The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1873-07-10
A Lovers Ruse.


In N, one Of the larger French
provincial cities, during the autumn of
1871, q young German officer was quar-
tered in the house of rich merchant.
M. b, so the merchant was called,
was Il Chauvinist of the purest water.
At the beginning of the campaign, he
was sanguine in the belief that, within
four weeks, all Germany would be at
the feet of the Emperor Napoleon and
now, despite all the reverses the French
arms had met with, from Weissenburg
to Paris, he was thoroughly convinced
that Gambetta, with his newly-created
army, would soon drive the hated Ger
man invaders to the last man from the
"sacred soil Of France"
Until this ardently longed-for mo-
ment arrived, like the prudent man
that he was, he paid the taxes and con-
tributions demanded of him by the in
vaders promptly, and gave vent to his
hatred for les mauditS PruSSie,S by
vilifying Bismark and the king of Prus-
sia 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 them finding
Lieutenant D. very amiable and in
teresting, and their allowing him to
spend 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
thoroughly master of the French Ian
guage. What was more natural than
that, despite national differences, the
young people should be drawn toward
each other? The mother, who was
very kinkly disposed toward the ele-
CANT young officer, favored his suit, and
encouraged her son-in-law, that would
be, to formerly 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 in
tercourse with him. The ladies were
requested to occupy one wing Of the
house, and the servants received strict
orders to deny the Prussian officer all
communication 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 self-protection,
compelled some prominent French citi-
zen to ride on the locomotive of each
train, in order to prevent his country
men 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 fell
low-citizens would be imperrilled by an
accident as well as those of their ene-
mics. The means accomplished the de-
sired end railroad accidents became
rare. But these compulsory trips in
mid-winter, on an open locomotive,
were very far from being pleasure
trips and NJ. b was not a 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 a
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 complaint
to the ma're, who replied, with q
shrug
81 am sorry, but 1 can do nothing
for you. 1t is certainly very strange
that you should be selected so much
more frequently than others to make
this unpleasant trip. Have you, per-
haps, a personal enemy at the German
headquarters?"
81 recently refused German officer,
who asked the hand of my daughter"
said he, after moments reflection,
"and denied him admission to my fami-
ly circle"
"Cest ga :" cried the n,atre, laugh
ing. "That explains the mystery. Two
or three times, when you have been
away, I have seen Lieutenant D.