, 1886-09-17

room for the children, and gave them a
little coffee and a dropof brandy. While
they were drinking an officer called out
to the sergeant from the door. said anew
words to him and hurried off. b.
The sergeant returned in high gee
"Boys!" he said, "grog all rounn To-
night; we have got the password oil the
Prussians, and this time l Ill we'll
take the Bourget away from them"
There was a burst Of applause, and the
men began to dance and to sing, while
some of them polished up their bayonets.
Taking advantage of this confusion, the
children escaped.
Beyond the trench they struck the plain,
ut the end of which doomed up a long
white wall, broken by loopholes. They
made straight for the wall, stopping at
every step to look, as though they were
picking up potatoes. Let us go home
don't let us go on young Stenne kept
saying. The other merely shrugged his
shoulders and kept on advancing. Sud
denly they heard the clicking OF a gun
being cooked.
Lie down. cried the elder, throwing
himself on the ground.
~ III a. lIl iO ~ dlAa Ill
other whistle answered over the snow.
They advanced, slowly creeping on all
tours. On n level with the ground, and
Just before the wall, a yellow ,mustache
appeared under a greasy cap. The big
boy jumped into the ditch by the side of
the Prussians.
THAT is my BROTHER he said, pointing
to his companion.
The boy Stenne was so small that the
Prussian began 10 laugh as he looked at
him, and seized him in his arms to lift
him up to the Freak IN the wall, On tne
other side of which rose heavy earthern
embankments, cut tree trunks and black
holes in the snow, in each of which you
Just saw the same greasy cap, and the
same yellow mustache that laughed as
the boys passed.
In one corner stood the gardeners
house, with tree trunks for easements.
The lower floor was full of soldiers play
ing cards, while some were cooking a
stew over a large fire. 1t smelt SO good
of cabbage and lard; what a difference
between that and the sharpshooters'
camp? Upstairs the officers were play
ing the piano and un%corking campagne,
and gave a joyful cheer as the boys ell
tered. They gave their papers and the
men began to give them wine and to
make them talk. Most of the officers
looked like proud. fierce men, but the big
fellows slang and his caddish, monkey
ish manner seemed to amuse them
vastly. They laughingly repeated the
words after him, taking a curious de-
light in wallowing in the mud which he
brough them from Paris.
Young Stenne would have liked to say
something, too, so as TO show them that
he was no fool either; but something en-
barrassed him. A little TO one side, and
facing him, sat a Prussian older than the
rest, and more serious looking. lie was
reading, or pretending to read, for he
never took his eyes off the boy, and there
was something of tenderness and some
thing of reproach in his look, as though
he was thinking of his own son, lust
about Stenne's age, and was saving TO
himself;
Il had rather die thar have my boy dc
such a thing
And young Stenne felt as though a
hand was placed upon his heart and kept
it from beating. To prevent this feeling
he began to drink, until soon everything
around him was turning round. He
could hear indistinctly how his comrade
was laughing at the national guard and
at their awkward drill, much to the
amusement of the listeners, or how he imi-
tated a false alarm, tine turning u at
night and the rush for ramparts. After
awhile the big fellow lowered his voice,
and the faces of the officers grew more
serious as they drew nearer. The wretch
was warning them against the attack OF
the s~harpshooters. Tins time young
Stenne could not stand 1t, II suddenly
sooered he cried out, Il won't have that
now; none OF that.
But the big fellow only laughed and
went on; before he was through all the
officers had drawn around him. One
oil them pointing to the door said to the
boys;
Get out oil herel
And they began to talk among them
selves very quickly in German. The
bigger boy stalked out proud rs n king,
and rafting his money. Stenne passed,
hanging his head, and as he passed the
Prusslan whose gaze had embarrassed
him so, he heard him say in a sad tone
of voice: "A pact top; a pact top, this,
and it brought the tears to his eyes.
Once out IN the PLAIN the boys began
to run quickly towards home. Their
bag was full Of potatoes, which the
Prussians had given them, and so they
passed the sharrshooters trench without
a hitch. Here they were getting ready
for the night attack Troops kept coming
IN silently and forming behind the
walls The Old sergeant was there, o