Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1889-07-18
LINK BY LINK.
A THRILLING STORY OF THE
FRANCO PRUSSIAN WAR.
DY MAURICE LEGRAND.
CHAPTER VII.
OLA GLOIREN

GSHE sound of war was throughout
~ the land. France knew her
peril and vainly strove against it
Nearer and nearer every day came the
foe; sterner, crueler and more desper-
ate grew the warfare. From village
and hamlet and town, the demand for
recruits brought ever fresh supplies;
terror and war darkened many home,
crushed many heart; everywhere
the dread of i'll close at hand and soon
to fall.
Within days march of Paris, a
troop of soldiers had halted and were
gathered round table in front OF the
auberge smoking, drinking and chat
ting with The mercurial carelessness
that generally characterizes the sons
of Mars
1--WE shall be in tomorrow" said
one
"And warm work we shall have"
muttered another.
$50 much the better; you are not
going to shirk it COW, are you?"
lit is not OF the work l think" the
man answered sadly mot yet of my
self--a man can die but once-but
there are my wife and the little ones.
The words cast shadow of gloom
over many careless faces in the laugh
ing group.
"'True-for them it is bad" they
murmured, and thought sadly of the
quiet homes, and the rosy faces, and
the pretty childish voices that might ask
in vain for sight or sound of a soldier
father ere another sun had set.
One man stood aloof and apart from
all under the thick shrouding boughs
of II great pear tree. Now and then
he looked at tho group as they tossed
of their wine, or laughed and joked
with gay and airy bu1oonery.
"They can en- .oy!" he thought, and
a bitter wonder and disdain cerpt into
his heart. for life to him was so UNI
speakably sad and desolate a thing,
that it seemed a marvel that those of
lighter brains and hearts could find
amusement OF forgetfulness in euch an
hour as this.
"You are lad company tonight,
Pierre said one of the soldiers.
"Will you not join us? you may not
have the chance much longer"
$50 much the better for me,n he
said sternly, turning neither his gaze
nor his step toward them.
"Have you fallen out with life al
ready, or has your sweetheart Tilted
your laughed stalwart young sol
der, with the down of manhood scarce
grown on his chin, and a laughing
boyish fa }e that had left a sad blank
in the home circle from whence it had
been drawn.
"My affairs are no concern of
yours" was tho somewhat fierce re-
tort.
'.Dieu de dieu, no, You take very
good care no one else but yourself
shall know aught OF them returned
the other.
Don't trouble Pierre" chimed in
the voice of the man who had given
him the invitation to Join them
''C'est un drole, mails c'est un be
brave"
.'He had need to be the one TO make
up for the other" muttered the young
soldier. "a duller fellow L never
came across"
ale has done good work, though,
and his restlessness is something to
marvel az. The other night he fought
three PrUssians, single-handed, and
came of with scarce scratch him
self"
"Ventre blue-has NO else ever done
the same?"
doubtless; but this fellow is an UNI
trained recruit, and has the foolhardi-
ness and GOODNESS OF perfect courage,
and no more fear OF fire or regard OF
danger than if he were bullet proof
The Colonel thinks very highly of
him."
THAT means promotion"