The Princeton union., 1892-04-07

oioAOo e1AAu WetSct lUULUltS. we were
never expeditions enough for him
He was Unsuitable. Each day, on
arriving at the house, heard news
from the seat of war
Doctor, we have taken Mentz,
the young girl would say, as she re.
ceived me with a sad smile, and,
opening the door other grandfather
room, / would hear a joyous voice
crying
1--WE are advancing! Still advanc-
ing! In eight days we shall enter
Berlin
cat that time the Prussians were
only eight days march from Paris.
''We considered whether it would
not be better to- take him into the
country, but, on going abroad, the
true condition Of France would be
made known to him, and saw that
he was altogether too feeble to endure
the suffering which a knowledge OF the
truth would entail. It was decided,
therefore that he should remain
where he was.
"Ah! l remember we'll how, on the
first day OF the siege, assembled the
stairs leading to Colonel Jouve's
apartment. l felt that anguish OF
heart which we all experienced when
the war was brought under our very
walls and the outskirts of the city
were made our frontiers. I found the
old man jubilant.
II looked at him in stupefaction,
and at last said:
Chow, colonel, you know--''
"His granddaughter turned quickly
toward me.
why, yes, doctor; that is the
great news. The siege OF Berlin has
been begun
"She said this in a quiet manner as
she piled her needle. .s- ~
"How could the colonel doubt this
news? He could not hear the reports
OF the cannon at the forts. He could
not see the gloomy and agitated city.
All of it had met his eye, on the bed
OF which he lay, was a bit OF the Arc
de Triomphe. In his chamber the
bric-a- brac, which had come down
from the First Empire, helped to
maintain his illusions. They were
portraits Of the marshals, engravings
OF battles, the King of Rome-he had
his baby dress; and then there was
the large, stiff consols, covered with
imperial relics, with medallions,
bronzes, a rock from st. Helena, un-
der a glass globe; a miniature repre-
sentlng q lady, with closely curling
hair, in a ball dress, and another rep
resenting the same dame in a yellow
1orr of, ~ c1o
high girdle and all the inhexible stiff
ness which was grace in 1906. All,
gallant colonel! 1t was this atmos-
phere of victory and conquest far
more than what we were able to tell
him, which made him believe so
naively in the siege of Berlin.
"From this time our military oper-
ations were more simple. To take
Berlin required patience. From time
uneasy, a letter from his son would
be read to him, an imaginary letter,
OF course, as none entered Paris at
that time, and as, since the battle OF
Sedan, his son had been a prisoner in
a German Fortress. You can imagine
the despair of that poor girl without
news from her father, whom she knew
to be prisoner, suffering from priva-
tions, i'll perhaps, and yet she was
obliged to make him write Joyous
ly IN those letters, which, how.
ever, were a little short, as would
naturally be the case with those of a
soldier making a campaign and al
ways advancing into the enemy's
lo
write deserted her, and weeks would
60 by without news. But the old
man would at last become restless
and cease to sleep. Then would come
another letter from Germany. She
would take it gayly to her grandfath-
er, restraining her tears, and read it
to him as she sat by his bed. The
colonel would listen carefully, smile
with a knowing air, approve, criticize
and explain to us any doubtful pas
sages.
''But what made him happiest OF
all was answering his sons letters.
Never forget that you are a French.
man, he would say. BE generous to
the poor people; do not to make the
invasion seem too hard for them to
BEAR And his letter always ended
with a charming little sermon on the
proprieties to be observed, the polite.
ness due to all ladies, and the true
code of military honor which should
be followed by the conquerors. With
all he mingled some general reflections
on politics and the conditions o1
peace which should be imposed on the
conquered.
"He dictated to his granddaughter
IN q firm voice, and with so much
frankness in his word and with such
patriotic fire that it was impossible
to listen to him. without being moved
During all this time the siege had
advanced daily, but not, alas! the
siege Of Berlin. It was period o1
severely cold weather, the bonn.
bardment was in progress, and there
were epidemics and famine. But
thanks to our care, to our efforts, to
the indefatigable tenderness which
surrounded him, the serenity OF the
soldier was not for moment disturb.
ed:
"When at last my patient was al.
lowed to eat bread and fresh meat
you could not imagine anything more
charmingly touching than one Of his
little breakfasts. The old man would
sit up in his bed, happy and smiling,