Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1871-06-17

casionally some of the nondescript
stragglers who followed in the rear
would make q raid upon tho little
shops in the main street, and carry
Off all they could lay their hands up
on. This exasperatcd the peasants,
already furious at tho national dis
grace and the cure in vain preached
patience, and impressed on his peo-
pie that the forgiveness of injuries
was the noblest Of Christian virtues.
There were not few turbulent spir-
| its who declared that ifthey could get
the chance, they would have their re-
venge on these "maudHS PrussenS,"
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 terri
Bile 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 unusually large number of
Prussians troops marched past the
village, bivouacked for the night
within quarter of mile from Vaux
Vilainc. They had never been so
near before, and scarcely was their
presence known, when a Prussian
Colonel, with o small escope, rode
letter, Martel's father, who acted as
Mayor, and made a rcquisition of
food and wine for his men, which
could only be obcyed at the cost of
impoverishing the whole inhibitants
of the village for some months to
come.
Remonstrance9 and entreatics were
all in vain, and every family suIIenly
yielded up Of their best, till the ex-
orbitant demand was satisfied, and
then the Germans rode away, follow
ed by the curses of every man in the
place. There were some, however,
who were not content with maledic-
tions, and muttered ominous threats,
haughtily up to the horse of Lepel-
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 ill-sup-
pressed impatience; but he could do
no more, and calling to his son, who
was standing near with Jules and
Evariste, he made them all three ell
ter his house with him, lest they
should be led away by any of the ill
advised proposals that which were
circulating amongst the crowd.
Several of the principal inhabi-
tants of Vaux Vilaine, both men and
women, followed Lepelletier into his
sitting-room, and remained in sor-
rowful 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 re-
concile Martel and Evariste to the In
action to which they were doomed,
even with the hated enemy lying SO
near to them,
Jules, meanw lille, who was natur-
ally eloquent, was talking eagerly
with Lepelletier and some of the
gray heads of tho village on the rem
edies which, in his inexperience and
self-conadence, he thought might
rectify the dreadful state of matters
in France.
Suddenly, as they were all thus en-
gagged, and the conversation was wax
ing more and more excited, there
came q sound, clear and ringing,
though distant, which caused the
voices of the speakers to cease as sud-
denly as if a thunderbolt had fallen
amongst them. 1t was \ shot COM
ing from the direction in which the
Prussians lay, and followed in quick
succession by one OF two more, as if
from the discharge of revolver.
There was CONSERVATION on every
face and the sound died away, and
for few minutes no one spoke; and
then one of the women hazarded, in
a trembling voice, the remark, that
perhaps one of the "mduditS PruS-
StenS" had killed some ofthcir people
and while the other women cried out
in hOTorat the idea, ,Lepelletier shook
his head and answered gloomily:
"1f 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. StopW
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 a
man from Vau1 Nilaine be seen near
| the spot where the shot was fired, if
you would have any of us left. alive
by this time tomorrow !"
j Suppressed shrieks from the wo-
men followed these words az the
young men drew back from tho door.
Vevette threw herself into Martel's
arms, and Leonie lifted up her blue
eyes swimming in tears, to Evariste,
and became suddenly awed and tram
quilised by the peculiar expression
of his face; his soft, hazel eyes, wide
open, appeared to be looking far
away into scenes unperccived by
others, and his lips parted with q
calm, sweet, smile, which seemed
full of hidden meaning. All agita-
ton, she felt, was misplaced in pres
ence of such look as Evaristc wore,
yet Leonie trembled with some dark,
mysterious foreboding, even as sha
gazed, and wished with all her heart,
that he would look less beautiful and
noble, and more like the joyous,
light-hearted fancc with whom she
hoped to pass all tho years of her
earthly life.
For an hour or so the persons as
sembled at Former Lepelletier's re-
manned talking together, the women
in tears, the men sullen and disQuiet-
ed; and then in groupes of two OIL
, three they crcpt away silently to
their homes.
Before day broke over Vaux VII,
I IL. A L.