The Delaware ledger. (Newark, Del.) 1879-19??, 1886-04-24
A PEACEABLE WARRIOR.

men. He was fat and not fond Of walk
ing, and he suffered dreadfully with his
feet, which were flat and heavy. He
was peaceable, kindly soul, with
nothing valiant or warliSe about him.
lie missed tho four little ones at home
chat he dotted on, and he longcd desper-
ately for his fair young wife, with her
tender, caressing ways and her kisses.
He liked to get up late and go to bed
early; to eat and drink well, without be-
ing hurried; and now death might carry
him off at any moment from all good
things of this world How he hated all
the cannons, and rifles, and revolvers,
and swords, with deadly, unreasonable,
and, at the same time, well-founded
hatred. The bayonets in particular were
his special aversion, for he felt that he
should never be agile enough to protect
his fat body from those weapons.
At the beginning Of every battle his
legs used to weaken under him. and he
would certainly have fallen if he had
not remembered that the whole army
would have TO pass over his body His
very hair stood ON end at the whistling
Of the balls. For months he had been
living in fear and anguish.
His regiment was marching toward
Normandy. One day he was sent out
accommodating with a small detachment,
with orders to explore part of the coun-
try and then fall back. Tho country
seemed quiet; there were no signs of any
defensive preparations. The Prussians
wers marching quietly down into a val
ley cut up into deep ravines, when they
were suddenly brought to a standstill by
a brisk fire of musketry. Twenty Of
their men fell, and squad of francs
tireurs rushed out of little wood and
charged with their bayonets.
For moment Walter Schnaffs stood
motionless, too surprised and terrified to
think Of flight. The next moment he was
wild to turn and run; but, unfortunately,
he could only run like snail compared
to those lean Frenclmen, who came
bounding along like a herd of goats.
About six feet in front Of him there was
wide ditch filled with brush-wood and
dead leaves. He Jumped straight into it,
without thinking Of its depth, as you
might jump off bridge into river. He
shot like an arrow through a thick
hedge of thorns and briars that tore his
face and hands, and fell heavily, sitting
on bed of stones.
Looking up, he could see the sky
through the hole he had made. That
treacherous hole might betray him, SO he
began to crawl cautiously on his hands
and knees along the bottom of the ditch,
under the entwined branches, scrambled
away as fast as he could from the scene
of combat. Then he stopped and sal
down again, crouching like a hare in the
long, dry grass. For some time he could
still hear shots, and groans, and shouts
But the struggle gradually died away
and ceased. All became calm and quiet
again.
The night fell, filing the ravine with
darkness. The soldier grew thoughtful
What was he TO do? What would become
of him? Should he rejoin the army? Blu
how and where? And he would have t.
go back to a life of fear, and anguish
and fatigue and suffering, that he haC
been leading ever since the beginning O
the war. No, he really had not the cour
age to do It'll He should never be able t,
bear the long marches and brave the per
petual dangers.
All at once he thought: Surprising
was to be taken prisoner!n And viii,
longing came into his heart to be takel
prisoner by the French. Prisoner! l
would be the saving of him; he would b
fed and housed, sheltered from all dan
ger of swords and bullets, safe in a good
well-guarded prison. A prisoner Oh
what dream of bliss And he mad
up his mind at once: 81 shall delive
myself up as prisoner"
He stood up, determined to put hi
plan into execution without losing
moment. But as soon as he was on hi
feet whole crowd Of unpleasant reflec
tians and new terrors assailed him
Where and how was he to give himsel
up as a prisoner? All sorts of awfu
pictures-pictures of doatli-passed be
fore his mind. He would certainly lu
the most fearful risks if he ventured Oh
into the open country with his pointe
helmet. He might meet a band of labor
ers. Laborers who, as soon as they spiel
a lost Prussian-a defenseless Prussan-
would certainly kill him like mad dog
massacre him with their pitchforks, an
spades, and scythes and shovels! The
would mash him TO a jelly, they woul
make lnince-meat of him, with all tn
brutality of an exasperated, vanquishe
Seople.
Or surprising he came upon tn
fancs-tireurs? Oh, those francs-tireurs
A set of madmen without law or di.
cipline who would be ready to shoot hil
down for fun, to while away an houl
and laugh at the figure he would cut
And he pictured himself standing wit
his back against a wall, with the muzzle
of dozen guns pointed at him-he coul
really almost see the little round blac
holes watching him.
Or he might even meet the whole {
the French army itself. The advanc
guard would certainly take him for
spy-for a cunning and intrepid scou
who had come out by himself to recor
noitre-and they would fire at him. II
fancied himself standing in the middl
of a field, he could hear the irregula
shots of the soldiers crouching in tn
brushwood, and felt the bullets enterin
his flesh, as he fell riddled like a siey
with shot He sat down again in despair
He could see no way out of his dillicu
ties.
1t was quite dark by this time. I'll
night had fallen dumb and black. II
sat quite still, trembling at every sligl
unknown sound that reached lis ear
the darkness. A rabbit, squirting dow
on the edge Of his burrow, almost pl
Walter Schnaffs to flight. The owl
screeching tore his very soul with sudde
frights that We're as painful as wound
He opened his google eyes to their wide
extent. and peered into. the darkness
and every moment he fancied he heal
footsteps near him.
After suffering all the fortunes Of Il
damned for interminable hours, he sa
the sky beginning to Tighten through Il