The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1883-02-16

ing one Of Chopin's waltzes upon my
daughters piano!
"Ah, it is YOU said he, monsieur,
the proprietorl Make yourself at
home, make yourself at home, beg of
your
81 came to look for something in
this chamber
Look for whatever you want, mon
sieur, look for whatever You wantp
"He resumed his interrupted waltz.
I went to the mantelpiece. and on the
two little easels found, instead of my
portrait, photograph of King William
and photograph of Monsieur de Bis
marck instead of the portrait of my
wifel The blood rushed to nay head,
and, choking with anger, said to the
Prussian officer:
Monsieur, there were two portraits
here. 1 would like to know who author
lied you to replace those portraits
with the photographs of these two
scoundrels?'
"What did You say, monsieur
go said those two scoundrels!
"And, snatching the photographs, I
tore them up; then, with great calm
ness, / threw the fragments into the
fire. The officer arose. He was very
pale. He approached me. The ques-
ton was now VIII, should receive the
first blow, and am quite sure would
not have been the person. At this
critical instant Antoinette rushed into
the chamber.
"'Well, what is the matter?' de-
manded she.
This gentleman has taken the lib
erty of removing from these frames two
photographs which l came to look for.
$50 you did that, did you, monsieur p
said she addressing the Prussian. And,
pray, where are those photographs?
SIN that drawer he replied.
Give them to me-
"'Here they are
"And the Prussian officer submis-
sively brought the two photographs to
Antoinette, who handed them to me,
saying as she did so:
"'Are these the portraits you want p
ayes
Come away, then
one leu Ile Oub VI bue TOOu. 10
Prussian had cooled down Immediately
upon Antoinette's appearance. l was
utterly amazed. Antoinette had played
the whole of this little scene with the
GOODNESS and self-possession of great
actress.
you seem astonished,' said she to
me, as we were going down the stairs.
81 am astonished.'
"'There is, however, no reason to be.
All! the Colonel is not the only one in
love with me herep
II returned to Trouville. A whole
month passed and not single letter
came from Antoinette. began to be
very uneasy, and, despite all the diff
culties of the undertaking, 1 was pre-
pairing to risk another journey, when
one morning-it was toward the close
of November-my wife suddenly opened
the door of my chamber and said to me !:
'Antoinette, my love-Antoinette is
here; but what state the poor child is
inv
81 saw enter a pale, thin and ragged
girl, who seemed to have been devoured
by fever, to have been worn out by
fatigue and sickness.
1T is 1, monsieur said Antoinette,
and 1 bring you bad news. You re-
member all the Colonels jokes about
the Bavarians, do you not? Well, to
be just, that Prussian Colonel was not
q bad man, and he was not wrong in re-
gard to the Bavarians. There were
movements of troops. They took our
Prussians from us; they sent a detach-
ment of Bavarian infantry which had
suffered greatly in the vicinity of the
Loire, and which came to us for little
recuperation. Pillage commenced at
once. 1t must be admitted that it was
very well organized, for that matter.
There was a strong column of camp
followers in the train of this Bavariah
regiment; they threw themselves upon
the chateau like flock of crows, and
began to make kind of inventory. /
went resolutely to find the Major-it was
q Major who commanded this detach-
ment-a fat, little red-faced man, who
spoke frightful jargon, half French,
half German. He commenced TO utter
something like cries of Joy as soon as
he put eyes on me, and, without giving
me time to speak word, cried ont :
"Ah! ali! here is that Paronne who
is servant, that servant who is u
Paronne! The Brussians are not pad,
but the Pavarians are the devil You
can't catch the Pavarians as you caught
the Brussians! L have sbies, / have
good sbies! Au refoir, servant, au
refoir!" He said / know not what, in
German, to an officer; two soldiers
roughly seized me, and was taken on
foot, monsieur, on foot, to Rheims, be-
ing passed by Prussian gendarmes to
other Prussian gendarmes. At Rheims
was thrown into prison. I remained
there for week, upon the straw, sub
sisting on bread and water. At the end
of the week was taken before an Off
Ger of the Saxon cavalry, tall, blonde
young man, who had not too wicked
air. II am about to set You at liberty"
said he, "but do not attempt TO return
home There is at the chateau stupid
report male by a Bavarian Major.
Those Bavarians are brutes! All this
would not have happened to you if you
had had to deal with Saxons" i was
free, and L have succeeded in dragging
myself here. But monsieur. your poor
chateau il in bad hands T fear Won will