Delaware inquirer. (Wilmington, Del.) 1859-18??, 1860-01-28
Daybreak and Peep of Day-A French
Guardhouse Legend.

nigh, and the king daughter used to stand at
the window to look at them as they marched
by in front 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 a single
piece. There was not one pigtail among them
a hairs breadth longer than another, and the
buttons on their CATERS were as even as the
lines of a book. And no wonderit Should have
been so for the recruiting sergeants used to
pick out the finest men from every province to
form these companies, just as a body might
pick out the handsomest flowers in garden to
make nosegay for his sweetheart. In fact it
was out of the veteran remains of troops like
these that, in later days, marshals Of France
were taken from the ranks by dozens.
Now, Of all the grenadicrs of the various
corps, those of the king regiment were out
and out the finest Superb felows and then
their uniform il was splendid; white, with
azure blue faclngs, and orange lace Ifyou had
seen them on review day, fresh shaved and
powdered, you would have taken the soldiers
for officers, and the officers for generals.
The kings regiment was then in garrison at
Nancy, in Lorraine, the prettest town in France,
with Its streets all ranged as regularly as
battalion under arms. A fkeable place 1t is,
and pleasant quarters for the soldier barring
that wine Is rather dear there. Now, as have
saiu, the grehadiers oil this regiment mad not
their fellows in the whole army; and among
these same grchauiefs, .he hahdsomest ana
dashingest chap was pespillets, who went by
the name OF Dayoredh. He was q strapping
lad from Languedoc, and prime sample OF the
breed Of ftheproyince--as brazen-faced as page,
brave as sabre, as ready at q lie as quack
doctor, up to all sorts Of fun, capital dancer,
neat hand at the fife and first-rate swords
man. He would tell stories TO keep the guard
house awake all night as for singing, when
he was in the humor, he could keep at it from
now till tomorrow without ever singing the
same thing twice over. leave you to guessif
Daybreak was not admired by his comrades,
esteemed by his officers, and iavorably regard
ed by the girls of Nancy. So, finding the SER
vice quite to his liking and thinking there was
| nothing finer than to be grenadier in the
kings regiment, he made his younger brother,
Jean Deseillcts, but he was, may be, quarter
tf an inch shorter than his brother, He got
tlr name Of Peep Of Day. Nothing could ex-
ceesl the polite attentions shown him by his
new comrades and with the help of their obli-
ging instructions, he promised to become, in a
short while, an hrnor to the regiment, like
his elder brother
Unfortunately for Peep of Day, the good will
shown him by his comrades was the surcst
of all means to make him detested by his com-
manding ohcer' MAJOR Lerpiniere' VINO, aiter
all, was only soldier oil fortune, NOBODY
liked the major, Tor ne was an iii-conditioned,
brutal tyrant, ana the marks OF ilendship iay-
ished on raw recruit excited ms mean Jeai-
ousy to the hlgnest pitch. DON'T ASK me 70
explain to you now y is that, IN certain ma
lignant dispositions, the smallest little pique
imaginable goes on fostering until 1t becomes
a great yenomous hatredj Try u you can, TO
comprehend the inhuman rascality that can
take delight in low snesklng' treachefous
vengeance these are things cant pretend TO
explain to you; God forbid
Nothing was easier for the major than to send
grenadier to prison Peep OF Day spent the
best part of his time in the strong room OF the
barracks, anu ms name was ness, out u 'no
black list. inihss cams "sens'n " suen
pass that the cohipen! oouia naruty s,anu y
| any longer, ahu '"e' oo"o"s" 'Oso'"'t ~
heip feep Of pay III n,S aus' - a'l.o op'ain
proof II poss'o's' " .n' ,D'as"ss W., ~ :.
ne was 'rea'eu' Dayo'eaA was a. '"' n'au u
TINS league pu' aii i'S cares anu ""'on'u'Ae'S
were Tor long wh'ie "ha'ai'ihs'
| You don't any OF you happen to know the
barracks at Nancy? for that matter 1t would not
signify much one way or the other even it you
did; for the barracks am now talking of were
the old ones, which were destroyed long ago
| The armorer of the regiment worked in a little
building one story high, at the end Of the yard,
and it was in front of that building that the
company was every day inspected by the major
at eleven o'clock. The grenadiers were drawn
| up in line, and If you know anything OF theold
strictness OF military 'snae you wiiiteadiiy sup
pose that tne hrst company oi 'ne hihg resi-
ment was In general iaui'iess, from their my
white cockades 10 the oiach heeis OF ene'rs SHOES
the brave fellows looked every uay as u 'ney
had just stepped out OF oo1,
The major, with his cane in his hand, passed
slowly along the front and the rear of the line,
stopping opposite each motionless grenadier,
! xs..tsx hxyn xrritJ