Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1895-02-13
ON GUARD.

yin UO AMI.
Oh, how bored was that day!
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-Epinel Such a charming inn
as 1t had been once upon 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 Dames on
its bark, while they drank the little wine
of the country In it's shade.
Then one day silence had suddenly
succeeded to noise, travellers and postil-
ions had ceased coming, and the pretty
maidservants themselves had fed away,
leaving the inn 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
we encamped 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 CART not man, not
dog, broke the gloom of the landscape.
Now and then little white cloud rose
above the paving stones. On looking clos
or 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 suspicious charac-
tor, 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 1T was
anyhow distraction, but today no wom-
an selling potatoes appeared on the hori-
zon.
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 who
had timidly 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 overwhelm him with colds
in the head, due to sleeping in the open
air. To amuse himself he was whistling
little air between his teeth, very much
out of time There was also second lieu
tenant, but he never said word. He con-
tented himself with smoking and with
blowing great clouds from his pipe at even
intervals. Did he think about anything'
don't know, but this mute smoking gave
him an appearance of great profundity. If
YOU spoke to him, he fixed you with
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 had been prisoner for
five months, had all through the journey
dreamed of Paris as one dreams of the
promised land, and I had barely arrived
when was obliged to fight against the
city which epitomized all the memories
and all the joys of my youth. My thoughts
were becoming gloomy. l reflected that ]
was ridiculous and to cheer n up went
and tried to read the German verses writ
ten on the tombstone Of Prussian officer
killed at Chevilly and buried behind the
inn. / had already deciphered tho first
line, "Adee, liebe brudor (''Farewell, be-
loved brother'), when I was interrupted
in my task by my three companions cries
of establishment.
There was black dot on tho horizon
toward Paris--a large black dot-advanc-
ing TRANQUILITY through the little white
clouds have 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 furniture truck
Who could the individual be who was suf.
ticiently original to drive out in furni-
ture truck under the rain Of bombs and
shells which inundated the roada The mo.
nent was certainly i'll chosen for such
Journey. Once projcctile fell SO close to
the truck that we expected to see it pull
pp. 1t did not, however, but continued to
approach
When it got within few steps Of us,
the captain, who had always declared that
nothing could startle him, was unable to
SUPPRESS gesture Of establishment, In
the front of the truck, seated on red satin
sofa and wrapped In camel g hair shawl,
was remarkably beautiful woman. She
was fair and pink and smiling, and her