Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1895-09-04

ord. "Sire, this man has belonged 10 the
Armies Of ths North %. the Mosslle. He
fought at Toulon. Afterward no Joined
the troops Of Sambre and Mouse. He did
threo years ef Italy and three years In tho
Grand Army. He's veteran brave"
Napoleon paled He already recalled
his injustice Of yesterday.
"And his woundsS'
II can answer that, your majesty" said
the surgeon.
He seized the bcdclothos and threw them
back. Watrin was lean man, with mus
cles strong AZ hawscrs, and tho scars which
scanned HIS hairy flesh proclairSed at once
his glory. Musket balls, larC6 thrusts,
fragments OF sbolls-ho had made the nc
quaintance OF all Of them. IL seemed that
wounds had rained upon him like the
stings OF angry hornets. They were on
the head, on the neck, on the thighs, In
the loins, on the hips, and the last, which
he had received that very day, splitting
his mouth in both directions, had enlarged
the diameter OF his smile by foot.
"That will do" said tho emperor
At that moment Watrin awolSe.
His eyes wandered to the ceiling, and,
as IL he were continuing the dream from
which he had been aroused, he murmured: :
1.-THE cross The crossl'
Napoleon took one step toward him and
dartcd upon him his eagle gaze.
II make you cheyalier OF the en-
pire'-
"The cross
II add an endowment of 200 francs
year.
"The cross! want only the cross!'
but you have 1t, since the cross, the
title and the endowment go together"
"What have they against me?' muir
INJURED the grenadier. II want only the
cross. l ask for tho cross"
He did not bulge from this idea. Doubt
less titles were meaningless to him. As
for tho money, those who have never had
any despise 1t. Watrin could see nothing,
knew nothing but tho cross, the red rib
bon, the star. N#
"The cross, emperor. want the cross.
Give me the cross |" +
The emperor unfastened his own from
his breast.
"Here, stubborn fellow! Are you sure
now that you have itY'
Watrin seized it with a grip that would
have crushed the pommel OF sabcr, and
Napoleon said TO Claparede: 81 asked this
man yesterday what he had done to merit
this reward, and he answered that he had
presented me with watermelon at Yafa
On my word, command an army of chill
drenp'
"Ah," said the general, "a watermelon
when one Is perhaps almost dying of thirst
has greater importance In his eyes than
thousand wounds from which he will
recover. These men are but simple fell
lows. Often / hear my soldiers say: "a
wound, more or less, what matter? A
bagatelle pour PAutrc.' Watrin judges
you somewhat after his own plan and
thinks himself more honored in having
saved your life, by relieving your thirst,
than In having been wounded in your
service. You are their emperor but, first
of all, you are the head of the soldiers
family"
The emperor took a step toward the
door, but Claparede was right. Watrin,
terrible and appalling, his head smeared
with blood, reared himself in bed as If u
bomb had exploded under him, and, drunk
with pride, fourishing the imperial cross
In the air, reopencd his wound by the vio-
lent effort of his jaws as he shouted:
"Long live the shorn one, father and
mother of the soldier Prom the French
For Short Stories.