New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-06-23

gelique afterward described as little short OF mi
deserving his prosecutor Bouchard. standing apart
| from the rest and apparently in no very good
humor, went up TO him with outstrctchcd hand
| and o frank, CHEEKY smile.
well, lieutenant" he said, you wont have
| me cropped nowl'
$50 IL seems erimly replied the other; return
| ing somewhat reluctantly the preferred grasp.
You have more luck than you deserve: for. de.
| pend upon it. should haze shown you no mcrcyl
/ Each Of the seniors entitled TO promotion having
| notified 10 the adjutant on duty the regiment 10
| which he was DESTROYS OF being attache'l. the
preparations for departure were SPEEDILY coDple'-
ed AZ an early hour in the sftrrngSn i the onna
| on making the most Of the three days allowed
| them before joining their respective corps: Gas,
| toms regiment being STATIONED at Lille. he Ind
ample leisure after partaking Of farewell repast
at Brebanes with his old companions, 10 carry into
| execution his long cherished project OF paying
flying visit to his cousin Louise at Ttouyille and
| repairing on the third day 10 headquarters, re-
ported himself to tie colonel Of the AID Dragons,
who received him most cordially.
You arc dispensed from duty" said his chief,
| until you have got your hit in order Ma fol,
| Young man. you have arrived in the very nick Of
time, for before the week is out we shall be on
| our way to the 'front.'"
| On his first appearance at mess, de Langcais
| discovered to his establishment that every one of
his new companions, without exception. was close
! ly cropped "A very necessary precauton," said
| the president in time; the less incnmbIance
we carry ahout us the better A long beard and
9ttle hair as possible no comb or razor wanted
Not 20 MENTION chimcd in an old campaigner
of proverIDal badness, that heavy helmet plays
! the very deuce with ones hair
Castor listened with due respect TO these we'll
| meant celebrations, hut without the slightest III
tention of being influenced by them; and, OH the
arrival Of his division at Metz some days later, had
already moro than once, declined to avail himself
| of the services of the rcGnmental barber.
| Nevertheless, he instinctivcly felt that con-
tinued refusal to conform to the general custom
must inevitably endanger his popu arity, and that
| the only way to atone for this obnoxious Singh
! larity was 10 distinguish himself by some exploit
| which might obtain for him an honorable mention
| in the order OF the day.
| An opportunity soon came. On the 9Th Of
| August his regiment, posted near 81. Privat, be-
| hind an avenue of popars bordering the road 10
Saarbruck had been exposed for several hours TO
"a CALLING fire Of the German artillery; and had
! suffered severely from an inccssant storm OF
! shells, which were beginning to set the trees on
! fire The position of the French corps became
untenabe, and the colonel, deciding that the enc
Inys guns must ut any cost be sllcnccd, oSiercd
small detachment Of Dragons commanded oy de
| Iappeais to charge, and cpt them OIL from the
main body. The Germans, taken by surprise ana
imagining they were about 10 be attacked by the
entire regiment, ceased firing and hastily retreat
ed leaving Of their guns on he Held, which
tl,sten at the head Of fifteen men, bore down
upon and, sabr1ng the .gunners, carried u tn
| umnlautly into the French hncs
! ~Gravo!" cjsi the colonel warmly Crasping
| liza v,upc s,r- aeutcnant's hand: ct" you have de-
sorrd ~ Cros1 for this. and will take care that
Stimulated by this first success, and eager 10
irs..fy by some further act OF daring the good
! o",aion OF his chief, dc lAngeais neglected no
/ o;,portunity Of proving himself worthy OF II;
| Dispatched on a foraginV expedition and attacked
nv an outpost of infantry. he completely ront%u
them md brought ten PriSoners mo tue camp
( and few days later held his ground for hall an
hour, unsupported save By his own men. against
] an entire corps Of the enemy. His galDnry ana
not pass unrewardcd Not only WIS the cross OF
/ the lcgOn Of Honor conferred on HIM Dut MS
name WIS three times mentioned for exceptional
bravery in the order of ID" oaY ana MS spc'Hy
promotion 10 the rank OF lieutenant "as's'""F"hS
! REGARDED as q certainty.
AT This juncture the unexpected capitnla,io1 Of
Metz was u severe blow 20 him, and, unwilling 20
accept comparative liberty on I"ro" II" &C. q
crivcd a project which although extremely L.
ardous, ght enable him to join Ill" Srmy Of iLr
Loire His dcSi:n being approved OF "y me zen;
efal commanding under lAMinc, VINO ihtfus'I'l
! him with a letter 10 his cole aSne, Aur"ne Il"
| p.ladlnrs informing him that the army OF frlncc
| Frederick Charles would shortly march toward inc
Loire CASTOR exchanged MS UNIFORM Tor a hI"hN
| and PEASANTS straw hat, and carrying bhsntt
Of eggs, pursued his way coolly III the d1rcchOA oil
II is a terrible risk" he thought, but better
| be shot al once than rot In Ii German prison
| Challenged by the first man he met.
and arrested Suspicion. he was t"en before the
| colonel Of the regiment, who snrrounhrd py MS
officers in council scrutnized the prisoner attch-
Where do you come FROM he inquired in
| toerable French o., =,
From LAdonchamps, on my way with these
eggs 10 Grigy,7 was the young mans reply alma,
Are you aware TINT you run III" FISK 81 p''"S
treated as a s,y?7 pursued his IH'crroGat"r
| Necessity has no choice" rct"r'cd de- lanpchlS
/ with perfectly indihcrnt AR; ILL.,. ,,,,,,.d
During this brief colloquy, the oiiil''rs eE'''r'
curiously at the stalwart individual briotr ui'',
whose appearance and M nncr c"htr"S'eh -
strangely with the hOniey dress he wore ana "'I'
almost unanimously Of THE colonrIs "Ir my w
pressed opinion, That lie WAS no peasant pu' ",'
officer in disguise and consequently spy \
! 1nuse bodng no good to the accused cisutd, anu
in another moment his fate would nave nr'h
/ s4a lei. when grav-haircd major VINO h'h uc'I
inently gazing at dc lnngeais' suddenly ro'' HUM
Stmy,- he exclaimed, with all submission l
think you are mistaken. Tbs man Hhoc' er nv
may he, + no officer. All thn>r we i4'r ," n,.
prisoners have been cl"sc cropped and n" ONE
ever heard OF French soldier on active service
with such a head Of hair as that. ...,, ,
True, the major is right asseht"d FNeiai OF
Il nlay he So said the colonel, only half con
! WINGED. "nnd in that he Is entitled to thr
lcneft Of the doubt. Give him pass ana "'
him go and be hanged somcwhcrc rl>r, % him.
sclf a, he left the camp. " ] wonder what Bon
chard would say if he knew it, a.
A week later our hero reached ms "rs,lllhi
ton and delivered his credentials TO the general
e. command By whom the grade oil lieutenant
was Immediately conferred on hun. AZ M" CON,
clusiou OF the campaign nc was pr9no,.n =" a., "
capanoy, and in 1Si n,,"s sin onT o; ra In The
following yenr while on leave in Paris; ne came
across his old enemy. BOuchard, OH the Boulevard
How eo,y il with you p asked the latter, AZ
chow were sipping tncr absinthc together
! - = Admirably" replied CASTOR ti'Te an i
! uIdn"r and the husband Of a charming vic ana
! cl tbjs-no thanks to you, ny me way; nyu-
. LarI-bccanse | saved nv har'' 'Iharie'
I uervcy, in The Argosy.