Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1884-04-19
TWE hit OF BREAD.


finishing bis breakfast, when. CHANGING |
at the newspaper. he read IN |
II the news of the disaster of Relchs- |
hoffen.
lie finished his glass Of Chartreuse, |
mt MS napkin on the table of the res |
taurant. ordered his valet 10 pack up bis
thInca. and two hours afterxard took |
the express for Paris, and fastened 10
the recruiting office TO enlist IA A - q
nent Of the line.
In spite Of his life of dissipation. the
Young duke. when he learned that a
battle had been lost by the French on
French soil, felt the blood mount 70 his
cheeks. and also felt the horrible sensa-
ton If having received blow.
THIS explains how, IL tue beginning
of Novern Der, 1870, Oh retUrnIn2to Paris
with bis regiment, which formed part Of
Vinoy' corps, Henri dc HardiInont, phi
yate IN the third company OF the second
battalion and member Of the Jockey
Club, Was in the grand guard with his
COMPANY in front of the redoubt OF
Hantes Bruyeres hastily fortified post.
which WAS protected by the cannon of
the fort of Bicetre.
Ii was IA wretcnt q looking spst: road
bordered with stunted tees that looked
IKE broom handles, and all cut up with
muddy iuts crossed the NANCY fields OF
the suburb, and by the side of the road
WAS An abandoned wine shop, where the
| soldiers had esta blished their post. Here
| there had been a combat few day . be
| fore: the rnu-ketry FIRE had cut i'll two
| some Of the roadside poplars. and all of
| them bore the white scars of rlffe-balls.
A. 10 the house. II would make one shiver
| To look at it, 1 he roof had been crust ed
| by "A smell. and the walls, OF n wine-less
color seemed to be plastered with blood.
| Tue empty casks under their network Of
| black twlgs, the upset SWITCHBOARD, the
SWING through whose m0uldy cords the
wind whistied, the bul!et-scarred sign
| board-ali recalled, with cruel irony, the
| popular ADJUSTMENTS OF by-g0ne sun
DAYS Ana ever all this stretched vii
famous winter sky, III which rolled hea-
| w, l.aden- colored clouds-a low, angry,
hateful sky.
Al the door of the wine shop the
| Young duke stood motiOnless, with his
cbassepot slung over his shoulder, his
cap over his eyes, and his numb hands
IA the pockets of his red pantaloons,
shIverlng under his sheepskIn. lie had
abandoned himself to gloomy thoughts
- this soldier of defeat - and looked
with dull eye on the line of hills lost
| III the mist. from which. at every min
ute, there shot out, with loud re-
port, tho white putt Of smoke from a
| hrupp gun.
All AT once it struck him that he was
haIgry.
| He knelt on one knee and took from
| his haver5ack, that lay near him against
the wall, "A big piece of commissariat
| bread: then. AZ he had lost his knife, he
| bit 1t ana ate II slowly.
| After "A few mouthsful, however, he had
| enough of 1t; the bread was hard and
had bitter taste. Nor would there be
anv fresh bread till 1t was served out
next day, and then only in case the com
missary should be- Ill good humor. 1t
| WAS sometimes pretty rough, was this
life of n soldier, and then-lo and be
hOld.-he began to think of what he
used to call his hyglenlc breakfasts,
| when on the morrow, after too heat
ing supper, he sat at the window on
the ground floor of the Cafe Anglalse
and ordcred-the merest trities-t cut-
lot and scrambled eggs, while the waiter,
knowing his habits, placed on the table
and uncorked with care fine bottle of
old Leoville. Those were good times,
and he would never get used to this bread
of afilictIon.
| In moment of Impotence the young
| man flung tho rest Of his bread Into the
mud.
At this very instant a soldier came
out of the wine shop; he stopped, picked
up the piece of bread, walked off a few
steps, wiped 1t on his sleeve and began
| to devour 1t greedily.
| Henri de Hardlmont was ashamed of
his action, and looked with pity on the
poor devil who showed such a good APP
petite. He WAS great, tall, ungainiy
lad, with feverish eyes and a hospital
beard, and SO thin that his shoulder
| blades stuck out under the folds of his
wellworn CLOAK.
You are pretty hungry. comrade."
| said De Hardimont, approaching the
| soldier.
"You may see that" replied the other,
with his mouth full.
81 beg your pardon. then; If | had
known that 1t could have done you any
good, | would not have flung away my
bread"
L
am not So easily put of my appetite"
mo matter" said the duke; II did
what was wrong, aud regret 1T. But |
do not want you to carry away a bad
impression of me; and AZ | have some
old cognac III my flask, by Jove, we'll
have nip together
The man had finished eating; he and
the duke took IA mouthtul of brandy:
N
And your lame! SAID the soldier
Hard,mont," replied the duke, sup
pressing his title. And yours?"
"Jean-Vic,or. | have only just been
sent back to the company. am Just
out of the hospital. was wounded AT
Chatillon. All, II is a comfort able place.
is the hospital; there the doctor gives
you excellent horse soup. Bat | had
only scratch; the major signed my
discharge. and, SD much the worse, |
again begin to die of hunger. For, you
may believe me or not, comrade, | have
been hungry all my life. just AS | am
now"
The declaration WAS appalling. uttered
AS 1t was To u voiuptuary who had Just
detected himself regrettlng the cookery
of the Cafe Anglaise, and the Duke de
Hardlmout looked at bis companion
with an air of terrified astonishment
The soldier wore sad smile, which dis
closed his teeth. the teeth of "A wolf, tho
| teeth of u starving man, SO white i'll that
clay -colored face, and, as If he under
stood that an explanation was expected.
he said:
Look here. Let us walk up and down
on the road 10 warm our feet, and | will
tell you things of which am sure You
never heard.
My name is Jean Victor - simple
Jean V ictor-for WAS founding, and
| my Only happy recollections are those of
my early Oh ldheod ia the hospce. Our
little beds in the dormitory had white
curtains. We used 10 play In the gar
| den, under the big trees. aud there was
"A good sister, quite young, pale As a WAX
candles she WAS going of In consump-
tion-whose pet wa-. and liked better
To walk with her than To play with the
other children, because she drew me close
| 10 her as she laid on my brow her thin.
| burning hand.
But when was twelve. after nv frs.
communion, netting but want, Ihe
trustees appren,iced me 10 chair men
der In the Faubourg ST. Jacques. Ii Is
| ta..f. Il -. A