The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1878-03-03

tion. What do you KNOW -.
told it all simply. The deserter at the LETT,
bet " cen two geudarmes, seemed more dead
than alive. would gladly have acquitted MIN
Of everythipg but when man @ Tears aor ling Gin,
at you as if they could see through you, the
simples5 and best sy ia not to lie father
first thought should be for his children 10
ing more nor less, and at last the mejor.ssid to
me:
"That is enough you may GO"
But seeing that the others-Winter, Chew
rsux, Dubourg-remaiped sitting on bench |
at the left did the same
Almost Immediately five or six good for
nothiuss began TO stamp ard murmur, SHOOT
him! shoot MIN |" The president ordered the
brigadier to arrest them, and in spite OF their
resistance they wsre all led to prison. Silence
was then established in the courtroom, Dnt
the stampings without continued. +,
Judge Advocate, it is your turn to speak,
said tho major.
Thi, Judge ad vscate, who seems now before
nv eyes, and whom 1 can almost hear epeak,
was a man of fifty, short and thick with
short neck, long, thick, straight nose, very
Saohes, and bright eyes While he ~as listen
ipg bis head turned right and left az II ON
pivot; you could see his long nose and the
oornerof his eye but bis oioo"s uio 9ot SUI
large crows which seem to be sleeping IN the
fields at the closeof autumn, and yet see every
| thing that is going on around them.
Now and then he raised his arm az II TO draw
back his sleeve adSocates have way OF
doing. He in full deess, aud spoke ter
rftty-wetf, -eiear- and -stEeBs Voice stop
ping ard looking at the people to see II they
agreed " i:h him; aad if he saw even slight
| gTimace, he began again at once in some other
| way, and as 1t were. obliged you 10 unoefstanu
| in spite of yourself.
| As he went on very slowly, without hurry.
| ing OF forgetting any thing, to show that the
deserter was on the road when We arrested
| him, that he NOT only had the Intention OF
escaping. but was already outside f the city,
quite as guilty as il he had been found in the
| ranks of the enemy. AS he clearly showed all
this. was angry becanse a he WA was right, ano -
be said in reply
And then when he said that the greatest of
crimes was to abandon ones flag, because one
betrays at once his country, his family, oil
! that has right to his life, and makes himself
unworthy to live; when he said that the court
| would follow the conscience OF all who had =
heart of all who held to the honor of France !;
that he would give q new example OF his zeal
for the safety of the country and the glory OF
the emperor that he would show the new re-
cruits that they could only succeed by doing
their duty and by obeying orders when he
said all this with terrible pow wer and clearness,
and heard from time to time murmur of as
sent and admiration, then, Fritz, thought
that the Lord alone as abe to save that man
The deserter sat motionless, his arms folded
on the dock aud his face upon them. He felt,
dou btless, as 1 did, and every one in the room,
and the court itself Thces old men seemed
we'll pleased as they heard the judi se dvocate
ex press 70 well what had all along been their
own opinion, Their faces showed their salts
, faction.
| 7 his lasted for more than an hour. The cap
tair sometimes stopped q moment to give ms
andience time to reflect on what he had said
, havo always thought that he must have been
an attorney general, CT something more dan
gercns s;iif to desertets.
| remem Der that he said in closing, Yoc
, will make example! You will be of on'
. mind. You will not forget that, at this time
T fcmness in the court is more necessary thar
q ever TO the safety of the country"
When he sat down, snch murmur of appro
:. baton arose in the room that it reached tn
q stairway at ouce, aud we heard the shouts out
a side, "Tiue lEmpereur J"
a The major and the other members OF tn
a council looked smilirgly at each other, as if It
say, " 1t is ell settled. What remains is a mer
1 formalityl'
a The shonts without increased. This laste
!. more than ten minutes. At last the msjo
l said
r "Brigadier, if the tumult continues, clea
the town house! Bsgin with the courtroom
a There was silence at once, for every one wa
"a curious to know what Burguet would say i
a reply. l would not have given two fsrthing
l. for the life of the deserter.
n "Counsel for the prisoner, you have tn
T. floor" said the n" jor, and Burguet rose.
Now, Fritz, if 1 had an idea that could r!
W peat to you what Burguet said, for whol
* hour, to save the life of poor conscript; if
T., should try to depict his face, the sweetness
ly his voice, and then his heartrending cries. an
r. then his silent pauses and his appeals-ifl ha
q, such an idea, Ishould consider myself beln
m full Of pride and vanity
No, nothing finer WAS ever heard. 1t WI
70, not man speaking. it was q mother, tryir
Ia to snatch her babe from death Ah! what
o- great thing it is to have this power OF movir
in to tears those who hear us! But We ought n
to call it talent, it is heart.
nv "Who is there without fsultsH Who do
eD not need pityi"
This is what he ssid as he asked the counC
en- if they could fud perfectly blsmeless mai
inn if evil thoughts never came Ito the bravest !;
,re they had never, for even day or o momeI
had the thought of running away to their q
tive village, when they were young, when tn
tle were eighteen, when father and mother aud t
rt friends of their childhood were living, and th
had not another in the world A poor chi
without instruction, without knowledge OF t
ur- world. brought up at hap-hazard, thrownlir
d: the army-what could you expect OF hir
What fault of his could not be pardoue
en What does he know of country, the honor
he his flag, the glory of his msjesty Is it I
ats later In lte thab Inese sFe@U LUCAS JULIO
him :
me And then he asked those men if they had !
O son, if they were sure that, even at that 4
hot moi committing offer