Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1895-07-26
JEANNE'S BRAVERY.

Felix Labardie had boon a French
tireur in the great wan Of 1870, and l
liked nothing better in the evening than
60 sit and listen to his stories of the ter
rible time when France lay gasping and
bleeding.
One evening we had been silently
smoking for some time when no said,
did / ever tell you, monsieur, how l
fell into the hands Of the Germans and
out againf'
"No," 1 said II thought the Ger
mans shot all the guerrillas they
caught"
''They let me go free, monsieur, " he
said, with q grim laugh. 1T may seem
incredible. monsieur, but Jeanne yon-
der held the life of royalty on her finger
tips"
II should like very much to hear tho
story" 1 said.
Certainly, monsieur, and il mon
sieur thinks what was done was wrong
ne must excuse q woman in love.
after Sedan, monsieur, a meeting
was called in our village, and 80 of us
enrolled ourselves rs a company Of
Francs tireurs. We folt we could do
more for France as irregulars than serv-
ing under incompetent generals. We
were we'll armed, and q brave and skill
full old veteran commanded US. AS the
Germans were in force around Metz, we
marched in that direction and made our
headquarters in the hills behind q vii
lage called Penney, about three leagues
from the fortress. 1t was in Penney
Jeanne lived, and from the first moment
/ saw her, monsieur, said to myself, If
fortune is kind, Felix, that girl shall be
your wife Her father was tho miller
of Penney, and the accursed Uhlans had
almost ruined him, They were very bit
ter against the invaders, and my profess
sion made me find favor in her eyes,
Before we had been at Penney a month
we had plighted our troth, on the under
standing that we should not marry until
France was rid Of the enemy.
''Small as our band was, we made our
selves q terror to the marauding Uhlans,
thanks to the generalship of old Mont
bon. Jeanne was invaluable to us. She
was all eyes and ears, and Montbon
called her the head of the intelligence
department of our band. l used to meet
her every evening, when it was posi-
BILE, in a little cavo / had discovered,
which, having no outlets, was proof
against surprise.
1--WE staid three months OF Penney,
and then the place became too hot for
us, and we prepared to leave for q viii
lage some leagues to the south. / fell
into the hands of the Bavarians the very
evening before we were to leave Penney.
Jeanne declares to this day, and l
believe rightly, that J. was betrayed by
avillager, a young fellow named Odeau,
who believed the Virgin had intended
Jeanne for his wife, and who was ever
savage when she refused him. But be
that as it may, monsieur, / was seized
at dusk that evening as l was OH my
way to meet Jeanne, and taken so COM
pletely by surprise that l had not tho
least chance of defending myself Or try
ing to escape, and, worse than all, was
taken with the rife in my hand.
"'You are IN assassin, said the stout
little officer in command in barbarous
French. 'You shall be shot. Where are
your compartment
"But l professed not to understand. l
was afraid of being shot ON the spot.
There was much Of the executioner and
little Of the judge in those days, mon
sieur.
much to my relief, my arms were
bound behind me, and we set out for
tho hamlet where the Crown Prince
Frederick had his headquarters.
"As Fortune would have it, Jeanne
met us ON the road. Monsieur would
suppose that Jeanne is quiet little wo-
mar, but monsieur has not seen her
thoroughly aroused. She was reused
then, monsieur. She flung herself ON
me and tried to release me. Then she
seized the bayonet of a Bavarian, and
IL / had not begged her for my sake to
be calm she would have fought the
whole party single handed. Then she
fell 10 beseeching them, for she could
speak German well, but they only
laughed at her and drove her off with
fonl words. My heart was like lead
then, monsieur. But ! did not know
Jeanne.
II was taken before the princes ad-
jutant, who prom ised me liberty if
would betrny my compatriots. But
feigned stupidity, and when Inc found
that / would tell nothing he ordered
me TO be shot at . the next morning,
We give you till then, he said, to
find your tongue. You'll be dumb
enough after. And he laughed.
II wal bound like a log, monsieur,
and thrown into a hut and b~rutally
kicked. My thoughts wore not pleasant
all this time, / lay thinking Of Jeanac,
whom l should never see again, pic
turing that, %womanlike, she would 20
home and weep IN her helplessness and
despair. But / did not know her then.
She wa working for mo with all the
energy and wit Of a woman. Jeanne,
Jeanne, ma petite. come here.
Jeanne came 10 tho door.
Como and tell monsieur how you
saved me, ma petite.
A blush oyefspread Jeanne %fcatnroa
WHAT, that foolish story agains'
Certainly not foolish, linterpoaed