Delaware inquirer. (Wilmington, Del.) 1859-18??, 1860-01-28
$500 PER ANNUM.

armorer, with his face as pale as a ghosts, ask
ed if he happened to have loaded musket by
him. As the armorer naturally expressed sur
prise at the question, Daybreak fortunately re-
covered his sself-possession, and seemed to think
better Of the matter.
Guess what Daybreak had seen. Hehad seen
how Major Lerpirierc, as he walked along the
rear of the line, rubbed his finger silly on the
backing Of his shoe, then laid 1t on Peep of
Days uniform, and SO made the spot he pre-
tended to discover,
When parade was over, Dayhreak told his
brother cody what he had seen. /" Steady now,
my lad, said he to him, /" don't let your just
resentment boil up too fast and don't go and
serve us up some mess OF your hot southern
temper, do you see. Your innocence shines rs
bright us your cartouche box; your cause is
just, so mind you don't spoil it. will go and
consult with the old heads the colonel shall be
made acquainted with. the rights of the case;
and see if we don't tip the major pass ado that
he won't get the better of in hurry, that's all"
Soup time being come, the company assem-
bled round the kings platters, and Day break
harangued them with an eloquence that
would have inhamed all his hearers even
upon much less proyocation. One cry of hor-
ror burst from every lip as he concluded and
by a simultaneous movement every spoon was
thrust into the massive government pottage, and
left sticking there. 6t
But scarcely had the grenadiers begun their
deliberation, when, alas it was interrupted by
great uproar. The drum beat to arms the
came with tears in their eyes, and informed
Daybreak and his indignant comrades, that
Peep of Day had just been thrust into the black
hole, and the major carried wounded to his
room. This was as good as saying that Peep
of Day was dead man, sN
The unfortunate Desmillets the younger,
having met the major in the first heat of his
passion, had knocked him down with the butt
| Of his musket, and would have finished him,
but for the untimely interference of some per-
sons who ought to have come forward sooner
or not at all.
Daybreak pulled off his gold-laced hat, and
banged il fiat against the wall, exclaiming, in
the highly expressive and figurative language
of the barrack room, which loses infinitely in
translation 6 Peep of Day is hummoxedr'
And, sure enough, Peep Of Day was sentenced
to be shot. ! need not tell you anything about
the proceedings of the court martial you know
how these things are carried on The majors
rancorous thirst for vengeance raised him up
| from his sick bed in manner, and quickened
his cure. He gave orders that Peep of Day
should be shot by his own company.
Daybreak went to the major and asked, did
he mean to say that he was to fire upon his
own brother2 whereto the major replied that
the rules OF the service made no mention of
any exception, and that there should be none.
! Daybreak then said he would sooner blow his
own brains out and the major told him he was
welcome to do so if he liked. On hearing of
this, the grenadiers entreated Daybreak tosub-
| nit.
oh if you had seen how sorrowful every
man and thing in the quarters looked next day.
As the drummer beat the morning call, the
tears he dropped, as big as peas, pattered upon
the drum head in dismal concert with the roll
of the sticks. You would have thought that
he was beating the death signal of the whole
regiment.
The grenadiers being under arms, Peep of
Day was brought out from his prison, looking
very pale, and placed in the middle of the col
umn, with the provost by his side. The word
was given to march; the drums beat atmournfully;
tho grenadiers strobe on in silence, with mus
kets reversed and, what was very remarkable
considering the regard they all had for Peep
Of Day, not one of them shed tear; but they
never looked more grim and dangerous. The
major marched at the head of the company,
digging his cane viciously into the ground at
every step, while his pig-tail kept time to the
drum and jerked from right TO left and back
again, in way that was most aggravating.
They halted at the back of the cemetery, on
the side of hill, little way out of the town,
where they found a grave dug at the foot of the
wall. Peep of Day knelt down at the edge OF
the grave, and the provost bandaged his eyes,
whispering to him Couragep but very eau
tiously, for fear of being overheard by the ma
jor.
The latter watched the proceedings with
great composure and then, as though he were
only putting his men through an ordinary drill
exercise, he turned to the company, now form-
ed in line, and stepping a little aside he raised
| his cane The drums beat at the signal, and
stopped when the cane fell again. et
"Grenadersi carry-armsW
The command was executed with one sono-
rous metallic clash. The major ran his eye
rapidly along the line.
q Make ready Present
All the musket barrels, like great machine
moved by single impulse, came down with a
slant towards the major. Carried away by the
force of habit, he had only time to call out,
"Fire L,
/ The major fell to the ground, riidled like a
target.
Now the town of Nancy, as you aware, is not
far from the frontier, and the cmperors army
was then assembled in a menacing attitude on
that frontier. What did the grenaders Of the
kings regiment do2 They threw the majors
carcass into the grave started off Peep of Day
and sent word to their colonel, bya trumpeter,
requiring formal acknowledgment that the
grenadiers Of the first company Of the kings
regiment had only done an act Of justice; 9TH
erwise they would 60 over, with arms and bag
gage, like Peep of Day, to the service of the
emperor,
|