The San Francisco call., 1896-04-26


take breath ole Savage, the owner of the
Rising Sum- an inn most discreetly
perched at the top of its thirsty summit,
came up behind me and accosted me with
a cordial "Good-day" We went on to-
gether, glad of each others company, and
at last arrived at the very steepest part of
the way, a sheer incline abutting on ra-
vine, thickly clad with underground at the
bottom of which flowed the river, and bor-
dered by green hedge, the only protec-
tion against fall over its side. Right in
the very middle of this hedge was great
gap, which seemed as though some mas
sive weight had crashed through it.
HAS there been an accident here?" l
asked my companion.
"Better than that" was his answer.
"That hedge wears still the scars of war,
like disabled warrior. A terrible thing
happened there"
/ scented a story.
"Tell me about it," begged, and, as we
advanced slowly under the burning sun,
he began:
at was on the 18th OF December, in the
year of misfortune, 1870, date 1 have
good reason for remembering.
''On the afternoon of the day before, a
troop of German soldiers had arrived
among us. No one thought much about it
1t first: we had grown accustomed to
such visits by then, for our village is on
the road to Germany, and for the last
three months, heaven knows we had seen
nothing but Prussians and Bavarians,
UhIans and artilIerymen, euirassiers and
foot soldiers passing through-a never
ending stream. They did not stay long,
but managed to consume everything they
could get hold Of; they devoured our corn,
our oats, our cattle and our sheep, which
they were brutes enough to kill before our
very eyes, and left US IN their stead little
scraps of paper with l don't know what
sort of unintelligible stuff written on
them. Afterward they would go on down
the hill, through the valley, and forward to
Paris. At night. when the wind blew from
the west, We used to hear dull, heavy sounds
which were the voice of the cannon-Paris
calling for help. But Paris called in vain,
and in vain we hoped ; the pantalons rouges
never came, and always, always there ar
rived fresh troops of Germans. | would
wager more than hundred Thousand
have been over the old paved road where
swe are. But we could do nothing and had
ito watch them go by in mournful helpless
iness, as you might watch the course OF a
Sriver that had overhowed its banks.
This time it was only an infantry bat
splace, by the church. But evidently some
thing extraordinary had happened. The
soldiers stood at attention; their officers
were in a group, gesticulating, shouting,
swearing. l could hear them at it from
the house. The commandant was the
most furious of all. l can see him still-a
long, lean old fellow, with red scar on
his white face, great white mustache,
with occasional reddish hairs in it, and
the very oldest way OF walking l ever saw
Just as If he were walking on egg shells
and was afraid OF breaking them-and a
way of swinging himself about that made
me think OF poplar swaying IN the wind.
Whlle he was raging up and down a
captain pointed out to him the house op-
posite to ours. And at once he seemed
overloyed; he called out some order in his
lingo; four men came out of the ranks
and, followed by them and the captain, he
marched forthwith to the house pointed
out to him. looked at its sign. board, and
read aloud: Jacques Brulefert, Engine
and Machinery Member; then he opened
the door and entered with the officer.
81 wondered what the Prussians could
be wanting with jacques, and said to my
self: Look out for squalls' for must tell
you Jacques hated the Prussians, and he
was hot-headed fellow. He had served
with the army in Africa and though now
he was well past 40 had courage and
daring and strength enough for much
H.,
means beauty. BY much fighting against
Bedoulns he had got almost as swarthy as
they are, but he was as agile as cat, and
dexterous as a monkey, while he was as
sound as only an old Zouave like himself
could be.
"Ah, there was no lack of fire in him,
eyes or heart, can tell you'll His rage
had known no bounds ever since the cam
paign had begun. You should have heard
hlm stormlng against the Emperor III the
big room at the inn, for a coward who
couldn't even die when he ought to, and
against the townsfolk, who were towards
too, and the Germans who could only
fight three to one. He banged on the
tables as If they were Prussians. He was
mad about 1t all. Whv, l myself, sir, as
true as I'm here speaking to you, l saw
him cry like child when he heard that
BaZaine had surrendered Metz.
"At every fresh disaster-and heaven
wanted to be off wherever the fighting
was and take his share of it. He said
nat the others had got the very Job he
yanted, and he would have gone over and
yer again in spite of his age if he had not
mad to stay and take care OF his wife and
his little boy, lad of 10 years So he
stayed behind, but as if he felt disgraced
and ready for anv desperate deed. Every
time the Germans came through he shut
himself up so as not to see them, and it
by cnance some or them were bllieted on
him he would rather pay to sena them to
the inn than himself lodge the sauerkraut-
gobblers, as he called them.
$50 l said to myself, when l saw the two
Prussian officers going in to friend Jacques:
'Therell be a row. / warrant And l
wasn't far out, as you'll see. They had
hardly been inside for three minutes when
/ heard great uproar of doors ban ying
and shouting. Then out came the COM
mandant as red as cocks comb and
shouted out some rigmarole to the four
men who had stayed outside; they rushed
into the workshop and l knew they must
have had orders to fetch out Jacques But
not bit of use was it, for while they were
turning the house upside down l saw
man suddenly leap out OF the loft and run
for dear life along the road. 1t was
Jacques, and he went like a runaway
horse, but few minutes after Prussian
showed his ugly face at the very window
Jacques had jumped out through. You
can imagine his looks when he saw
Jacques had been under their very nose all
the time. And the officers, tool They
swore like anything, and the commandant
looked as black Is thunder.
HE didn't jump out Gt was too far from
Az ~ranpd for thotN h,f ba ruchad darn