The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-07-18


bineers had only begun 10 loot the cell
lar when the news of their defeat at
the Hotel de Vile sent them packing,
therefore the provisions remained prae-
tically untouched up to the day when
Bourke refused to renew the govern
ment card that entitled the little house
hold TO rations of horseflesh and black
bread for three adults and a child
Yolette baked little biscuits in the
kitchen. Red Riding Hood made soup.
And now that Hide was well enough
to come down stairs. they had dinner
in the dining room again, where. from
their store Of fuel, a good fire burned
in the crate. and q candle sent its
cheerful yellow rays into the chill of
the black hallway. The shadow that
fell or the house did not come from the
battle clouds gathering swiftly in the
south, nor from the sleet, the bitter
cold, the rain. nor yet from the spec
tacle Of the splendid, desclate city,
naked and furnished, filthy and dis
eased. There was something else that
touched Hides face with the subtle
pailor, that made her silence heart
breaking and her forced smiles terri
Bile. Bourke knew. At such moments
he would begin: You see, Hide, my
theory is this: Jim, finding that lie
Bourget was threatened. struck out
Prussian lines. somewhere between the
Fort de la Briche and st. Denis. That's
what I would have done myself, little
sister,"
Then he would bring his map and
stick pins all over il and talk very
cheerfully until Hide, lying in her
armchair, turned her head away to
conceal the tears that came. At such
moments, too Yolette would read aloud
from Hugo. and her clear young voice,
pronOuncing the superb lines of Les
Chantiments, sent the blood tipgling
TO Bourke's cheeks. And then the
deep strong love in her blue eyes when
she raised them to meet the eyes of the
man who worshiped her. The room
would become very still-Eilde, resting
motionless among her shawls and
cushions, eyes closed. sometimes heard
the rustic of Yolette's dress, the light
football, the breathless whisper. scarce
iy audible, Il love you, Cecil" But it
was on Hides eyes that Yolette's kiss
always fell. AS for Bourke, he hoped
against hope. He knew what the others
did not know-he knew that Hardwood
had remained in LIE Bourget at least
during the first assault, for the soldier
had brought him Harewood's letter,
and he had not dared to show it to
Hide or to Yolette, because 1t had been
delivered three days after the fall of
lie Bourget. At night he could not
sleep for thinking how Hardwood
might have fallen a victim to his
rashness. Often hot anger succeeded
uneasy foreboding-anger that Hare
wood should have dared risk death
when by all the ties of honor and man
hood he was bound to Hide until he
had fulfilled his duty TO her. to Yolette.
TO Bourke.
Often his face would harden as he
thought of all that Hardwood had
promised, all that he had not fulfilled,
of the wrong he had wrought, of the
debt he had incurred that should be
paid one day or the next, on earth or
in the life to come. Again and again
he thought of Hides words, uttered in
delirium, and strove TO believe that
there had been nothing in them, moth
ing except the innocent babble of a
sick child. But their significance, terri
bic in its simplicity appalled, him; he
thanked God that Yolette had been
spared that; he remembered that Hide
herself was unaware of having spoken.
At moments he almost wished Hare
wood dead. What was life worth 10
such q man or TO his friends? What
did love or honor mean to him? The
demon of selfishness had taken posses
sion of him. Selfish he had lived; his
death, if death had overtaken him, was
but the last within of his selfishness,
at the expense of
honor, a reckless risk of self, needless
of the most solemn duty he owed to
Hide, which was TO live, merely to
live, until he had a moral right to die.
Let him die" thought Bourke: lit will
be better for her perhaps. whatever be
the verdict of church or state-better
for her, If the blow does not kill her"
He could say this. almost aloud, as he
lay in his dark room at night. and yet,
often starting awake from dreams of
his comrade, he would sit up praying
for he often prayed, that Hardwood,
his friend. might return.
The month of November passed in an
almost constant downpour, sometimes
rain. sometimes snow, more often driv-
ing sleet or fierce icy storms. where
sheets OF fine frozen dust drove
through winds so bitter that sentries
froZe at their posts and every dawn
broke on such scenes of suffering
among the ragged troops beyond the
enceinte, that the newspapers scarcely
dared record the details.
Combat after combat was delivered
under the walls of Paris, but it was
not until the end of the month that
the great series of battles began along
the Marine, eliminating in the fright
full slaughter of Champagne victory
for France. perhaps. because the Ger
mans had failed to hurl Ducrot's troops
across the Marine and destroy the
the victory was a sterile
one. and the laurels fell on heads too
weak with sickness and starvation to
bear the weight of even withered
wreaths.
Then. on Dec. 5, came the news that
Orleans had fallen and the army of the
Loire was observation-disclosures sent by let
Ter, under a flag Of truce, from Moltke
"a grim letter. devilish in its courtesy:
Versailles. Dec. 3. 1870.
1T might be useful to inform your
eNcellency General Trochu) that the
army Of the Loire has been defeated
near Orleans, and that that city has
been re-occupied by German troops.
IF, nevertheless, your excellency
Judges it advisable to convince your
self by one of your officers, l will not
,ail to furnish him with a safe con-
iuct TO go there and return.
Permit me, general, to express the
high consideration with which L have
he honor to be your very humble and
-ery obedient servant,
Signed.)
THE Chief of the General Staff.
COUNT Won MOLTKE."
The news stunned the people. At I
irst nobody credited it. The governor /
began ostentatious preparations for !
mother sortie, alasi against the very
Tillage he had abandoned when it was I
n his own hands-Le Bourget
But it was not until the end OF De-
ember that he was ready to begin, /
md then the cold became so frightfui 1
hat 800 men froze on a single night in /
he trenches, and during the last ten /
lays of the month 20 GOO soldiers were !