Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1897-08-20
A MEMORY SPOILED.

| One Aug. 10, when the libations had
| been copious and the old fellows in the In
valdes had grown more talkatiye than
| usual, Gauillao began to talk about the
| fact that the Little Corporal" had spoken
| to him, a mere soldier He said he would
never forget it,
Indeed! You have never told us about
| that" replied Bernardin. "When did he
| speak to your"
'WhenS Oh, that's my affairp'
''Well, but what did he say to your"
"What did he say to me? That's also
my affair"
eyes, butt
WELL he was passing along in front of
the regiment, and when he came opposite
ne he stopped and said'-
Well, what did he say? You surely
don't hesitate to repeat it9''
'No, no. l don't hesitate. He said to
me-erthat / looked like id fooln'
| replied Gauillac, with an effort.
| Bernardin burst into noisy laugh, and
in a teasing manner said:
Perhaps he was right, but when the
devil did he say that to your"
| "The eve of the battle Of Lutzen, when
he was reviewing the regimentn
| " Gre nom, you don't look like id
fool You are one' 1t was not to you
he said that 1t was to mel''
''To you, to you, Bernardin9"
eyes, yes, to me, and I'll prove it. We
were elbow to elbow He stopped in front
of u.s. The colonel drew notebook from
his pocket, put his sword under his arm
and said
He is very brave To which the en-
| peror replied:
That is not sufficient and added,
He must also have the appearance of a
fool And as he spoke it was me he looked
at-yes, me!'
"Bernardin, cried Gauillac in solemn
and threatening manner, "you are telling
me lie. You are trying to steal from
| my heart one of its dearest memories.
| You are bad fellow and al
"Ah, you have got the swelled head at
my expense! will not suffer it,
'Nor will p
| "What next then?'
"Bah! / am angry with everything
and especially with you, who are jealous
of what the emperor said to me.
"You are nothing more than n beast,
an arch beast and an old humbug!" cried
Bernardin in state of evaporation and
ready to throw bottle at Gauillacs head
och, bien! IL shall"--
"There's no need to complete your sen.
tenco! Such insults are washed out only
with blood You will hear from me to-
| morrow
| And Bernardin went out proudly with
his head in the air and his legs firmer
than they were at the beginning of the
dispute Next day they met again in the
Bots de CLAIMANT. Bernardin brought
with him two swords, freshly sharpened
and wrapped up in a piece of cloth. He
handed them to the seconds and quietly
took off his cloak, avoiding his adversary's
eyes and without saying word.
| One of the seconds, a decorated Invalide,
| who had served with the two champions
and who was known as Big David, took
the two sabers, stuck them in the ground
and said:
'This is not all. I want to know be-
| fore we go any further why you two are
going to fight. If you don't tell me, by
CAD, III take my leaveW
| Gauillac and Bernardin seemed little
disconnected by this simple question. They
exchanged glances and replied together:
"That is our affair alone.
"Not at all, not at all" replied Big
David, with very pronounced Alsatan
accent. sit is also the affair of the sec.
onds. We cannot allow old comrades to
fight unless they have good reason"
"Eh, bien," said Gauillac. "Bernardin
has insulted me!''
sit is not true. 1t Is Gauillac who in.
suited me, and who'-
| ttput xubvS What obout9,j
They realized SO keenly the humor of
their position, these old soldiers, that
neither of them answered the question.
"You will not explain? Then shall at
once go home" declared Big David
"Listen moment, David. A second is
like confessor. will tell you the whole
thing upon the condition that you will
not prevent us fighting"
And Gauillac related faithfully the
whole quarrel.
Scarcely had he finished when Big Da.
vid began to gambol and cut capers and
flourish his stick in such q manner that
they feared he was about to have a fit.
He uttered some inarticulate sounds, in
the midst of which certain words were
nevertheless distinguishable.
"Such id fools, such id fools !"
Finally he Gained down, and, his eyes
still filled with tears of delirious Joy, he
said:
"You are couple of clowns. The EN-.
peror said that to me-
Bernardin and Gauillac, moved by the
same impulse, approached Big David with
frowning eyebrows and closed fists. They
would have struck him, but he stopped
them with gesture.
'Let me speak first, and afterward you
can do as you please" he cried. "The
night before the battle of Lutzen was
chosen by the colonel to carry secret
message to which the emperor attached
the greatest Importance. was selected
because came from Saarlouis and could
speak German.
II was furnished with PEASANTS dress
and cautioned to look as much like a
id fool as possible and, if arrested, to
behave like donkey that wants its bran.
was able to accomplish my mission to
the satisfaction Of my chiefs. I carried
the message safely, and when / returned
the colonel said that should have cross.
The emperor, who always looked fxedly
at the men, may have said what you heard
him say before both of you, but it was of
me he was thinking"
"And the proof of what you tell usf"
demanded Bernard,n and Gauillac in the
same breath.
lis bere," said Big David, showing his
cross, land swear by this cross that l
am speaking the truth. From this mo.
ment shake hands and let 1t all be de-
| elarad Mt an end !"