Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-08-14

! 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
| dong 1t such I'M jury as to endanger the
| safety OF the train, because now the life
OF one of their fellow citizens would be
imperiled ~ an accident as we'll 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 loco
motive, were very far from being pleasure
| trips; and Mr. 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 protesta-
| uons and remonstrances were of no avail ;
| the order from the German headquarters
was there, and had to be obeyed; for
centre la force IL n'y q pas de resistance
| 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:
| Il am sorry, but | can do nothing for
you. 1t is certainly very strange that you
should be selected so much more fire.
| quently than others to make this IN
| pleasant trip. Have you, perhaps, per
sonal enemy at the German headquar-
| ters?
81 recently refused a German officer,
who asked the hand of my daughter"
| said he, after moments reflection, ''and
| denied him admission to my family
| circle"
| "C'est ca" cried the Marie, laughing
| ''That explains the mystery. Two or three
times, when you have been away, have
| seen Lieut. D. enter your house. He
evidently has sufficient influence at head
| quarters to enable him to send you on
these accused journeys whenever he de
sires to visit your daughter"
Mr.. BIS indignation knew no
bounds
"My dear friend" continued the more
philOsOphic Maire, II would advise you to
consent to your daughters marriage rather
than, in this cold weather, to contract a
pneumonia by riding to and from S.
on an open locomotive"
M. b threw himself into a chair,
and seemed for some minutes lost in re-
Election. 1t was terrible alternative
either to give his daughter to a maud5t
Protssien, or to endanger his own valuable
life
Glow long, think you,' he asked the
Marie, ''will 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
Marie, "has, according 10 news received
this morning, been defeated, losing 10000
prisoners"
"Aensonge! Impossiblen' cried NJ
b
But he concluded that it would be wise,
under all the circumstances, to follow the
advice Of his friend the Marie. Imme-
diately on his return from his sixth com
! pulsory trip to S, he gave his consent
| to his daughters betrOthal with the hated
| Prussian, and from that time he received
no more orders from the German head
quarters to ride on an open locomotive
| Translated from "Rec0Uecti01.s Of the Fran
c0-GcJneaH War;" by Franz Etlgen.