The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1878-09-24
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The Condemned Sentinel.

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The Condemned Sentinel. :.
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A. cold, stormy night in the month, of
March, 1907, Marshal Lefehyre, with
twenty seven thousand French troops,
had invested Dantzic. The city was gar.
risoned by seventeen thousand Russian
and Prussian soldiers. and these, togeth.
en- with twenty or thirty Thousand well,
armed citizens, presented nearly double
the force which could be brought to the
assault So there was need OF the utmost
vigilance on the part of the sentinels, for
a desperate sortie from the garrison,
made unawares, might prove calamitous,,
AT midnight jerome Dubois was plac,
edTupon one Of the most Important posts
in the advance line Of spickets. it being
upon narrow strip Of land raised above
the marshy fiat, called the peninsula OF
Nehrung. For more than an hour he
paced bis lonesome heat without hearing
anything more than the moaning OF the
wind and the driving Of the rain. At
length, however, another sound broke
upon his ears He stopped and listened
and presently he called:q - fs-a ,sts,s1
essW hos, there Pa rsaa4q ,a1aGtsstal -x.sI
The only answer Was moaning
sound. ,sssts sss aj's~ sse1aa Save
BE called again, and this time he heard
something like the cry of child, and
pretty soon an object came before him
ont from the darkness $ with a, quick. .em-
|phatic movement be, brought his musRei
tosahe charge and ordered the intruder
to'halt.N .s.sf seet ,tfsar s9gls nsiiii7
st'Mercy Y exclaimed saichildishsvoice
.sdoH't shoot me-! Lam Natalie! Don't
you know me 2" Alss 5ai gieas - hsviss,
"Heayens!' cried Jerome elevating
the muzzle Of his spieee. 1Is it you,deal
child 7''ss7s
"Yes; and you are good Jerome Oh
YOU will 60 cqms &. apd help mamma nns. Cone
1t was Certainly Natalie, little girl
only eight years old, daughter Of Lisette
valiant. Lisette was the wife of Pierre
valiant, a sergeant In Jerome's, owr
regiment, and was in the army in the ca
pacity of nurse s 7''i s5s.1
TaWhy, how is this, my child 7" saii
Jerome, taking the little one by the arm
aW hat is it about your mother p Z
40, good jerome, you can hear he
now. Harkr' 9i'''atiis g. Z l's -
The sentinel bent his ear, but conlt
hear only the wind and the rain. z y {
..Mamma is in the dreadful mud,ns sait
the child, .sand is dying; she is not IA
away. Oh, can hear her crying" +
By degrees Jere me gathered from Ma
talie that her father bad taken her on
with him IL the morning. and that in th,
evening, when the storm came on, he
mother came after her. The sergean
ihsef of7elHtl to send a man bosIS- -sis.
camp with his wife; but she preferred t
return alone, feeling sure that she shoult
meet with no trouble. The way, how
ever. had become dark and uncertain
and she had lost the path and wandere'
off to the edge OF the morass, where sh
had sunk into the soft mud. s.
"Oh, good Jerome" cried the littt
one, seizing the mans hand, "can't 20,
lhear her2 She win die II you do NO
come and help her" on ~ = - ..''s
AT that moment the sentinel fancie'
be heard the wall oflthe unfortunate wo
man. What should he doi Lisette,th
good, the beautiful, the tender -hearte
Lisette, was in mortal danger, and it wa
lin bis power to save her; it was mott /
his heart to withstand the pleadihgs 3
the child. He could go and rescue th
nurse and fetdrn to his post without de
lection; I; at all events he could not refus
the childish pleader. uis7stis asgi
s'Give me yoar hand, Natalie; Tll &
with you.n 80 ~ - 49c't6f
With acry Of joy the child sprsng
1.-The soldiers side; and when she had 9,
cured his hand she hurried him along te
ward the place where she had left ht
mother il seemed long distance to j
rome, and once he stopped as though b
would turn back. He did not fear dealt
..u.-x y. ,,ttaroa tho child sal:
TIE saia;sr listened and inla;n,v bosr
thu vo;ce ~ ,he snfYer;no' woman eallin
for help. He hesitated no longer; on /
T;s.,.S asssu s.nL go aa her srmn;ts in nj the so
ss..s, ss Tor,nr..e,v ! ,nff osiong crs,
hna mus. 49,, v;,S;n her re.ch hu M w,,;cS 4 - -
Saa uaa JS ia ~" ~. ha.d aho.a ,ha ss,., ,nn
au ueM 10. a.ss a s.a.,o. ~t - wy as.s;oa,a Zoo M =.
~ was ~ sasy -. navy .hs ~ nrsn,an s.e ~ :,
.ro@ tue m.y p.s' :. .ue W, h;s,, a nu :;
70 1e very .ca..lui sass ,..1 ne n.hsen ps. ~
not iose 1ls loosng ~ ieIs s..., n1~s,s IVA :
sue was ara"n ioltll' anu ooione ieu W y
toward ms post q,
.s"Who comes mere = ecried = Voi' s'
from the sgloom