Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-10-24

TuD pp my gun! He couiu not De solemn, not he. The thought of an op- portunity to get even with Hamilton was like wine in his blood.
 If you had seen those. hardy and sinewy Frenchmen gliding in the dusk of evening from cottage to cottage, passing the word that the Americans lad arrived, saying airy things and pinching one another as they met and hurried on you would have thought something very amusing and wholly jocund was in preparation for the peo- pie of Vincennes.
 There was a current belief in the missed good thing and always some how got the lions share. He went out with the ebb to return on the flood. Nobody was surprised therefore, when he suddenly appeared in the midst of his friends, armed to the teeth and emotionally warlike to suit the occa- sion. Of course he took charge of ev- erybody and, everything. You could have heard him whisper a bow shot away.
 'Taisons!" he hissed whenever he met an acquaintance. We will sur prise the fort and scalp the whole gar rison Aux armes Les Americains viennent d'arriver"
 At his own house he knocked and called in vain He shook the door vio- lently for he was thinking of the stores under the floor, of the grimy bottles, of the fragrant bordeaux. Ah, his throat, how it throbbed! But where was Mime. RoussiIIon? Where was Alice? Jean! Jeanr' he cried, forget ting all precaution Come here, you scamp, and let me in this minutev
 A profoundly impressive silence gave him to understand that his home was deserted.
 "Chff! Frightened and gone to stay with Mime. Godere, I suppose, and so thirsty! Bah! Hum, hum! Apres Ia win Ia bataille. Ziff!"
 He kicked in the door and groped his way to the liquors. While he hastily swigged and smacked he heard the firing. begin with cracking, desultory volley He laughed jovially there in the dark, between drafts and deep sighs of enjoyment.
 'sEt moi aussi,'' he murmured, like the vast murmur of the sea, T want to be in that dance! Pardonnez mes sieurs Moi, je veux danser, s'il vous plait"
 And when he had filled himself he plunged out and rushed away, wrought up to the extreme fighting pitch of temper. Diable! If he could but come across that Lieutenant Barlow, how he would smash him and mangle him! In magnifying his prowess with the lens of imagination he swelled and puffed as he numbered along. l.
 The firing sounded as if it were be 1 tween the fort and the river, but pres entity when one of Hamilton's cannon spoke M. Roussillon saw the yellow l spike of flame from it's muzzle leap directly toward the church. and he l thought it best to make wide detour to avoid going between the firing lines. Once or twice he heard the whine of stray bullet high overhead. Before he had gone very far he met man hurrying toward the fort, It was Captain Francis Maisonville, one of Hamiltons chief scouts, who had been out on a reconnaissance and, cut off l from his party by some of Clark's forces, was trying to make his way to l the main gate of the stockade. M Roussillon knew Maisonville as a somewhat desperate character, lead CT of Indian forays and a trader in human scalps. Surely the fellow was legitimate prey.
 "Ziff! Diable de gredin!" he snarled and leaping upon him choked him to l the ground. "Je vais vous scalper i'm. mediatement?'
 Clark's plan of approach showed masterly strategy. Lieutenant Bailey with fourteen regulars, made show of attack on the east, while Major Bowman led a company through the town, on line near where Main street ip Vincennes is now located, to point north of the stockade. Charleville, 2 brave creole, who was at the head o1 some daring fellows, by a brilliant dash got position under cover of nat ural terrace at the edge of the prairie opposite the forts southwestern angle 1 Lieutenant Beverley, In whom the com mander placed highest confidence, was sent to look for supply of ammuni ton and to gather up all the French men in the town who wished to join il the attack. Oncle Jazon and ten othel available men went with him.
 They all made a great noise wheI they felt that the place was completely invested. Nor can we deny much ai we would like to, the strong desire fol vengeance which raised those shouting voices and nerved those steady hearts to do or die in an undertaking whicl certainly had desperate look. Th' thought was tremendously stimulat ing.
 Beverley, with the aid of Oncle Ia zon, was able to lead his little compan.
 as far as the church before the enemy
 saw him. Here volley from the near
 est angle of the stockade had to be an
 swered, and pretty soon cannon be
 gan to play upon the position.
 We kin do better some'rs else" wa