Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1885-01-24
" Grandmer6 JannGtOn. "


Detroit Free Press.
was smoking my after-dinner cigar
and reading Figaro on the esplanade at
Strasbourg when 1 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 a long
foot journey, but under her linen head
dress fell her white hair round a face
that sunburnt and Wrinkled and wear
ing traces of recent tears, yet was so
beautiful in. its expression of tender
goodness and touching resignation, not
uRmiXed with a certain pride, that 1 in
voluntarily addressed her as Grand
mere" and forgetting that had prom
ised a friend to await his arrival, offered
70 guide her to her destination.
On the road she told me her simple
story, She was a widow, and lived prior
to the FrancO-German war with her
married son in a village, fifty miles from
StrasbOurg. They We're Well-tO-dO peas
ants before the enemy invaded their lit
tie village; but one morning they woke
TO find the enemy encamped IN their
fields and making themselves perfectly
at home. More troops arrived the next
day and the following, until the quiet
village was a big camp, where the enemy
heaped up the stores needed for the
siege of StrasbOurg.
One dark night the camp was alarmed
and a magazine containing among other
stores q considerable quantity of powder
was found on fire, and there was no
doubt that it was the work of thei nhabi-
tants. Accordingly the next morning
six of the most prominent or most
patriotic Of the inhabitants were brought
before the Prussian commander, and
after q 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 vic
Tins, and his wife, who became frantic
with grief over his death, was the next
morning found lfeless on his grave thus
leaving her infant son to the sole care of
his grandmother.
The old woman now centered all her
hope and all her affection in the little
boy, and as he grew up she was fully re-
paid, for he loved his grandmother with.
an intensity often found in children who
die yOung-a love that was alone equaled
by his VeneratiOn of his dead parents,
his alteration of ola belle France" and
his hate of the Prussians, for the old
woman, who loved her beautiful country
dearly, and never forgot that her hus-
band fell fighting for it at "SOlferino,"
and that her son was killed by its
enemies, instilled, perhaps unconscious /
ly both feelings in his young breast.
One day, when the boy was ten years
y
village school, was struck with his beau
ty and serious air, and addressed a ques-
ton to HIM In German respecting his
parents. 1.-THE PruSsians killed them"
answered the boy in French. The official
cOlored, and in a rebuking tone asked
the boy why he didn't speak German.
Because it is the language of my cOun-
try's enemies" answered the boy fear
lessly.
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 boldly leaped from the
window to the ground, and as he fell in
8 thick copse, escaped unhurt. The boy
row fairly flew to his grandmother's
house, but as he was afraid Of being seen
and brought back to the school if he fol-
lowed the road, he crossed the fields be
hind the village.
It was in the harvest and the grapes
were ripe, so old Martin, the owner of
the choicest grapes In the village, kept
watch with a 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 I
piece. be viii now catch the thief who ]
robs him of his biggest grapes. The moon |
is behind the clouds, but he sees the out /
line Of a person running fast through the /
vines. "Halt {" he commands-but the /
person never needs him. He raises his /
gun-a aash-a scream-a fall Of q body /
among the grapes, and when the old man /
arrives on the spot, he finds instead of !
the supposed grape thief a little curly /
haired boy whose life was fast ebbing /
away with the blood that flows out and /
mixes with the crushed grapes; his black /
ewes are already fixed and CLASSY, and it |
rs with a faltering voice he whispers: !