Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1892-12-29
LOVE AND WAR.
BY WILLIAM wEsTFALL.

A summer night at Geneva, ana
nautical fete on Geneva's historical lake.
The narrow stretch of water between
the two sides of the city thronged with
boats, great and small, all aglow with
Chinese lanterns; rockets shooting sky
wards in rapid succession, their course
marked by trails of fiery rain; at inter
walls the boom of cannon and the shouts
of excited spectators.
g Good Very well done, and how
beautiful !" exclaimed Baron Won Hob
enstein, who, together with Dr. Burt and
myself, were watching the spectacle
from one of the balconies of the Hotel
de la Paix.
"Yes, it is very fine. The fireworks
are splendid How beautifully the lights
are reflected in the water. And then
the cannon thunder You have seen
war, Herr Baron does it not rather re-
mind you of a battle2"
"A very small one. A single battery
of light artillery would make more noise.
Yes, have seen war-seen it on a large
scale-and though we Germans are sup
posed to be fond of fighting, | want to
see no more of it,. A attle-teld strewn
with thousands of corpses is fearful
sight, and when among the slain there
are dear comrades and, il may be, kins-
men, and one thinks of the sorrowing
hearts ut home, it is hard to rejoice even
over the greatest victory. Yet / must
not speak i'll of war, for to war owe the
happiness of my life"
1.-THE happiness of your life2 How
/ was that, Herr Baron?"
Zach, Colt, Meinherr! Thereby hangs
a tale"
$50 much the better. l like tales,
above all when they relate to love and
war, and il am not indiscreet--"
''You go too fast. How know you
that my tale relates to love and WARE"
you spoke of owing TO war the hap
piness of your life
$50! you think, then, that one can
not have life of happiness without love!
You are right But l am not good at
tale telling. / daresay, though, that my
dear brother-in-law here, DR.. Bart, who
is born narrator, and knows the story
almost better than know it myself, will
oblige you. Tell him all about it, Vic.
tor. The fete is nearly over, and, while
you discourse on war, our friend here ano
myself will smoke the calumet OF peace.
"A very convenient arrangement,
said the Doctor, smiling. IL don't smoke
so you arc willing that | should have al
the talk TO myself. Convenient, ye
scarcely far; and Hermann does himsel
scant justice. He can talk almost a
well as he can fight"
Zach! That IS paying my power t.
fight very poor compliment, Victor"
ION he contrary, it is paying you
power of talk high one. However,
will tell my part of the story-that il
which l played the principal part, oil
condition that you do the rest"
"Goodl It's bargain" returned vol
Hohenstein. "By the time you have fin
ished your tale shall have finished m
pipe. Then / will begin; for smoke
though good listener, is bad talkeI
Go on"
Whereupon DR.. Bart, turning to me
began as follows:
SIN the year 1870 was a young SUI
geon living here in my native city, yer
eager to work, yet with very little wor
to do. So when the war broke out OF
fercd my services, first to the German:
then to the French, and failing to fin
employment from either, ] enrolled my
self as volunteer in the Internationi
Ambulance Corps, which took the feel
under the protection of the Red Cross {
. the Geneva Convention. In that Ct
! pacity l made the campaign of Seda
with the army of Marshal MacMahon.
''On August 2J, 1870, we found on
selves at VouZiers, small town of thr'
thousand inhabitants, between Mezier
{ and Verdun, in that same forest of Al
gonne which, in the previous centur
was made classic by the exploits of ID
& and Chalons with MacMahons army. an
z were attached to the Seventh Cor
d'Armee, then commanded by Gener
Douay.
''0ur first care was to establish u fiel
hospital, which was soon filled wi
z wounded soldiers, for though no &c
eral engagement had recently taxi
place there were continual affairs of on
posts.
y meanwhile the army was in a state
dire confusion, marching and countt
marching without apparent object, I
the Marshal hesitated; he could n
y make up his mind whether to follow {
n dictates or prudence and fall back
y Paris, threatened by the third Germ
Army. under the command of the CroN
Princes OF Prussia and Saxony, OF, yiel
ing TO the entrcatics of the Governme
march to the rescue OF Bazaine, who W
at bay under the walls of Metz.
"While MacMahon was hating
" tween two opinions, the Germans We
pushing forward with characteristic I