The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-03-15
THE SIEGE OF BERLIN.
.lphonse Daudet.

ROnd Point de pEtoile the doctor paused and
pointing to one of these great corner houses so
Showily grouped around the Arc de Triomphe-
"Do you see" he said to me, those four
closed windows above the balconyf During the
FIRST three days Of the month of August-that
terrible August of the year 1870, so laden with
storms and with disasters, / was called there
Tor case of apoplectic stroke. 1t was the resi-
dence of Colonel Jouve, cuirassier of the First
Empire, an old man, his head turned with glory
and patriotism, who at the beginning of the war
had come to lodge in the Champs Elysees, in an
apartment with balcony Can you imagine
whyl In order to be present at the triumphal
return of our troops. Poor old man! The news
Of Wissembourg came to him as he was rising
from the table. AS he read the name OF Napol-
con at the foot of the bulletin of defeat lie fell
stricken
AZ found the cid curassier stretched his full
length upon the carpet of the room, his face
flushed and dull, as if from the blow of a club
upon the head Erect he must have been very
tall; PROSTATE he appeared immense. With fine
features, superb teeth, fleece of white curls,
eighty years which seemed sixty. Near him
knelt his granddaughter, all in tears. She re-
sembled him. Side by side they seemed two
beautiful Greek medallions struck from the same
die. The one, antique, earth stained, with the
contour little worn; the other, respondent and
clear with all the brilliancy and velvety lustre
Of the new impression
''rhe grief of this child touched sol
dier's daughter and grand daughter of soldier,
her father was on the staff of MacMahon, and the
image of this old man stretched before her
worked in her mind another image not less terri
gible. / treasured her best l could, but at
heart held little hope. We had case OF out
and out paralysis of one side, and at eighty
years that is not readily recovered from.
During three days, in fact, the old man re-
manned in the same state of motionless stupor
1t was at this moment that the news of Reischof
fen arrived at Paris. You recollect in what a
strange fashion. Until evening we all believed
In great victory-twenty thousand Prussians
killed: the Prince Royal prisoner
~ do not know by what miracle what mag
netic current, an echo Of this national joy
reached our poor deaf mute in the grasp of his
paralysis, but that evening on approaching his
bed, found no longer the same man The eye
was nearly clear, the tongue less heavy. He
had the strength to smile at me, and stammered
twice
"'Vic to-ryq
ayes, Colonel, great victoryp
''And as / gave him the details of the splendid
successes of MacMahon saw his features relax,
his face cleared.
when l went out the young girl was await
ing me, pale and erect, before the door She
was sobbing.
a But he is saved said to her, taking her
hands
'0The unhappy child had hardly the courage to
answer me. The true news of Reischoffen had
just been posted-MacMahon in fight the
whole army crushed. Our eyes met in conster-
nation. She was desolate thinking of her
father. 1 was trembling thinking of the old
man. Surely he would not resist this fresh
shock. But what was to be done Leave him
his Joy, the illusions which had brought him
back to life2 But then it would be necessary to
deceive him.
Very well. shall deceive him. said the he
r0ic girl quickly, wlping away her tears, and all
radiant she went back into her grandfathers
room.
at was hard task which she had taken upon
herself. For few days all went well. The old
mans head was feeble, and he let himself be
misled like child. But with returning health
his ideas became clearer. 1t was necessary to
keep him informed of the movement OF the
armies, to prepare military bulletins for him. 1t
was really pitiful to see this beautiful girl bent
night and day over her map of Germany, prick
ing out little flags forcing herself to combine a
whole glorious campaign. Razane directed
upon Berlin, Frossard in Bavaria, MacMahon
upon the Baltic. For all this she asked my ad-
vice, and | aided her as much as could, but it
was the grandfather after all who helped us
most in this imaginary invasion. He had con-
quered Germany so many times under the First
Empirel He knew in advance all the moves
Now there's where they're going. That's what
they'll DOT and his predictions We're always
UNFORTUNATELY it was in vain that we took
cities gained battles-we never went fast enough
for him. That old man was nsatiable! Each
day when arrived learned of new feat of
arms.
doctor we have taken Mayence' the young
girl would say, approaching me with heart
broken smile, and l heard through the door a
joyous voice which cried out to me- We're get
ting on! We're getting on! In eight days we
shall enter Berlinr At that moment the Prus-
SLAMS were not more than eight days from Paris.
We questioned at first whether it would not be
better to remove him to the country; but once
out of doors, the state of France would have re-
vealed ali to him, and / deemed him still too
feeble, too bewildered by his great shock to per-
NIT him to know the truth 1t was decided to
remain.
1.-THE first Gay Of the investment of the city
went up to their apartment, recollect very
much moved, with that anguish of heart which
was brought to us all by the closed gates of
Paris; the battle under the walls, our suburbs
became frontiers. l foand the good man jubi-
liant and proud:
"'Eh, bien!' he said 10 me; the siege has
commenced thenP
Il looked at him stupeied.
"'What, Colonel you know
"His granddaughter turned toward me:
"tAh! Yes, doctor, it is the great news. The
siege of Berlin has commenced
She said that plying her needle with such n
tranquil little air. How could he suspect
anythings He could not hear the cannon
of the forts This unfortunate Paris
desolate and upturned he could not see
lit What he did see from his bed was
panel of the Arc de Triomphe and in his room,
about him, complete bric-abrac of the First
Empire we'll calculated to maintain his illusions.
Portraits of marshals engravings of battles the
King of Rome in baby dress then the great stiff
side tables ornamented with copper trophies,
loaded with imperial relics with medallions,
brOnzes fragment of the rock of ST. Helena
under glass, various miniatures of the same
lady, all becurled in ball costume with . yellow
robe, mntton-leg sleeves and clear eyes, and all
this-the side tables the King of Rome, the
marshals, the yellow ladies with the high shonl-
ders and short waists of that awkward stiffness
which was the grace of lS06--it was the atmos-
phere of victories and conquests even more than
all that we could say to him.. that made the
Z. brave Colonel believe so naivey in the siege of
Berlin.
From this time we found our military opera
-.