Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1881-03-04
NO. 54.
Gales ano Skettbes.
1 DEADLY FECD...A SKETCH.
Continued from Yesterday. J

| After the lecture the Colonel had a talk
with the Professor about what he had
heard. and sought enlightment ON certain
difficult points. the Professor answering
with pleased pride. From time to time
| the Colonel came out with Latin quota
tion: ".ilcd jdctd est" "dnice est pro pa
ty'id mo,T;" ''crrdre hHmanam est" ''in
| tfao reritaS," and the like. in order 10
show that he too had learned something:
and then the learned Professor smiled
kindly and with some embarrassment
changed the subject. But when the old
soldier spoke OF his campaigns. then he
might talk for hours without interruption
from the Professor except by encouraging
questions. The friendship of the two old
gentlemen became proverbial the only
persons who found no pleasure in this
touching relation were the two pious
daughters OF :hc Professor. who COM
planned with hittcr-sweet mien that mon
sicur, the Colonel Coste used blasphe-
NOUS words in their presence and infected
the whole house with his pipe. But our
father likes ANYTHING that the Colonel SAYS
and does" they added. LET us hope
that he may not regret it,"
The first remark was not entirely cor
rect. The Professor was Tar from approx
ing the opinions and conduct of his friend
in all respects. Tisson was firm Citho-
lie. and. like most members of good socie-
ty in southern France, n Jealous Legiti-
mist. Coste. on the other hand, very sell
dom went TO church, possessed an mex
haustiblc treasure flight stories, in which
monk. nuns. and priests, were not always
| treated with the respect which Tisson
claimed for them; and in his political SEN
tments was Liberal, with "A tendency
toward republicanism. Tisson iokingly
called Coste "Charras.' and Coste an
| swcrcd with "Polignac." Their discus
sions. which were not unirequent, and Of
ten very animated, usually ended by one
of the disputants rccoleoting that n game
| of "mailh or whist was waiting for them.
Then the excited countenance ot the other
straightway became tranquil each seized
hat and stick. and they went their way
toward the club or the Cours du Mail.
| conentedly chatting, rs if their mutual
harmony had not been disturbed for a mo-
mcnt
| The fearful year 1901. 'I'anncc ter
rible,n brought all superficial disputes
| between the Professor and the Colonel to
an end Both were good. warm-heartcd
| patriots, and in their common solicitude
| for their troubled country, they forgot all
| differences OF opinion which in former
| times had arisen between them. With
unanimous bitterness they blamed the
| Emperor. the Empress. the ministers, and
the generals with equally mistaken con
| iidcnce they believed in all the fables
| about the herosm of the French and the
| barbaritv of the Germans circulated in the
newspapers they were filed with the
same Indignation against Russia, which
did not conceal its sympathy for Germany;
with the same contempt for the English
shop keeping pack" and the false un-
| grateful Italians who deserted their old
allies in the time OF need and they wept
together when the tidings of Sedan reached
Montpelier
At this time an unhealthy. nervous ex-
citement had taken possession of the en-
tire French people. The two friends
were both attacked by it. The glad con
tented spirit of the last years had vanished
for them. They touched not a card in the
club, and the mail" balls lay covered
with dust in corner. They studied the
newspapers with fevcrish curiosity and
| tircless attention; made strategic plans
and discussed them with seriousness and
zeal as if armies would obey their decis-
ions against all probability hoped for a
sudden turn in the fortunes of the war.
and did not dispair to the last. for it
seemed TO them impossible that France,
the beautiful, mighty country, could be
overthrown in battle by any other nation
and they felt as if dashed 10 the ground
when their eyes were opened to the
simple, terrible truth, and they saw
clearly and plainly that France had been
beaten and had placed herself at the mer-
cy ofthe victors. For days they walked
together in silence and gloom. more
closely united in sorrow than they had
been in the peaceful calm Of the past year
But despite their age :bev had to a certain
degree at least, retained the elasticity Of
spirit Of their southern countrymen, and
they soon reused themselves out of the
heavy, speechlcss sadness in which they
had lived for while. Only great bit
terness, diseased irritability, remained
and manifested itselfin frequent outbreaks
of rage against the real, and also the sup
posed originator of the misfortune under
which they in common with all patriots.
Then the papers brought the news that
| revolution had broken out in Paris, and
that the communists had seized the reins
of the government. The friends received
the tdings rather indiHerently at first.
The wounds inflicted by the foreign foe
were still so fresh that TO certain ex-
tent, they were iDsensibe to all other
pain. But after several weeks. their at
iention was attracted more and more to-
ward the civil war. 1t was now the main
topic OF universal discussion the interest
in the struggle for Paris, where French
men fought against FrenchmcD, rose
above everything else.
1t was June 3, 1871. six o'clock in the
evening. The day had been oppressively
hot; black. gloomy thunder-clouds had
overcast the sky, and they threatened
every moment TO burst in a tempest. The
air was sultry, dread-:nspiring.
The Professor paced uneasily to and
fro in his dining room, and waited for
the Colonel to come to dinner. The lat
ter was quarter of an hour late. He had
a lot Of half-opened, crumpled news
papers in his hand, and he threw them on
the table. He looked pale and agitated.
II waited for the arrival Of the Paris
newspapers said he. Read. It is
fearful, unheard Of, incredible!'
Tisson took the newspapers and glanced
! thrcssr rvIs aovora1 IF f1uovs,