The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1880-05-18
THE SIEGE OF BERLIN.
srrasssas<a from the French Of Al
pnoBss Daudet.

Champs BIJeefs Wto III c
Ing from the walls shattered oy inc noinoS
aud the pavements torn by the snot the ms
tory Of bes<ged Paris, when, iust oe'oIe
we reached the Rond Point dc rEsolle' .oe
Doctor paused and pointed out 70 me one
.of those tall corner houses 50 pompous'y
grouped around the Arc de If'o.nphS.
usndow mn there t,pou that balcony 7 Early
IN the month az August-that terrible monin
Of August Of last year, 20 full OF troubles
and disasters-T was summoned there 10
look sster 4 frIghtfuI case OF apoplexy, The
wirf,m was Colonel Jouye, o cuirassief OF
the srst Empire, an old fellow welded 10
glory and pafriottsm, who at the commence
wsni OF the war had come to live In The
S,hamps Elysees In On apartment wttn q
balcony. Can you guess what fory 10 VII,
vess the trtumpbal return OF our troops !
Poor old man The news OF Wissembourg
reached him % he was rising from taole.
When he read NapoIeon's name signed 10
thar bulletin OF defeat he fell as IL slricAen
by a thunderbolt. .,,,
aI fnr,nd the old cuirassier stretched OUT
ut fun length upon the carpet OF ine Guam,
Der. bis face bloody and inert, as u nc nao
been hit on the head with a club. stanolng
he must have been very tail lying down
he seemed gigantic. He bad nne FEATURES,
superb teeth, and a fleece OF wnue nair az,
in curls. Eighty years OF age, ne o'u ~.
look more than sixty. BESIDE nim, upUn
her Knees and bathed in tears. was DIS
grand daughter. She resembIed him. See.
INC them side BY side one might have caneo
them two beautiful Greek medals stamped
With the same image-oDe, however, an
tioue. earthly, somewhat effaced at Inc
edges: the other shining and sharply dennec,
with all the brilliancy and gloss OF the re-
cent impression.
MThe grief OF the child touched me. She
was the daughter as well as the grand
daughter OF q soldier. Her father was on
MacMahon's staff. and the sight OF that tall
old man stretched out before her evoked In
her mind another vision not less terriole.
I rexssured her the best ! could, but 10
NV heart 1 bad little hope. we had 10
deal with a serious case OF hemlpiegy,
and at eighty one cannot De re-
stored. For three days. In TACT, The
patient remained in tue same state OF
immobiIiiy and stupor. Meanwhile the
news Of Reiscboffen reached Paris--you
remember In what strange fashion. Unui
evening we all believed In a great Victory
twenty thousand Prussians slain ana lhe
Prince Royal a prisoner.
kUOW UOi Nv Nndt w W D|7
netic current, an echo OF the national Joy
fonnd its way through the paralysis OF our
moor deaf mute, but certain il Is that that
evening when / came to his bedside 1
fouud him quite another man. His eye
was almost bright, bis tongue less thick.
he had the strength to smile upon me ana
twice faltered out:
".Vic-to-ry y
AZ. Yes. Colonel, q great victory!'
,sApd, as | gave him the details OF Mae
Nabop's glorious success. saw DIS FEATURES
unbend, his face light up.
"When 1 came ont OF the room the young
girl was waiting for me at the door. She
stood there pale as death, She was sob
bing. -
hands In mipe.
"The unhappy child had scarcely the
courage to speak. They bad just posted up
the true bulletin. from Reischoffen-Mac-
Mabon Ia flight, the whole army crushed.
We looked at each other in CONSERVATION.
She wept as she thought OF her father. Asfor
me, / trembled at the thought OF the OLD
nan. Surely he never would be able 10
withstand this new shock. But what were
we to do? Leave him his Joy, the Illusions
that bad brought him back to hfel But
then we must lie! !.
"sVery well, i will lie , said the heroic
child. AS she quickly wiped away her tears,
and with O radiant face she entered her
grantfather's chamber.
IT, was a hard task that she had under
taken. AT first things went on swimming
Nv. The old mans bead was weak, and he
allowed himself 10 be deceived like an iD-
FAINT. But with health his ideas became
clearer. 1t was necessary TO Keep him
pos,ed as TO the movements OF the armies
10 prepare military bulletins for him. IL
was truly pitiful to see that beautiful child
bent night and day over her map OF Ger.
many. pricking it with little flags and
striving 10 combine a whole glorious cam
rairn /: Bazaine marching upon Berlin,
Eroissart in Bavaria, MacMahon at the
BaItlc. In all this she asked my advice,
and I helped her 10 the best OF my ability
hut il was the grandfather who served Us
most In this imaginary invasion. he had
conquered Germany so many times during
the first Empire that he knew everything In
advance. Now they will go in this direc
Tion-this Is what they are going to do!
And his predictions were always realized
which made him excessively proud.
"Unhappily, no matter how many towns
we took, how many battles we gained, W.
could not get on rapidly enough for the Ole
man. He was unsuitable! Each day, wher
arrived. l learned OF some new feat Of
arms.
"sDoctor, we have captured Mayence,
and the young girl coming 10 meet m
with q sad smile, and / heard through
the door a Joyous voice crying out to me:
"sGoodi good! 10 q few days we shall
enter Berlinl
- kA.t ro.r cano.apf the prrcSian,
we're only q few days distant from Paris
We consulted at first as 10 whether I
would not be better 10 take our patient int
the country; but, as 0 as out OF doors
M must inevitably discover the true state o
France, aud l thought him still too weak
too much oyerpowered by bis great shock
to let HIM know the truth. We therefor
decided to remain. ,
"Tbe FIRST day OF the investment i ascend
ed to their apartments. l remember mat
was greatly agitated aud full OF that heart
anguish we all felt at seeing the gates 0
Pssts closed. the battle at our very walls, on
outskirts become frontiers. l found The oil
man sitting up in his bed' luol'ant an
proud. !,
al stared at bim In Amusement.
His granddaughter turned towards me
/" Yes, Doctor said she. 1t is grea
news. The siege OF Berlin has begun y
"Sbe spoke these words grayely an
quietly as she Piled her needle. How couI
he have suspected that anything WI
wrong? He could not hear the cannon o
the foit-. He could not see unhappy Paris
w~Oe-begone and in conclusion. What b
could perceive from bis bed was q 10
OF the Are de Triomphe, and around him
10 bis chamber, u collection OF bric.a-bra
81 the 6rst Empire well calculated to kee
AN his illusions. There were norfraits o