The Press. (Stafford Springs, Conn.) 1883-1935, 1897-12-30
LOST HIS BEARD.

IOO i HID OLAhUs
"Rezonvillel Gravelottel Montre-
toutl What long time ago it all seems
half lifetime, monsieur said my
old friend PHILIPPE ALBERT, the exdra-
COON, as. we stood before Brisset's pic
ture in the salon of 1894. eyes, that is
Gravelotte- was there. Is the picture
like it? Oh, no doubt The artist knows
Il cannot tell. had to fight, not look
about.
''You want an anecdote of our troop,
monsieur? Well, you shall have one.
You may take it that we were picked
men. There was but one youngster
among us, and to US old mustaches his
beardless face seemed strange. All, he
was handsome, with the beauty du di-
able, fairly tall and very slim. He had a
Caustic tongue, and nothing pleased him
better than to use it on us, his comrades,
in such manner that we feared him
and left him to himself How it was we
could not tell, but Leon St. Paul carried
everything before him. Did one of us
offer attention to a pretty grisette mere
/ " pour passer lie temps, Leon would cut
/ him out and. cover him in his retreat
with, confusion. This, i'll truth, was bad
emo ugh when the intent was merely to
amuse oneself, but, sacre it is hard to
bear when a man was in earnest, as
poor Cambert was with Nam 'selle Ma
RE Emmanuel the vivandiere.
'''" A good creature, that Marie, We
were devoted to her to q man, but she
reserved her smiles for Leon, and, If
must say what think, the inmost re-
cesses of her, heart for monsieur le doc,
teur. s..< f.....e... d.. s..-...
Poor Mariel NJ. Vendome thought
nothing Of her ...-..
"Cambert hated Leon and would Of
ten say While stroking his thick, black
beard: This young cockerel crows toe
loud, messieursa We must cut his CONT
for him. .@ -s-5
"'There are plenty of Prussian combs
for cutting, Corporal Cambert, our ser
geant would reply. Let us carve them,
my friend, before we practice on each
other. Who knows?' he added thought
fully on one occasion. The time may
come when we shall none Of us have
the heart for. growing
"Ah, we'll, the campaign was in it,
infancy then, and France, like bride
who decks herself for her nuptials, had
gone out to espouse the god of war, lit
tie dreaming what the children Of hel
marriage bed would be. But to my
story, monsieur 1t was the eve Of
Gravelotte, and Cambert, moody al
usual, came across Leon trifing with
Marie, the vivandiere. He found bel
smiling into the youths handsome
beardless face, and in a burst of sar
casm unusual with him-for monsieur
will understand that he had no grea
command Of language except for ours
| ing-he said to her, Nam selle Marie
Emmanuel, if you would have us con
tinuerto be your slaves, at least give III
man for rival
"Leon's face turned scarlet. Man O,
boy, he answered, L will wager ny
silver rosary, blessed by the holy ia
Their himself, against that beard O.
yours, of which you think SO much
that 1 ride before you into the fgh
when next we charge the Prussians
"'Agreedl' replied Cambert lightly
Have the goodness to accept my assur
ance mademoiselle, that shall presen
you with a silver rosary in little
! times2,ess,.s ,gzss
:" Marie shall have the rosary, bu
! she shall also have your beard to stuff
a pillow for her favorite poodle, an
swered Leon, and then, looking dagger
at each other, they parted.
''The morrow was the day of Grave
lotte, and we heard that we were tt
charge the blue TUNES and drive then
out of the plantation of hop vines be
hind which they lay concealed.
"'Ah, this is work for men, gruntet
Cambert, as he looked to the left, OF
which side rode Leon, with myself mex
in line
Look to your beard, Cambert, an
swered Leon, Laughing scornfully. Yol
will never carry it into another fight :.
"The word was given, and off w
invent. Tell you about it? What shall
say? Only that the air was thick will
mist which smelled of sulphur ant
that swarm Of bees from hell itsel
seemed buzzing round our ears
Ping We were not half way acros
the space which interviewed between
our starting point and those green row
of hop vines, each one masking blu
coated Prussian, when l got it! Nd,
right arm was stung by one Of thos
bees and the bone shattered transfer
red my saber to my left hand and lie
my reins fall on the neck Of my gra.
mare On she went, her head down, he
neck stretched out, her nose to tn
ground. VII
God of warl' Isaidto myself. 'Ha
it only been my left arm some Prussia
should pay for thisl' ] was thinking Q
myself, Of course, for it is not good O