The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1892-08-05


''come up to my room and rest; it is poor
place, but you are welcome. And can
give you a cup of coffee and bit of bread;
it is not SO bad as in the siege"
Not so bad? the streets were not drown
ed in blood them" said Kathleen. mo, you
are very good, but am not tired" with
chastity smile. ~ will go and LOOK at the
corner where no fell. Stay, what did they
do with the bodies?"
"The Versaillais came an hour after and
carried them all away"
"Where-whtre?' gasped Kathleen.
But the woman could not tell her. Among
so many wagon-loads of dead, who could
tell, who cared, whittier one particular batch
had been taken? Perhaps they had all been
carried to that gaping chasm behind the
chapel at Pere Dachaise, into which the
Federal corpses vera flung en- mdSse after
the battle of Asnieres. The sempstress had
seen that common grave, sixty cOrpses wait
ing for recognition, sight to freeze ones
blood.
Kathleen left her, and walked YEARLY to
that side street. narrow shabby street
doors and windows were all closed, most of
the houses had an evil aspect. There was
no one standing about whom she could ques-
ton.
A few PAGES from the corner of the street,
at the foot of lamp-pOSt, she saw the spot
where the victim had fallen. A pool of
blood had stained the summer dust. 1t was
dry now, but she could see how the corpse
had lain in blood and mire. The figure had
I'm
was no other trace of the massacre about.
One victim, and one only, had fallen here.
She knelt beside that awful STAIN she
watered it with her passionate tears, the
first she had shed throughout her Pilgrim
age of two and-twentY hours. The church
clocks were striking four Yesterday
ing at six she had let the Rue Git lie CGur.
And now she had come to The end of her
Journey; she had found her resting-place.
She knelt alone, unnosiced, with her hands
casped over her face, praying, first for her
beloved, for the repOse Of his soul then fol-
lowed a prayer less pure, less Christian, for
revenge upon his murderer, the destroyer of
her happiness.
Who was his murderer? Not the blind
mad mob, not even the deyilish woman, the
petrOleuse, dashed into crime and murder
by the scourgcsOf insurgent tyrantS. Ser-
zier, the man in authority, the wretch who
brought those good fathers from their peace
full secluslon to the gaOl and the shambles.
1t was Serizler of whom she thought when
she prayed for vengeance.
LET it come, o Lord; long or late, let
lxft nI pil- hn
struck them! Let Thine hour of vengeance
be sure and swift! LO here, looking up to
Thee, swear never to know rest or respite
till have tracked him to his doomp
SerIzler, colonel of the 10lst battalion.
She wanted to know more about him
whittier he had vanished after the carnage;
in what cellar or what garrtt this craven
hound had hidden himself
When she had exhausted her passion in
prayer, she Gained herself and began to
think.
She was tired to the point of being fain to
cast herself down upon the dusty road, and
to lie there till sleep or death came to give
her rest from the fever of her brain and the
dull aching of her bones. But she struggled
heroically against this Oyerpowering lassi-
tude, and went back to the boulevard, and
hobbled on till she came to u wOrkman's
cafe that opened early for the accommOda-
ton Of the neighbOrhOod. Here she enter
ed, and seated herself at a fable near the
door. The fresh morning air blew in upon
her face as she sat there, and she felt as il
that alone kept her from fainting. Never
in all her life before had she entered such u
place alone, or sat alone among such com
pany. Her girlhOOd and brief married life
had been as closely guarded as if she had
been duchess. TO sit alOn6 among rough
blOpSes and Versaillais soldiers in their
stained uniforms was new experience.
Sac ordered some coffee, and the waiter
brought her roll and butter. She had
eaten nothing except one piece Of bread
since she had left home. The coffee and
the food revived her, and she was able to
look about her, and listen to the eager
voices of the blouscs and soldiers, as they
sat eating and talking, smoking, drinking
all at once, as it seemed to her, with their
elbows on the table, seen indstinctly in a
cloud of tobacco.
HE, lie pore, two little glasses of cognac,
"GmcOn, u1le CONNIE" drawlcd another
blouse, with sublime affectation, initiating
the expired, or temporarily obiterated,
race of foplngs, the pctts creUes of the
Empire, known afterwards as gOmmeur
elegant consumers of absinthe considerably
diluted with gum arabic, And then came
name which rvetcd Kathleen's attention
to the next table. The name was Serlzier.
They were discussing the delegate of the 18th
reimbursement, the commander of the lOlst
battalion.
They say that he has decamped, this
good Serizier, the hero Of our battles" said
one of the men.
1T was time" answered soldier; "Our
cavalry were at the end of the street when
cette bette took to his heels. They have been
hunting for him ever since, but the rat has
run into some hole where he is not easily
found. We shall have him, though. Nom
dun CHEN, such butchers must not be al
lowed to escape. Those good Dominican
Fathers! No, the candiLlc shall not get off r.
HE is man of yesterday, this Serizier,
a creation of the 18th March, is he notg'
asked the other
"He is COmmunard, crdpIe among the
Communards. He is currier by trade, but
he gotlntO trouble under the Empire, and
was refugee in Belgium up to the 4th of
September. lie hates all priests with a
diabolical ferJcity, and has pr,ded himself
upon desecrating the churches by his brutal
orgies He is more tiger than man; but we
shall cut his claws and draw his teeth when
we find him."
"When we find him, yesP' answered the
other, lOlling over the table, and, eating his
soup with an air of luxurious repOse.
His hands and face were alike blackened
BY gunpowder; his hair was clothed with