Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1892-11-03

zz:idgets- Has mother was dead
sstber an old soldier of the marin
I'm had charge of a square in thI
f%"r-iisr Ga Temple Babies, mothers
r~ses and old women. everybody @hl
t.aa,ented the square, knew Fer
S'snse and loved him. They knew
"a under that grim mustache, th'
"rror Of dogs and tramps, there lurke;
naed bumored smile, and that to Sc,
n sse bad only TO ask,
..Hog Is YOUR little boyp' +;
Pore S,enne loved his boy so much
va vas so happy, when. in the after
sncn after his school. the boy came fol
I'm and together they made a tour
u he square, stopping at each bench
sneak to the occupants and reply
70 their s~alssations.
With the terrible seige everything
- changed. Pere Stenne's square
- Slosed. 1t was placed under pa.
III and the poor man, forced to Keep
T. an uuremitting watch passed his
srsys among deserted and ruined walls,
scne. and without his pipe, only see-
;.~ bis bow when he came home late
s,rht You should have seen his
tastsche when he spoke of the Prus-
sansl 3
.,.;n az the new order of things. A
Lei Il is an amusement to children.
X more school. Vacation all the time.
M he streets like a foreground. The
sy was running out Of doors all dss
mi; II evening. He followed the battal
s.rs Of the quarter or their way to the
. mparts. choosing from preference
ks,ose which had the best bands, and
s,.ort that little Slenne was well in
ssrmed. He could have told you that
q. bsnd OF the Goth wasn't worth
mach, but that the band of the 55th
rss excellent Sometimes he watched
,be Mobiles at their drill; what files of
.lsm there were. HIS basket under
lie arm. he stood with the long rows
a people that formed the shadows of
i dark winter morning at the grating
81 ihp butcher or the baker. Thersl
s;snding with ones feet in the water,
o,e made aeauaintances and talked
rsitics. and, as son of NJ. Stenne,
sf.rSbody asked his opinion. But even
more amusing than all were the p6r-
rs ID boucA0n. that famous play of
asscls which the Breton Mobiles had
Introduced during the seige. When
lille Stenne was not at the ramparts
a The bakers. YOU might be sure to
III him at the Place du Chateau
trEsu, where they played gaioche. Re
didn't play. of course, that cost too
much money. He contented himself
uih watching the players.
eae of them. a large boy in a blue
coat who never staked less than 100
sens excited his admiration. When be
Ir.a one could tSar the coin clinking
81 the pockets of his coat
Oae day in picking up 4 piece which
bad rolled almost under the feet Of
bite stenne. the large boy said to him
fe ! low voicel
rThas makes you squint, chi Well,
& you wan. ia take you where you
lks1 find EN- -
The playing finished. he took him
|hlo 4 corner. and proposed that he
Ekaould go with him to sell newspapers
b the Prussians; there were 80 francs
lrir 10 be made. At first Stenne re-
Einsed very Indignantly. He waited
[ihrce days without going to see the
payers. Three terrible daysi He
s:ciiher ate or slept At night he saw
SC, of ga oche placed at the foot of
Dis bed, and pieces Of leo Gus each
lr gsittering all around him. The
1,nrth day he returned to the Chateau
dlEaa. saw the large boy and yielded.
They set ont one morning with sacks
CT their shoulders and the papers
[liaden under their blouses. When
<they reached the Porte dc Elan
|SIes day was just breaking. The large
ktcy took Stenne by the hand, and APP
Efsoacaing the sentinel, Ia good old
blow, With a red nose and a kindly
|sr,-he said to him in a supplicatory
voice: "Let US pass. bon monsieur,
0ar mother is sick and father is dead.
[Ne are going, my little brother and i,
p pick up potatoes in the iieid.n He
egsn to cry; Stenne. filled with
.hAne, hung his head. The sentinel
kcked at them a moment, and then
boxed out oyer the road, white and
2essrted.
60 on quick" be said TO them.
slipping aside, and they were on their
Z ~ to Aubervilliers. The large boy
Ehsghed.
Contased as in a dream, little Stenpe
ezw factoriess transformed into bar
lscEs barricades with wet rags cling
ng to them, long chimneys which
fssced the fog, and mounted toward
eezven, empty and broken. From
&c 10 time they passed a sentinel or
Feineers with their heads muffled up,
tho looked out across the fields
trough their lorgnettes. or littls tents
Aa' we're soaked by the snow which
rh melting before the dying fires.
ae large boy knew the way, and went
<sross the fields to avoid the outposts.
s%seutly, before they could escape
Easn. they came upon a guard of francs
'esrss The fraRcs+ireRrs. with their
nA. were camped in a fosse by a
pam OF water along the railroad to
assonS This time the large boy told
= story in vain. They would not let
n pass Tnen, while he cried, there
~ out of the guard-house into the
taa "a old sergeant, white and Srin-
g. VIII looked like Pcre Sienne.
esio, there, brats! Don't cry" he
y 70 TIE boys "They will let you
s.er Your potatoes Bat hold on,
and warm yourselves = bit.
g isile chap looks frozeny'
Aus u was not from cold that little
<ane trcmbled. 1t was from fear
~ name. Inside they found some
sa'ess covering around a small fire,
,ellsab.e widows fire, over which
~ TIED to thaw out some biscuits
Ench .hey had fastened on their bayo.
inet crowded together to make
= ioI the boys. They gave them q
= c0uee to drink. While they drank
olleer came 10 the door, called the
.geaat spoke to him in a low tone,
vent u "Why, boys" said the
s5.4a1. coming back radiant, '.to-
~ We shsdl have tobacco. They
st me RUSSIAN countcrsign.
~ tLis timo We shall retake that
go BOarget"
isse vas an explosion of braves
'assnter. They danced. they sang,
nouflshed their saber- bayonets.
2tohilng by this tumult, the bows
r-rpeared- Ones past the trench,
was nothing before them but the
anu At the end OF il a long white
Psrced with loopholcs. Toward
they directed their way, STOP
every step to pretend to picS
Deni let's 90. Let's 60 back"
ssenne Kept SAYING all the time.
o!her shrugged his shoulders
.sn1 on. Suddenly they heard
I;.e< q the cooking OF a gun.
aewn, said the large boy,
ing himself on the ground.
uosn he whistIed. Another
&c answered his across the snow.