Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1865-10-03

4 Z
blood fowingJ 1t was q bad sign, sir;
Che only one should like to erase from
INV memory az injurious TO the glory oil
France. But to make up for il, had a
thousand splendid nights at the bivouc,
when the little Corporal led us through
| the world"
N.siRere you always with him, air9'
Italy, from the Pc to fhs Rhine. from
the Rhine to the Danube, the Vistula
and the Hoskowa. From EIba to Paris,
add from Paris TO Waterloo. I did not
90 TO ST Helena, because It was not al
lowed" - 8. a
A sad smile played over the old sol.
dier's face.
=. You are happy; you saw Jour Gen.
eral and Emperor conquer, bat did not
witness his death" 81
The invalid looked at me strangely.
DEATH" be repeated, what do you
mean by thatY k
II didnot understand the remark, and
attached no Importance to it.
How comes t." / asked, that you
are here, aud not in the Hotel des In
validesT'
gave Up my turn when my chance
arrived to be taken into the hospital.
/ had comrade, who, though Eve years
Younger than /, had one foot less. If /
bad gone into hospital, the man must
have waited until some other comrade
had died; / therefore asked the Gov
errors leave TO resign In favor of my
friend"
But hog do Jon live Have you o
family TO take care Of your
Il have nobody--in all France there
is no other Of my name / saw them
all die; and yet l live without being q
burden to the State. | keep a little
cabaret on, the road between Meta and
Gallons, which has supported me for
the last forty years" sas
- HAnd the Cross of the Legion, which
| see on your chest, makes slight add
top ~, IT,
One of my comrades who died in the In
valides left widow seventy years of age,
and three children, who are unfortu-
nately ell crippIes. The dang hter is an
idiot, the sons are prevented from work
ing by illness The widow is now nine
ty-yesrs of age; the children are almost
gray. haired. They live solely on tie
two hnndred francs which my cross
brings them in.
~ There was an indescribable grandeur
in the modest words Of this old soldier,
who narrated the most brilliant actions
Of his life aal if they were something or
binary and naturaL The man in his
heroic simplicity produced such an inn
preston on me, that words Of praise in
voluntarily died away on my lips.
Has to-day military spectacle drawn
you out Of your hermitage7" | asked,
mechanically, in order to say something.
II am taking my annual trip For
the last forty yearsI have shutup my inn
ia August for a month, and take holt
day by making tour"
"a tour7-you with your ninety
years7"
81, with my ninety years and my
wooden leg. | hobble as we'll as can
TO Paris, and only take ten days in COM
ing the forty leagues--fonr league .
day; that is not so bad, is it7 / am
always in Paris on ST. Napoleon's day"
Your journey has sn object, then7"
That Of saluting my Emperor, as I
could not 60 with him to st. Helena.
On the day that bears bis name lay
garland at the foot OF the column on
the Place Vendome / have done 30 for
forty years, and always quilted Paris di-
rectIy had done so. On the same
day when | decorated my Emperor's
statue 1 started for home egain, as /
needed violent exercise TO overcome the
feelings that oppressed me at the col.
umn, for tear does not become an in
valid who has passed through hundred
actions, even though il be shed to the
memory of the EMPEROR
a But surely you did not leave Paris
without. visiting the Emperor's gravel"
The veteran again gave me that pecu-
liar look which / had observed before,
and which expressed amazsment and
surprise. Then be muttered:
The Emperors gravel What do
you mean BY that sir2
These words appeared to be spoken in
q soliloquy. They did not affect me
sufficiently yet for me 10 inquire their
meaning. 49,
How is it that you have omitted
your pilgrimage to Paris this Year, |
"What had to do at Paris, when the
Emperor came to us at Chaloner'
Napoleon III is certainly here"
Napoleon III. r. the old man quick
lyinserrupted me. "Do you also cling to
this folly Of the short-sighted, ineredu-
lons mob2 There 10 no Napoleon III,
because there is no Napoleon /. There
is only one Napoleon, my Emperor, the
victor in hundred battles, from Arcola
to Moscow--my Emperor, who cannot
die till he has carried out his mission of
rendering France mistress over all ma
tons, and has removed the stain left by
the treaties OF Vienna. And yet there
are persons who say he is deadl Credz-
lous peopleI be lises-he is only waiting
for the right moment to pace himself at
the head Of his army, aud recapture the
left bank of the Rhine Ere long our
armies, setting out from Chalons, will
fight again in the East and the North,
aud the man who viii lead them is he
is Napoleon. OF course il was longer
distance from St Helena to Chalons