American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1873-08-09
4 Lovers Ruse.

IN n, one Oh lHe Tcncn pro-
vincial cities, during the summer of 1871,
a young German officer was quartered in
the house of rich merchant. NJ. B
$50 the merchant was calletD was Chau-
whist of the purest water. At the begin
ming of the campaign he was sanguine in
the belief that, within four weeks, all Ger
many would be at the feet of the Emperor
Napoleon; and now, despite all the re-
verses the French arms had met with,
from Weissenburg to Paris, he was thor
oughly convinced that Gambetta, with his
newly-created army, would soon drive the
hated German invaders to Il man from the
sacred soil of France
Until this ardently longed-for moment
arrived, like the prudent man that he was,
he paid the taxes and contributions de
manded of him by the invaders promptly,
and gave vent to his hatred for les naudits
Prussiens by vilifying Bismarck and the
King of Prussia in his little family circle,
and by avoiding, as far as possible, Lieut..
D., who was quartered in his house.
The ladies of the house, his wife and
patriotism did not prevent their finding
Lieut.. D very amiable and interest
ing, and their allowing him to spend a
considerable share of his leisure hours in
their society. MademOiselle Louison, the
daughter. was IS years old, and very
pretty. Lieut.. D. was five or six
years older, was an accomplished man of
society, and thoroughly master of the
French language. What was more natur-
al than thai, despite national differences,
the young people should be drawn to-
ward each other? The mother, who was
very kindly disposed toward the elegant
young officer, favored his suit, and en-
couraged her son-in-law, that would be, to
formally ask Louison's father for her
hand. But Papa B declared that he
would sooner see his daughter dead than
the wife of a Prussan, gave the Lieuten-
ant polite but decided refusal, and for
babe his wife and daughter from holding
any further intercourse 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 communications 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 selfprotcction, 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
imperiled 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 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 $
no less than five times. His protcSta-
lions and circumstances were of no avail
the order from the German headquarters
was there, and had to be obeyed; for
c0ntre Ia farce 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:
II am sorry, but l 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 I'M
pleasant trip. Have you, perhaps, Il per-
sonal enemy at the German headquar-
tiers?
81 recently refused IA German officer,
who asked the hand of my daughter"
said he, after a moments reflection, ''and
denied him admission to my family
circle
=.
''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 accursed Journeys whenever he de
sires to visit your daughter"
Mr.. BIS Indignation knew no
bounds
MY dear fricnd,'' continued the more
NH 4
consent TO your daughter marriage rather
than, in this cold weather, to contract IA
pneumonia by riding to and from $
on an open locomotive"
NJ. B threw himself into u chair,
and seemed for some minutes lost in re
Election. 1t was Il terrible alternative
either to give his daughter 10 II Raudn
Pyussien, or to endanger his own valuable
life.
Glow long, think YOU he asked the
Marie, will it be before the Army of the