Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-12-15

sunshine. Here at Rheims are our pres
ent headquarters on this, the 18th of
March. Very good. Here is Paris, distant
by road a good twenty-five leagues. Blu
cher lies to the north, Schwartzenburg to
the south" He prodded the map with the
sword as he spoke.
Now" said he, 1.-THE further into the
country these people march the more COM
pleteiy 1 shall crush them. They are about
TO advance upon Paris. Very good. Let
them do so. My brother, the King of SPAIN
will be there with a hundred thousand men.
1t Is TO him that send you. You will hand
him this letter, copy of which 1 confide to
each of you. 1t is to tell him that am
coming at once, in two days time, with
every man and horse and gun, to his relief
I must give them forty-eight hours to re-
cover. Then straight to Paris. You under
stand me, gentlemen?'
All. If / could tell you the glow of pride
II gave me to be taken into the great mans
confidence in this way. AS he handed our
letters to US l clicked my spurs and threw
out my chest, smiling and nodding to let
him know that L saw what he would be
after. He smiled also and rested his hand
for moment upon the cape of my dolman
would have given half my arrears of pay
If my mother could have seen me at that
instant
Il will show you your route" said he
turning back to the map. Your orders are
TO ride together far as Bazoches You
will then separate. the one making for
Paris by Oulchy and Neuilly, and the other
to the north by Braine, Scissors and SEN
lis. Have you anything to say, Brigadier
Gerard?'
1 am rough soldier, but 1 have words
and ideas. l had begun to speak about
glory and the peril of France when he cut
me short.
And you, Major Charpentier?'
If We find our route unsafe are we at
liberty to choose another?' said he
Soldiers do not choose They obey" He
inclined his head to show that we were dis
missed and turned around to Berthier 1 do
not know what he said, but L heard them
both laughing.
Well as you may think, we lost little time
In getting upon our way. In half an hour
We were riding down the high street CT
Rheims, and it struck IL o'clock as we
passed the cathedral. / had my little eray
mare. Violette, the one which Sebastiani
had wished to buy after Dresden. 1t is the
fastest horse in the six brigades of light
cavalry and was only beaten by the Duke
OF Rovigo's racer from England. AS to
Charpentier, he had the kind of horse
which a horse grenadier or a cuirassier
would he likelr % ride-a back like a bed
stead, you understand and legs like the
posts. He is a hulking fellow himself. so
that they look singular pair And vet, in
his insane conceit he ogled the girls as they
waved their handkerchiefs to me from the
WINDOWS and he twirled his ugly mustache
up into his eyes, just as If IL were to him
that their attention was addressed.
When we came out of the town we pass
ed through the French camp and then
across the battlefield of yesterday which
was still covered both by our own poor
fellows and by the Prussians But of the
two the camp was the sadder sight Our
army vas thawing away. The guards were
all right, though the young guard was full
OF conscrlpts. The artillery and the heavy
cavalry were also good, If there were more
OF them, but the infantry privates. with
their under officers. looked like school boys
with their masters. And we had no re-
serves. When one considered that there
were $1,000 Prussians to the north, and
10000 Russians and Austrians to the south
nall To- A-o,
For my own part. confess that 1 shed a
sSar. until the thought came that the en-
peror was still with US, and that on that
very morning he had placed his hand upon