Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1871-01-26

! 4 wa. no great h.,k At Jeasf3iEns
/ had not had time for much learning but
/ manasoarto write hone testal th1m
was goinosand % BID then ken up their
hearts. ga ~ u. ID
"You know all about the war, Msie1.
Our regiment had its share in all that was
sxoing on. escaped for time, but at the
taking of the Malakoff, l Sct ~ ugh
SAber-cut across my face, and my arm wa
broken by bullet. / suppose l tainted
from loss QfblOof ; they told me aftesward
I, was taken up for dead. twas long
time in hospital. had fever, and II waa
! months before 1 could crawl about again
ss r sss fs oSss in1 al s,RR RE my y
self .vv.s ..-s.As.as.za.y.-s~sss
sria All the voyage thought Of father and
mother, aud Toinette, aud how, glad they
woulh be to hate me back, and how soon
should get stropg again at home. II was
four years since had left the village; and
I thought, with my heavy nnoustache, and
h the saber-cut across my face, and my uni
form, no Que would recognize Rene, the
sigaeron and ] would gpI.first to the an
ssr ,:ss, and hear tAs nsws before making
"My heart leaped within me, as / ap.
preached the village and saw the old castle
upon its rounded hill, and the swift flow
ing river. ] said to myself perhaps shall
meet my father in his cart, or perhaps
| Toinette may be atIherld door as T pass but
| though met several Of theyillagers, who
turned to look with interest at the wealth
err beaten aud wounded soldier, saw
neither father nor Toinettf, and 20 one
recognized me-.
81 was still weak from Illness, and when
I reached the duberye way glad to sill
down and call fpr some wine, The land
lord brought 1t. l asked him to sit down
and partake.s First, Ilhad to answer many
questions about what was going on in the
East, and stlen 4 asked for news Of the
viIIagess l. Ind my tsspsdrawn down Owe
my forehead, and was sitting with my
backito the light, but ohce or twice saw
my companion look at me narrowly, as il
he suspected was some one he ought u
know. e1,e - 80 ,EsI.
"This was the news I heard: sFabre
and his| wife were both dead. The old
man had no Tiearpt TO- do anything sitter his
younger son, who was the stay of the
EuHhyt the idfNIiOIu sdiu, idu Ut1cH uid WI
for the army Had r happened to meet
with Rene Fabre 2 He was killed at the
taking Of the Malakoff--his name was
seen in the lista That just broke the
beartsiof the old people, they never lifted
their heads again. either Of them. The
H.othes ,sest 6rsta old babre died only
three weeks1agR 10 issa ssiisa 4 .41d
- Had they never, received ,apletter! l
asked, making my voice as STEADY as 1
could; !. for one Of the kind nurses at Scut-
ary had written, for me-, aafsI .e9}l i
Ono What letter could they receive
when Rene was dead2a9g 70 ggtACH5 )
o ut had been lost, then. |, could not
fepEcss agroan.s Was my wound paining
me z, the landlord asked. Gould he do
anything for me pd sats,i 4sIs 80 ba6,
IL shook my head where was Pierre
Fabre7, Iasked. ir7i aei tedR II ,ssH
sPicrre had got into fresh trouble, and
had gone away two years before. No one
knew anything about him
"Then Game the name that had been
trembling on my lips alb along-Toinette
DutOuras 1I ,eeitesLtNe taaap s&f|R
l.Again i observed the landlord look at
me inquisitiveiy That was the girl Rene
was to have 'marvied,' he said Her
mother always wanted to marry her to
Barbel's Ambrose. because old Barbel was
rich. Toinette,w would not hear OF it till
the,news came that Rene was killed, and
then somehow it seemed that she did not
care what became Of her, and the mother
had her way 1t had not been very
happy marriage heretofore, as, indeed,
how Shouldn't, with a bride with no more
heart Ia her than a ghost. ? : q = e
"This,d Msicu, was my coming home
7 did not make myself known Where
was the use?1I engaged q bed for the
night, and them wandered out. / went
first to the little cemetery, then I watched
fof one sight Of Toihette / saw her Just
at dusk, pale and sad looking at her nus
bands door. Il did not dare to present
myself before her IT could not trust my
self to- hear her speak 1 Turned away
and climbed tie Fill to the castle, and
there threw myself down on the spot
where we had so many summer evenings
dreaming. dreams nothing but dreams,
M'sicu.. -, M w
az do not, know how long ! laid there
1t seemed during those hours as II there
was neither past nor future any more, only
one long, ever present agony. ~
AT last the gIimmering lights in the
village were being cxtinguished one by
one, and knew must return to the au-
bc,ys. Early the next morning LEFT my
/ old home forever and returned to Mar
settles, where l waited till my regiment
came back from the East Both officers
and men were glad to receive me among
them again, and had no wish to leave
them any more Why should /? This ia
all. 1t Is quite simple story, you see,
M'sieu.o 49, osh7a 9aoai' IKE ,o'
This medal was won before the Mala.
kof, and this at Solferino. = Anoas, cive "a
QLoireL A fey bTske Heal ts3 more Or less
WHIST does II matter! am 9 sous-lieu,
tenant, and perhaps may die ,capitaine.
That ought to be enough for my ambition,
you viii say. But people are not alike,
and 1t seems TO me that, my ambition is
over. Tens! Let us go and have Q cup
Of coffee; i am not accustomed to talk SO
much, my throat is dry" Pitching away
the end of his cigar, Fabre rose from the
bench where we had been sitting, and led
the way to the cafe. AK g
followed slowly. We were both silent
What 9could / sayf Where would have
been the use of commonplace words o.
pity or consultations Fabre never again
made any reference 10 his past life in talk
ing to me, and was careful not to allude