The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1888-12-01

could; but it was her grandfather,
above all, who aided us most in max
ing this imaginary invasion. He had
taken part in so many conquests in
Germany under the First Empirci He
know ali tho routes. That, he would
say, is the way they will go; there is
where they will fight His predictions
were always fulfilled. Thus nothing
was left undone that might help to
keep up his spirits.
Unfortunately, we had to capture
cities and wage battles. We were
never expeditions enough for him. He
was Unsuitable Each day, on arriving
at the house, | heard news from the
seat of war
Doctor, we have taken Metz, the
young girl would say, as she received
me with sad smile, and, opening the
door Of her grandfather's room, |
would hear a joyous voice crying:
ssWe are advancingl Still advanc-
ingl In eight days we shall enter
Berlin.
At that time the Prussians were
only eight days march from Paris.
1--WE considered whether it would
not be better to take him into the coun-
try, but, on going abroad, the true
condition of France would be made
known to him, and | saw that he was
altogether too feeble to endure the suf
fering which a knowledge of the truth
would entail. It was decided, there
fore, that he should remain where he
was
'sAh! remember well how. on the
first day of the siege, / ascended the
stairs leading to Col. Jouve's apart
ment. [ felt that anguish of heart
which we all experienced when the
gates of Paris were closed, when the
war was brought under our very walls
and the outskirts of the city were made
our frontiers. I found the old man
jubilant
Well he said to me, the siege
has been begunr
II looked at him in stupefaction,
and at last said:
How, colonel, you know
His granddaughter eurned quickly
toward me.
ssWhy, yes, doctor; that is the
great news. The siege of Berlin has
been begun.
'tShe said this in a quiet manner as
she piled her needle.
ssHow could the colonel doubt this
news? He could not hear the reports
of the cannon at the forts. He could
not see the gloomy and agitated city.
All of it that met his eye, on the bed
on which he lay, was bit of the Arc
de Triomphe. In his chamber the br1c-
a-brac. which had come down from the
First Empire, helped to maintain his
! illusions. There were portraits of the
marshals, engravings of battles, the
king of Rome-he had his baby dress;
and then there were the large stiff
consoles, covered with imperial relics,
| with medallions, bronzes, rock from
! st. Helena, under a glass globe; a
miniature representing lady, with
closely curling hair, in ball dress,
and another representing the same
| dame in yellow robe, with leg OF
mutton sleeves, a high girdie and all
the inflexible stiffness which was grace
in 1906. All, gallant colonell 1t was
this atmosphere of victory and con
| quest far more than what we were able
to tell him which made him believe SC
naiyely in the siege of Berlin.
From this time our military opera
tions were more simple. To take Ber
lin required patience. From time te
time, when the old man became toe
uneasy, a letter from his son would be
read to him, an imaginary letter, Of
course, as none entered Paris at thai
time, and as, since the battle of Sedan
his son had been prisoner in a Ger
man fortress You can imagine the
despair of that poor girl, without news
from her father, whom she knew tc
be a prisoner, suffering from priva
tons, i'll perhaps, and yet she was
obliged to make him write joyously IL
those letters, which, however, were G
little short, as would naturally be the
case with those of soldier making {
campaign and always advancing intc
the encmy's country. Sometimes ths
| power to write deserted her, and weeks
would 20 by without news. But tht
! old man would at last become restless
and cease to sleep Then would come
another letter from Germany Sht
would take it gayly to her grandfather
restraining her tears, and read it t.
him as she sat by his bed. The col
onel would listen carefully, smil'
with knowing air, approve, criticis'
and explain to us any doubtful pas
sages.
But what made him happiest of al
was answering his sons letters. 'Neye
forget that you are Frenchman, HI
would say. Be generous to the poo
people; do naught to make the inva
sion seem too hard for them to bear.
And his letter always ended with ;
charming little sermon on the propri
cites to be observed, the politeness du
to all ladies, and the true code of mill
tarw honor which should be followed
by the conquerors. With all he min
gled some general reflections on poll
ties and the conditions Of peace whicl
/ should be imposed ON the conquered.
s'He dictated to his granddaughte
in firm voice, and. with so mucl
frankness in his words and with sucl
patriotic fire that it was impossible t
listen to him without being moved.
During all this time the siege hal
advanced daily, but not alasl th
siege of Berlin. It was period o
severely cold weather, the lombard
ment was in progress, and there wer
epidcmics and famine. But. thanks t
our care, to our efforts, to the indefati
gable tenderness which surrounde
him, the serenity of the old soldie
was not for moment disturbed.
when at last my patient was al
lowed to eat bread and fresh meat yol
could not imagine anything NOR
charmingly touching than one of hi
little breakfasts. The old man woul
sit up in his bed, happy and smiling
his napkin under his chin, and ne.
him his granddaughter, little pale il
consequence of her many cares, guild
ing his hands and giving him drink
Then, refreshed BY bis rcpast, there ii
his comfortable warm chamber, Will,
the wintry north wind whistled with
, out aud the snow beat against the win
dows, the old soldier recalled his cam
paigns in the north, and recounted t,
us for the hundredth time that terribl
retreat from Russia when there wa
nothing to eat but frozen biscuit an,
"A horse flesh