Daily Yellowstone journal., 1886-08-13

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oayonets. They moved up close to make
Dom for the children, and gave them
little coffee and dropof brandy. While
hey were drinking an officer called out
% the sergeant from the door, said few
words TO him and hurried off.
The sergeant returned i'll high glee.
'Boys!" he said, "grog all round to-
night; we have got the password of the
, Prussians, and this time l think we'll
AXE the Bourget away from them"
There was 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,
At the end of which loomed up long
white wall, broken by loopholes. They
made straight for the wall, stopping at
avery 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 gun
oeing cooked.
"Lie down!" cried the elder, throwing
himself on the ground.
As he lay there he whStled-and an
other whistle answered over the snow.
They advanced, slowly creeping on all
tours. On level with the ground, and
just before the wall, yellow mustache
appeared under a greasy cap. The big
boy jumped into the ditch by the side OF
the Prussans.
"That is my brother" he said, pointing
to his companion.
! The boy Stenne was SO small that the
Prussian began to laugh as he looked at
him, and seized him in his arms to lift
him up to the break in the wall on the
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 difference
between that and the sharpshooters'
amp? Upstairs the officers were play
ing the piano and uncorking campagne,
and gave joyful cheer as the boys en-
tered. They gave Nheir 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 manners seemed to amuse them
vastly. They laughingly repeated the
words after him, taking 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 Prussian older than the
rest, and more serious looking. He 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, just
about Stenne's age, and was saying to
himself:
Il had rather die than have my boy dc
such 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 false alarm, the turning out 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 sharpshooters. This time young
Stenne could not stand it, and suddenly
sobered 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
of them pointing to the door said to the
boys:
Get out of here!'
And they began to talk among them
selves very quickly in German. The
bigger boy stallxed out proud as a king,
and rattling his money. Stenne passed,
hanging his head, and as he passed the
Prussian whose gaze had embarrassed
him so, he heard him say in sad tone
of voice: "A pact tjop; 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 sharpshooters trench without
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, look
ing happy and busily placing his men.
He noticed the children as they passed,
and smiled at them kindly, How that
smile hurt young Stenne! He was on
the point of calling out to them:
Don't go there! We have betrayed
you!"
But his companion had warned him;
"If you peach we shall be shot" and SC
fear kept him from saying anything.
At Courneuve they entered an aban.
doned house to divide up the money, and
truth ohligss me to own that the division
was fair one, and that when young
Sfpnna hnnrd tho crouns iinplinr, in his