The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1873-01-25

the homes of II invaders. This is
Well and no 20 do O. it will be done; but
what Then, 1nlnother? Meantime
these Prnssianigands have terrible
guns, and moWNn our brave hearts
like grass, It % longer possible to
make exemptit L have. spoken to
NJ. le Marie; came up Just as my
name was he taken, but he only
sighed and lod. sorry: Make the
best of it JacfS, he Snd.
Jacques pau; here, but his mother
did not speak. he madcno complaint
she only sat st her eyes fixed on her
sons bowed fl as it she would learn
it oft by heart that she might know
him again maven. She could not
summon Il raOf hope; had she not
seen four sOnepart on the same cr-
rand, and note had come back?
"Mothcr'' Gques spoke ont quickly
and gaily, at he We're resolved to
rouse her frOher abStractiOn), "thOu
must not grif for me. 1t is only be-
cause I thinke winter will come be-
fore am hi again, and that there
will be no ono dig or fetch wood and
water for thethat | lament; and this
too is Wr0n We have not sought
this, my mot; it is sent to us; and
hast thou noalways told me that, if
we bear theaosses sent to us willingly,
they are n0trd to bear"
"He bent.wn and kissed her, and
then she ga,way. She hid her face
on the sholcr of her darling and
Sobhed andried bitterly; but when
this was oY she dried her eyes and
tried to loolhcerfully in his face. ,
cit is | " am a selfish old WOman,N
she said. shat do | know, my Jac-
ques? Tluwilt come back to me, per
laps, coOral-Who can say ?-fOr
though arpraVe, my boy, and thou
wilt make good soldier. AllOns! |
must thinf thy linen. How soon ~
Here she BIKE off abruptly and turned
away.
"fn twoays, my mother" said Jac-
ques simp; but he was glad that she
went awpnd left him; he felt that
they werGnly prolonging a common
misery bghis show of courage toward
each OthCl
They bsed each other much as
usual wlp they said goodnight, but
Eugene aid not sleep. She was up
with the }n-and it rose early then
and afterhe had set her sons break
fast she tdged off to the little church
just this de Of TrOchu, the church Of
NOtre Dae de la Grace. But for the
altar ligB the church would have been
in daIkns there were only a few 9TH
er wOrslpers, and when mass was said
it seemeto Eugene that one of these
was linging, like herself, to speak to
mOnsieule cure.
Eugelr went out of the church and
stood Wting in the road. The sky
was Oveast, and the cool gray haze
seemedn keeping with the intense
stiffness 1t was a bare, treeless spot,
and nOtyen the chirp of d bird or the
Whirr c an insect broke the quiet.
There ame footstep, and Eugenic
startedand recognized girl with IL
lilac kahief drawn forward over her
"Ma2oi, FranGoise! Who would
have thught of seeing you so far from
home this hour, and it is neither
Sundapor fete day 2"
La nrc DuclOs looked searchingly
for anznstant, but then the dOWncast
blushig face answered all questions
WhennOnsielr le cure came out of the
sacrist he found Eugene kissing Fran
GOise if she were her own child.
Thegood priest walked part Of the
way hme with Eugenic, and then she
went D alone and spent this last sOr-
rOWfuday with her son.
The had not many words for each
Otherg now and then jacques, as he
passel where she sat stitching stopped,
down and kissed his mother. In the
Afternoon he had to go to TrOchu, and
this bsence was almost relief; fOl
the have old woman struggled hard
to keep from tears, and the very sight
of tM loved face made her eyes swim
as slB bent over her work.
Then came the sad goodnight anC
at last the dreaded moment of parting
It had been so long in coming through
yet now it seemed to Eugene that the
to afternoon. All was ready-Jac
ques and his bundle; his mother too
was ready to go with him; only BobO
was left behind.
The men were all to be marched t
the nearest railway station, their desti
nation being Orleans; but jacques hat
got his mother to promise she wOulC
leave him before he fairly started.
What use," he said, TO stand ant
be pushed aside in a crowd, and yet no
be able, perhaps, to see me 2"
Eugene cannot thwart his sightes
wish. They are close to Trochu now
.pnd Jacques stops.
| Goodbye, my mother!' he take
Fer in his arms, almost lifting her OF
Ihe ground, and she feels the sObs h
tnnOt keep back now.
= God bless thee, my jacques" and j
l9ver. He hur1ies away so fast tha
Wen he turns back to kiss his hand tn
shll bent figure seems far off as
stads gazing after him.
II.
lis a hot afternoon in the hot Au
gusbf 1870. The voiture which run
retimes a week between the town Q
- J. and the village of o. ha
beeneady to start for an hour; but a
no pgengers have appeared, the sal
Vof6!a ID "a cross between an old-fashion
eo allAence and wooden omnibus
dlslneAed to start empty. The horse
stamp and shake their rope harness
the df4hr stands just within the Ell
trance q the Hotel de FUniuers smok
Ing, MS Ipe; while the cOnducteur chat
ana sm1ls with Mdlle. Sophie, the fill
de boutEue at the confectioner's j
the streetAver the way. The street il
self Is naso and the houses high
there is, aerefOre, shadow in it, br
tnls shadov brings out the glare of th
little place yet more strongly fc
though the Hotel de UUNiUers is til
smallest lnnln D, it has q plac
of its own, and the yOiture stanG
therein. ..
The ,driSyersa sands in the shadow, br
he teeIs Tor lis horses; the poor an
mails talIs arstied up with scarlet, an
they can only samp when the flies give
sharper Olte thaa usual; the last STAN
upset the voitlIn Jus '-'''' - '
"Diable m-tln driver takes his mir
out of his mouthS-a It cannot we'll |
hotter, and it is MT vet midday"
The place is q triongIe: the shaG