Daily public ledger. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1892-191?, 1896-10-31
AMBUSH AGAINST AMBUSH.
by ARCHIBALD FORBES.

In December of 1870 | was living at
the headquarters of Maj Won Schon-
berg's battalion of SaNons in a hand
some, but sorely battered mansion on
the German siege line or the east side
of Paris, right opposite to Mount Akron,
over whose summit lowered the sullen
gfacs and menacing embrasures of Fort
Ie6sny There were shell holes in the
roof of our chateau, in its walls, and in
che parquet floor of the fine drawing
room which was the common room Of
the Saxon officers, the furniture of
which was in curiously fragmentary
conditiop. A shell had burst in the
grand piano, and had wrought utter
havoc among the keys, hammers and
strings of the instrument. The place
WAS favorite target for the guns OF
Avron and Rosny, and we may be said
10 have lived under almost constan:
ire.
4 shell burst in an upper room, just as
Under Officer Schulz entered to make
= report to the major. Schulz took three
measured steps from the door with ac-
curately pointed toes, halted smarty,
Bringing his heels together with a
sharp click, and stood before his COM
enaDding officer, motionless, stiff and
severely erect.
-What is it, Schulz" asked the ma
5pr
PLEASE you, Herr Major" replied the
under officer, stiffly, Corporal thinner
man reports that in the gap of the park
wall of the SchlOss Launay, Soldier
Clause Spreckels of Capt. Hammer
Ntein's company was killed by shot
Hired from the little house by the gate
That makes the seventh man killed this
week by the French pig-dog who turks
there aud never misses a chance"
-l'ig-dog, indeed!" exclaimed the
major, angrily. "He takes every
chance, as you say, and never gives one.
Have the dead Spreckels buried accord
ing to form. You may go, Under Officer
&chnlzl"
At your order, Herr Major!" said the
under officer with a salute; then he
went right-about as if he were a piece
81 mechanism, took his three measured
6feps 10 the door, and disappeared.
Soldier Clause Sprecl<els' body lay on |
the doorstep where it had been de-
p0sited while his grave was being dug. |
His would be the most recent; but the |
reEiOn round about us was one great |
graveyard of recent dead-the slain of |
the desperate fighting in Ducrot's great |
eor9ie, which lasted without Interrupt |
fion from November 30 to December 3.
-That william will decimate the BAT
1nlion." growled the major. as he took |
= long drink of the lager beer of which |
his wife had sent him a barrel from |
&axOny as a Christmas love gift. And |
bow to mend matters beats met" he
added. despairingly.
Then impulsive Capt Krchbach
broke outs "Let us rush the Internal
hut major, and burn it down; that will
Iestroy the fellows cover. volunteer
~ lead the party. Why not to-night?''
~ must not be as you propose, Kirch-
9aeh," said the major. you know that
TIC French foreport line moves forward
tfyDnd the hut with nightfall and that
rot half rife shot TO the rear is a
brigade of the red legs in Villemomble.
We'd risk all that cheerfully, but, as
Ian know, / have strict orders against
#tinging on fighting now while the pi-
toeers are building the batteries for the
ege guns behind us yonder in front of
Maiaon 0uyot."
*And yet" said little Hammerstein,
81 n horrible pity that our good Eel
lows should be murdered thus"
Fortune OF war" cried Helldorf, the
nkless. IF you are to be bowled over,
well in a patrol as in the melee at
utelotte. Spreckels' turn to-day,
I.nt mayhap, Tomorrow The French
n Goes not respect officers the least
ne world--you remember how he
.ed OF Lieut.. Won Ernsthausen
Permit me the word, Herr Major"
rs the haehful words that came from
+ 44unRstcr IN the light blue cavalry
form. who was standing near the
'41f Tbe mustache had not budded on
. ~, buf there was a quiet resolution
Ne aspect Of him which gave assur-
III Nat be was equal 10 a mans part.
young Baron sielnfurt WAlIen.