The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1885-05-05

ton. She was desolate thinking Of heI
father I 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 iife2 But then it would be neces-
sary to deceive him.
livery well, / shall deceive him.
said the heroic girl quickly, wiping
away her tears, and all radiant she
went back into her grandfather room.
lit was a 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 mlsled like
q child. But with returning health his
ideas became clearer. 1t was necessary
to keep him informed of the move
ment 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.
Bazaine directed upon Berlin, Frossard
in Bavaria, MacMahon upon the Bal
tic. For all this she asked my advice,
and aided her as much as could, but
it was the grandfather after all who
helped us most in this imaginary inva-
sion, He had conquered Germany so
MANY times under the First Empire
He knew in advance all the moves.
Now, there's where they're going.
That what they'll dor and his pre-
dictions were always realized, which
gave him no little pride.
unfortunately, it was in vain that
we took cities, gained battles-we
never went fast enough for him. That
old man was Unsuitable. Each day
when | arrived learned of a new feat
Of arms.
doctor, we have taken Mayence.'
the young girl would say, approaching
me with a heart-broken smile, and
heard through the door a JOYOUS voice
which cried out to me, We're getting
on We're getting on! In eight days
we shall enter Berlinr At that mo-
ment the Prussians 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
OnCt OltJ uOOlS llC SAeltC VI
would have revealed all to him, and ]
deemed him still too feeble, too bewil-
dered by his great shock, to permit
him to know the truth. 1t was decided
to remain.
1.-The first day of the investment OF
the city went up to their apartment.
/ recollect, very much moved with an
guish of heart which was brought to Us
all by the closed gates of Paris; the
battle under the walls, our suburbs be-
came frontiers. / found the good man
iubilant and proud.
"'Eh, bienr he said to me, the siege
has commenced, then
Il looked at him stupefied.
"'What, Colonel, you knowH
Ibis granddaughter turned toward
".AhI Yes, doctor, it is the great
news. The siege of Berlin has COM
menced.'
"She said that plying her needle with
such a tranquil little air. How could
he suspect anything! He could not
hear the cannon of the forts. This un-
fortunate Paris, desoiate and upturned,
he could not see it, What he did see
from his bed was panel of the Arc de
Triomphe, and in his room, about him,
a complete bric-a-brac of the First
Empire well calculated to maintain his
illusions. Portraits of Marshals, en-
cravings of battles, the King of Rome
in baby dress; then the great, stiff side
tables ornamented with copper tro-
phies, loaded with imperial relics, with
medallions, bronzes, a fragment of the
rock of st. Helena under glass, var
ious miniatures of the same lady, all
becurled in ball costume, with a yellow
robe, mutton-leg sleeves and clear eyes;
and all this-the side tables, the King
of Rome, the yellow ladies with the
high shoulders and short waists, of
that awkward stiffness which was the
grace of 1606-it was this atmosphere
of victories and conquests, even more
than all that we could say to him. that
made the Colonel believe SO naively in
the siege of Berlin.
From this time we found our mill.
tsry operations much simplified. TAX
ing Berlin was now only a matter OF
patience. From time to time when the
old man worried too much a letter
from his son would be read to him-an
imaginary letter. of course, as nothing
now entered Paris, and as since Sedan,
the aid-de-camp of MacMahon had
been sent to fortress in Germany.
You can imagine the despair of that
poor child, without news of her father.
knowing him to be a prisoner, de-
prived of everything, sick perhaps, and
herself obliged to make him speak in
JOYOUS letters, a little short, as a sol
der on the field would write, always
advancing into the conquered country.
Sometimes strength failed her; weeks
would pass without news. But the old
man grew restless and no longer slept.
Then there quickly arrived letter
from Germany, which she came and
L. L