Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1871-08-18

him, said to me the heroic girl. drying
quickly her tears, and with joyful face
she entered her grand-father's rom.
It hard task she had undertaken;
The fist day sac got through it we'll
enough. The old mans head WAS weak,
aud be let himself be d. ceived like child
Bat with returning health lis ideas be
came clearer. It was necessary to keep
him up with the movements Of the armies,
and to invent for him military Bulletins
| It was indeed pathetic 10 see this fair gtrl
bending night and day over his great map
of Germany, sticking little flags here anG
! there, try ing to combine an entire glorl-
Gus campaigu. Bazaine towards Berlin,
Frossard in Bavaria, MacMahon on the
Baltic
La all this she consulted with me. and l
| aided her as much as / could bat Is was
the grand father especially, who helped Us
in this imaginary Invasion: He had con
quered Germany 50 many times under the
first empire. He knew all the moves be
fore hand. "Now they will go tuere, this
is what they are going to do" and his pre-
dictions We AWAY realized, which made
him very proud. Unfortunately, IN spite
of our capturing cities aud gaining bat
ties, we never went fast enough for hIm.
He was Unsuitable that old man. Every
day on arriving I learned new exploit
doctor we have taken May ence, said the
Young girl with a forced mile, al d l
heard through the door Joyful voice cry
ing "HUrrah, hurrah, in eight days We
will be in Berlin p At that moment
the Prustians were only eight days fro N
Paris. We dehberated ct first whether II
would not be advisable to take him out of
Paris-but then, be would Immediately
perceive the truth from the condition OF
the country, and I thought bin too weak,
too much shattered by his great shock to
| let him know the truth. We decided to
remain.
The first day of investment, I called. I
remember, very much agitated with Tat
great anguish OF ht art cauCd by the closing
of al the gates Of Paris. the battle under
our walls and our suburbs become f;on
bad, iubll4nt and proud. "Wrll, said be.
the siege has at last begun" I looked "a
| him in amaaameut. How 50, Colonel
do you know ?" His grand daughter turoed
toward me. eyes, Doctor. L is the
great news. Tae siege of Berlin h IS COM
mence d." She SAID this IN drawing her
needle it'll sir so demure and 81 COM
posed. How would lie have suspected any
thing ? A. TO the cannon of the for's, lie
would not h,a. it. That hapless Par S
SIM ter and Gisnayed. he would not ace
It, What he Ieroeive1 from his bed wa
an ent lblature Of the Trium phal Arch. and
in his chanb Der, around him, rub 2ish Ct
the first cmpLIe, we'll calculated TO nOuEish
) his Illusions POrtraits Of Marshals, en-
cravings OF battles, ina Kline o. Rome in
baby clothes then great stiff c=nfIe tables
ornamental with brass trophies, AID
loaded with imperial rellcP, medals, brorz s,
model of s.. Helena under 4 glohe. Brave
old O. lOEel, it vas this atmosphere Of
victories and conquests more than al We
told him that made him believe with SO
much SIN plicity in the siege OF Berlin.
From that day our military operations
were much sim ifed. 70 take Berlin
was onIy question Of tins. Now aid
then, when tie old man was too impa-
IL Mt. we read to Lin Q letter from his
son, imaginary, Of course, since E0:hipg
could enter into Paris and the aid CO camp
of MacMabon was G. prisoner IL 3 Getu3an
fortress since SEDAN. ImegiLe tie de-
pair of this poor CHILD, without news OF
her father, Knowing him TO be p2;s ner,
suffering every privatjon, Ill perhaps, and
she compelled to make him speak ID @
brief but Joyful letter, such as might be
written by q soldier in the Fl Id, advancing
further and further into 8 conquered coun-
try. Sometimes her strength gave out,
and for weeks there was No Ee9 rs. But
then the old man be ,ine II s'less and sic pit
no mo.e. Then came promptly q letter
from Germany which she read gaily by
his bed in holding back her tears. The
colonel listened gravely, smiling with
knowing air, approved, criticised and ex-
planned to the obscure passages. But
he was admirable in the replies he sent to
his son. DO no5 forget" said be, "that
you are French soldier. Be Gener rs to
those poor people, d. not render the liz
vasion too erievous 20 them. AS to the
conditions of peace, he was liberal to the
conquered. 1.-The war indemnify az d no.
thing more. Why take provinces from
| them. Can We make Frenchmen out Ct
| Germans ?" He die ated all this with
| firm voice, and we felt SO much candor in
his patriotic words that we could net hear
him without emotitn.
| In the meanwhile the siege trcgres. d
not that of Berlin, aa3 1t was Tho sea
| son of severe cod, OF bOmbardmeut
epidemics and famine. But thanks 10 our
care and efforts, a1d the indefati able ten
derpess which sarrcuuded him, the old
mans Tranquil ity was not for one moment
disturbed. To the very end [ wEs enabled
to procure him white bread and fresh
meat. There was just enough for him. it
is tue, ana You can Imagine nothing
more touching than these grand father
breakfasts 50 innooently te fish the old man
on bis bed, RI sy and smiling his napkin
under his chin; lear him his grand daugh-
ter. {. little blauccQl b. private n, guild
| ing his hands, making him DRINK aud aid
| ing him to eat ali these forbidden god |
| things. Then, cheered by his repast, in
| the comfort Of bis warm room, with TIE
winters gale blowing outside and the SLOW
whirling by his windowa, the ex- cuirassier |
recalled his northern campaigns ana re
lated to us for the hupdredth time that |
fatal Russian retreat, in which they had !
nothing to eat BIT frozen b,scuiS and |
horse flesh. "Do you understand that,
little one ?" said he. eve ate horse |
f 4sh." I think the did understand it,
For two months size had ale nothing else. |
From day to day. however, as GONZALES
cence approached our task became more
difficult. That numbness Of all bis senses
which, had helped 50 vel began to disap-
pear. Two or three times already the
terrible broadsides of the Porte Maillot
had M de him s ar aid listen. We had
been obliged TO invent q new vic DRY of
Bazaine near Berlin, and slIutes fred IN
It's honor at he 1nvalides
Another time, on the Thursday of the
sortie Of Bry envaI, bis bed had been push
ed near the window. He saw very plainly