The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1875-05-02

them are some veterans Oh Inc oauure anu
NJ ense, of Italy aud Egypt, who have not for
gotten how to work the guns 1t makes me
cad to see their grey m ustaches falling on the
cannon az they aim. l will answer for it, they
waste no powder; but it is hard to see men
who have made the world tremble, forced in
their old age to defend their own homes and
hesrtbs."
Hard ipdeed'' said Catherine, drying her
eyes. "It makes my heart bleed to think of it"
She continued:
"Tbe day before yesterday the governor de-
cided to attack the lime-kiln. You must know
that these Russians break the ice to battle in
platoons of twenty or thirty, and afterwards
dry themselves at the fire. About four in the
afternoon, as evening was coming Oh, we made
g sally through the arsenal postern, passing
through the covered ways and fling along the
path leading to the kiln. Ten minutes after,
we began a rolling Ere on it, aud the Russirns
had scarcely time to seize their muskets and
cartridge-boxes and, half dressed, to form
ranks upon the snow. Nevertheless they were
ten times more nunerous than we, and began
a movement to the right, on the little chapel
| of st. John, so as to surround ps, when the
guns of the arsenal opened FIRE upon them,
the like of which / never saw before, sweeping
them down in long lanes. In less than a quar-
ter of an hour they were in full fight to Quatre-
Vents, without waiting to pick up their coats,
| their officers at their head, and round shot from
the town acting as fle-closers Father Jean
Claude would have laughed at their predca-
ment. At night-fall We returned to the city,
| after destroying the kiln, and throwing two
eightpounders We captured int its well. So
| ended our FIRST sortie. / write You from Bois-
de-Chenes, which we have reached on a forag-
ing expedition. The siege may last months.
81 should have told you that the Allies are
passing through the valley of Dosenheim to
Weschem, and flooding the roads to Paris by
| thousands All! if God would only give the
! emperor the victory in Lorraine or Champagne,
| not one Of them would return. But the trum
pets are sounding the recall, and we have
gathered . goodly number of oxen and COWS
and goats. We may have to fight our way
| back. Farewell, my dear mother, and Louise,
| aud Father Jean-Claude. You are ever in nv
| thoughts and my heart"
| GATHERINGS eyes grew moist as she finished.
"What brave fellow he is ~ she murmured,
''he knows only his duty. Well! we'll! Do
You hear, Louise, how he remembers youf
] Louise threw herself into the old woman's
arms, and Mother Catherine, despite the firm
ness of her character, could not restrain two
great tears, which coursed down her furrowed
cheeks; but she was soon herself again.
Come, come" said she; "ali is we'll. Come,
Brainstein, eat q morse1 of bread and take a
glass of wine, and here is q crown for your
trouble; wish could give as much every
| week for such q letter"
The postman. we'll pleased at her bounty
followed her, and Jean-Claude FASTENED tc
question him as to the enemy's movements
bnt he learned nothing new, except that the
Allies were besieging Bitsche and Lutzelstein
and that they had lost some hundreds of mer
in attempting to force the defleof GraufthaI.
CHAPTER Xxx.