The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1898-11-18
THE ZOuAEE.

Lory, the first blacksmith of Sainte-
Marie-aux- Mines, was i'll an unhappy
frame of mind.
1t had always been his habit as soon
az the forge fire was extinct and the
sun had set to scat himself on a bench
before his doCr, and, while enjoying
that Iassitude which hard work Oh a
warm day leaves behind it, drink sever
al pots of beer with his apprentices he
fore sending them away.
But Oh this particular evening the
good man remained at the forge until
il was time TO go TO the supper table,
and then went reluctantly into the
house.
What cam be the matter with him.
thought his wife. perhaps he has re-
ceived some bad news from the regiment
that he does not wish to tell me. Per
haps our son is i'll"
But as she dared not ask she OCcu-
pied herself i'll trying to quiet her three
flaxen headed youngsters, whose laugh
ing faces appeared around tue board,
where they We're munching Il salad of
black radishes and cream.
At last the blacksmith pushed away
his plate, exclaiming angrily:
"Oh. the towards! Oh, the scoun-
drels!'
"What is the matter, Lory:" asked
his wife
Then the root of the whole matter
came to light.
Il am speaking of those five or six
scoundrels whom any one could have
seen this morning rambling round the
village i'll the uniforms OF French sol
diers arm Ill arm with the Bavarians.
Yes, it is such as these-what shall l
call them-who have chosen to become
Prussiaus! And 10 think we will have
to see these false Alsatians coming back
every day from Africa! What magic po-
ton have they drunk to make them
change this way:'
His wife, motherlike, Immediately
attempted the defense of the abused.
"What would you have otherwise,
my poor husband?" said she. This re-
turn is hardly the fault of these chill
dren. Algiers, where they We're sent, is
so far away that they were homesick,
and it must have been such tempta-
ton tor them to come back. such
temptation not to have to be soldiers
any longern'
Lory struck the table with his fist
fiercely.
flush, mother! You women never
understand anything. Living for your
children and with your children makes
you lower your mind to the level of the
intellect of the youngsters. as fer me,
l say TO you again that these men are
beggars, scouudrels, the worst kind Of
towards, and, if i'll luck should make
our Christian capable of such infamy. us
theirs, as true as my names George
Lory and that have served seven years
as French soldier l would run him
through with my sword" And with
terrible look, half rising, the black
smith pointed to his long saber hanging
on the wall beneath his sons picture
Il portrait taken il Africa Of soldier i'll
zouave uniform, but with such al hon
| est Alsatian face, tanned by the sun,
that the sight suddenly Gained the IA
ther, and he said Iaughingly:
1T was we'll looked at the picture.
| As if our Christian could become a Prus-
siam
Put into a better humor by this idea,
the good man gayly finished his dinner,
| and soon followed it up with a couple
Of pints of beer at the Vile de Stlas-
| 5Ourg inn.
at last his wife was alone
After putting the little flaXen heads
| TO bed and listening to their prattl6 in
| the next room, which sounded like a
nestfUl Of birds going to sleep, she took
her work and sat down to knit before
| the door at the garden side of the house.
| From time TO time she sighed rs she
| thought, YES, l know it well, they
are towards and renegades; but what
does it matter. Their mothers will be
| glad to sec them back once more all the
| same.
And she thought of the times before
| her son had gone with the army, how at
| this hour Of the day he used to devote
! himself to the care of the garden. In her
mind she could see him, clad in blouse,
his hair long, his beautiful hair which
| they had cut off when he became a
zouave, filling his watering can at the
| well near by her.
Suddenly she started. The little gate
at the end of the garden which opened
on the fields was ajar. The dogs had
not banked, Notwithstanding the fact
that some one had come over the wall
like rubber and was gliding i'll and
out among the beehives
"Motherr'
Her Christian stood before her,
! ashamed and troubled, his tongue thick
from drink, his uniform disheveled.
| The miserable lad had returned from
! Africa with the others, but for an hour
! had been rambling outside the house
waiting for his fathers departure. His
mother felt it her duty to scold him,
but she had not the heart to do it. 1t
had been such a long time since she had
seen him. So she embraced him instead
Then he gave her such good reasons
for his return. He hated the country
where he had been. 1t grieved him to
be so far away from home, and his COM
rades called him Prussian because Of
his Alsatian accent He told her all
this and she believed it. She only had
to look at him to believe anything.
Talking necessarily, they entered the