The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1904-08-26

y
peace of home. And his comrades had
leased him, had called him "Prussian"
because of his Alsatian accent.
The mothers heart excused all. She
made him sit down, and brought him
food; but he could not eat. A burn
ing thirst seemed to consume him; he
called for water and drank glass after
glass with avidity.
So the minutes slipped away. Pres
emily footstep crunched on the gray
ell walk
pierre! Here is you father back al
ready! | must speak to him and ex-
plain. Oh, hide! Quick, quick!" She
seized him by the shoulders, pushed
him into cupboard, and turned round
sharply.
She heard a sudden exclamation, and
confronted Lorry, with eyes fixed on
left on the table.
what does that mean?" said he.
There was an instant of silence, save
for the sound of the blacksmiths hea-
Wy breathing. The next, and she was
beside him, her hands clasping his
arm
81 have something to say, Felix" she
begaQ.
He moved away till he reached the
wall behind him, where his old sabre
was hanging, bit of tri-color ribbon
round the hilt. He took it down with
the firm touch of a hand turned back
ward while listening, with no sign of
nervousness.
"The truth, now, Annette! He has
returned?"
She bent her head so that he could
not see her face. Then she twisted
herself from him with an unexpected
suddenness, he voice breaking into a
Sob
"You will not-you shall not harm
him," she cried Gle has come back
because he loved me and wished to see
us again"
There was an inward struggle, and
then the woman conquered. Yes, she
was right to defend the boy who had
forsworn his country, and whom it
was beneath an honest soldiers dignity
to notice further. He threw down his
sword, saddened and subdued. Old
memories stirred at his heart; he
thought of the days when that recre-
ant son was a little child and smiled
and played about his knee. All that
was a dream, and this the awakening.
WIFE" he said, speaking quickly
''you need have no fear 1t is no longer
any concern of mine. Let Pierre dc
as he pleases. l shall see him in the
morning"
She stole one anxious look at his
face, and saw that sense of something
serious to come was now overshadow-
ing his mind.
"Felix!" she exclaimed
He advanced step toward the door
then stopped and looked back.
mot now" he said, and left her.
He stayed outside till darkness SCI
in, and the house was closed. Al
those long hours he walked in the gar
den, pacing with measured steps from
the orchard to the we'll and back again
without any sense of fatigue.
Pierre appeared to be in a sort o
stupor when Annette released him
from the dark interior of his hiding
place. He looked around him helpless
ly.
'T am weary" he said, "and will s.
to bed"
And he went upstairs. Once his hea
was on the pillow he sank in placi
and dreamless sleep.
He awoke, lying still, in the mornin
sunshine. The window was part oper
and he heard passing footsteps in tn
garden, and the ring of hammer an
anvil from the forge. His mother wa
standing at the bedside with cup c
milk. His gaze wandered slowl
; round the room, and he say his fathe
come suddenly in.
Pierre blinked his eyes, but the
! were somehow dim. He tried to speal
r but speech died abruptly from his lip
, "You had better get up" said LORI.
"And by the by, put on the wor
clothes you were accustomed to us
/. before you Joined the army. No sens
to don a uniform you are not longt
S fit to wear"
r "But my comrades will think
4 strange, father" demonstrated Pierr
a humbly.
4 do as l tell you" demonstrated h
father "Time enough afterwards If
d explanations"
:. For the next few minutes he W;
r busy moving boxes and opening dra'
d ers in the adjoining chamber, al
+ when shortly after they met him aga
. 4. A.. 1-s4nhnr, hn moe draccad for