Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1877-10-13
WoMAN.s LOVE.

/ E1ISi-LiGulGllduI JdcQuCS
Fromentine, severely wounded, af-
ter gallant resistance, had been
: made a prisoner by the Germans.
The struggle had taken place before
Paris, and the dying man had been
carried to the camp of Ecouen. The
surgeon had at once carefully exam
ined the fatal wound, and fastened
bandage upon it, and then passed
on to the next bed ofanguish, where
another moaning and groaning pa
tient awaited him. / followed the
doctor, and was about to go father
with him, when the glance of the
wounded officer arrested me. The
man had not a drop of blood left in
his face, and his pale forehead was
beaded with the cold perspiration of
death The wide-open, glowing dark
eyes were immovably fixed upon
me, and implored the fulfillment of
his prayer. | approached and sat
down beside him. He followed my
every movement with painful at
/ tention.
| Nearer, please" he said. in
/ low voice. q / cannot speak loud"
| drew close to him.
You speak French ?"
/ answered affirmatively.
MY name is Jacques Fromen-
tin," he continued. My .faacee
is called Jeanne de Villers."
He gave me her address.
" Please write the names for me-"
Idrew outa pocket-book, ,and made
a note of his directions.
Let me see.o
/ held the book before his eyes,
and he read attentively what had
written.
''That is right" said he.
Then he was silent, as if he were
trying to collect his thoughts. He
aVerted his glance from me, and
turned it toward the window; his
glowing eyes became moist, he
closed them for several seconds, then |
| looked once more toward me, and |
| spoke with feVerish haste, as though |
| he feared that he would not have |
time to finish what he still wanted |
! to say:
" "Harken to the prayer of dying |
man. Go see my .fCt1acee as soon as
! circumstances permit; tell her | !
have died in the performance of my
| duty; tell her that my last thought |
WAS 1OI 1lCls anu OuIy lO1 IICI L /
| bless the hour when | saw her; / /
bless the hour when she promised .
me her love; | bless the hour in |
which l first loved her, and low
ing her ] die. Take her this ring,
and this key of a casket which
she knows well. 1t contains in a
sealed package, directed to her,
her letters to me; then bring her to
the place where | shall be buried.
And now thanks you promise that
you will grant my prayer ?''
| promised Solemnly, and with
drew with a heavy heart. At the
door l turned once more, and met
the last glance of the dying man.
nodded assent, and the large eyes
closed in eternal rest.
The next day the body of Jacques
FrOmentin was laid in the Venera-
BILE shadowy park of the Constable
Anne de MOntmOrency, in EcOuen.
On the spot where he was buried |
had a wooden cross erected, incribed
with his name.
Paris would not surrender, and
the work of the bOmbardment and
stOrming of the city slowly pro-
gresSed. Days, weeks, months, flew
by. | went frequently to Ecouen,
and visited regularly Jacques Fro
mentin's grave. | had had it sur
rounded with low, simple paling,
some pious person, probably one of
the compassionate Sisters who had
undertaken the care of the sick in
Ecouen, had Wreathed the cross with
the flowers.
i thought often OF the dead soldier,
and | thought of him as of some
one who had been near to me.
saw him before me, his beautiful
pale face transtigured by death and
love, and | pictured to myself the
grief of the bride he had left be-
hind.
She must long since have received
the news of his death, and cOnSe-
quently | was spared the most diff
cult part of my mission. | saw her
in my minds eye in deep atfiictiOn.
She must be very beautiful to have
inspired such a love as Jacques Fro
mentin experienced for her. He
had said nothing to me about her
family, but Jeanne de Nillers was
distinguished name, and her resi-
dence was in an aristOcratic quarter
of Paris. My fancy worked dill !
gently, and | even surprised myself I
once in the thought that | might
fall in love with Jeanne myself.
The capitulatiOn of Paris was at
last decreed, but peace was still to
be signed, and the city remained |
closed to strangers. | was obliged
to 90 to Germany. When | return
ed to France, Paris was in the hands
of the Commune, and was invested
and beSieged by the Versailles Gov
ernment. On the heights Of Mont
morency, from which | had an OPP
portunity of observing the destruc-
ton of the capital of civilization by
the advocates of liberty, equality, :
and fraternity, and by their oppO-
nents, the advocates of justice, or
der, and law, | could overlook that
part of the town in which Jeanne
de NiIlers lived. | was glad to see
that it remained unhurt by the
fire-balls, the petroleum-bombs, the :
incendiarism, and similar material
manifestations of the genius of the
GraRde Nation. And now the con-
fict was over. Justice and order +,
thanks to the ChasSepOt and the mi /.
traiileuSe-had redeemed from the
reign Of terror and equality the city
burned to ashes by liberty and fra
ternity. Liberty and fraternity had
made terrible atOnement. Justice
and order had done merciless work.
The most beautiful monuments of I
the Mecca of civilization were burn
ed down by the men Of progress.
For this the advocates of the law
had summariIy shot down every
thing thatstOOd in their path, every !
thing that might stand in their path, !
or that could in any way afford
ground for mistrust and suspicion. {
The streets were covered with !
mangled bodies of men, women, !
and children, and the spokesmen of !
public opinion in France, after hav-
ing lamented and bemOaned them {
selves in the first issue of their jour !
mails, had not failed in the second
issue to call the worlds attention to
the fact that the French army, in
consequence of the victory it had
achieved had once more rpinStatpd {