Weekly Trinity journal., 1878-11-02
THE CONDEMNED SENTINEL.


twenty seven thousand French troops,
had invested Dantzic. The city was gar
risoned bv seventeen thousand Russian
and Prussian soldiers, and these together
with twenty or thirty thousand well arm,
ed citizens, presented nearly double the
force which could be brought to the a
sault. So there wa, need of the utmost
vigilance ON the part of the sentlnel>, tor
a desperate sortie from the garrison,
made unawares, might prove cammitous.
At midnight Jerome Dubois was placed
upon one oi the most impoI tant posts in
the advance lane of pickets, it being upon
a narrow strip Of band raised ab we the
marshy fat, called the peninsula of Neh-
rung. For more than an hour he paced
his lonesome beat without healng aoy-
thing more than the mneuug ot lhrpo.
AT length another ,ouod broke upon b-
ears. Hr stopped and iN.wj ANA
presently he called
who thew?"
The only answer was moauag
sound.
He called again, and thi. timo br
heard .onothios ike the cry OF e chi.d,
and pretty soon an object cam, h,trre
him cut of the darkness, With quick,
cmpi attic movement he brought hi, mus
k~t t. the charge, aud ordered the intru
der to halt
"Me.cy r. exclaimed the childish
voice "Don't shoot me am Natalie
Don you know me ?"
Heavens - cried Jerome, elevating
the muz1e of his piece. as it you, dear
child ?"
"Ies; and you are good jerome. Oh,
you viii come and help mamma Como
she i dyiug!'
1t was certainly Natalie, }ittla girl,
only eight years old, dnushter of Lisctle
Valiant. Li~eltae Wn, tho vito o, Piorc
Valiant, a sergeant in Jelona'. own
regiment, and was with the army in the
capacity o. nurse.
"Why, how is this, child ?" said Je.
rome taking The little one by the arm. r
What Is it about your mother !"
"Oh, good Jerome, you can hem her
now. Haik !"
The sentinel bent his ear, but could
) hear only The wind aud lhe nan.
"Mamma is in the dreodul mud "
said the chiId, "and is dying. She is
, not tar away. Oh, can hear her cry
ing"
BY degrees jerome gathered from Ma
. talie that her father had taken her out
with him in the morning, and thnt in the
evening when the storm came on, her
mother came after her. The sergeant
had offered to send man pack to the
, camp with his wife, bat she preferred to
/ return alone feeling sure that ,he should
meet with no trouble. The way, how.
3 ever, had become dark and uncertain,
, and -he bad lost the path and wandered
oil the edge OF the mornss, whore she had
sunk into the soft mud
. "Oh, good Jcrume,n cried the little
| one, selzing the mans hand, "cau't you
q hear her? She will die II you do not
3 come and hep her
{ At that moment the sentinel lnucied he
k heard the wall Of the unfortunate woman
What should he do ? Lisctte, the good
the beaulilu', the tender hearted Ll-ettc
was in mortal danger, mud IL was in hh
9 power to save her. IL was not in bis
heart to Withstand the pleadings Of The
child. He could 90 aud rescue the nurse,
, aud return to his post without detection.
At all events, he could not refuse the
, childish pleadsr.
"Give me your hand, Natalie. I'll 20
, with YOU"
With cry Of joy the child sprang Ia
: the soldiers side +; and when she had SO
cured hi, hand he hurried him along
, toward the place where she had left he,
, mother. 1t seemed long distance 10
| Jerome, and once he stopped "a. though
he would turn back He did not fear
DEATH but feared di>honor.
{ clark - uttered The child.
, The soldier listened, aud plainly heatd
t the voice of the suffering woman calling
S for help. H. he-itatcd 600 .un1. On
} he FASTENED through tho STORM aI
r found Lisette sunk 10 hrl uwpH Iu 'Ip
soft mota.s FotunaleiY mitof aas
gruss mad been within her rrtah, bY
which she had held her head ab9yo tie
! fata mud Il WAS no easy matter to *
! tricate her from the mry pii, as the
, workman had to be very careful that be-
y himself did not loose hi. footing. AT
a length, however, she WAS drawn forth,
' aud jerome led her toward his post.
"Who comes there ?" cried voice
from the gloom.
q "IIeavens % gasped Jerome, stopping
and trembling from head to foot.
/ "Who comes there !" repeated the
+ voice
Jerome heard tho click Of a musket
t lock and he knew that another seutinel
. had been stationed n the post be had lett,
The relief had come while be had been
! absent.
"Frends with the countersiGn !" he
E answered to the last call Of the new SEN
tineI.
lie was ordered to advance, and when
! he had given the countersign, he found
3 himself in the presence Of the officer Of
, the kuaId. In few hurid d words he
. told his story, and had he officer been
q alone be might have allowed the matter
e to rest where it was bat there were
, others p.e.ent, ard when ordered to give
t up his musket, be obeyed without mur
: mur, and silently accompanied the officer