Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1894-11-30
ON GUARD.
Oh. how bored 7 was that davi

O1V ~ - "A lGDs
Oh, how bored l was that dayl
1t was during the second siege of Paris,
and had been placed with my squadron
on guard at La Belle-Epine six miles from
Notre Dame.
Poor Belle-Epine Such charming inn
as it had been once upon time-gay,
noisy, lively, full of travellers, Positions
and pretty 1naidservants.
/ Louis XIV went there with Mime. de
| Pompadour and planted the tree which
served as the inns sign. Since then many
other lovers had written their names on
its bark, while they drank the little wine
of the country in its shade.
Then one day silence had suddenly
| succeeded to noise, travellers and postil-
ions had ceased coming. and the pretty
nlaidseryants themselves had fled away,
leaving the inn empty and deserted.
The Prussians were coming.
These latter had, of course, harmed up
the doors and the furniture, broken the
windows, stolen the old kitchen clock and
smashed in the roof. On the day on which
we encamped there there remained Of La
BelIe-Epine only some blackeued walls,
behind which one could just find shelter
from the shells which the commune was
sending out from Villejuif and Hautes-
Bruyeres.
Before us the road to Italy stretched out
indefinitely, white, dusty, flooded with
sunlight. The orders were to let no one
from Paris pass, and they were easy to
| carry out. Not cart, not a man. not a
| dog, broke the gloom Of the landscape.
| Now and then a little white cloud rose
! above the paving stones. On locking clos
CT you saw that it was another projectile
| that had just burst. Only the day before
| we had wonderful luck. A woman selling
potatoes had tried TO pass with her cart.
| As she appeared to be a suspicious charac-
| ter, she was ordered to turn back. She re-
| fused, and, in short, was arrested and sent
| to the general. This important event had
! certainly occupied Is minutes, and it was
| anyhow a distraction, but today no won-
| an selling potatoes appeared On the hori
zon.
And my companions were in dreadful
temper. The captain had just learned that
| the trousers that had accompanied him
| through the entire campaign of the army
/ of the Loire were not eternal and showed
| their age by large opening in the portion
which touches the saddle. 1t was who
| had tiInidly pointed this out to him, and !
greatly feared the consequences Of my per-
! spicuity. The lieutenant, who had ex-
pected to be married early in the spring,
was wondering whether the powers that
| be intended to keep him a bachelor much
/ longer and also oyerwhelm him with colds
in the head, due to sleeping in the open
cir. To amuse himself, he was whistllng
little air between his teeth, very much
| out OF time There was also a second lieu
/ hIlt he said q word He n
| tented himself with smoking and with
| blowing great clouds from his pipe at even
| intervals. Did he think about anything?
| ! dom know, but this mute smoking gave
| him an appearance Of great profundity. Ii
/ you spoke to him, he fixed you with
round impassiyc eye. You thought he Was
| :.nout to ansWcr-tWo or three putfs OF
| smoke issued from his mouth, and that
I was alI-ho gravely continued to smoke.
/ These were the agreeable persons with
| whom the commune forced he to spend
| my existence. On my way home from
| Germany, where / had been prisoner for
five months, ] had all through tho journey
| DRAINED of Paris as one dreams of the
promised land, and l had barely arrived
when was obliged to fight against the
city which epito.nized ali tho memories
and all the joys OF my youth. My thoughts
! were becoming gloomy. | reflected that
| was ridiculous, and to cheer me UP went
| and tried to read tho German verses writ
| ten Oh tho tom bstone of Prussian officer
killed ut CheviIly and buried behind the
| inn. l had already deciphcred tho first
| line, Adee, liebe bruder { Farewell, be-
loved brother"), when I was interrupted
in my task BY niy three companions cries
| OF establishment.
n 2,,f
| toward Paris---a large black dot-;dvanc-
| ing TRANQUILITY through the little white
clouds aforementioned. We got an opera
glass, we passed it from eye to eye, and
we soon unanimously decided that it was a
vehicle and actually . furniture truck!
| Who could the individual be who was suf
| ficiently original to drive out in furni
tuTe truck under the rain of bombs and
shells which inundated tie road? The mo-
| ment was certainly i'll chosen for such q
journey. Once d projocGile fell SO close to
| the truck that we expected to see is pull
| tip. &c did not; however, but continued to
| approach
When it got within a few steps Of us,
| the captain, who had always declared that
| nothing could startle him. was unable to
| suppress d gesture CT astonish1ncnG In
| the front of The truck, seated On Il red satin
sofa and wrapped in caruel's hair shawl
| was q remarkably beautiful woman. She
was fair ana pink and smiling, and her
| large blue eyes showed lot tho slightest
emotion. Behind her were piled together
pcllmell silk curtains, bull cabinets inlaid
| with mother Of pearl rosewood tables
| looking glasses, bronzes and all sorts OF
expensive furniture. A japanese vase
held a great green plant, which waved it's
leaves over her head to protect her from
| tho sun, and amid this confusion, with
her calm face, she looked like a princess
in a Chinese palace.
A man III q blouse was leading the
horses By the bride He was covered with
| dirt from the shells, and his pallor con
trasted with the placiditg Of the woman
| he was escorting.
When she reached us, she gave the order
to stop and then bowed very prett1ly to the
captain.
Good morning, captain. I'm vesy glad
TO he among Christians at last. I'm like
the snail, you see. l travel with my house
On my back-through the bombs
And she burst out laughing.
She was really charming, and should
| never have guessed that SO much pluck
could be hidden under such q delicate ex
terror.
The captain instinctigely drew together
| The divorced portions OF his trousers and
forced them to live together for the time
being; then, treasured as to his prestige,
he put on his most formidable vote and
with the pose CT u geailarno examining n
legal document ASKED: Where % 5oI
colno from? Where are you goina?'
Why, c,.f-sc from Paris. Is is NO fun
there any more. Il yg;i could see tha
bouiesar:s! It's really SD! All my fricnds
are gone ard the theaters are all closed
The communist staff officers are the swolls
Just ROW, and they are SO dirty! Such
caps, such boards, such faces--iJ's ridicu-
lcusi II had had to stay among that LOT,
{ should have died. I have g little box Of
Il house at Longiumcau, a regular little
nest, not very big. yen know, but very
pretty, and / am going there to wait fer
batter days"
There is only one obstacle to this plan
madame, which il that l shall not allow