The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1895-06-19

Their hoofs resounded loudly on the
hard frozen road. The two carriage
lanterns shone in the night like the
glowing eyes Of some huge, prehistoric
monster.
The mad, furious course in the dark.
ness had something strange about it,
something mysterious, sinister, aud
all the moro 80, perhaps, that it was
taking place in the aimee terrible
the terrible year when the Germans
were in Alsace.
The carriage, like a vessel in dis
tress on a raging sea, oscillated from
left to right and from right to left.
When the vehicle, which had been
flying down the slopes of Ottrot, raced
through the village, passing like an
express train the houses with their
little low roofs, on which the moon
cast silvery light, the good women,
suddenly frightened, made the sign
OF the cross with a trembling Of the
knees and whispered prayer.
"Mon Dieu! What is going to be-
como of us?"
The children crouched terrified
against the knees of the older persons.
Everywhere there was a sense of de.
preston and evil presentmcnt and-a
characteristic sign of general terror
tho fires in the huge, white stoves
were allowed to sink low and go out,
for no one thought of keeping them
alive.
Tho fact was the Prussians, for sew
eral weeks past, had been cruelty raw
aging the country.
The lying carriage contained some
German officers, who we're the bearers
of secret orders to S.
Faster, faster" they cried, whip
ping up the poor horses, which we're
already breathing fire and smoke out
of their nostrils. The wretched
driver, terrified, obeyed mechanically.
"Ionnerrel" he growled, "my
horses will die when they reach their
stable if they do not break their necks
going round one Of these steep curves +"
And the strokes Of the whip redoubled
and the dizzy course became still more
reckless.
The trees seemed to fly past. Ma
lure herself protested against the
wild, headlong Greer, for at this mo-
ment the moon hid her face behind n
cloud, as if she did not wish to be a
witness to the scene. And etill they
flew onward.
That afternoon the enemy had taken
possession of the village of Ottrot,
and, as their custom was, hal installed
themselves in the peoples houses.
-Four superior ollicers were domi-
ciled with the Mayor. They sat there
in the middle OF his best drawing
room, talking loudly in their gutteral
jargon and smoking their long pipes
of porcelain while they dried their
boots at the hot lire blazing in the
CRATE.
Their unwilling host, tall old man,
with a white beard, served them with
drinks as graciously as he could. His
eye passed sadly from one to the
other, his venerable head shaking
melancholy, as if to say; at is the
right OF the strongest, what can one
do against a hundred?"
Perhaps his mind was dwelling on
the past Perhaps he was looking
forward to revenge. Thinking, it
may be, of the time when his country
men, by one of those spontaneous
movements that the French alone are
capable of, would be victorious aud Of
fering mercy to these very officers,
his guests.
He raised his white head in O ges-
ture of defiance and his eyes shot
fires. He seemed to have grown
twenty years younger, and this trans
iiGuration was evidence OF his tre-
mendous internal agitation.
He was recalled to the present by
gentle knock at the door and almost
Immediately afterwards he saw in the
porch the tall, powerful frame of Lux,
who was the foreman of the Mayors
servants aud modern Hercules. He
was agile as a deer and strong as an
OK, and could break a sou between his
fingers as he would break an egg
shell.
The neck of a bull rose out of
flannel shirt, carelessly fastened across
the throat by cotton necktie, He
was man terrible in anger, but in
repose gentle as a lamb and as docile.
''What is the matter?"
''There is this the matter: another
officer wants to quarter himself upon
us here. Shall / strangle him2"
These words coming from such lips
made one shudder.
"Non, my old Lux, keep calm, that
would do no good and would only