The Van Buren press., 1875-06-01
MISCEllA
The Condemned Sentinel.
BY sYLvANUs COBB, JR.

A cold, stormy night, in the month Of
March, in 1907, Marshal Lefebre with
twenty seven thousand troops, had dinvcs-
ted Dantzc, which city was garrisoncd
by seventeen thousand Russian and Prus-
sim soldiers; and these, together with
twenty or thirty thousand well armed cit
liens presented nearly double the assault.
ting force which was mcnacing the city.
SO there was need Of the utmost vigil
ance on the part Of the sentinels, tor a
desperate sortic from the garrison, made
unawares, might have proved calamtous.
At midnight, jerome Dubois was pla-
cea upon one Of the most important posts
in the advance line of pickets, it being on
a narrow strip Of land raised above the
marshy fat, called the peninsula of Neh-
rung. For more than an hour he paced
his lonesome beat without hearing any
thing more than the moaning Of the wind
and the driving of the rain AT length,
however, another sound broke upon his
ear. He stopped and listened, and pres
emily called, who is there 2
The only answer was moaning sound.
He called again, and this time he heard
something like the cry of child and
paetty soon an object came towards him
out from the darkness. With a quick,
empathic movement he brought his mus
ket to the charge, and ordered the intru
der to halt.
Mercyr exclaimed childish voice,
Don't shoot me! ! am Natalie Don't
you know meT
Grand dieuT cried jerome, elevating
the muzzc Of his piece, and taking a step
forward 1T is our little daughter
Yes, and you are good jerome. Oh,
you will come and help mama! Come
come come she is dying"
1t was certainly Natalie, a little child,
only eight years old, daughter Of Lisette
Valiant Lisette was the wife Of Pierre
Valiant, sergeant in Jerome's own reg
iment, and was with the army in the ca
pacity of nurse
Par bleu! how is this, my childT ? said
Jerome. dropping the butt Of his musket
to the ground, find taking the little one
by the arm. What is it about your
mother?'
'Oh, good jerome, you can hear her
now. Hark !
The sentinel bent his ear to the ground
but could hear only the wind and the
rain.
Mama is in the dreadful mud, said
the child, 'and is dying She is not far
away. Oh, | can hear her crying
BY degrees Jerome gathered frem the
child that her father had taken her out
with him in the evening, when the storm
came on, her mother came after her
The sergeant had offered to send a man
back to camp with his wife, but she pre-.
ferred to return alone, feeling sure that
she shonld meet with no trouble. The
way, however, had become dark and un
certain, and she had lost the path, wan
dered off to the edge Of the morass, and
sank into the soft mud.
'Oh, good Jerome cried the little one
sezing the mans hand, cant you hear
her? She will die. if you do not come
and help her
At that moment the sentinel fancied he
heard the wall of the unfortunate. What
should he do? Lisette, the good, the
beautiful, the tender. hearted Lisettc, was
in mortal danger, and it was in his pow
er to save her twas not in his heart to
withstand the pleadings Of the child. He
could 90 and rescue the nurse, and return
to his post without detection. AT all
events he could not refuse the childish
pleader.
Give me your hand, Natalie I'll go
with you
With a cay of JOY the child sprang to
the soldiers side, and when she had Sc
cured his hand, she hurried him along to-
wards the place where she had left her
mother. 1t seemed a long distance to
Jerome, and once he stopped as though
he would turn back He did not fear
death but he feared dishonor.
sHarkp = uttered the child.
The soldier listened. and plainly heard
the voice Of the suffering woman call for
help. He hesitated no longer On he
fastened. through the storm, and finally