The Portland daily press., 1875-04-03


the spinning wheel of Marie Rose kept time
from morning to evening with the melodi-
Gus tic-tac of the old clock.
came and went smoking my pipe, dream
ing of. my retirement. Marie Rose dreamed
also no doubt. Jean Merlin asked me some
times to hasten the marriage, which annoyed
me, for I say only what mean, and we had
agreed to celebrate the nuptials the day OF
his nomination. 1 could not see why we
should 60 back upon our decision. The
young people were in hurry. The weari-
ness of the season, and the impatience of
youth were the cause.
For two months Baure, Vignerel, Durr
and the rest had not been at the house. The
trees were bent under the weight of the
snow. No persons passed now, except at
long intervals, through the valley. The story
of the spies of the captain, which had caused
so much sport had gone entirely from my
mind, when an extraordinary occurrence
proved clearly to me that the old soldier was
not wrong in mstrusting the Prussians, and
that other men yet thought TO deal foul
blows; men higher in rank, in whom we
placed all our confidence.
This year herds of wild boar ravaged the
country, foraging on the new seed. They
dug up the woods to find the roots, and came
down every night to turn over the fields
around the farms and hamlets.
The peasants complained continually. when
at last they learned that Baron Pichard had
arrived in order to organise general hunt.
| had an order at the same time to join. him
at his rendezvous at Rothfelz with the best
marksmen of the brigade and all the hunts
men of the neghborhood that could bring.
1t was in December. I went with Merlin,
the tall Kern, Donadieu, Trompette, and fif-
teen or twenty trappers, and in the even
ing found above the guests of the baron al
ready filling all the little rooms of the barrack
reclining on the straw, eating, drinking,
joking as usual.
The carriages of the baron had brought
supplies in abundance, wine, kirksch, with
bread, cakes, sugar, coffee brandy; and nat
urally towards midnight after having hunted
in the snow all day, drank, eat, halloed, sung.
The hunting party were in delightful state
To us who were in the kitchen, nothing was
wanting. The door between the rooms was
open, for the fresh air, so that we could hear
every thing the guests said, so much the
more as they cried like blind men.
had noticed in the shadow tall hard
looking fellow with crooked nose, black eyes,
fine moustache, close fitting coat, his nervous
limbs encased in long leather boots, who
handled his little gun with singular skill. 1
said to myself-"That man, Frederic, has not
the habit of sitting before desk, warming
his shins at stove; he is soldier surely, a
superior officerv' He had been posted near
me in the morning and his two shots had not
failed. I thought him then a real chasseur
and he was. He could also drink deep, for
near midnight three quarters of the guests
were sleeping in all the corners, and save him
Baron Pichard, M. Tubingue, one of the largest
and richest vine dressers in AlsAce, Jean
Claude RUPERT the notary who could drink
two days together without changing color, nor
speak one tone quicker than another, and M.
Mouchlca the wood merchant whose habit
it was to made tipsy every one with whom he
had busines-saves these, all the other guests
were stretched upon their box of straw, all
had left the party.
Then grand conversation began. The
Baron said that the Germans sent spies to
Alsace, that they had agents everywhere, it
might be as domestics or travelling mer-
chants, colporteurs, etc, that they took plans
of the roads, paths, forests; that they entered
even into the assenals, sending back regular
ly notes of the country; that they did the
same thing in Schleswig- Holstein, before de-
claring war, and also in Bohemia before
Sadowa; and that they ought not to be trust
ed.
The notary and M. Mouchica said that
they were right, that the situation was grave,
that our government should take measures to
put stop to this espionage.
Naturally we all hearing that, listened,
when the officer burst out laughing, saying
that what the baron had repeated was all
right; that we did the same in Germany,th
We had officers of any kind in all their strong
holds and staff officer in all their valleys. M.
Tubingue having said "tha. that thing was
not possible, that no French officer would
stoop to do it, he had too much military hon
or"
'Indeed, indeed, you are sure of it9" said
the officer laughing louder. ''But my dear
sir, war in these times, what is ita 1t is an
art, an open game, they face each other, en-
deavoring to guess the cards of their oppon-
ents. Look you. ], yes who speak to you,
have run through all the Palatinate in dis
guise as a runner, selling Bordeaux wine to
these good Germansp
Then recommending his laugh this gentle
man recounted all that he had seen on the
route as Captain Rondeau had said that the
Prussiaps were doing among us, adding that
we were ready, and waited only favorable
occasion to seize the left bank of the Rhine.
Hearing that, my guards seated around
the fireplace began to stamp their feet as if
their fortunes were already made, and almost
as soon the door was closed and we could
hear nothing more. 90 ~ -.
went out of doors, for the folly of the
great Kern, Trompette and the rest disguised
me. 1t was very cold, and the moon above
the old bristling fir trees shone out through
the clouds.
''What is the matter, Brigadier?' inquired
Merlin, who had followed me, ''you look very
pale; are you sick?" .~..
eyes, the foolishness of Trompette and
the others upset me-" answered. 81 would
like to know very well why they stamped so.
And you also, Merin-you astonish me. Do
YOU find it honorable to invade the territory
of our neighbors, to seize the wine, wheat,
hay. straw of those people who have never
done us any wrong. Do you find it honora-
BILE to take their country aud make them
French in spite of themselves? 1t is play;
that is, you think it is play. Would you
become a German yourself? Would you obey
the Prussians and set aside your land for an
other? What would you gain by such an act
Would it render you richer to wiring the
hearts of your neighbors? Would it leave
you a clear conscience? All, well, 1 could
not for the honor of the nation have cent
or an inch of soil unlawfully acquired.