River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1880-02-05

what difference to the sharp shooters
bivouac Up stairs were the officers,
and they heard them playing on the
| piano and opening champagne bottles.
| When the Parisians entered the room a
hurrah OF Joy greeted them. They gave
up their newspapers and the officers
gave them something to drink an4 made
| them talk. They all had proud, hard
lock, but the large boy amused them
with his Partisan gayety and his gamin
slang.
Little Stenne, too, would have liked
! to have talked and to prove that he was
not stupid, but something embarrassed
him. Opposite to him, sitting apart,wa
a FruSsian, older and more serious than
the others, who was reading, or rather
seemed to read, for he never took his
| eyes off little Stenne, and there was in
/ his glance both tenderness and reproaCh,
as though this man might have had
| ckid of little Stenne's age at home. and
as if he was saying to himself, Il would
rather die than see my son doing such a
thing" and as he looked at little Stenne,
the boy felt as if hand were clutching
at his heart snd keeping it from beat
ing. To escape the anguish he began to
drink. ana soon everything turned
around him.
lie heard vaguely amid loud laughs
his comrades making fun of the nation
al guards, of their way of going through
their drill, he initiated an assault of
arms in the Marais, and surprise at
night on the ramparts. Then the large
boy lowered his voice, the officers APP
preached nearer TO him and their faces
grew more solemn. The miserable fell
low was telling them about that nights
premeditated attack, of which the sharp
shooters had spoken. Then Stenne
rose, furious and completely sobered;
"Dont tell that, fellow, [ won't have
you" But the other only laughed, and
continued; but before he had finished
the officers were all on their feet. and
one of them showing the door to the
children, told them TO "begone," and
they began to talk hurriedly together in
German. The large boy left the room
as proud as Il dodge, blinking his
money. Little Stenne followed him,
holding down his head, and as he was
passing the Prussian whose look SO dis
turbed him. he heard q sad voice saying
to him: mot nice that; not NICE" and
the sears came TO his eyes. Once more
in lie plain, the childI en- began to run
and return toward Paris quickly. Their
sacks we're filled with potatoes which
the Prussians had given them, and with
these they passed the sharpshOOters' en-
cam pment without any trouble. They
were preparing for the night attack.
Troops were arriving silently and were
masaed behind the wall. The old ser
geant was there, busily engaged arrang
ing lis men with such a happy look.
When the children passed near him he
recognized them and smiled blandly at
/ them. On how badly that smile made
/ little Stenna feel. Fol- q moment he
I felt os if he should burst out c.! ing and
/ say 10 them: Don't 90 there =. We
have betrayed you But the other boy
/ told him that if he spoke word they
would be shot, and so fear kept him
silent.
At the Courneuve, they entered an
! abandoned house to divide their mon
ey. Truth compels me to say the di-
vision was honestly made, and when he
/ heard the first crowns sounding under
his blouse and thought of his future
games Of ealoche, little Stenne felt his
crime was not so dreadful after all.
But when he was alone, the unhappy
| child!-when at the gates of the city
the large boy left him, then his pockets
grew heavy and the hand that grasped
| his heart hcd it tighter still. Paris
seemed no longer the same to him; the
passer-by regarded him severely, as if
| thew knew from whence he had come,
and he heard the word "spy" in all the
/ sounds of the street and i'll the beating
of the drums along the canal where
the troops were exercising. AT last he
| reached his home, and glad to find that
his father had not yet come IN, be hur-
ried TO his room and hid the crowns
that we're WEIGHING SO heavily under
his pillow. Never had Father Stenne
been so good-humored and joyous AS he
was that night on coming home. Good
news had been received from the pro-
viuces; the country's affairs were going
better. While he was eating the old
soldier looked at his gun hung on the
wall, and he said to the boy, with a
hearty laugh: Hey my son, how
would you GO after the Russians, II
YOU were old enough" About o'clock
they heard the sound of cannon. at
is at Auperv.lliers; they are fighting at
Bourgetl" said the old man, who knew
where all the forts were situated. Lit
tie Ssenne grew pale, and feigning great
fatigue, went to bed, but not to sleep.
The cannons were laundering continu-
ouslv. He pictured to himself the
sharpshooters going 1T night to surprise
the Russians and falling into an ambus-
cade themselves. He reached the ser
ceant, who had smiled at him and saw
him stretched out there in the snow, and
so many others with him!
The price Of all that blood was hidden
there under his pillow, and it was he,
the son of Nj. Stenne-of a soldier.
His tears choked him. In the adjoin-
Ing room he heard his father walking
to aud fro and then open a window.
Down in the street the rsppel was
sounded; battalion of mobiles were
getting ready 10 start. Then there was
no doubt about there being real battle
goinE On. The unhappy boy could
not keep back his sobs.
"W hat Is the matter with your asked
his father, entering the room. The
:. child could bear it no longer; he
Jumped from MS Deu anu lnISH Aith
self a: his fathers feet In SO doing the
silver crowns rolled down on the floor
'What is this: have you been steal
/ ine?' asked the Old man, beginning e
/ tremble. Then all in one breath, little
/ Stenne told him that he had been tC
/ The Russians, and all that he had done
and as he was speaking he felt hi
. heart grow lighter; it comforted him tC
make the confession. His father
: listened to him with terrible look OF
, his face, and when the story was told
! he buried his face in his hands ant
! wept.
"Fsther, father, the child tried L
, saw. hut the old man pushed him Of
without replying to him, and picked a.
? the money.
; as that alp" he asked. Little stenn'
; made a Sign that it was; then the oil
: man took down his gun and cartridge
and putting the money in his poke
E said:
/ Il am going to return it % theml
!, and without another word-wlthou