The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1875-01-14

HNN GooISe, wiz VIZ IA ..
signs of war-eight dead horses and a
numbering van standing across the road,
on which some German wag had chalked
"A Berlin"
Then they all walked together The
road still wound up the hillside above
a flashing trout stream, seen far below
them in the yalley through trembling
leaves. Then there came turn TO the
right. and they passed through the soil.
tary street of La Chapelle.
The sight of La Chapelle was not reas-
surfing. II was noticed that the two
English officers talked more persistently
and that the Frenchman grew more 81
lent. In the lanes beyond they were all
silent; and when the real horrors began
the frenchman was missing.
Had the Belgian disappeared the mat
ter was explicable. But that gallant
young Frenchman should be frightened
at the sichtof the most terrible slaughter
which the world has ever seen was mex
plicable. Still, when they got in that
awful potato field the Frenchman " as
not there.
To describe the field of great battle
is almost impossible The land seems to
be ripped and torn in every direction in
some horrible, unnatural way. The
brown earth is turned up in CHASTITY fur
rows under the whitening trees. The
only beautiful things left are the dead,
who chequer the wasted land in groups
No one has ever made even a decent at
tempt at describing the reality; We pass
the description of it by as being utterly
beyond our powers.
George DicE son stood among the dead
Il Il
have been beautiful at one time, and
later travellers have told Us that it Is once
more boautified by nature, though 10 our
eyes it will remain a horrible Charncl
house until death. The Seventeenth of
the French line lay in ruin, motionless
except where they were being dragged
to the trenches by German soldiers.
Why does God allow such things?"
lie said aloud.
There spoke a civilian" said the Ben
gal officer. i bet you ten rupees that
you see some nature ennobled by this
horrible business before the day is over
What do you feel yourself?"
II feel a terrible, inconceivable pity.
feel as if | could lay down my own life
to mend this?'
Then hand me over ten rupees" said
the Bengal officer For your nature
has been ennobled. War is utterly evil.
but God brings good out of it somehow
Look at that man; there is woman
ON the field looking at the dead mems
faces"
And there is that Frenchman, Dclaval,
with her, said George. THAT must be
his sister He said she was in the town
but he has told me more lies in one walk
than | could believe in twelvemonth ="
Really" said the Bengal officer And
yet he does not look like a liar"
No liar ever does, my dear soldier"
said George. eff you were lawyer you
would know that"
There were about 10000 German men
in sight on their left, and they expected
the retreating French would make some
sign. But they made none.
How clearly one sees it; hot, trod-
den plain of clay, brazen sky overhead
a town down below in the valley, and the
French dead lying all around like faded
tulips, cut and thrown down. A black
figure managing the death pits, and a
graceful girl, bending down and peering
into every dead mans face.
Il found my sister at Fonde de
Givonne," said Delaval approaching
George. o. She is looking for some one
whose death might be important to you
-Aime Hebert"
But you said he could pay me-" said
George, astonlshed.
My dear sir, ! required your assist
ance in getting on, and ] forgot what
told you. If any part of it was true |
must have been great fool. NV object
was to deceive you. Do me the compli-
ment to say that ! succeeded, or | shall
be extremely angry with you"
George felt extremely inclined to kick
the man, but it was not a place for any
demonstration of the kind He said
| never before knew Frenchman tell
such falsehOods as you have done, sir "
But, my dear sir, am not a French
man." said Delaval
Your sister, who is approaching us,
can possibly speak the truth, sir"
But she is not my sister," said Della,
val.
She came toward them and raised her
veil In one instant the great passage in
George DiCkSon's life was over Amid
the horrible ruin and desoation he saw
the only woman he had ever cared for !;
the woman lac had so seldom seen in his
life but So many thousand times in his
Dire IIuS.
Miss Milton, of Mlteld Lane. No
other person in the world. He had met
her twice at parties in Highgate, and
about there. and had fallen in love with
her. He had also dared to walk with her
in Milficld Lane, but she had been cold.
almost rude, to him. He had tried to for
get her but II had been useless For the
last time, rs he believed, he had met her
in Mlltield Lane and laid his love before
her
She told him the plain truth All her
people were French except her father,
whose name She bore She was tinuccp
to Aimc ilcbcrt and could not listen to
hun. He then committed an awful act
ct folly: he made the acquaintance of
That young Frrnchmpn 50 that lie
might see her sometimes even when
anuther'S arm was round her waist
There are few VINO possess the powers
az concentration which lIcinc had, who
can give US IA tragedy in sonnet. We
will, however, he as brief as we can. He
followed Anne Hehcrt about. and, AT
last, went security for hlm-a debt
which iichcrt neglected to pay. and
which for a time nearly ruined George
VINO can tell what madness has been
committed 10y men and women when they
nave seen the object of their love in an.
other possession? George habitually
saw the only woman he loved receiving
attention from another man, for whom
sue uid not seem To care very much. In
lhc end 1t made him almost careless Of
his life
He would not he rich before his
fathers death His father was penurious
and mean, keeping him poor and telling
MN that he must make his own way in
ne L nat does no man any harm If he
nan he got to believe it; and If Georges
father had stopped there all would have
been well But the old man thought
hat it would be fine thing for George
to marry well. He proposed match To
nm with rich young lady, older than
She was very good. and he in
5iate OF inturiated Disappointment
George told her the lie that he loved
her He knew it to lie a lie, but he told
I. She believed him and was greatly
-fallfed. In the meantime her father
ieclded that they must wait for three
ears and that he must make his way in
he world
30 he went to the bar, and so. natural
y, he went to literature: so he naturally
iame TO the field of Sedan. that Acelda-
ma OF SO many hopes, and so on that
held he met his old, his only love, only
70 md that the chain of honor dragged
him away from her forever.
Would he not have changed places
WITH the dead when she told him the
-ruth-whcn She looked into his ewes
with hers and said, softly: This is a
strange place to meet you, and this is
strange place for you TO find me in. Il
was IN the town the whole of tho h,rr;