The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1896-06-25

AS stopper 10 lake UIttlD, Olu oduNdS'
! the owner of The Rising Sum-" an inn mos
discreeuy perched at the top OF its thirst
: summit, came up behind me and accoste
me with a cordial "Good dayl" We wen
on together, glad of each others company
and at last arrived at the very steepest par
of the way, sheer incline abutting on a ra
vine, at the bottem of which flowed tn
river; and bordered by green hedge, tn
only protection against fall over its side
Rtsht in the very middle of this hedge wa
q great gap, which seemed as though som
massive weight had crashed through il.
"Has there been an accident here?"
asked my companion.
Better than that was his answer
"That hedge wears still the scars Of war
like disabled warrior. A terrible thinl
happened there"
"Tell me about it." begged; and, as W.
| advanced slowly under the burning sun h'
began:
"It was the 18th of December, in the yesl
| of misfortune, 1870, date have good rea
son for remembering.
ION the afternoon of the day before 6
troop Of German soldiers had arrived among
us. No one thought much about it at first
we had grown accustomed to such visits by
them, for our village is on the road 10 Ger.
many, and for the last three months, heaven
knows we had seen nothing but Prussians
and Bavarians, uhlans and artillerymen
cuirassiers and foot soldiers passing through
"a never-ending stream.
!" This time it was only an infantry battal-
ion. Ii halted up there in front of our place
by the church. But evidently something
extraordinary had happened.
The soldiers stood at attention; their
officers were in a group, gestacula,ing, shout
ing, swearing. / ceuld hear them at it from
| the house The Commandant was the most
furious Of all.
While he was raging mp and down a
Captain pointed out to bim the house oppo-
site 10 ours. And at once he seemed over
| ioyed; he called ont some order in his lingo;
four men came ont of the ranks, and followed
by them and the Captain he marched forth
with to the house pointed out to him, looked
at its signboard and read aloud: Jacques
! Brulefert, engine and machinery mender '
| then he opened the door and entered with
the officer.
al wondered what the Prussians could be
wanting with Jacques, and said to myself
Luok cut for squalls! for 1 must tell you
| Jacques hated the Prussians, and he was
bot-headed fellow. He had served with the
army in Africa, and though now he was well
| past 40 be was agile as a cat and dextxous
as a monkey.
$50 ssid to myself, when saw the two
Prussian officers going in to friend Jacques:
~Theren be row, / warrant And
wasn't far cut, as you'll see.
They had hardly been inside for three
minutes when / heard a great uproar of
doors banging and shouting. Then out
came the Commandant, as red as a cocks
comb, and shouted out some rigmarole to the
four men who had stayed outside; they
rushed into the workshop, and knew that
they must have had orders 10 fetch out
Jacques.
+" j saw man suddenly leap out of the
loft and run for dear life along the road. 1t
was Jacques, and he went like runaway
horse; but a few minutes after a Prussian
showed his ugly face at the very window
Jacques had jumped out through.
" he didn't jump out lit was too far from
the ground for that. but he rushed down
the staircase with his men, called I'D the
others. and set them like dogs on the track
Of the runner. Ah, so he did-but there
was no Jacques to be scent Every trace of
him had disappeared!
Everyone knew already what had hap
pened. My wife had been up to jacques
house TO zee what had been done, and she
has tongue Of her own, you know, regular
woman.
F" 1t seems that the Commandant had
wanted Jacques to 20 with him at once,
without a moments notice. He wanted
him to repair great steam-engine he was
escorting with his battalion, and that he had
had to leave behind mile back. The night
before the engineer had been killed as they
came through wood by franctireur, and
he wanted someone to replace him in bring
ing along the machine which was stuck
there. The machine was dragging along a
great cannon destined for the bombardment
of Paris.
He had come TO the wrong shop this
time. Jacques got white as sheet, and
said: 'Supposing won't do anything of the
kindf' The Commandant told him, with
sneer, Then you'll be forced to- for he spoke
French like scboolmaster, the great lanky
lout. jacques, with one bound, skipped
through the door behind him and, once out /,
Of sight, got away as told you.
IA few minutes after the Commandant
announced 10 the Mayor that he would now
spend the night in the village; and soon we
each had our share of Prussians 10 lodge.
Up at the inn, of course, we had the |
Commandant and two Captains 10 provide |
tered by the honor. The Commaudant WAS |
striding up and down, and looking very
furious. Suddenly ] saw him stop and rub |
his hands. A bad sign,' thinks ]. Ard, |
sure enough he calls his men and talks |
away TO them, pointing every now and then |
to Jacques's house.
didn't know yet what he was up TO. |
but ] hadn't long 10 wait. Outside in the |
street we hear noise, loud laughs, and the |
cries Of a woman and child; then our door |
is pushed roughly open, and woman is
just thrown into the room by four great |
rufiians, who push aud drag and hustle her |
in.
"She struggled until she was in such a |
dishevelled state you wouldn't have known |
her, screamed insult after insult at the Com. |
mandant.
He cared no more than If he had been a |
log, but said quietly, Come, come, behave !
yourself You shall be set free when your |
husband returns. If he doesn't come back |
so much the worse for You. You will be |
our prisoner aud will have to come with us,
was serving at the bar when Jean La. /
croiK, the mason, came in. he made sign. \
and pretended that / had to go down to /
the cellar, and went into the kitchen with |
him.
I've seen Jacques he said softly.
Where? j asked
Quite close He has hidden under the I
road. found him crouched mp in the little /
tunnel that takes off the rain water in bad /
weather. de wants something to eat, some