The Grange advance., 1874-07-08

those contingencies that all the world
knows happened. He was eloquent in the
narration Of his suferings in the ''tail, :" as
be termed it, at the butchers shop; how
he had waited from three o'clock in the
early morning and bitter cold till noon,
for the miserable dole Of flesh distributed !;
how ne hated the butcher for never giving
him fat and how he ultimately ingratia-
! ted himself ;nto that same butchers good
| graces. The butchers eye one morning
not being to true as as its wont, directed
the stroke Of his cleaver upon the thumb
adorning his left hand, which stroke near
| ly severed it; and had it not been for the
prompt assistance rendered him by Dolph,
undou btedly his hand would have been
permanently crippled.
Dolph rapidly recovered his spirits and
! finally it was settled that we should re-
turn in company TO Paris, l myself being
rather curious to note the aspect OF the
city under the Commune, which had then
been proclaimed, and which he never
| ceased to anthenatize from the moment
we stepped into second-class carriage at
London Bridge until we arrived at Dieppe,
whereafter am bound to say he exhibited
much discretion. However strong were
his opinions upon the existing state of
| things, he did not express them.
! Trouble awaited us upon our arrival at
Paris. The house had been left in charge
of an Englishman (Dolph likes English
man), who, poor fellow, was possessed of
but one lower limb. He was full Of news !;
the capital had been summoned to sur
render by the Versailles troops, who were
! even then concentrating outside the princi-
pal entrances to the city; and but an hour
! previously an officer of the Commune had
been levying, en- masse, the male popula-
ton for the purpose Of resistance, and had
fed as to the truth Of the statement that
the owner Of the house was in London !;
ard, upon leaving, had intimated his in
ention Of paying another visit.
Upon hearing this, Dolph dropped into
chair, and for a moment seemed over
come. Then he broke out
~ fight for the Commune-1"'
| Then he burst into a satirical laughter,
and finished with q shower of epithets
! that, in the abstract, were decidedly un-
complimentary to the Commune, person.
ally and collectively.
| His plans were shortly matured. He
would depart Immediately from Paris, if it
were not too late. He had some slight re-
freshment and then took his departure it
being understood that should remain
he making his way to Iiege, where the
| taint Of the Commune had not SO appeared.
He had scarcely made good his retreat
when the officer aforementioned return
! ed, and in peremptory tones demanded who
/ was, and whether was the inhabitant.
explained that had Just arrived in Paris
and handed him Foreign Office passport,
bran-new, and bearing the signature
Granville" which he glanced over, thrust
back. without abating one jot of his inso-
lence OF manner, and joined his compan-
ions in the street, who were unpleasantly
noisy.
At one corner Of the Rue Royale is a
large pertumer's shop, which became dis
! tinguished by the 1,ullet indentations on
| its facade; and it was about this spot that
| occurred one Of the many notable en-
counters between the Versailles and Com
munist troops, upon the occasion Of the
assault OF the city by the former It was
upon the ground floor Of the next house
but one to this that my interview with the
Communist took place. it was used for a
shop. noticed the windows We're secured
by shutters OF iron, and there was mode
OF egress from the back Of the shop to the
court in the rear. When the Communis
officer returned, l and my one-legged friend
attempted to regain the street, but to our
surprise We discovered it was guarded by
person in semi-uniform, who peremptor-
lily ordered us back into the shop, which
command we had no alternative but to
! obey. By this time it must have been one
hour before midnight, and bitterly cold.
Confused shouts, the hurrying to and fro
OF large bodies, Of men, shutting Of rapid
teet' the whole accompanied by clashing
and clanking, proclaimed to our listening
ears that something Of ofimportance was pro:
ceeding. Presently, the whole Of the vari-
Gus sounds seemed to leave our immediate
neighborhood, and consecrate upon the
Boulevard. We then heard sounds Of fir.
ing, heavy and irregular, in the direction
OF the Rue Royale then the comparative
quietness Of the street was broken, and
the door Of the shop wherein we were shiv-
ering with mingled cold and-1 am sorry
to admit-fear, and the place quickly filed
with an excited group Of men, who COM
menced tearing down the fixtures, an /
seizing everything in the shape Of furni-
ture, bundling it out into the street: the
formation OF barricade being the object
OF this vandalism. The firing now was
general, and unpleasantly near, and our
alarm became intense.
Had the Versailles troops attacked the
city 2"
eyes; and all who do not intend to
light had better make themselves scarce!
said my one-legged friend, hobbing to tn
passage leading to the cellars-a proceed
ling initiated with alacrity.
We raacho1 Tho co,,r< or, %ho,, %bo m,