The Portland daily press., 1886-07-02
AFAMILY bonn RSHELL.
And how it's Explosion United
Two SoreIy Tried Lovers.
Translated from the French.

have been recently reminded of an cpl
sode of the siege of Paris, which, f1atter
myself, reflects no small credit on me. But
be not alarmed. l shall not lead you among
the shot and shell Of the ramparts, nor the
dangers of the outposts The incident l
speak of took place in a quiet street, in the
house of my old friend Durand, a wealthy
manufacturer of chemicals, the husband of
an estimable lady, the father of a charming
girl, a good patriot, and though perhaps
little hot-headed in his politics, on the whole
one of the best men in the world
Although surprised by the investment of
Paris, Nine. Durand, always a provident
woman, had locked to the condition of her
larder. and she had laid in such stock of
provisions SllaU, mad the siege lasted three
months longer than it did, the Durands
would never have known hunger. Along in
October her wisdom became apparent, and /
added my blessings ON her forethought to
those of the family, for cover was always
laid for me at her table; and who, during
those times of privation, would not be en-
raptured at sight of a golden omelet or some
genuine gruyere?
Twas not the only guest at this hospitable
table, for my next neighbor at table was
Victor Lamont, the head clerk of the chemi-
cal works. He was an excellent young fell
low, dark and slender, somewhat retiring,
and apparently very much in love with his
employers daughter. Gertrude, who seemed
not insensible to his attentions. Though
not a word had been spoken on the subject,
the union Of the young couple was tacitly
accepted by ALL
Unfortunately, the war prevented its ac-
complishment. Victor was a corporal in the
Paris militia and performed his duties with
the same conscientious care he exercised in
all things; but he was not enthusiastic in
anything except in consigning to the devil
this eternal siege which had come between
him and his happiness. And his criticisms
on the conductor of the operations we're
perhaps excusabIy-somewha bitter
The presence of a new guest tended to
complicate matters still more. was sur
prised one evening to find my place at Nine.
Durand's right hand occupied by stranger,
a swash-buckling individual with bull
neck and very red face. He wore captains
epaulets his uniform looked as if he might
have found it in the property room of some
theatre his enormous boots were mid-leg
high, and altogether it was easy to see that
he posed as hero.
an NORM" said Durand, in introducing
us, captain of the Montmartre Zouayes of
Death"
The captain curled his moustache and
scowled a salute.
''The war; he said, chad led him to Paris,
whose safety required his presence" As to
his exploits in the suburbs at the head of
his ''Zouaves of Death" they passed all be-
lief. "The enemy could do nothing! With
my five thousand wolves at my back made
a BREACH" etc., ETC.
Nine. Durand listened to this rhodomon-
tade with complaisance, Durand with uDdis-
guised admiration. AS to the poor militia
man, Victor, his existence seemed totally
erased in the presence of this great bus
terer
invented pretext to leave Immediately
after the coffee, for was oppressed by the
Dragging of the leather-lunged Gascon,
whom l hoped never to see again. But in
vain, for on the following Sunday found
him in the same place, again on Friday, and
finally cover was placed for him every
evening. The entire Durand family seemed
fascinated by him. NORM had captured
Nine. Durand by his joviality, and papa Du-
rand by the interest he seemed to take in the
military operations conducted in lie Temps
Victor lost more ground at every dinner.
The discredit into which he had fallen be-
came plainly apparent after the bloody fight
at LIE Bourget, where the poor lad had done
his duty nobly and received a painful wound
in the forearm. He narrated the whole af-
fair to us, the retreat and the sad ending Of
that heroic combat, with so lamentable an
air of Encouragement that the captain began
to treat him as if he were deserter and
coward. With what noble indignation he
demonstrated that if the ''Zouaves of Death"
had been there things would have been very
different. Thereupon, warming to the sub
ject, he sketched out for us plan for sor-
tie by the passage of the Disc, march to
Rouen, and a final triumphant arrival at
Havre, so clearly and wildly that he aroused
Durand to great enthusiasm. And all this
time poor Inundated Victor was suffering
from his still bleeding wound.
The next day Victor had a fever and kept
his bed and for some weeks he did not ap-
pear at the table. The captain, meanwhile,
energetically established 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
ewes were very red, and that some skirmish
had taken place between her and her moth
or. who seemed more taken up with Norm
than ever. | saw that it was time to inter-
L.. In, tho intnrnet of these moor children