The San Francisco call., 1896-04-26


Where the deuce could he have got to?
The night was beginning to fall; in vain
the men searched everywhere round; IN
vain the commandant swore and ragged
and fumed like a mailman; the soldiers
had to come back iabbering and empty
handed. All the village had assem- Dled up
there at last, looking as though they un-
derstood nothing, you can imagine. but
bursting with laughter to see them so
dumfounded.
Every one knew already what had
happened. Ny wife had been up to
Jacques house to see what had been done,
and she has tongue of her own, you
know, regular woman. She found the
poor wife frightened out of her wits, and
crying with fear 1t seems that the COM
mandant had wanted Jacques to go with
him at once without moments notice.
He wanted him to repair great steam
engine he was escorting with his battal-
ion, and that he had had to leave behind
mile back. The night before the engineer
had been killed as they came through
wood by a franctireur. and he wanted some
one to replace him in bringing along the
machine which was stuck there. You can
guess it was pretty serious for him. The
machine was dragging along great cannon
destined for the bombardment of Paris.
And the commandant had come to requi-
sition Jacques for the job, as if he had
been Prussian soldier, at least. He had
come to the wrong shop this time.
Jacques got white as sheet and said:
'Supposing won't do anything of the
kind?'
1.-THE commandant told him, with a
sneer, Then you'll be forced to- for he
spoke French like a schoolmaster. the
great, lanky lout. But he did not know
Jacques. With one bound the fellow
skipped through the door behind him,
and, once out of their sight, got away as
told you.
1--WE thought that was the end of it.
But there's no dealing with these obsti-
nate folk. A few minutes after there
wasn't one among US inclined to laugh,
for the commandant announced to the
Mayor that he would now spend the night
in the village, and soon we each had our
share of Prussians to lodge. And to see
them there, strutting about in ones own
house, stretching across the fireplace or
the table, and talking a iargon no one
could understand. while the very rifles
they carried had probably shot down more
than one brave fellow from our little viii
lage. was enough to take the laugh out of
one forever, l can tell you.
up at the inn, of course, we had the
commandant and two captains to provide
for gratis, and didn't feel particularly fiat
tered by the honor. The commandant was
striding up and down, and looking very
furious. Suddenly / saw him stop and
rub his hands. "A bad sign thinks l;
and, sure enough. he calls his men and talks
away to them, pointing every now and
then to jacques house. didn't know yet
what he Was up to, but | J. admit long to
wait. Outside in the street we hear
noise, loud laughs and the cries of woman
and child; then our door is pushed
roughly open and woman is just thrown
into the room by four great ruffians, who
push and drag and hustle her in. 1t was
the old wretch's idea. The cunning old
thing said to himself: If you want to
take the male the surest way is to catch
the female And he had Jacques wife
LAS for the boy, regular son of his
father, as bold as a lion, he tried to resist;
yelled and screamed, fought and kicked,
and was trying to bite the hand which had
grasped him cruelty by the wrists. Poor
little ladl They wouldn't even let him
stay in with us, but kicked him outside,
and for quarter of an hour or more we
heard him sobbing with rage and cold out
in the dark night. The mother was like
creature possessed. She struggled until
she was in such disheveled state you
wouldn't have known her, and screamed
insult after insult at the commandant,
calling him cad villain coward He
cared no more than if he had been log;
but laughed mockingly at her, the heart
less beast, and said quietly, Come, come,
when your husband returns. If he doesn't
come back, so much the worse for you.
Y ou will be our prisoner, and will have to
come with US. That will teach your man
to refuse US his services And while
the poor woman, over whom two soldiers
mounted guard, was crying quietly in a
corner OF our big dining-room, the COM
a NJ 10 nd fyun Nfnsra &Al -.
other end, ate enough for six, and drank
enough for ten, because tney knew they
were not going to pay for their dinner
By this time we had climbed the hill and
reached the inn, where / had invited Pere
Savage to drink glass of wine with me
and it was over a venerable bottle in
cool corner of the big room looking on to
the sunny highway and the delightful
view beyond that he continued: ''Well.
the Prussians were gobbling at the very
table we are now sitting at and I was serv-
ing at the bar, when Jean Lacroix, the
mason, came in. He had COM to fetch a
pint of wine; but he looked as though
something was up so when he made me a
sign l pretended that l had to go down to
the cellar and went into the kitchen with
him.
".I'ye seen jacques he said softly.
'WhereP | asked.
"'Quite close. He has hidden under
the road. l found him crouched up in the
little tunnel that takes off the rain water
in bad weather. The Prussians must have
passed over his head at least dozen times
when they were looking for him. Wasn't
1t a trick to play them? But now he is
cold and hungry. He whistled softly to
me as l was com ng in from the fields.
He wants something to eat, some sort of
wrap and little money, then he is going
OH to his Uncle Francois-who lives three
leagues off. | wanted to tell his wife, and
knocked at her door; but there's no one
there. What am to do?
II told him the Prussians had arrested
her and meant to take her off with them:
that she was up there in the dining-room
and that we must somehow let JACQUES
know; but it was easier said than done, as
one ran the risk of being caught in the act
and betraying his hiding place. Then I
thought OF the boy, who was bold enough
Tor anything and an intelligent little fell
low. IL was pitch-dark night; he could
creep along and hide himself in the
bitches more easily than a man. and
then once with his father he would at least
have some one to defend him.
He can't be far away, / said to Jean
Lacroix. we must hnd him and send
him.
1T seemed the best thing to do. sir. and
yet have often thought since then that
without meaning to | was doing Just what
hn ~ RI aAAtx e