The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1873-07-24
A Levers Ruse.


5 provincial cities, during the autumn
I 1871, a young German officer was qua
: tered in the house of rich merchan
4 NJ. - $50 the merchant was called
was Chauvinist of the purest water. A
the beginning of the campaign he wa
sanguine in the belief that in four week
all Germany would be at the feet of tn
Emperor Napoleon; and now, despite al
the reverses the French arms had me
with, from Weissenburg to Paris, he wa
thoroughly convinced that Gambetta
with his newly-created army, would sool
s. drive the hated German invaders to tn
last man from the "sacred soil 0
France"
Until this ardently longed-for momen
arrived, like the prudent man that h'
was, he paid the taxes and contribution
demanded of him by the invader!
promptly, and gave vent to his hatred
for les nsaudits Prussiens by vilifying Bis
marck and the King of Prussia In his
little family circle, and by avoiding, as
far as possible, Lieutenant D, who
was quartered in his house.
The ladies of the house, his wife and
daughter, were good patriots; but their
patriotism did not prevent their finding
Lieutenant D very amiable and in
teresting, and their allowing him to
spend a considerable share of his leisure
hours in their society. Mademoiselle
Louison, the daughter, was eighteen
years old, and very pretty. Lieutenant
| D. was five or six years older, was an
| accomplished man of society, and thor
oughly master of the French language.
What was more natural than that, des-
pite national differences, the young peo-
pie should be drawn toward each other?
The mother, who was very kindly dis
posed toward the elegant young officer,
favored his suit, and encouraged her SON
in-law, that would be, to formally ask
Louisons father for her hand. But Papa
B declared that he would sooner see
his daughter dead than the wife of a
Prussian, gave the lieutenant polite but
decided refusal, and forbade his wife and
daughter from holding any further inter
course with him. The ladies were re-
quested to occupy one wing of the house,
and the servants received strict orders to
deny the Prussian officer all communica
ton whatsoever with the fortress.
About this time the railroad accidents
in the provinces occupied by the Ger
mans had become so numerous, that they,
as means of selfprotection, compelled
some prominent French citizen to ride
on the locomotive of each train, in order
to prevent his countrymen from tearing
up the rails Of the road, or otherwise
doing it such injury as to endanger the
safety of the train, because now the life |
of one of their fellow-citizens would be
by an accident as well as those |
of their enemies. The means accom-
plished the desired end railroad acct |
dents became rare. But these compul- |
sorry trips in mid-winter, on an open To- |
comotive, were very far from being |
pleasure trips and NJ. B was not
little amazed when, within the short
space of two weeks, it was his lot to |
make the journey in this manner to and
from s. no less than five times. His |
protestations and remonstrances were of
no avail; the order from the German
headquarters was there, and had to be
obeyed; for contre la force Il ny pas de
resistance When NJ B was notified
for the sixth time to hold himself in
readiness to make the journey again to
s., he entered a complaint to the
MARIE, who replied, with a shrug:
g am sorry, but / can do nothing for
you. 1t is certainly very strange that
you should be selected so much more
frequently than the others to make this
unpleasant trip. Have you, perhaps,
personal enemy at the German head
quarters ?"
81 recently refused German officer,
who asked the hand of my daughter"
said he, after a moments reflection, "and
denied him admission to my family
circle"
q C'est cal" cried the marie, laughing
g That explains the mystery. Two or
hree times, when you have been away,
have seen Lieutenant D enter your
house. He evidently had sufficient in
1uence at headquarters to enable him to
send you on these accursed journeys
whenever he desires to visit your daugh-
er."
NJ BIS indignation knew no
bounds.
My dear friends" continued the more
naaire, SC would advise you
o consent to your daughters marriage
'ather than, in this cold weather, to con-
ract pneumonia by riding to and from
s. on an open locomotive.
NJ. B threw himself into a chair,
md seemed for some minutes lost in re-
lection. 1t was terrible alternative
either to give his daughter to a Blaudit
Prttssier, or to endanger his own valu-
lble life.
How long, think you," he asked the
naire, g viii it be before the Army of the
Loire will destroy the Germans before
Paris, and drive the last one of them
across the Rhine ?"
The Army of the Loire, replied the
naire, q has, according to news received
his morning, been defeated, losing ten
thousand prisoners. y
g MensOnge! inapossi6Ie!" cried NJ.
But he concluded that it would be wise,
lnder all the circumstances, to follow the
Idvice of his friend the marie. Immedi-
Itely on his return from his sixth compul-
DRY trip to s. he gave his consent to
lis daughters betrothal with the hated
russian, and from that time he received
10 more orders from the German head
quarters to ride on an open locomotive
translated from " Recollections of the
War;" by Franz Eugen. I
The ladies of Remington, Ind, made
raid on the saloons, on the evening of
uly I'd, for the benefit of the families of :