The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1875-05-05
The Story of n Frenchman Hunted by the
Germans.
CHAPTER XII.

less. We talked only of peace and quiet, and
the return of Jean Merlin. The poor woman
was slowly improving, when one morning
two Prussan gendarmes halted before the
auberge; as these men ordinarily passed with
out stopping it surprised me, and few mo-
ments after, the daughter of Father Ykel
came up to ask me to 60 down, for they
wanted me.
Going down I found these two strapping
fellows in long boots in the middle OF the
room, their caps almost touching the ceiling.
They inquired if my name was Frederic, for
mer guard forester of Thomenthal! l an
swered Eyes," and one of them taking off his
large g owes to rummage in his saddle bags,
gave me letter which 1 quickly read. 1t
was an order from the commander at Phals-
bourg to leave the country in twenty-four
hours.
You can understand, George, what blow
it must have been; turned pale, and in
auired, what had drawn upon me this terri
summons.
''That is none of our business" answered
one of the gendarmes, stake care to obey or
others measures will be used" Then they
mounted their horses and disappeared. Fa-
ther Ykel seeing me utterly broken down, ov-
ercome by such tyrany, not knowing what to
say, or what to think, cried
SIN the name of heaven, Father Frederic
what have you done? You are not noted
man and in this poor village they should have
forgotten you long ago."
j did not reply did not remember anything.
only thought of the desolation of my daugh-
ter and poor old grandmother when they
should learn this new misfortune. At last l
remembered my imprudent words at the
Vacheron ale house the day of my dispute
with Tourbac; and Father Ykel at the first
word, said, that it was all clear, that Tour
bac had denounced me surely, and there re-
manned only one thing for me to do, go at
once to the commandant and ask little
more time in consideration of the great age OF
grandmother who was past eighty, and dan
gerously sick, and who would certainly die on
the way. He sent for the school master who
gave me as mayor of the parish certificate
according to rule regarding my good charac-
ter and unfortunate situation of the family,
saying all that one could say in such an emer-
gency. He recommended me to 60 to Mr..
Semperlin to confirm his statement by
certificate of sickness, thinking that the otfi-
Ger would allow me to delay until the poor
old woman was in a state to endure the jour
ney.
In my trouble, seeing nothing else to do,
started off. Marie Rose knew nothing OF it
nor grandmother either. l did not have the
courage to tell them of the blow which
threatened us. To go away alone, to fly from
these balbarians, who heaped all these miser-
les on us, seemed nothing to me, but the 9TH
ers! All! did not dare to think of it!
Before noon was in Phalsbourg in state
of fearful trouble All the misfortunes which
have overwhelmed Us since, passed before my
eyes. saw the Doctor, who declared simply
in his certificate, that the sick person was
old, feeble, and being thus deprived Of all
comforts, would not be able to endure two
hours of the journey.
''There," said he, giving me the paper,
tudb 10 tuS CAdSO Glubus L Sooiu thuA oh"S
your going will kill her also, but it would add
nolhing; if this does not move him, the rest
would be equally useless" went then to the
Office Of the commandant, established in the
old City Hall, College street. The humilia-
ton of suppliccting these scoundrels whom l
detested, was not the least of my griefs; that
I, an old French forester, and an old servant
of the state, gray-headed and on the eve of
retirement, should humble myself beg ia
vor of enemies so hard, so proud of their VIC
cries obtained by numbers! Yet for grand
mother, for the widow of the old Bruat
could bear it!
A great villain in uniform, with red whis-
kers, made me wait long time in the vesti-
bule, and it was nearly one O'Clock when l
was ordered to 60 up. Up stairs another Of
fetal detained me, and then having received
permission to pass into the grand rooms look
ing into the garden Of the Arsenal, | knocked
al the door of the commandant, who called
to me to enter. l saw stout man with pim-
pied face walking back and forth, putting on
the sleeves of his uniform and whistling with
an air of i'll humor. repeated humbly my
position, and gave him nay certificate, which
he did not take the trouble to read, throwing
them on the table.
"All that does not amount to anything"
said he roughly, 'you are pointed out az
dangerous person, an inveterate enemy OF the
Germans. You have dissuaded your men
from entering into our service. Your son-in-
law has gone to join Gambetta's bandits.
You have made your brags in the ale house
OF having refused the offer of the Oberiorester
at Zarmstadt, for which you justly merit be-
ing turned out of house and home"
1 told him of grandmother's condition.
"WelI, well, leave her then in her bed" he
replied, "the order of the director is .only for
you.,' Then without listening longer to me,
he turned into side room, called a servant,
and shut the door behind him.
went down completely crushed. My last
hope had failed. There was no other altern-
alive. I must go and must tell my daugh-
ter and grandmother. l knew what would
be the result, and with head bowed passed
the German gate, the bridge, the advance
guard, seeing nothing. On the slope of
Biechelberg all along the road through the
woods and valley was as if crazed with de-
SPAR. cried, looking at the trees, and rails
ing my hands,
"a curse is upon us! Pity, the hatred of
crime, remorse of conscience, are abolished.
There remains now only force. They exter-
inmate us; they slaughter us. If the muir
derers would strangle the old grandmother in
her bed, if they would hang my daughter
and hack me in pieces, it would be better. 1t
would be far less barbarous than to teat US
from each other, to force the son to abandon
his mother on her death bed!'
l tottered as l went along. The forests, the
ravines and rocks appeared to me full of
those old Pandours had heard of in my in
fancy. I thought 1 heard them singing
around their camp fires, dividing their booty;
all the ancient mseres before the great revo
ution came back to me. The far away trum-
pet of the Prussians in the city, which bel
lowed Its three wild notes in the echoes,
seemed to me to rouse again those ancient
villains reduced to dust centuries ago. Sud-
denly the sight of the barracks of Graufthal
cd fro oh