Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1886-10-15

anQ received a pd1nlul wound IN tho
forearm. He narrated the whole az
fair to Us, the retreat and the sad end
ling OF that heroic combat, with 80
1amentable an nir5of disbursement
that the captain began to treat him
rs ii he were q deserter and coward.
With what noble Indignation he DEM
onstrated that II the '.Zouaves 81
Death" had been there things would
have been very different. There
upon, warming to the subject, he
skotched out for us q plan for q sortio
by the passage Of the Disc, march to
Rouen and final triumphant arrival
at Havre 50 clearly and wildly that
he aroused Durand to great enthu.
siasm. And oil this time, poor humili-
ated Victor was suffering from. his
still bleeding wound. ~: I. !.
The next day Victor had q fever
and kept his bed, and for some weeks
he did not appear at the table. The
Captain, meanwhile. theoretically
estab llshed his pretensions to the
hand of Gertrude. The evening that
Victor reappeared among us, weak
and paler than ever, it seemed to me
that Gertrude's eyes were very red
and that some skirmish had taken
place between her and her mother,
who seemed mors taken up with
NORM than ever. l saw that it was
time to- interfere in the interest OF
these poor children. 1t was the last
day OF the year, and as we were talk
ing OF the new year We decided to cele.
brate the anniversary together.
"Egad. Mime. Durand, SAID the Cap
tain, II have surprise for your New
Years present"
This put an idea ir my head.
On New Years Day Durand received
US, radiant with open arms. The
strategical editor of LIE Temps had
just struck q terrible blow at Prince
Charles in the neighborhood of Ev-
reaux. Durand offered US this good
news for our New Years present. Vic
tor brought a hare which he had
trapped beyond the Notifications. As
to the Captain, he presented Nine.
Durand with a bag of marrons glaces
in the Uhlan's helmet. .
MADAME" said he, magnifcently,
II am sorry I did not bring it in the
head of its owner" ~.
"What" cried Mime. Dur and, almost
speechless with emotion, did you kill
him?" e.
"Ay, to get this bonbon box, mad
ame-a performance which, I make
bold to say, would not have been at
tempted by many men,"
l will pass over the recital of this
adventure, of which you may be sure
our Bombastes did not spare us the
smallest detail. Crouched down be-
hind q cask, he had watched for, sur
prised, and knocked down the wearer
OF the cap, solitary sentinel, and
had strangled him, in order not to
arouse the attention of the enemy by
using his revolver. What q poor show.
ing the hare, strangled, too, made be-
side this glorious triumph!
-"Well," said I, II would not think
of rivaling such hero as the captain;
but l also have my little surprise.
But it has not yet arrived, and Hope
you will dine without waiting for it,"
We sat down to table. and very
pleasant dinner it was. We had just
reached the coffee, when a servant in
formed us that an artilleryman had
just deposited mypresent in the draw
ingroom. Repairing thither, we found
the object on the table, wrapped in
bright-colored paper and tied up with
gay ribbons.
"What in the world can it be?" ask
ed Nine. Durand.
Don't try to guess, my dear mad
anne; it is 81 bombshell."
"A bombshell?"
"Durand has often expressed to me
g. desire to possess 8 bOmbshell, one
that has seen SERVICE and at my re-
quest my friend Roland, commandant
OF a battery, has sent me this. 1t is
from the AvrNp plateau, where it fell,
but failed to explode"
As spoke, united the blue ribbon,
took off the paper, and the bombshell
appeared, black, sinister, and menac-
ing.
"My dear fellow" said Durand, II
am delighted. l shall hang it up in
my study"
"But," objected Nine. Durand, 'sif
it has not gone of"
."Oh, have no fear. 1t was under
stood that Roland would only send
1t to me empty and harmless. How
ever, there is a letter accompanying
it,
Iopened the letter, and was about
to read it aloud, but at the first line
my face began to express surprise, then
anxiety, when every one cried:
"What's the matter?"
"Great heavens!-I have--listen,"
and read:
DEAR FR1END:-Here is the bombshell
you desired. But / have been unable to
find ON artillery.man who knows how to
unload it. Send it to the armorer in tho
Passage de rOpera who will fix it for you
perfectly. But warn you to take great
precautions; not the least shock, not the
faintest friction, for il you strike it with
even q sheet OF paper it will explode.
3 Yours, as ever, ROLAND.
\ / was interrupted by cries OF fright.
4"Oh, take it away" cried Nine. Du-
rand. ooh, this is terrible! A bomb
shell in my housed" .s
For heavens sake" said I, raising
my hand warningly, *be calm! Do
not be frightened; the artilleryman
who brought it shall take it away"
Il. But, sir" said the servant, who
stood trembling in the door, "the ar
tilleryman has gone."
Then, " said l, lit is I who must"
!, II forbid your cried Durand. You
are not strong enough carry it. You
would let it fall on the way-perhaps
on the stairs, or even in this room"
J Mime. Durand threw herself on me,
crying: No, no, not you. It is too
dangerous. Not you
''rhis," said Durand, "is work for a
strong soldier. Happily the Captain
in here" ~ 1s-.a I. ;=.s..s. , : e.
''I?" said the Captain uneasily.
yAase..Y es; you are as strong as 8 bull,