Wichita eagle., 1888-02-25
HIS DECORATION.

playing IN the square before the sous pre-
lecture, and gazing upon his tall n1ilitar,
figure, always tightly buttoned in its frocl
coat, and then, with a contemptuous glanc
of pity upon their own husbands, more thai
one of them strangled melancholy sigh.
1t was fact certainly that II. Montonne
was handsome man. And, seeing his clos
cropped hair, the upward curve of his mus
tache, his martial port and the red ribbo,
conspicuous at his buttonhole, like a full
blown poppy, no one would ever hav
dreamed that the greater part of his exist
ence had been passed behind dry good
counter.
A dry goods counter? Heavens, yes! Fol
twenty-five years, affable and smiling, he hae
measured out without ceasing cloths, silks
merinos, cashmeres, poplins, creotonnes, reps
serges, piques, cambrics, yelvets, every pos
sible fabric, in word, even down to vulgal
calicoes. His pimble hand folded and un
folded goods, while his smile made havoc
with the hearts of his pretty customers. Il
appeared that he had inspired grand passions
tthe chronique gaiante went so far as to cite
some very aristocratic names: Be that as il
may, N. Montonnel's business had prospered
He had amassed quite little fortune, tc
which he never alluded
Not probably through modesty. But he
was not fond Of recalling his beginnings, and
he would have liked to say with NJ. Jourdain;
Il a dry goods merchant? Pure calumny.
Being naturally obEging and a judge of good
materials, used to gather a lot together
and give them to my friends for money.
That is all"
Every year since his retirement from busi-
ness he had been in the habit of taking a little
trip of two or three months with his wife,
who was languid, well preserved blonde,
somewhat addicted Gf idle gossips were to be
credited, of course to firtations here and
there.
On these occasions NJ. Montonnel abso-
lutely radated Importance. He held him
self still straighter, his mustache was waxed
into points still more menacing, his red rib
bon spread itself upon his breast till it looked
like a nosegay. Not that the worthy draper
was especially fond Of travelling Glimpses
OF beautiful sites, superb monuments, pal
aces, cathedrals, museums had but mediocre
attraction for him. His artistic tastes had
not been largely developed. But could he
not register at the hotels s'Isidore Montonnel
ex-feld officer and chevalier of the Legion of
of the Legion of Honor he undoubtedly was.
Field officer he had been-for a week.
It was in 1870. This was the way of it:
In one of the northeastern departments of
France, its name matters not, there are two
towns-Siamese twins, soldered together by
bridge thrown across a field. Call them X
and Y, if you please. The former clean,
open, orderly-somewhat like Nancy. The
latter fortified, poorly built and located, its
tortuous streets encircled in ram
parts erected by Vauban.
Needless to say that the inhabitants of x
detest the inhabitants of Y, and that the in
habitants of Y have for those of x most
inveterate hatred, which every day trans
lates itself in ferocious combats between the
small boys Of both towns
At the approach of the Prussians there was
a general reconciliation. Hatred, discord,
enmity were put aside. Only few recalci-
trants among the civilian artillerymen Of Y
took malicious pleasure in recalling the
siege of 1915, during which the unprotected
X, where Blucher's soldiers, had fortified
had been pitilessly bombarded by
the cannon of the citadel
But suddenly X began to erect barricades,
do CuouSh III CApSSLt1ClOll VI a utS pei duo IT,
sistance. The national guard was rapidly
and NJ. Montonnel as the hand
some man that he was, was elected comman-
der unanimously.
Unfortunately, being without arms, the
new national guard remained perforce mac
tive and heaven only knows the jokes that
were banded in the neighboring town.
Those civilian artillerymen who came be-
tween maneuvers to the ramparts to see
their colleagues def1ling along the square be-
fore the mayoralty took their full content Of
the situation.
This was humiliatirg. The state of affairs
was becoming intolerable Consequently M.
Montonnel, SO soon as his tailor had brought
him his uniform with its four chevrons,
called his captains together, and before the
had disbanded repaired process
sionally to the headquarters of the general
n-chief of Y. Once there, the new COM
mander, who had grown a foot taller with
those chevrons on his sleeve, those silver but
tons, that red collar, gave voice to the desire
with which his men were fired-the desire of
lying for their country.
''All were ready" he said, "anxious to
march against the Prussians at the first
alarm. But what could they do without
arms! Could one ask those fine fellows to
Expose themselves to the enemy's fire with
,ew old guns, few rusty pistols, few anti
luated swordss 1t would be piece of folly
"a needless sacrifice. Therefore they begged
he military authorities to provide them with
lrms and ammunition. Once equipped, no
oldiers would be found more devoted, more |
in the defense of the city
NJ. Montonnel was eloquent; his attendant |
'fticers tacitly agreed; Lieut.. Gallibert, a |
wholesale wine merchant, who stood there |
With teeth clenched and savage eyes, even |
ried "Bravo!" Notwithstanding, the general |
was slow to give what was de- |
handed of him, knowing probably how far /
he national guard of X was to be depended |
N. Those old troopers, they're all the same,
'ou understand, always seeking an opportu-
lity to snub civilians from the height of |
heir own grandeur.
Well after much parleying, during which |
/ Montonnel made use of all those gifts of |
which had subServed him in the
ays when he extolled his dry goods, the
elegation crossed the bridge, with some hun
red percussion guns and a couple of small
owitzers, drawn by some of the guards on a
andcart
Those howitzers," said NJ MontonneI that
anne evening" haranguing the crowd from
he mayoralty balcony, "those howitzers are
be emblem of our imperiled country. Like
somans, we would shed for them the last
rop of our blood"
The phrase obtained enormous success. The
Ak collector, who was of skeptical and
la!evolent turn of mind, remarked with some
midity that the connection between the
owitzers and the ancient Romans was per-
aps not very apparent But this observa-
ion, evidently inspired by jealousy, was lost
i the universal enthusiasm And all these
ood people who at the bottom of their souls
AIRED only for one thing-to save their DOS