The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1900-01-05
A NAP0lE)N|C bulletin
How II Was wordsd TO Tell the
Truth and Satisfy the French
! People. s


4 Ccpyrtoht. 1899. BY Esvin WdTdman. 4
+i4s4s-s4i+ssssaasssssssas
''What time Is it, captainT" asked the
secretary Of the imperial cabinet M
Mounier.
Hall past IL. In an hour at the very
latest we should have finished" answer.
ed Castellane, rubbing his hands. "This
cold is dreadful. Through every crevice
the frost enters"
"Two sentinels have frozen to death
already" said the third man in the room.
Castellane put down the pen and threw
two big logs into the immense stove. A
third he dropped to listen at the wooden
wall. "Who 10 making that noise next
doorW he asked.
'The king Of Naples, who has moved
bis headquarters there" replied M. do
Narbonne. "He is raving because the
emperor wouldn't take him along to
Paris"
Castellane once more dipped the quill
into the ink. "Narbonne, approved has
your approval, has It not2" The cour-
tier merely groaned.s u haven't the
heart to object. Do what you please,
write what you please, invent what you
please. don't want to see the draft at
all. Give me the thing when it is ready
and will pass 1t. Oh, my head! have
the fever, do believe"
Napoleon had left the army at Smor-
goni at 10 p. m, an hour before this con-
versation. Recognizing that the army
was lost, he had determined to hasten to
France to procure another. In his big
sled were Dairy. Lauriston and a few
minor lights whom he needed absolutely.
Berthier cried because the emperor
went without him. Murat swore and
raved. Nevertheless, they were left be-
hind.
Toward midnight second sleigh, load
ed with necesscries of life and fodder,
was to follow under the protection Of a
mounted guard. Napoleon had had no
time even to finish the builetin-bulletin
No. 29-the last to the French army in
Russia. When going away, be almost
threw the paper into the face Of the chief
of cabinet. "Finish It. quick. Let the
courier bring it to Wilma for my sigma
ture."
Mounier began again. "No, no, It won't
do. We can't say that the emperor APP
proves of the condition of the army.
Reflect, we have been losing 1000 men
daily during the past week by frost
alone"
But" pleaded Castellane, "the word
is needed to sustain the fiction that the
emperor still Is with us. Neither the
army nor Europe must know that he has
gone ahead"
"Of course that is the principal thing,
but approves is too strong. Better
leave out the whole sentence and substi.
tute The enemy has suffered great loss.
es'"
Immense losses!' cried NJ. de Mar
bonnie.
"'Immense losses by the cold and by
our bullets. The pursuit on the part Of
the Cossacks is weak"
Here Castellane took out his watch.
"lt's past IL. Am right, gentlemen"
II believe So"
"And it's the eth Of Decembery
well, yes"
"Then you win have to excuse me for
an hour" The captain fastened his fur
pelisse about his throat and ran out de-
spite the others protest.
The village Of Smorgoni was a small
place, and the postoffice, where the
French had established headquarters,
was its only building deserving the name.
There were a lot of fusel dispensaries,
but their proprietors had fed. as nobody,
either native or foreigner, paid for things
and as the French were known to destroy
what they could not eat or drink or carry
off. a-.
Castellane was going to the near sta
bles to find gentleman with whom he
had an affair of honor "Parbleu" he
as he waded through the
snow. "One has to get up early in this
Delay might mean that Jack Frost car
ries him off without seconds or witness.
es."
As he said this he stumbled over some
thing, and when he turned out to the
right there was another impeachment in
The road-two bodies, frozen stiff, giant
Westphalian chasseurs, who once had be-
|onged to his own brigade.
In the center of the ward burned n big
Are A group OF eirht prenadiers ant
around it. Castellane, looking closer,
raw that only three Of them wers alive
The faces of the rest had the appearancc
n Yellow marble. T,bev had been dead
Tor hours probably. witbout their com.
.ndcs noticing Il. They were foo busy
.eeninp life in their own bodies.
Tan mace. farther tbe carcass ~ a
horse was living. One Of CasteIlnne's
nr;vste NJ cuirassiars wsre irving tn
IN n Mace NJ II When tbe "a main
.rtered Tho stab,e m,stsr,s ouartars ba
nm against two generals a chamberI,in
md mn Italian dixie who were f;uht;na
,av.yelv oyar tho loo NJ a dou Which
hev had roasted between them Thev
,la ckguordea and threatened zach otber
;ka loafar-
Throuph . crowd NJ hou.ehold tro,nu
md servants wearing tho imnor;a, livery
JasteIlane made his wav into the inner
,ourt The sled that was to folI,w b;s
M iestv,s train was about N ba borns.s.
d. Hundreds of ragged shiverins soj.
iers and ofI;c.rs jooIed IN seom;rolv
without realizing what II meant Iii
bey cnrsd for was tn he ma near n the
res as nossible. Castellona examined