Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1879-04-25
The Condemned Sentinel.

The Condemned Sentinel.
A cold, stormy night in the month of
March, 1907, Marshal Lefebvre, with
twenty-seven thousand French troops,
had invested Dantzic. The city was
garrisoned by seventeen thousand Rus
sian and Prussian soldiers, and these,
together with twenty or thirty thous-
and 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 desperate sortie
from the garrison, made unawares,
might prove c&lamitous.
At midnight Jerome Dubois was
placed upon one of the most important
posts in the advance line of pickets, it
being upon narrow strip Of land
raised above the marshy fiat, called the
Peninsula of Nehrung. For more than
an hour he paced his lonesome beat
without hearing anything more than
ing of the rain. At length, however,
another sound broke upon his ear. He
stopped and listened, and presently he
called " VINO s tnere {!
The only answer was q moaning
sound.
He called again, and this time he
heard something like the cry of child,
and pretty soon an object came to-
ward him out from the darkness. w ith
aquick, emphatic movement he brought
his musket to the charge, and ordered
the intruder to halt.
"Mercy y exclaimed childish voice;
"Don't shoot me am Natalie. Don't
you know me?"
Heavens r. cried Jerome, elevating
the muzzle of his piece. SIS it you,
dear child? ?"
"Yes and you are good Jerome. D,
you will come and help mamma Come,
she is dyingr'
1t was certainly Natalia, little girl
only eight years old, daughter of Lis
cite valiant, a sergeant in Jerome's
own regiment, and was in the army in
the capacity of nurse.
~"Why, how is this, my child ?"
said Jerome. taking the little one by
the arm. What is it about your moth
err"
go, good Jerome. you can hear her
now. Hank y
The sentinel bent his ear, but could
only hear the wind and the rain.
" Mamma is in the dreadful mud"
said the child, "and is dying. She is
not far away. o, can hear her cry
ing"
By degrees Jerome gathered from
Natalie that her father had taken her out
with him in the morning, and that in
the evening when the storm came on her
mother came after her. The sergeant
had offered to send man back to the
camp with his wife, but she preferred
to return alone, feeling sure that she
would meet with no trouble. The way,
however, had become dark and uncer-
tain, and she had lost the path, and
wandered of to the edge of the morass,
where she had sunk into the soft mud.
%, good Jerome" cried the little
one, Selling the mans hand, "can't You
hear her? She will die if you do not
come and help herv'
At that moment the sentinel fancied
he heard the wall of the unfortunate
woman. What should he do? Lisette.
the good, the beautiful, the tender
hearted Lisette, was in mortal danger.
and it was in his power to save her. It
was not in his heart to withstand the
pleadings of the child. He could go
and rescue the nurse, and return to his
post without detection. At all events
he could not refuse the childish plead.
er.
Give me your hand, Natalie, I'll go
with you"
With q cry of joy the child sprang to
the soldiers side, and, when she had
secured his hand, she hurried him
along toward the place where she had
left her mother. It seemed long dis
lance to jerome, and once he stopped
as though he would turn back. He
did not fear death, but he feared dis
honor.
Hark I" uttered the child.
The soldier listened, and plainly
heard the voice of the suffering woman
calling Tor help. He hesitated no long,
er. On he fastened through the storm,
and found Lisette sunk to her armpits
IN the soft morass. Fortunately tuft
OF long grsss had been within her reach.
by which means she had held her head
above the fatal mud. It was no easy
matter to extricate her from the miry
pit, as the workman had to be yery
careful that he himself did not lose his
footing. At length, however, she was
drawn forth, and Jerome led her to.
ward his post.
WHO comes there :" cried a voice
from the gloom.
Heavens T. gasped Jerome, stopping
and trembling from head TO foot.
WHO comes there!" repeated the
voice.
Jerome heard the click of the musket.