, 1889-05-05
THE TWINS.

The Lartigues division had beer fight
ing without a moments respite since
the commencement of the engagement
They had stuck like nails at Bruckmuhl,
at Albrechtshauserhof and in the forest
Of Niederwald. where we had n hand-to-
hand struggle with the Germans.
But those terrible guns of Dc Bose,
that had gained a foothold on the
heights of Gunstett, mado it impossible
to hold the positions taken. 1t was
almost worth while having sacrificed
he splendid Michel brigade, composed
of the Eighth and Ninth Cuirassiers and
the Sixth Lancers, in tho charge at
Morsbroun, and whose last survivors we
had seen sabered by the Thirteenth Prus-
sian Hussars. This charge had only
temporarily relieved the right wing of
the army. We had just emerged from
the edge of the Niederwald forest, when
IN order arrived from the marshal that
Elsasshauscn must DO retaken at any
cost
| had met my twin brother, Philippe,
three times since the beginning of the
battle. We had hardly had time to
cheer each other with n smile of recogni-
ton and call out from n distance:
rs everything all right"
Yes, so fart"
This $50 far was not n nero common
place, l can assure you, for our comrades
were falling every instant, and the turn
of one of us might come Mt any moment
"A casualty that would have proved
worse than death for the survivor.
The reader can form his own opinion;
Philippe, who had only just graduated
from Saint Cyr, was in command of n
company, while l belonged to the second
battalion, in charged of n lieutenant. The
Prussians, who had suspected MacMa-
hons design, had placed eight batteries
on h east of the village, behind some
cherry trees, on tho road from Woerth
to GundershofTcn.
We had entered Elsasshausen md
taken possession of tho houses. A dozen
of us had stationed ourselves ut the win
dows. and fired so rapidly that the bar
rels of our chassepots had become hot.
But in spite of the gaps we made In. their
ranks, one looking on from n distance
would have said that they sprang from
the earth, as they camo ON in serried
columns.
The noise wa deafening. Soon black
smoke, like thick clouds, rose and cut off
our view, but we still kept on firing ut
haphazard. Then the thick mass that
rose slowly upward was pierced by long
tongues of flame.
Tho village is burning" said tho old
corporal who commanded us, while he
continued to fire.
We had to stick like nails. The Prus-
slams did not dare to come to close quar-
tiers with our death dealing guns, or the
mitrailleuses that swept the roads lead
ing to our positions, but they kept up n
rain of bombs on the village. There
were with US the three Pelle divisions
and all that were left of the Wissem-
bourg, Couseil- Dumesnil and Lartigues.
l cast a glance down into the principal
street and saw n troop officer fall.
A captain and a second lieutenant were
assisting him and stood him up against a
wall. | saw that the second lieutenant
was my brother.
GOOD heavensl the colonel has %fallen,'
l could not help exclaiming.
"This is n day of casualties; 80 much
the better for the lieutenant colonel, T" re-
piled the corporal. but go on with
your work, my good fellow"
He had scarcely finished the sentence
when n shell struck the side of tho win
dow, burst, carried away his head and
made n hole in the wall, while another
fell on the shingle roof, crushed it In and
set it On fire.
We could stay there no longer. We
had been smoked out and made tho best
of our way down stairs.
In the streets the regiments are min
gled in inextricable confusion. Philippe
is picking u the wounded and notices me.
Follow us, Maurice"
And about thirty Of us started to run
at quick step behind him amid a fright
full shower of bombs that naturally still
further accelerated our pace.
We took refuge in n large brick struc-
ture at the entrance of the village and
stationed men Mt all the embrasures.
There were four of us in u room with
Philippe, who was firing at my side. At
the end of five minutes two men of the
Seventy-fourth were wounded; one had
his skull crushed and the other his breast
half torn open. Suddenly my brother re-
Taxed his hold on his gun and he fell in
his turn. sprang to him.
Philippe, where are you hurt?'
II am done for" he replied; "it's my
chest. Listen: the colonel, who has also
received his death wound, gave Capt.
Collin and me the funds of the regiment"
He stopped to spit out n mouthful of
blood.
Il nave eleven thousand francs in
notes of the Bank of France In my
p~ocketbook. You must put on my
clothes. They can't tell us apart, and
you must take charge of the money. If
you are not killed you will be taken pris-
oner. They search privates, but not Of
hcers. II you escape you must make
your way to regimental headquarters
n--,----