The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-05-12
THE THREE RAVENS.

g
/ hangs over the country in heavy red
/ clouds. The air is full Of eddies, like sea
after storm. Tt quivers from the terrible
connection Of the day. The snow covered
earth, disturbed in her wintry repose, is
beaten into hOllows by the tracks Of gun
carriages, the stamping Of desperate hoCfs
and the falling men and horses. Sinister
work. In the burrows of snow the conflict
has sown the dead. The gray coats are
( disheveled and wrinkled from the ag0nized
writings of their wearers. Arms rise out
Of heaped up trenches and feet stick out
straight and rigid as il pushing the earth
before them.
With face uncovered, pale under the
1eaden sky, a young soldier is lying. Bis
hands are black with powder and his
clothes are pierced with bullet holes. He
was in the very heart Of the battle, under
fun fire, and his comrades, seeing him fall,
believe him to be dead But he still lives.
He calls with all his remaining strength,
but the only response is means and the
gurgle of the death ratio. At last, numb
with cold and pain, exhausted by the
whistling of grape and canister, the fash
ing of cannOns and ell the scenes Of a
bloody contest and overcome by the deep
quiet Of nature he is on the point of Civ
ing up and abandoning himself to sleep
or to death.
Suddenly on the faroff horizon he sees
through his half open eyes three black
specks come out Of the north and gradually
grow larger as they approach. They have
wings-dark wings that bear them on.
Soon they stop above his head, and he sees
three ravens suspended in the white air
motionless with tranquility Of beasts Of
prey on the lookout for victims, while the
atmosphere is yet vibrating from the shock
Of battle. The almost imperceptible beat
ing of the great wings as the birds poiss in
midair seems like the Tutoring Of three
Hau 0f ar
blem a lowering raven.
Have they come for me?2 he asked
himself faint with terror.
He shudders as he watches the three
ravens descend slowly and perch on a hill
eek but a short distance from him They
are indeed great birds-fat, glossy and
well fed Not a feather is missing from
their sleek plumage Moreover, these
birds live the very midst of carnage
They not only 1.-Two in it, but they even
thrive on it and look on from afar-from
great heights beyond the reach of bullets
descending only when the regiments are
gone and the dead and dying meet on the
same dreadful plane.
In truth, these birds have an air of i'm
portance. They salute one another with
their bcaks, they march to and fro, as if
on dress parade, leaving the prints Of their
pointed claws on the Redeemed snow.
Then, when they have acted the part of
tops to perfection, they begin to croak
softly, very softly without taking their
eyes from the dying man.
Cousins, " says one Of them, 81 have
brought you hither for that little soldier
of France who is lying there before you.
He was q proud little soldier animated
by unusual courage, but possessing neither
prudence nor reflection. See his riddled
coat and consider how many balls were
necessary to bring him low. Cousins, it
Is fine prey, and, if you are willing, We
ia
little before we 60 to him. Though his
arms are bruised and his hands seem pow
erless, he would be an object to be feared
if he should revive"
The speaker is the largest of the party.
The two others, as they listen, keep out of
the reach of his ferocious, hooked beak.
He continues:
"Ah, we shall soon partakel will eat
his heart. 1t was a warm, valiant heart
and will rejuvenats mine
Does the little soldier hear what they
are saying? Is it true, then, that his heart
no longer beats2
The second raven takes up the sentence: /
I win cat his eyes French eyes are
large and clear and beaming with life. =
Quick open your eyes, little soldier, and
cry cut loudly. Though you are weak from
loss Of blood, a little still remains in your
veins.
AIas Truly do they say that he is dead,
and when their conference ended, the
three birds approach him, with evil eye and
ravenOus beak and dropping wings, not a
culver passes through his body. Roor little /
soldier Of Franoel They are going to dis
member him. They will begin with the
buttons on his coat, for these birds of
plumber gather up everything that glistens
even blood Softly the three birds draw
near, and the Oldest of them ventures a !
peck at his finger. Then the soldier rouses; /
his whole frame starts
he is not deadi He is not deadl'' cry /
the cowardly birds, retreating to their
hiIlock.
All, no. The little soldier of France is /
not dead. He raises his head. Indignation /
has brought back something of the old
spirit. His eyes grow bright his nostrils
dilate. The air seems less heavy and he (
breathes more freely. A ray of the pale /
red winter sun ereeps across the torn and /
furrowed earth. As he gazes in admiration I
at the melancholy sunset, gradually fading /
into the glimmer of twilight, suddenly |
under the warmth Of his extended hand /
the slow melting snow exposes a green /
point-a tiny blade Of wheat.
Miracle OF lifei The dying man feels as /
If he were born again. Resting his hands /
on the soil of his fatherland, he tries to sit 4
up. From afar the three birds watching /
him prepare for flight, and when they see I
him standing upright at last, searching I
with trembling step for his abandoned {
arms, 6Eoy slowly. rise from bDeE n1tiOOA J
and soar away toward the north, already /
dark with night From the sky echoes I
back the beating of their terrible wings /
and the swapping Of their strong beaks. 1t +
is q hurried, tumultuous flight Of mingled /
fear and rage. One reads Of bandits who, /
having missed their victims, fight among T
themselves as they dee.-Translated from I
the French Of Alphonse Daudet for New
York Press
Surprising Facts About Cattle.
II the year ITO the 1zeight Of fat cattle |