The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1878-03-24
THE BLOCk ADE
AN EPISODE or ThE
END OF THE EMPIRE.


Then, Fritz. the funeral took place. All
who died of typhus ad to be b1ried the same
day.
panic was in the city; men knew that the
angel of death was pas b ing by, and that drops
of blood raipcd from his g ord upon the houses
each omptied the water from his Jug upon the
Threshold and entered quickly. But tho best
of them silently, and as evening ap-
preached, it WAS necessary to 70 and descend
by the Postern.
I was the only one of our family. sorle WAS
not able TO follow mo, nor L. .tfcn. was the
only one to throw the sEovelful of Garth. NV
s.rength all left me, they bad to lead me back
to our door. The sergeant held mo by the
arm he spoke to me and did not hear him
] was as ii dead.
will BAruca say" ] exclaimed, land what
shall answer him when he asks me to give
him back his child :"
felt no longer any interest in our business.
Zeffen lived with the old rabbi =; heE mother
spent the days with her, 20 take care of Esdras
and comfort her.
Every part of our honse opened the
sokubcs g0it burned sugar ard spices, and the
air from without bad free circulation. Safel
went on selling.
As for myseIt sat before the hearth in the
morniry, cooked snrnc potatoes, and ate them
with little salt and then vent ont. without
thought or aim. ! wandered sometimes 70 the
right, sometimes to the Left, toward the old
gen, darm.ry, around the rarIparts, in out-of-
the-way places.
j ceatA Het hearth sea- -aay-nna-- especially
those VIII" had known the child.
ThSu, Ef,'Z, oar ;nlseues wero at their
height famine cold all kiuu- of satferlngs
weighed upon the ,liy; fHcos grew InIu, and
women and children were seen. half Il !ked
and trembling, cropping IN the shadow in the
deserted by w1yo.
Ah such mscries will never return! We
have no NOR" surh ab 'niEntlo wHrs, hstiuH
twenty years, wton thr highways looked like
ruts, and tie rrHhs like streams Ut mud;
wheu the ground Remained uatiiud FOR want
ofinhabitau's wh"n the poor Wentl~baT efoor
ard the rich in wvcdcn sh, -, " t-ifO tho tnpc.
rior officers passed 10y ca u,.rT, horses, loot
irg down contcmptUousIy tGu wAo!n human
race.
But NJ that tiufe cvcry ytNirg in tho nation
was destroyrd Sud LAu!iliated ; the cit,zsns
and tho~people bad nCthiuE left force VAS
everything. liza man said, bat there is such
at thing as justice, right, tlLLt - the way WAS
to answer with a smile, Il 40 not understand d
youW and You were taken for man of sense
and experience, who woni make his way.
Then, IN the midst of my sor,ow, ] saw these
things without thinking about them but
since then they have come back to me, and
thousands of others s; oil the Survivors of those
days cen remember them. too.
One morning, / WAS under the old market
looking At the wretchcs as they bought meat
At that tllio they knocked down the horses o.
Rou ugeColas and those Of the gcntlar mes a,
feShless as the cattle in the trenches, and sole
the meat at very higa prices.
looked at the swarms of wrnkled OLE
women, OF hollow.eyed citizens. all thes,
wretobed creatures crowdiuE before Frant
Sepel'B stall, while he distributed bits of car
cass 10 them.
FrantE's large dogs were seen no longe
prowling about the market licking up III
bloody scraps. The dried hands of old womer
were stretched ont Mt the end of their tleshles
arms, 10 snatch everything weak voice
called out entTentingly, "a llttle more liver
Monsieur Frsnt2, 50 that We ram make merry
saw Rll THIS under great dark roo
through which IA little lik came, in t.e h lie
made by the shells. l.. TIE distance, am u
the worm-eaten pillars, some soldiers, nude
the arch of the guard house, with their ol
SAPes hanging down Their thighs, were ais
looking on lit seemed like u dream.
Ny great SORROW accorded with these 50
aights. was about leaving at the end of
half hour when saw BuTguet coming Y along
Father Brainsteln's old country house whic
WAS now STAYED in by the shells and leaninI
all shattered, over the street.
BurRuet had told me several days before OF
Addiction, that this maid-servaut was sick
had thought no more of it, but now il came
me.
He looked so changed TO me, 30 thin, h
checks marked by wrinkles, it seemed as
years had passed since had seen him. II
hat came down to his eyes, and his beard,
least fortnight old, had turned gray. l
came in, looking round in all directions b
no could not see me where WAS, in the det
shadow, against the plAnks of the old fodde
house /; and he stopped behind the crowd
old women, who were fque zed in Il semicirc
before the stall, awaiting their turn.
After q minute he put some sous in Fraa
Sepers hand, and received his morsel, wLit
he hid under his cloak. Then looking rom
again, be was going away quickly, with b
head down.
This sight moved my heart: l hurried ava
raising my hands 70 heaven, and eIclaiuinf