The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-11-08
ON GUARD.

OIL guard at LA EpADe, SIX miles from
Notre Dame.
Poor elle-Epinel Such a charming inn
as it had been once upon a time-gay,
noisy, lively, full of travellers, Positions
and pretty maidservants
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
it's bark, whilo they drank h 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
maidservants themselves had fled away,
leaving the nm empty and deserted.
The Prussians were coming.
These latter had, of course, burned 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 encalnped there, there remained of La
Belle Epine only some blackened 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 a 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 looking clos
er 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 q suspicious charao-
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 10 minutes, and it was
anyhow a distraction, but today no WON
an selling potatoes appeared on the horl-
zon. A
And my companions were in a 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 a large opening in the portion
which touches the saddle. 1t was I who
had tilnidly pointed this out to him, and l
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 q bachelor much
longer and also overwhelm him with colds
in the head, due to sleeping in the open
air. To amuse himself, he was whistling
a little air between his teeth, very much
out Of time. There was also a second lieu
tenant, but no never said Il word. He con-
tented himself with smoking and with
blowing great clouds from his pipe at even
intervals. Did he think about anything?
l don'tknow, but this mute smoking gave
him an appearance Of great profundlty. Ii
you spoke to him, he fixed you with a
round impassive eye. You thought he was
about to answer-two or three puffs of
smoke issued from his mouth, and that
was all-he gravely continued to smoke.
These were the agreeable persons with
whom the commune forced me to spend
my existence. On my way home from
Germany, where l had been a prisoner for
five months, / had all through the journey
dreamed of Paris as one dreams of the
promised land, and | had barely arrived
when l was obliged to fight against the
city which cpitomized all the memories
and all the joys of my youth. Ny thoughts
were becoming gloomy. | reflected that l
was ridiculous, and to cheer me up l went
and tried to read the German verses writ
ten on the tombstone of a Prussian officer
killed at Cheyilly and buried behind the
inn. 1 had already deciphered the first
line, ''Adee, liebo bruder ('Farewell, be-
loved brother'l when I was interrupted
in my task by my three companions cries
of astonishment.1
There was a black dot on the orion
toward Paris-a large black dot-a4vanc-
ing TRANQUILITY through the little white
clouds l i ayo mentioned. We got an opera
glass, we passed it from eye to eye, and
we soon unanimously decided that it was a
vehicle and actually a furniture truck
Who could the individual be who was suf-
f~iciently original to drive out in a furni-
ture truck under the rain of bombs and
shells which inundated the road? The mo-
ment was certainly i'll chosen for such a
journey. Once a projectile fell SO close to
the truck that we expected to see it pull
up. 1t 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 q gesture of establishment In
the front of the truck, seated on a red satin
sofa and wrapped in a caInel's hair shawl,
was a remarkably beautiful woman. She
was fair ana pink and smiling, and her
large blue eyes showed not tho slightest
emotion. Behind her were piled together
pellmell silk curtains, buhl 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 its
leaves over her head to protect her from
the sum-, and amid this confusion, with
her calm face, she looked like a princess
in a Chinese palace.
A man in a blouse was leading the
horses by the bride. He was covered with
dirt from the shells, and his pallor con-
trasted with the placidity of the wo,nan
he was escorting.
When she reached us, she gave the order
to stop and then bowed very prettily to the
captain.
Good morning, captain. I'm very glad
to be among Christians at last. I'm like
the snail, you see. I travel with my house
on my back-through tho bombs"
And she burst out laughing.
She was really charming, and / should
never have guessed that SO much pluck
could DO hidden .nder such a delicate OK
terror.
The captain tnstinctively 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 voice and
with the pose OF a gendarme examining q
legal document asked: Where do You
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