The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1884-08-23
The letter was dated three weeks pre-.

the pain of it. She thought only
There's Vic tor killed now" Then little
by little, the tears slowly rose to her
eyes, and the paug began to make itself
felt at her heart. Fancies came to her,
one after the other--irightful, torturing
Never could she kiss her child again
her only child, her great tall sonl--nev.
ef! The Rendarmes had killed his father,
the poacher; now the Prussians had
killed her son. He had been cut in two
by ctnnon ball. Aud it seemed to her
she could see the thIng-tLe whole hor-
rible thug: the head falling off, with
eyes wide open, and his teeth still
gnawing the corners of his thick NOUS
tache. rs lie was wont to do in lis hours
Of anger.
Aud after, what bad they done with
his body. Ii they had even given her
back her son again, rs they had brought
her husband back to her. with riffe
ball through the center of his forehead.
But she heard a sound Of loud voices
1t was the PrussiGns returning from the
village. Quickly Sue hid the letter in
her pocket, and received them very
calmly with her customary face; for she
had had the time to wipe her eyes we'll.
They were all laughing, the four Of
them-quite delighted because they had
been able to bring home q splendid rab-
bit with them-stolen, no doubt; and
they made signs to the old woman that
Trey were going TO haye something won.
deriully good to eat.
She set to work ut once to prepare
breakfast for them; but when the time
came TO kill the rabbit, her heart failed
her. And yet it was not the first rabbit
by any means that she had been given to
kill! One Of the soldiers killed it by
striking it behind the ears with his
hand.
Once it was dead she took the red
body out of the skin; but the sight of the
blood which she was handling. which
covered her hands--the warm blood
which she felt getting cold and coagulat-
ing-made her tremble from head to
foot; and she always saw before her the
figure Of her tall son, cut in two, and
all red Just like the body of the still pAl-
pitating animal.
She sat down TO table with her Prus-
slams; but she could not eat-even so
much MS a mouthful- They finished the
rabbit without noticing her. Meanwhile
she watched them sideways, without
speaking-maturing a singular purpose
in her mind. and yet With such an i'm
passive face that zone Of them observed
anything unusual.
All of sudden she asked: Il don't so
much MS know your names; and yet we've
been a month together now9"
They were not able to understand
what she wanted without some difficulty;
and then they told her their names. That
was not enough. She made them write
the names down on piece of paper, to-
gether with the addresses of their fami.
lies; and, perchirg her spectacles upon
her great nose she looked at the strange
German writing. Then she folded up
the paper carefully, and put it into her
pocket, next 10 the letter which had told
1. 1. Al, I l. e l..
When the meal was over she said to
them, Now, I'm going to do some work
for You"
Aud she proceeded to carry hay up TO
the loft in which they slept.
They thought this was very queer; but
she explained to them that it would en-
able them to kesp nice and warm. so
they all helped her, They piled up the
hay to the straw roof; aud thus made
themselves sort of bedroom with four
sloping walls of forage, warm and fra
grant, where they could sleep delight
fully.
At dinner-time one of them became
quite anxious at seeing that old Mother
Savage ate nothing. She told them she
had cramps. Then she lie good fire in
order to warm herself; and the four Ger
mans assembled to their loft by the lad
der which led to it,
| As soon as they had closed down the
trap.door, she took away the ladder; and
going out nois-lessly, she began to col
lect straw and fill her kitchen with it
| She walked barefoot through the SNOW
/ so softly that no one could bear her,
From time to time she heard the loud
and irregular snoring of the four sleep
ing soldiers.
When she judged her preparations
complete, she put bunch of etraw in
the lire, then flung the. burning heap npon
the rest; and she went out and looked!
A fierce glare lighted the interior of
the building in a few seconds; then the
whole became frightful furnace, a
gigantic oven. whose violent light blazed
through the single narrow window, and
fuug a long bright band across the snow.
Then great terrible cry rang ont
from the upper part of the house; sue,
ceeded by clamor of yells, human
howlngs hideous cries ofagony and fear.
Aud then the floor crumbling in. q storm
of firmes, roarod up in 10 the left, burst
through the roof OF straw, rose to heaven
like a vast torch.fire; aud the whole
structure flsred againt the night.
Nothing could now be heard but the
cracking of the oonflgration, the crumb-
ling OF the walls, the falling of the great
beams The last fragments Of the roof
fell in, and the red hot carcass Of the
dwelling flung skyward great jst of
sparks through a cloud Of heavy I'm Ike.
The snow whitened country illuminat-
ed by the fire, shoue like sheet of sill
var tinted with crltusOm