The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1897-01-23

mo.
You struck him?'
NO; I was not able
But you threatened him"
Yes; he called me a poltroon.'
And You killed him-with O COM
pass?'
Yes, but be also had a compass.
We were fighting honorably.'
"'But you fenced better than hep
!" yes, hut it was not my fault
"'How old arc your
Sixteen years
Have Won p~ayents?'
"A mother only
"'Yoar father?'
"'killed at Austerl:tz. Ea was to
have been "a captain
"sDo you know what awaits yG-:'
Perhaps
"'And repent?'
"'No, my general
WHAT cried the general. Not re-
peEt in the face of the court martial, tho
platoon OF ~execution?'
$50 much the better for me. No ono
Will call me q poltroon again
All. said the general, i see And
Tor Q moment, a moment that appeared
to me a century. be seemed to be lost III
reflection.
Sergeant, he called at last-'ser-
geant, conduct him'-pointing to me
conduct him to the side of the corporal
whom he has killed. At daybreak jus
tlce shall be done. Once for all we will
finish with this mania Of the compass. :
= y
Twenty minutes later I was in tho
infirmary looking upon the face of the
man whose lie 7 had taken. The cor
poral rested upon his funeral bed be-
tween four lighted tapers. On a table at
the head Of it was a cruciix, a saucer
with a sprig of lockwood stepping in the
holy water; at the foot of it a Sister Of
st. Vincent de Paul kneeIing in prayer.
dropped beside her. my face in my
hands. my body, in spite of all that 7
had said to the general, racked with
sobs. All, the anguish Of that funeral
watch!
DAY came at last and a pale, wintry
sun lighted the scene Of mourning, more
and more lugubrious as it freed itself
from the shadows. The smile Of the
dead, however, no longer seemed to be
a m%enacing grimace, and behind the
half closed lids saw the eyes. blue,
clear and charged with light. How will
lngly would | have changed the roles
aud placed, burning with remorse, shiv-
ering with fever, upon the priedieu
where / leaned i'll agony! How willingly
would | have taken his place, as cold,
as rigid, beneath the winding sheet,
upon which my tears RAJ silently!
"A hand suddenly laid upon my
shoulder made me tremble. 1t was the
good sister. a bowl of broth in her hand.
Take it. my child, said she, and
Q little Of this bordeaux with tit will
give you courage!' But / pushed the
glass aside. 1t seemed to me like blood.
lyon must. she persisted. You
mustl You have prayed, you have ex-
plated. God is merciful. He will par
don! Drink, my little one, drink as I
bid you I protested no longer, but
drank as she told me and was still on
my feet when the door opened and the
sergeant reappeared.
d" 1t is the hour, conscript, said he.
Come, the picket awaits you
"The hour! The hour for what?''
Drawn MP before the door of the in
firmary, in the center of the Grand al
ley, under the trees white with frost,
the picket did await us-a dozen OF MY
own classmates, armed from head to
foot, in full uniform, their guns upon
their shoulders, their bayonets shining
in the morning light. / had guessed
aright-it was the platoon Of execution.
AT the sight of it, explain it as you
will, a reaction took place in me, q sal
utary reaction. My agony left me, my
vision cleared, my speech returned to
me.
so much the better, ; | said aloud,
SO much the better. This torment will
soon be ended And l~oosening my vest
and the collar about my neck, so as not
to impede the bullets, I sought the tree
against which they wished to place me.
At this moment a tall and well known
figure detached itself from a group Of
officers behind the pickets and stepped
in front of me. 1t was General Bella
vene wrapped in his military mantle,
his hat pulled close about the eyes that
had more than once made the enem7
trembIe.
Have you nothing You wish to say
to us. conscript-nothing to demand Of
before the execution?'
mo. my general, nothing-unless,
as | was the officer of the exercises this
morning, will you allow me to CON-
mand the platoon now? I wish to die
like . soldier
To die like q soldier! Well, 50 be
i'll Receive ynur nrdars : fnrninn