Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1885-02-06
"GRANDMERE JEANNETON."
How Her Sorrow Was Mitigated
BY tho photographer Art.


By tho Photographers Art.
! was smoking my after-dnner cigar
and reading Figaro on the esplanade in
Siasbourg. when | was accosted by an
old woman who inquired in French for
the nearest photographer. She wore
the common dress of the Alsatian peas
ant. and her dusty shoes indicated
long foot journey, bnt under her linen
hcad-drcss fell her white hair round a
face that. sunburnt and wrinklcd and
wearing traces of recent tears, vet was
40 beautiful in its expression of tender
goodness and touching resignation not
unmixed with a certain pride, that l
involuntarily addressed her as Grand
mere" and forgetting that l had
promised friend to await his arrival,
Offered to guide her to her destination.
On the road she told me her simple
story. She was a widow, and lived
prior to the French-German war with
her married son in a village, fifty miles
from Strasboury. They were wcll-to-
do peasants before the enemy invaded
their little village; but one morning
they woke to find the PruSsisns en-
rampcd in their fields and making
themselves perfectly at home. More
troops arrived the next day and the fol-
lowing. until the quiet village was Il big
camp. where the enemy heaped up the
stores needed for the siege of Stras-
bourg.
One dark night the camp was alarmed
and n magazine containing among other
stores considerable quantity of pow
der was found on fire, and there was
no doubt that it was the work of the
inhabitants. Accordingly the next
morning six of the most prominent or
most patriotic of the inhabitants were
brought before the Prussian COM
mandcr, and after a short examination
that proved nothing, without further
trial. shot in the square in front of the
village church. The widows son was
one of the six victims, and his wife,
who became frantic with grief over his
death. was the next morning found life
less on his grave, thus leaving herinfant
son TO the sole care of his grand mother
The old woman now centered all her
hope and all her affection in the little
boy, and rs he grew up she was fully
repaid. for he loved his grandmother
with an intensity often found IN chill
drep who die young-a love that was
alone equaled by his veneration of his
dead parents, his alteration of ''la belle
France" and his hate of the Pru ians,
for the old woman. who loved her
beautiful country dearly, and never
forgot that her husband fell fighting for
il at "SolferinO," and that her son was
killed by its enemies, instilled, perhaps
unconsciously. both feelings in his
young breast.
One day. when the boy was ten years
old. n Prussian official who inspected
the village school was struck with his
beauty and serious air, and addressed
question to him in German respecting
his parents. 1.-The Prussians killed
them" answered the boy in French.
The official colored, and in rebuking
tone asked the boy why he didn't speak
German. because it is the language
Of my country's enemies" answered
the boy fearlessly.
The official ordered him in arrest,
and he was shut up in a chamber above
the school-room. where he remained
until night, when he bol&pv lcaped from
the window to the groLnd and, as he
fell In "A thick copse. escaped unhurt.
The boy now fairly flew to his grand
mothers house. but as he was afraid of
being seen and brought back to the
school il he followed the road, he
crossed the fields behind the village.
II was in the harvest and the grapes
were ripe. so old Martin, the owner of
the choicest grapes in the village, kept
watch with loaded shotgun over his
precious treasures. Softly he walks
over the field behind the wine-press,
when he hears something force its way
through the grapevines. He stops and
cocks his piece. He will now catch
} the thief who robs him of his biggest
grapes. The moon is behind the
clouds, but he sees the outline of per-
son running fast through the vines.
"Ilaltr' he commands but the person
never hccds him. He raises his gun
a fash-a scrcam-a fall of a body
among the grapes, and when the old
man arrives on the spot, he finds in
stead Of the supposed grape tn ef a
. little curly-haired boy whose life is fast
cbbing away with the blood that flows
out and mixes with the crushed grapes;
his black eyes are already fixed and
CLASSY. and il is with IA faltering voice
he whispers: Give my love to grand
mother and tell hcr-father! mother!
I am coming''-his hands grasp the
/ vines tighter, he raises himself to a sit
ting posture. the moon coming from
behind tho clouds shines on the wine
leaves in his curly hair, cry rises in
his throat "Vive la belle Francer
, SINKS back. his eyes closed. and the
= orphan boy is gone"
And 10 was meme alone-who
murdered him" complained the grand
/ mother when she concluded her tale.
Her eyes were dry, but the muscles
round the corners of her mouth worked
convulsively and there was a great sob
I In her throat. 1T was all my fault,
the result of my unforgiveness; holy
= Mary have mercy" and the old
] woman run the black beads of heI
! rosary through her fingers, murmurine
her prayers.
We arrived shortly after at our desti.
nation. the atelier of French photo.
grapher. with whom l was slightly
acquainted. introduced my compan.
ION to him, and he, offering her a seat
: addressed some question to her about
: her picture. She looked at him with
wonder, and finally replied that she
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