Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1885-10-24
A Little Soy.

10; one cannot Tell the age OF eucu mlu
gets. His mother WAS dead; his father
an old soldier of the marine corps, hat
charge of a sqcare in the Quarter da
Temple. Babies, mothers, nurses, ant
old women, everybody who frequentet
the square, knew Pere Steene and loved
him. They knew tina. under that grin
mustache, the terror of dogs and tramps
there lurked good humored smile, anC
that to see it one had only to ask:
How is your little boy"
Pere Stenne loved his boy 80 much
He was 80 happy, when, in the after
noon after his school, the boy came fol
him, and together they made tour O
the square, stopping at each bench t.
speak to the occupants and reply to theil
salutations.
With the terrible seige everything wa
changed. Pere Stenne's square wal
closed. 1t was placed under patrol, anc
the poor man, forced to keep up an I'M
RENTING watch, passed his days among
deserted and ruined walls, alone, and
without his pipe, only seeing his boy
when he came home late at night. You
should have seen bis mustache when be
spoke of the Plussians!
AS for little Stenne, he did not COM
plain of the new order of things. A
seige! 1t is an amusement to children.
No more school! Vacation all the time,
and the streets like Playground. The
boy was running out of doors all day un.
til evening. He followed the battalions
of the quarter on their way to the ram
parts, choosing from preference those
which had the best bands, and about
that little Stenne was well informed. He
could have told you that the band of the
Goth wasn't worth much, but that the
band of the 55th was excellent. Some
times he watched the Mobiles at their
drill; what files of them there were.
His basket under his arm, he stood with
the long rows of people that formed the
shadows of the dark winter morning at
the grating of the butcher or the baker
There, standing with ones feet in the
water, one made acquaintance and
talked politics, and, as son of M. Stenne,
everybody asked his opinion. But even
more amusing than all were the parties
du bo,Lchon, that famous play of galoche
which the Breton Mobiles had introduced
during the seige. When little Stenne
was not at the ramparts or the bakers,
you might be sure to find him at the
Place du Chateau d'Eau, where they
played galoche. He didn't play, of course,
that cost to much money. He contented
himself with watching the players.
One of them, large boy in blue
coat, who never stacked less than 100
sous excited his admiration. When he
ran one could hear the coin blinking in
the pockets of his coat.
One day in picking up piece which
had rolled almost under the feet of lit
tie Stenne, the large boy said to him in
q low voice:
"That makes you squirt, eh! Well,
if you want, I'll take you where you can
find 'em."
The playing finished he took him into
q corner, and proposed that he should
20 with him to sell newspapers to the
Prussians; there were thirty francs trig
TO be made. AT first Stenne refused very
Indignantly. He waited three days
without going to see the players. Three
terrible days! He neither ate or slept. |
At night he saw a set of galoche placed
at the foot of his bed, and pieces of 100
SOUS each lay glittering all around him.
The fourth day he returned to the Cha
teau d'Eau, saw the large boy and yield |
I'd.
They set out one morning with sacks
over their shoulders and the papers hid |
den under their blouses. When they |
reached the Porte de Flandres day was
Just breaking. The large BOY took
Stenne by the band. and approaching
the sentinel,-a good old fellow, with a
RI
him in supplicatory voice: Let us
pass, bon monsieur. Our mother ls sick |
and father is dead. We are going, my |
little brother and l, to pick up potatoes
in the field" He began to cry; Stenne,
filled with shame hung his head. The
sentinel looked at them moment, and
then looked out over the road, white and
deserted.
go on quick" ne said to them, slip
ping aside, and they were on their way |
to Aubervilliers. The large boy laugh
ed.
Confused as in dream, little Stenne |
saw factories transformed into barracks, |
barbados with wet rags singing to |
them, long chimneys which pierced the
fog, and mounted toward heaven, empty |
and broken. From time to time they |
passed sentinel or officers with their |
heads muffied up, who looked out across
the fields through their lorgnettes, or
little tents that were soaked by the snow |
which was melting before the dying |
fires. The large boy knew the way, and
went across the fields to avoid the out
posts. Presently, before they could |
escape them, they came upon a guard Of
francs -tireurs. The frdncs-tire,lrs, with |
their tents, were camped in fosse by |
stream of water along the railroad to
scissors. This time the lange boy told
his story in vain. They would not let |
him pass. Then while he cried, there |
came out of the guard house into the
road an old sergeant, white and wrinkled
who looked like Pere Stenne. "aallo, |
there, brats! Don't cry" he said to the
Toys. They will let you 60 after your
potatoes. But hold on, come in and
warm yourselves bit. The Ii tie chan |
looks frozen!"
Alas, it was not from cold that little |
Stenne trembled. 1t was from fear and |
shame. Inside they found some soldiers |
around a small fire, a veritable |
widows fire, over which they tried to
thaw out some biscuits which they had |
fastened on their bayonets. They crowd
ed together to make room for the boys. |