, 1889-11-07

They were astonishcd mt this work ,
she explained to them that they would
not be so cold, and they helped her.
They piled up the bundles till they
they made a sort of chamber with four
grass walls, warm and perfumed in
which they would sleep marvelously
well.
At dinner one Of them became anx.
ious, on seeing that Mother Savage still
ate nothing; She declared that she had
went up TO their lodging by the ladder
which they used every night.
As soon as the trapdoor was closed the
old woman took away the ladder, then
noiselessly opened the outside door and
went to get some bundles of straw, with
which she filed her kitchen. She went
barefooted in the snow, so softly that
time she listened to the unequal snoring
OF the four sleeping soldiers.
When she Judged her preparations
sufficient she threw one of the bundles
into the fire, and when II was well ailame
she scattered IL over the Others, went out
and watched.
In few seconds the entire interior OF
the cottage was Illuminated with a rag
ing light; then 1t became u frightfil bed
| of Goals, a gigantic glowing oven, from
which CLEANS shot through the narrow
window and threw dazzling rays upon
the snow.
Thun loud cry came from the top OF
the house, followed by a chorus OF hu-
man shricks, heartrending appeals OF
anguish and fear. Then, having burned
through the trap door, IA whirlwind OF
fire burst into tho attic, pierced the
thatched roof, and rose to the skies like
an immense torch and the whole cot
tage was wrapped in flame.
Nothing more was heard within but
the cracking of the Dire anc tue crumb.
ling of the beams. The roof suddenly
fell in, and the cottages glowing carcass
shot q great shower of sparks Into the
air, amid cloud OF smoke.
The fields, lighted BY the fire, shone
like a sheet of silver tinted with rcd.
A bell in the distarce beg gan to ring,
Old Mother Savage remained standing
before her destroyed dwelling, armed
with her gun, her sons gun, for fear that
one OF the men might escape.
When she saw thai all was over she
threw her weapon into the cmbers. a
loud report rang out
People came hurying up-peasants,
Prussians,
They found tho woman sitting on a
tree trunk, tranquil ind satisfied,
a German officer, who spoke French
like son of France, asked her;
Where are your soldicrs?'
She stretched out Ter thin arm toward
the red mass of dying fire, and answered
in q strong voice:
"In there
They pressed around her. Tho Prus-
sian asked:
Glow did ii take tirc?'
She answercd
81 set 1t on fire.
a l.tsA hA-
thought that the disaster had suddenly
made her crazy. Than, as all surrounded
and listened to her she told the story
from one end to the other, from the ar
rival of the lcttcr.to to he last cry of the
men burned up with her house. She
did not forget singh detail of what she
had felt, or of what The had done.
When she had finished she took from
her pocket two papers and, in order to
distinguish them blythe dyi CLEANS of
the tire, she again adjusted her spec
tacles, and then said poin ting to one of
them, That is TIN death of Victor
Pointing to the othe' she added, ut the
same time Designating the red runs
with an inclination Of her head "These
are their names, th.r their relatives may
be informed She quietly handed the
took her by the shoulders, and she con-
tinued:
"You will write then how 1t happened,
and you will say to lie parents that !
did 1t. Victoire SIMON, the Savage!
Don't forget"
The officer SHOUTED some orders in
German. They seind her and hurled
her against the stn hot walls of the
dwelling Then twelve men arranged
themselves In front dher at distance
of twenty yards. She did not bulge
She had understood ;she waited.
An order rang OFT, followed imme-
diately 10y a long report. One tar'ly shot
was heard alone nttcf the others.
The old woman did not fall. She
sank, as il her legs had been moved
from under her.
The Prussian otiic,r approached. She
was almost cut IL two, and III ler
clenched hand she icld II letter, bathed
in blood.
My friend Scrval alded
by way of reprial the Germans de.
stroyed my ncighbring cottage"
As for me- thought of the mothers of
those four kind.hcrtcd fellows burned
in this house and Off the atrocious hero.
ism of this other mdher shot against the
wall.
And picked up o little stone still
blackcned by the fin.