South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1913-11-04

!
Think" whispered the French boy.
ITO have fought under the Emperor
! And the old soldiers heart thrilled
suddenly. The child went on. IF the
/ Seigneur would tell me a story of one
fight-of just one,''
'RatisbOn. Ratisbonl" clamored
Alike. and she scrambled over the arm
of his chair 10 her fathers knee and
/ her hand went around his neck
Tell about Ratisbon am the ditch
and the ladders father. It's true"
she nodded at Francois encouragingly.
| Its really really true; he was right
there" And she went on. addressing
the general. And when that is done.
tell about Austerlitz and the soldiers
drowning under the ice. And when
that is done tell about Wagram
and
Halt" ordered the general. ct
have not week to talk. But 1 will
tell about Ratisbon IL you wish" He
settled himself into his deep chair
curl caught on the rough cloth of his
coat and lay across his square
shoulder; She held his thumb tightly
with one hand. The boy stood erect
in front of them. his knitted peasant
cap in his hand. his luminous eyes not
stirring from the generals face; out
side the hot stiffness lay over the park
and over the wide fields-where
thousands OF popies stretched scarlet
heads higher than the wheat: one
heard the trampling Of horses in the
paved courtyard Of the castle where
the red-roofed stables stood, the dist
ant voices Of grooms; in the dim
room there was no sound.
"One lived in those days, my
children" the abrupt strong voice
broke the quiet War is terrible, but
after all one lives-if one is not killed
Il - }, -
dsv OF Ratisbon; many were killed
that day" The deep voice stopped.
then went on again. "The Austrians
held Ratfsbon and the bridge across
the Danube river. The Emperor wish
ed to take the town and that bridge.
Marshal Lannes was ordered to do it.
You see, my children, the walls were
very old but filled with Austrian ar
tillery, and there was infantry on the
parapets An old ditch lay under the
walls, large ditch, dry, but twenty
feet high and fifty feet wide. All the
bottom OF il was a vegetable garden.
To take that town il was necessary TO
go down into that ditch and climb up
again TO the walls, and all the time
one would be under fire from the
Austrians on teh wallS-do you un-
derstand that. children? Very we'll.
Twice the marshal asked for fifty
volunteers to take the ladders and
hundred men Sprang forward, and 1t
was necessary to choose the fifty.
Twice they dashed out, carrying the
ladders, from behind the great stone
barn which had covered them, and
each time the detail was wiped out
fifty men wiped out 1t was like that
nv children, the fight at Ratisbon."
The brown curl lay unstirred against
the dark coat: the shining eyes of the
boy held, as if fastened there, 10 the
face Of the story teller. Into the ST
lence came choking sigh.
THE Emperor" Francois breathed
, the Emperor was there!"
Probably nothing, which had TO do
with his daughter, could have touched
General GOurgaud as did that tribute.
| That II was tribute to his story
meant much, but the worship OF Ma
! poleon which burst out in the gasp
went deeper The followers OF the
Corsican never asked for a reason
why they adored him; il was feeling
| binder and stronger than love which
he inspired. and II lasted in the hearts
of his soldiers TO the latest moment OF
the longest life. The veteran officer
who felt this possession of his own
being saw il mirrored in the slim lad
! who quivered before him, and he loved
| the lad for it.
"Sapristi!" he growled. THE arm
! of the Little Corporal reaches a long
way. The child has not even seen
him. and VOLTA, he loves him"
The child's face flushed. But yes,
my Seigneur," Francois spoke quickly.
But yes. 1 have seen the Emperor"
You have seen Napoleon" The
| general was surprised. How is that ?"
In a boyish fashion in homely Ian
| guage of his class, yet with that ORA
matte instinct which is characteristic
| ally French, Francois told his tale as
I - 4. L. Nn11 - 20 ~
and 10 his brothers and sisters-the
| tale which the children called "Napol-
con Comes" The general listened
with sincere interest AS simple in
many ways as the child, every last
word of his demigod Napoleon was
charged for him with authority. He
considered deeply when the story was
| finished.
my boy" he addressed the lad. Il
do not know the law-I am a soldier.
Yet by my idea you are chevolier,
created so by the act of the most pow
erful monarch who ever ruled France
by our Emperor Napoleon. Another
monarch sits now on his throne, yet
he was in truth Frances ruler when
| he gave that blow on the shoulder
which made you a knight; he had the
right OF an emperor-therefore you
are that which he made you-the
Chevalier Francois Beaupre. AS for
L the rest Ills DTO"S OI6N Ah-O a bAcilg
line and his eyes cleaned like swords
do not forget that he himself
charged you with a duty his house;
your fate and his name are linked.
The time may come when, as the En-
peror said. you may be a Marshal OF
France under another Bonaparte.
But that is a small thing if the time
comes when you may help another
Bonaparte to come to his right, TO rule
must think till the hour strikes, and
then II is that which you must give
your life for"
Little Francois, the visionary, the
hero worshiper. trembled. He had no
words 10 answer the orders leveled at
him in those rolling tones. Il will do
IL, my Seigneur." he said. frightened
vet inspired, lifted into a tremendous
dizzying atmosphere. And with that
a secret which he had told no one,
not even his mother, broke forth.
my Seigneur, a strange thing happens
sometimes have dreams--yet they
are not dreams-in broad daylight.