The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1875-09-14
THE TELEGRApHlsry REVENGE.
A Story Of the Last War Between Germany and
France.

There were eight of us, and we had
another long and hard days's journey.
At little before midnight we arrived ,
with our two wagons, at pretty little
town near LIE Mans.
| AS we reached the outskirts of the
place the courier we had sent ahead met
US with the billets for our quarters. AS
he handed them 10 ns his face. assumed
an expression that knew only too well
how to interpret.
| "Our quarters are none Of tho best,
| eli ?' asked.
"There have been some Bavarians
here for week,o was the laconic reply,
which SAID quite enough. 1t was only
when they found very great abundance
| and their stay vas very short that our
blue-coated allies left anything behind
them.
Well, our billets, in our respective
Ejudg dgments, promised very little. l, for
exam pie, was sent To the house of a linen
weaver. Now, at the very mention OF
| the words linen weaver, feeling 'oi
hunger and misery comes over me, PROB
ably on account of my having, III my
boyhood, SO often sung the song oil "Ihe
| Weaver OF Silesia."
The others, being no better pleased
with their biIlets lnan L was with mine,
readily acceded to my proposition to go
| to a hotel and pass the Night at our own
expense.
The mail had arrived only a day or
two previously, and consequently we
| all had money; not much, us true, put
enough to pay our reasoning lor plSnt
at least.
The house to which we were directed
was called ''The shark" if The name
was somewhat ominous, We consoled
ourselves with the recollection that, In
| the olden time, on a certain occasion, a
very distinguished person found hlmse. 4
very comfortable in a nsn's belly.
The landlord, when our troops entered
his house, made an awfully Wry lace;
when, however, he learned that we mad
not been quartered upon him, but came
as paying guests, MS pnyslognomy as
sumed an entirely different expression.
We Germans, despite The hatred OF the
French for us, had a good reputation
among the landlords, and l am con-
yinced that if fountrymen OF The pro-
prietor of the Shark had presented
themselves he. would not have been so
! well pleased as he was with US.
But his suave manners did not please
us. There was something too fox-like
in his physiognomy. While the tongue
OF the little nan was giving utterances
TO polite phrases his little, sharp, dark
eyes seemed to say: "lf L only had the
gold in my pocket you might all or you
go to the devil ior all care!
Such-lik6 landlords were not new t6
us, and, consequently. the contradictory
expression of his words and his mien
gave us no uneasiness. He could in
duige in any grinaces he pleased pro
vided his larder Was we'll filled afd his
wine was good.
The man knew his business, that NO
one could deny. He ran over Che list
his culinary delicacies with WonderTu
volubility, and praised his wines with al
eloquence that even Geneva Calvinis
would have found difficult to resist. A:
ior the former, they tasted very ike tlt
[ remnants OF a dinner warmed over; anu
as for the latter, it had certainly Deei
literally watered. But our stomach:
had not been cloyed with luXuries' o
t lale,. and especially for the last three
days our fare mad been SO very plair
that we found the supper the Snarl
Landlord set before us very palatable
Although we had had a hard day, WI
were nevertheless i'll a conylyial mood
: and after our host had persuaded us t
. take one bottle of champagne he did no
find it difficult to persuade US to take
/ second, q third and a fourth. SO we sa
drinking and merrymaking until
} O'Clock in the morning, when we sud
ldenly broke up and FASTENED to ou
IDeds.
AT 6 o'clock we were all assemble,
again around the table, busy with ou
,cOtfee, when the Shark appeared, AM
! with one OF his friendliest grimaces
: he handed me our reckoning.
{ Great heayensl l thought shoul
Y sink to the earth when l glanced at tn
: Ipaperl Such an imposition never be
4 lore Witnessed.
: "rwo hundred and thirty-fve francs
: l cried; "that is lmpossiDles 1T can nc
! lbe."
I NSi, ST, monsieur, it is quite correct,
= answered. the Shark, biandly. "Mo
e lDieul Messieurs les Prussienes hay
: made everything SO dear with US
4 ,France--what can we dOW
sprhe rascal" l thought, and told m
j.comrades what the fellow demanded {
Y us. They, very naturally, were not les
I lincensed that was; but what could W
g Idol There was no time TO enter into
:. discussion, for our wagons were Q
I. ready waiting at the door; SO we emp
1 led our purses, and, with "Muh un
Y Noth," made up the sum the villain d
h manded, which he pocketed with q nd
J, ehalance that clearly showed it was n
= the. first time he had preyed upon Il
. 1TunWary.
Q We went our way, all feeling vel
u savage, particularly, for it was n
y fault, il anybody's, that we had fallt
I- into the jaws of the monster.
l. ! lad no expecta tion Of ever seeil
J the little town of the Shark. landlo
q again; but Providence willed that
y should be otherwise, and kindly ga
70 me an opportunity to be fully avenged.
a Nine days later we were ordered
d repair a, short connecting line near
p Mans. Again we took the road to u
y little town OF dear remembrance, whi
G. we reached about, nightfal, and where '
y were 10 spend the night. We reports
al ourselves at the cOmmissionary bnrea
where had the fortune to lind a goo
natured acquaintance in the officer
u charge. In the course OF fconyersatiou
=. =. told him how l and my comrades b;
n been robbed by the Shark proprietors
d. few Gays previously.
re- "I know the fellow" said he. "The
It have already been good many GO
3 plants about him; but l have det'
3 mined to send him as many Of nay billie
40 as l can with any show Of justice;
ye that way one can, perhaFs, get ev
We with the rascal"