The Durham daily globe. (Durham, N.C.) 1889-1894, 1894-04-20

| as soon as the forge fires were eXtin
guished, and the sun had set, to take hi:
seat upon a bench before his door to en-
joy the rather pleasant fatigue which
the burden of a hot days work had Civ
en-; then, too, before dismissing the ap
prentices, he usually took with then
several hearty %draughts of fresh beer
while examining the outcome of the la.
bors of the day. But that evening, the
worthy man remained in the shop till
time to come to supper; and even then
he seemed to come as if reluctant to do
so.
Good Madame Tory thought to berself
when she saw her husband: "What can
lave happened to him? Perhaps he has
heard some bad news from the regiment,
that he doesn't want ME to know of? Our
boy may be -" But she dared not asa
him any questions, and busted herself in
keeping quiet the three little f1axen-haired
children who sat laughing around the
table, munching their frugal supper.
Finally the smith pushed his plate away
with an angry gesture. BAH? said he
"the scoundrels! The knaves-"
whats the matter, Tory"
Matter enough % rejoined he. Those
five or six rascals that have been seen in
the village since morning, staggering
around arm in-arm with the Bavarians-
aren't they matter enough? Yes, and
they're those very fellows that have
voted for-what do you call it 1.-THE
Prussian nationality And we think
that every day we see some of the false
Alsatians come back! What can have
bewitched them"
The wife tried to defend them. "What
would you have my husband? The
poor boys are not altogether to blame {:
it is so far away-that Algeria in Africa,
where they are sent! They are sick in
that low country down there and the
temptation is very strong for them to
return, and give up soldering for good"
Tory brought down his'mighty fist i'm
patiently upon the table. BE silent,
wife you women don't know anything
about it. From living always with
children and only for them, you reduce
everything to the fashion Of your brats.
oh, we'll, for my part, | say these men
are s%coundrels, renegades, and if, unhap-
PLY, our Christian should be capable of
like infamy, just as surely as my name
is George Tory, and as l have served
seven years as a chasseur of France, I'd
run my sabre through his body.
The mans emphasis was terrible half
rising from his seat, he pointed to the
long chasseur's sword fastened to the
wall, beneath the picture of his son, a
poung man in Zouave costume, but the
sight of that honest Alsatian face, all
Drowned and tanned by the sun, seemed
to calm him, and he settled himself in
his chair with a smile. what a fool |
am to take on so! as if our Christian
could think, for a moment, Of turning
Prussian, when l brought down so many
of them during the war" Restored to
good humor by this thought, the worthy
man finished his supper and, as soon as
had done so, wen out, leaving Moth
Tory alone. After having put the
turee children to bed, where they were
heard chattering like a nest of young
settling themselves to sleep, she
took her work and seated herself before
the door, in the direction Of the garden.
From time to time she sighed and
thought to herself; YES, l admit, they
are rascals and deserters, but-its ali one
and the same! Their mothers are very
happy to get them back again" She re
called the time when own boy, before he
left to Join the army, used to be employed
in working the little garden at that
hour in the evening. She looked
wistfully at the we'll, where he used TO
to fill his watering pot, as she re-
.embered him in his blouse, with his
beautiful hair-the long hair be had to
cut off when he entered the Zouaves.
Suddenly the little gate that opened OF
the field, clicked as it was closed to; the
dogs did not bark; whoever it was,
though, that had entered, had leapt the
The dividing fence like a thief, and was
threading his way through the bee
-"Mother
Her Christian stood before her, his
uniform soiled and slovenly, shame, faced,
his speech thick and husky. The poor
fellow had returned home with the others,
and for an hour had been roaming around
the house, awaiting his fathers departure
10 enter.
She would haye scolded him, but her
heart failed her; it had been so long since
she had seen him-had pressed him to her
Then be gave her such good rea
sons he had grown hOmesick, had gotten
of living so far from them all, with
The discipline always growing more Sc,
we're, and his comrades calling him The
Prussian," because of his Alsalian accent.
he said, she believed she had