Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1871-06-08
turbulent spirits who declared that if they

turbulent SplrltS VINO OecidIcu tnat II tney
could get the chance, they would have
their revenge on these "nsaudks Frus-
STEMS" and knock the life out of some of
them, at least. These threats gave great
anxiety to the wiser and more experienced
inhabitants; for rumors had reached the
village of the terrible reprisals exacted by
the Prussians for every attempt at defense
on the part Of the peasantry.
At length one evening, when the autumn
days were growing dark and cold, an I'M
usually large number Of Pruskan troops
marched past the village, and biyouacked
for the night within quartT OF mile
from Vaux Villaine. They had never
been so near before, and scarcely was their
presence known, when Prussian Colonel,
with small escort rode haughtily up to
the house of Lepelletier, MarteIs father,
who acted as Mayor, and made requisi-
ton of food and wine for his men, which
could only be Obeyed at the cost OF i'm
poverish ng the whole inhabitants of the
village for some months to come.
circumstances and entreaties we're all
in vain, and every family sullenly yielded
up of their best, till the exhorbitant de-
mand was satisfied, and then the Germans
rode away, followed by the curses of every
man in the place There were some, how
ever, who were not content with maledic-
tons, and muttered ominous threats,
which caused Lepelletier, as the chief
parsonage in the place, to make an earnest
harangue to the assembled people, in
which he implored them not, by any rash
act, to bring down upon their unprotected
village the wrath of the whole vast host
who lay encamped SO near them. He
could see that some Of the younger men
listened to him with Unsurpassed i'm
patience but he could do no more, and
calling to his son, who was standing near
with Jules and Evariste, he made them
all three enter his house with him, lest
they should be led away by any of the i'll
advised proposals which were circulating
amongst the crowd.
Several of the principal inhabitants of
Vaux Vilaine, both men and women, fol-
lowed Lepelletier into his sitting room
and remained in sorrowful conversation
for some time over the disasters of their
unhappy country and their own present
wrongs. Among them were Vevette and
Leonie, with their parents; and their
presence tended greatly to reconcile Martel
and Eyariste to the inaction to which they
were doomed, even with the hated enemy
lying go near to them.
Jules, meanwhile, who was naturally
eloquent was talking eagerly with Lepel-
letter and some Of the gray heads of the
village on the remedies which, in his mex
perience and selfconfidence, he thought
might rectify the dreadful state Of matters
in France.
Suddenly, as they were all thus engaged,
and the conversation was waxing more
and more excited, there came sound,
clear and ringing, though distant, which
caused the voices of the speakers to cease
as suddenly as if thunderbolt had fallen
them. 1t was shot coming
from the direction in which the Prussians
lay, and followed in quick succession by
one or two more, as if from the discharge
of revolver. There was CONSERVATION
on every face as the sound died away, and
for few minutes no one spoke; and then
one OF the women haZarded, in trem
bling voice, the remark, that perhaps one
of the naaudits Prussiens" had killed
some Of their people; and while the other
women cried out in horror at the idea,
Lepelletier shook his head and answered
gloomily:
IF only it be nothing worse than what
you fear. But doubt there is that in the
sound we have heard which may cause
our whole village to be burnt over our
heads. Stop!" he exclaimed, as Jules and
one or two others sprang to the door with
the intention of ascertaining what had
happened" Stay where you are, one and
all charge you. Let not man from
Vaux Vilaine be seen near the spot where
that shot was fired, if you would have any
OF us left alive by this time tomorrow"
Suppressed shrieks from the women fol
lowed these words as the young men
drew back Srom the door. Vevette threw
herself INTO Martels arms, and Leonie
lifted up her blue eyes swimming in tears
to Evariste, and became suddenly awed
and tranquilized by the peculiar expires
sion of his face; his soft blue eyes, wide
open, appeared to be looking far away into
scenes uuperceived by others, and his lips
were parted with calm, sweet smile,
which seemed full of hidden meaning. All
agitation, she felt, was misplaced in pres
ence of such look as Evariste wore, yet
Leonie trembled with some dark, mystic
rious forboding, even as she gazed, and
wished with all her heart thar he would
look less beautiful and noble, and more
iihS VIC Joyouo, tCu .bdA'CCto WIN
whom she hoped to pass all the years of
her earthly life.
For an hour or so the persons assembled
at Farmer Lepelleter's remained talking
together, the women in tears, the men
sullen and disquieted; and then in groups
of two or three they crept away silently to
their homes.
Before the day broke over Vaux Vilaine
next morning it was known throughout
the village-none could have told how
that the Prussian Colonel had been shot
dead by an unseen foe as he rode round
the outposts the evening before, and it was
whispered cautiously that two of the hot
test spirits among the young men of Vaux
Fiiaine were missing from their humes.
From the moment this was known, but
one thought filled the anxious minds of
every inhabitant of that once happy viii
lage--what vengeance in blood or fire
would the Prussians require for this illad-
vised and cruel deed? They were not
long left in suspense.
A beautiful sunrise it was which
brought the light of day to Vaux Vilaine
on that fair autumn morning. The heavy
dews which had fallen the night before
glistened like scattered gems in the early
sunshine, and the air was sweet with the
breath of flowers, yielding up their per-