Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1895-09-20
A CHEVALIER.

A CHEVALIER.
The evening before they had fought al
ternatcly defeated and victorious Three
divisions of OudinOt's grenadicrs, St Hi
laircs division and Sansouty's cuirassicrs
were bivouacking. 1t was 1 O'Clock in the
morning The men had hung their shakos
upon their crossed bayonets, they had laid
aside their shoes in the grass, and all of
Them barcfooted in fatigue caps, over
flowing with enthusiasm for their emperor,
were talking and boastng at random
around the simmering soup pots.
''Who was it said that the emperor was
wounded?" uttered Il voice
At the word emperor there was 81
lence A sort of fascination seemed tG
hover about them A veteran, whose
grimy forehead and big bushy beard were
all of him that was visible, fell to laugh
ing.
"The shorn one is proof against deathl"
"What yarn is that, Watrin;"
"Great God You know what l mean.
Is he not always in the front rank? Why
do the bombs leave him alone? You can
do the reckoning yourself. In a full dozen
wears that man has seen thousands of vic
burned in his coat Isn't it plain enough?
The bombs know him well-bcttcr than
we do evenly his white horse, his little
green mantle, his blazing eyes. Woe to
such as poster him And, look you, even
the grapeshot recognize him perfectly and
skip over his head, for his hat they dare
not touch! That point
suddenly a powerful voice interrupted
the speaker, and the sentinel cried:
"Thc emperor
1t was he The staff, silently accom-
panying him. stood, muflled and motion
less four PAGES in the rear. He was dress
ed rs a light infantry officer with green
tunic and white waistcoat. He was rec
ognizcd by the smallncsS of his stature and
the greatness of his escort.
GLOW is the appettc-good?'
eyes emperor, said the grcnadier
"What's in the soup?"
"Austrian horse
Napoleon broke into a laugh. He loved
the humor of his soldiers
"Listcn, my men," he said, speaking
rapidly. "We fought yesterday We will
fight again tomorrow. Let every one who
has Il claim to the Legion of Honor or to
promotion come forward now, on the spot,
and declare himself"
A man stepped out of the ranks
"What is your namc:'
..W,,,.i,, -,,rnn,dior undar Oudi-
not
And You dcsire?"
.sThn r,..sr,
Napoleon looked at him 1t was his
custon, of nm nvrnin., to stroll amono tbe
hi,onnc firas n,nstinnino thn soldiors cor
recting in his way the i'll will or the neg
lect of the rcgimcntal chief, awarding
Come >, sid the nmnnror .sncok
What hive Won done to deserve he cross"
Watrin Stood ot "narodr =" motionlrss
i'm tbn ,ttitudn of tbn soldier ,vitbout
ANN, ,ln,o.t like tho ri,,iditv of drntb
III was - he snid timidlv. .it was I
who j., tIo dosnrt nf y,f, nrnsn,,tnd Won
,,.itL , v,trrnnlnr whom The hnut VS.
orough +o hnrn thn hair off one's head "
Mo mon hurst out lauobino why ma
o,,n lpn,v \onolonn himself smiled
~ rnnn,v my Think, he said "but the
off j. ,,nt ,,.ortby Of rho crn.. Int ms
Nit hotb cf -. Gov , 1,ntter ,,c,sinn 7
hnnn tL,t tn,rnrro,,.,,
tTo,un,r,,v ns at tbn other tinr.,,-
e,id th,. ,.,t,.r,n
NJ ana bo,rd him Tho ,nnrrinnnt
xvovin,, In,,dor snnt its rnvprbnr,tinns into
thn disf,nc, REACHING Other bivounc fires
fTbnro 1V.,.. Iu1i1- tIppa was r1pniptr
Torches nf strny darpd M in the niubt.
Tbn.n wounds. .1'bn c,urrrori Tho am
,1nrnr,,, ,lrnad,, rnsoundrd ON nvr,.. side
Tnnnloon b,iny cnn,nrllnd tn nrocncd
,,'ittnd W,trin and fnil,,vrd Inv the inf
va. .,,.,lln,vnd nm in tho multitudr
TLn d,,.,, If tho BOD nf NI,v
Tbn nrrhdutn renewed tho nttncl; and
etrovc IN ,,io,rr thr lime brrwcrn EssIinu
tl .,,, ,lt,.i.io,, of .,,ir,.,i,,.-
nn'r ~ thn nn,,,n, N1ns.,r, vnliod
s.Cnonn,lior. tbnro,. FINN nvnr tbcrn and
,,,,,rn mnt in i, -, and AWAY me rode hi.
sabar i, bard where thc bonhs offered
hi,, udi,fran,io, =, 1.ann,s rn.hcd for.
1,,,rd at fuu onIIon without troublino
I'i,,solf 60 sn. If hn ,r,. fnIIo,vod and the
OIa T,,,',,ri,l C.u,rd u,,r,n1,lnd tlrn,, il
snIf tnnth and nail mon the Austrions
Tn,,,, ,d,,lln,s army, haG ,nn't
od ov.,,, i'm tbns, II crvstnlIiznd npr,v
l """3 - 'd ~, ,,,,,,d ro,.oi,'nd i, ,.i,l
i,na,,,,hnt oncn,nnrn if n,u.rd otYright.