Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1883-07-21

| huicOs DuI yOu Ii iiCCo a otAOiS
arm tomorrow, my colonel, and to
keep up your strength you need
this chicken and wine. It's poor
sour stuff to be sure, not like our
Burgundy; but it will make man
drunk for all that"
"But l don't want to be made
drunk"
"That goes without saying. The
colonel of the Deaths Heads can
| always carry his wine like gentle
man. But if your honor will per-
NIT liberty to an old soldier"
Case Tete hesitated.
"Well, Casse Tete, what is t?"
"Then / would say that if were
your honor, would not give that
old cat the pleasure of dancing over
my grave"
Gabriel started violently. The
cuirassier had spoken with bitter
vehemence that there was no mis-
taking.
"What do you mean? What old
cat?"
81 mean that old woman that
came along with madame, my colo
mel, and that ought to be drummed
out of camp for trying to excite a
mutiny against the commanding
officer"
Gabriel looked at him in surprise.
The veteran had got very red in the
face, and was waving the bottle in
one hand and the tin plate which
held the cold fowl in the other, at
the imminent risk of dropping the
rnoat ont nf tho plaftnr
"If you're going to play tragedy"
said the colonel with a slight smile
at the ludicrol.s picture, ''yOu had
better put down the provisions Casse
Teie."
Certainly, my colonel. Here
they are. Yes, that is the knife.
Now do eat, for the sake of poor
old Case Tete, who would have
nowhere to go if he lost his colonel.
And then that cOnfounded Stropade
he would grin and say: Had to
come back to ranks, didn't you,
Casse Tete? No Colonel Blancbec
to pet you now?' Oh, my colonel,
eat it all up, and pick the bones, or
shall think you're sure to be killed
tomorrow"
The old cuirassier was nearly
blubbering as he finished, anil Ga
briel said
"Well, well, III eat it. But 60 on
to tell me what you were saying"
Casse TetC frightened up at once.
He saw on his colonel's face an an
cry, reSOlnte expression superseding
the gloomy looks of the day, and
| the veteran lattThed Within himself
as he saw the uncOISciously savage
| air with which the young officer
dissected the chicken. In lact, Ga
briel was grinding his teeth over
the bones, thinking of revenge, and
every gulp OF wine he took made
him feel more angry.
swell, my colonel" said Casse
Tete, slowly, "it's not much | have
to tell and must ask your hOnOr's
pardon if | was guilty of any disre-
1 spect to any friend of your honor"
! "All right, Casse Tete. To
whom ?"
"To that old-lady-"
"You can say old cat, if you like.
/ want to hear plain talk now,
Case Tete. L have been kept in
the dark too long, too long"
And the young man glared round
at the inOffensive horses munching
their oats, as if every one were Il
Potsdam.
fThat's what 1 said, your honor,
to myself. 1t is time my colonel
heard the truth from some one, or
he'll be going headlong to the devil
in the next charge, and never know
what he is missing at home"
missing at home e?''
"Yes, my colonel, missing at
home, with madame crying her
lovely dark eyes out, ard that old
cat to pour poison into her ears all
the tine, trying to make her think
you are Il brute, and not a gentle
man of the old blood, and all that
sort of stuff. COntound that old
blood, say /. What has all the old
blood done for us?
Gabriel put up his hand.
"Don't abuse old blood, Casse
Tete. My family were noble before
the Revolution"
Casse Tete stamped his foot.
"Hurrah so much the better.
Then I've got the old eat on every
point. Pm glad l told her SO. |
thought [ was lying; but l made
up my mind to stick to ii, as l did
in Berlin. made that Prussian
own up that there never was any
battle of Rossbach, and made the old
cat admit you were noble enough
for any one"
."And now, Case Tete," said Ga
briel, who was rapidly becoming
irritated at the devious conversation
of his eccentric orderly. ''if you'll
tell me what you're talking about l
shall be obliged" -....
Certainly, my colonel. 1t all
took place at the ferry of Mayence."
"What took place ?"
"The fight, my colonel, between
me and the old cat, about madame" +"
"Ah, begin to see. You mean
81 mean that your honor told me
to take the ladies to the French
frontier"
"And you did so?"
| "a Deaths Head Cuirassicr Obeys
his orders at all risks, my colonel.
| did"
"Did anything happen on the
way "
"Nothing, my colonel, but what
always does happen when women
are around"
"What do you mean?"
"Clack, my colonel, gabble, CAB
BILE, as if her tongue would never
stop"
"Whom are you talking of"'
"The old cat, your honor. She
thought l didn't hear her; but |
took care to keep my old RussiaE's g
nose right between the hind wheels,
and heard her, all the way, trying
to persuade madame to say she'd
leave you, and ask the emperor to
break the marriage"
Gabriel was breathless.
swell, and did she-w
| He could say no more.
!. "Did she weaken, my. colonel ?
| All, that was just what WAS afraid
OF, as Thought of that poor foriorn
little erthing that your honor married
In the. village church by Olmutz
| and how she'd been away from you
a whole year, with every one trying
to lead her astray. / tell you /