The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1907-01-11


we shall enter Berlin
"At that moment the Prussians were
not more than eight days from Paris.
cat first we asked ourselves whether it
would not be better to take him into the
country; but the moment he was out Of
doors the real state of France would
have been apparent to him, and
thought he was still too weak from his
severe attacks to let him know the
truth. So we decided to remain.
"The first day of the blockade | went
to him, l remember, with the aching
heart we all felt when the gates of Paris
were closed.
"'Well, said he, SO, you sec, the siege
is begun
81 looked at him in amazement.
"'What, colonel, do you know?
"His granddaughter turned toward
me.
"'Why, yes, doctor. That is the great
news. The siege of Berlin has com
menced.'
"She was plying her needle with lit
tie air of tranquility. How could he
have any doubts? The cannons of the
forts-he could not hear them. This
wretched Paris, overwhelmed by disas-
ter-he could not see it What he did see
from his bed was part of the Arc de
Triomphe, and in his room, all about
him, relics of the First Empire, we'll cal
culated to keep alive his Illusions. Por-
traits of marshals, engravings Of battles,
of the Boy King of Rome then, great
stands adorned with brass plate, laden
with war trophies, medals, bronzes, a
piece of the rock of st. Helena under a
| glass; miniatures of lady with curling
tendrils of hair and bright eyes, in a ye'-
low ball-gown with g-o'-mutton sleeves
and all of it, the stands, the King of
Rome, the marshals, the yellow-gowned
| ladies with the short waists. the high
girdle, the exaggerated stiffness that was
grace in 1906. Brave colonel 1t was
that atmosphere of triumph and of con-
quest, far more than anything we could
say, that made him believe so naively in
! the siege of Berlin.
after that day our military opera
tions were greatly simplifed. To take
| Berlin was now only matter of pa
thence. From time to time, when the
| old man grew weary, we read him let
ter from his son, an imaginary letter, Of
course, for nothing entered Paris; and
besides, after Sedan, MacMahon's aide
| de-camp had been taken to a fortress in
| Germany.
TRY to imagine the despair of that
poor child, without news of her father,
knowing that he was prisoner, de-
prived of everything, i'll perhaps, and
yet obliged to make him speak in joyous
letters, little brief, as Il soldier would
write in the midst of campaign, but
entering a conquered land.
sometimes her strength gave out and
for weeks there was no news. But the
old man grew anxious and could not
sleep. Then quickly came letter from
Germany, which she brought to his bed
and read to him gayly, forcing back her
| tears.
1.-THE colonel listened attentively, with
a knowing air, approving, criticizing, ex-
| planning to us the passages that were a
little difficult.
| "But the best of all were the answers
he sent to his son. Never forget that
you are a Freedman he said. BE
generous to those poor people
And there were suggestions without
end-adorable gossip about the proprie-
ties, the respect one owes to women-a
whole code of military honor for the use
of conquerors. Here and there, too, he
expressed general views on the subject of
politics, the conditions of peace to be i'm
posed on the conquered. In regard to
the latter, l must say he was not exact
ing.
GA mere war indemnity, and that is
all. What good would it do to take
their provinces? Do You think we could
make Frenchmen out of Germans"
"He dictated it all in a firm voice, and
the sincerity of his words was soevident,
his faith in his country so beautiful, that
it was impossible to hear him without
being touched. Meanwhile, the siege
was acknowledgement that of Berlin, alasl
1t was the time of intense cold, of Eonl-
bardment, of epidenics, of famine. But
| thanks to our care, to our efforts, to tie
tireless devotion that surrounded Linn,
the old mans serenity was not for a
moment disturbed.
ITO the very last | was able to have
white bread for him and fresh wine.
There was none except for him, you may
be sure, and nothing could be more
touching than those breakfasts, so inno-
Gently selfsh-the old man sitting up in
bed, fresh and smiling, with his napkin
under his chin; near him his grand-daugh-
ter, little pale from her privations,
guiding his hand, making him drink, aid
ing him to eat all the good things she
could not have.
"Then refreshed by the repast, and
thankful for the warmth of the room
while the blasts of winter were blowing
outside and the snow was whirling
against his windows, the old soldier was
reminded of his campaigns in the north,
and he told us for the hundredth time of
that terrible retreat from Russia when the
army had nothing to eat but frozen bis
cult and horse-hesh.
do you understand, little one? We
used to eat horse f1eshn
II should think she did understand!
| For two months she had eaten nothing
else
From day to day, however, as the
old man approached recovery our task
became more and more difficult. That
dulness of all his senses which had stood
us in such good stead before began to
disappear. Already, two or three times
the terrific volleys from the Porte Maillot
had made him start and prick up his ears
like a dog on the scent. We were obliged
to invent a new victory for Bazaine, and
explain that salutes were being Fl ed in
his honor.
Another day, when his bed had been
pushed near the window-it was, think
the Thursday of Buzcnval-he saw the
militia massed on the Avenue dc la
Grande- Armee.
"'What are those troops doing therc?'