4 weres'' i$#z49 -
" He told them to me, sire; he only went las
night to see his friends and would have returned
the same night, but that III advised him t,
meet the regiment at Labarre; and know
"And what business hadst thou TO advise
comrade in a breach of duty! Stand back Il
thy place." at7=
4 And Reaumer retired, covered with shame
4 Napoleon beckoned Jean to him; he came, AM
Rollo with him; and the latter, as though un
4 derstanding the power AMI authority of th
man his master thus obeyed, put his forepaw
H against his stirrup, and whimpered imploringl.
up to him. Jean looked for moment in tn,
Emperor's face, but his gaze dropped, thougl
without quailng, beneath that of the piercinl
4 large gray eyes that were fixed on him. Afte
short pause, Napoleon asked, Chime age p
Lie down--down, good dog!" for Rollo wa
getting importunate.p i
4 :. Twenty five years, sire," Jean answered.
i /" Why has thou disobeyed orderss" 81
/ 6" l could not help it, sire"
H "Couldnt helpit! How dost thou mean 7
4 &c ] was so near my friends, and SO longed t
see them, that indeed could not he1pit sire.
&c 'Tis aistrauge excuse. Down! soy, goo
i brute I" but at the same moment that he sai
go he upgloyed his hand and rave it Rollo /