The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1914-03-20

.nSA. II II ly
An.Al,sahanIz
HTAi2uNa YIBDs27
s.. Quafrel
10. ~ q itilalaIi & s.
By DWIGHT NORWOOD

Ever since the FrancO-P russian war
there: has been bad blood Ibetween,i the |
Inhabitants Of Alsaee and Lorraine and
the German soldiers stationed there to
keep them s~ubservient to their con-
querors. True, those provinces were
wrested from Germany. and many Of
their inhabitants are Germans. 1t Is
the French citizens Who are ereAtiye
under G. erm;rhh iule:; :es"f'af'S 80
Among those French Alsatians who
returned to their, homes after the; war
which; lost these provinces to. .FFaRce
young Jules Laurant, eighteen
years old. His mother was a widow.
noe yet fott5.. lind still fair to Took
upon. 4 One of the German officers b.
longing to theidirtny 81 occupation met
her and desired to marry. heE.,i But she
was not willing TO give her e son a step
father. and she was too patriotic to
marry a man whose busihess'i was to
keep her country undeF<a foreign yoke.
Besides these reasons, she hadsno 'leve
for, her admirer. !! 40 90
Captain Won Gottschalk was not yes-
pecially pleased at his refusal and
considered. Jules Lahrahti responsible
for 1T. Consequently he 'tookT'a} great
dislike to the young mani But Jules
did not even know the captain! had
proposed to his mother. Quite likely |
had he known>it he would have vigor-
ohsly opposed IT.; cbut. Being ignorant
Of Athe matter. he chad. nUthing to- do
with the refusal. uais'Et,tFI
One day, whenn Won Gottscha!k WAS
marching at the head qf* bis company
some persons standing; on the, sidewalk
looking at the soldiers jeered.: It hap |
pened that Jules Laurant was there. |
Captain Won % ottschalk was very
Wrotha with those swho thad %sinsulted
him, and his command. and saw, Jules
standing near. them. Jules had not vt
tered a sound. He had fought the
Germans. and they had conquered. He
w,4eas, not the. man to jeer at them.
though he burned to have another
chance to oppose thdm''under,arms!'
Won: Gottschalk. feeling, this was Il
good opportunity t" vent his, spleen on
jules and Wfthal being very angry,
walked right past: those Who had given
the.insult upstS jules and euffed' him.
Jules was unarmed, while the captain
heldea sword in his hand. Jules could
not, retaliate iatrthe time. but he gould
challenge his il9sultero to mortal, com
bat.
Jules went home andstoIU his mother
of the circumstances explaining to her
thatst 1t was. not only hikzsyiah: but ac-
cordingl to, custom, that he should send
q challenge :tonvon Gottschalk, She
agreed with him. though she saw, that
the matter was a misfortune. to both
Of them. 7he captaih wodfds beosdnf-.
ported blythe German government
and Jules, If he worth The eight woulf
be made to suffer, for the. captain. 20
far as was known. had merely resent
ed n. insult to himself and his. com
pa NJ w which rs oofdh1caer of the Gerr1in 1iaairI
army could brook and retdin Ills. conn
mission For these reasons Nine. Lat1'
rant took the affair deeplytto heart : =
Captain won Gottschalkewas an ac-l
compltshedr swerdsman: "a i /; tr,1
To make 2 show of magnanimity he
gave, Jules the choice of terms and
party he was entitled to this choice
himself, Jules, who consulted his
mother, in everything, was; advised by
'hertto, choose pistols ats ten PAGES. lsaft,|
The night before the meeting Jules |
lett ,his. waking. in the. morning to bis
mother. She gave hfmA a glass Of wine
to- drink before going to bed into which
she had dtopped1A soporiAc' powder.
As soon AS be had gone 'to1 sleep she
topk. bis, elotheA into h4r own room
ard. throwing herself on lounge rest.
ed fol. the. few hours, remaining be.
fore going on to the ground, Then at;
the first sign of dawn she put on her
so~n'ssclothes; ,wrappedn mufiier around
her throat, and the 1iower, part; Of her
face; pulled 81 felt hat down .pyer. the
back Of, her, mech; ia, conceal, her hair
and waited tor her second. n5'1
whether She rt@yseafed herself to min
or not on the. way to the meeting has
beenlkept u isecret withtmnch Of what |
fellowed.s On reaching the groundtit
''was suggested that she atake pR. some,
Of the extra clothing thato concealed
her identity. but she refused. Being
placed at only ten PAGES from her adj
versary.r be- would teasiiy have recog-
nizedd her had It. not been for her muf- !
der and; the h.rim IF heF hat, which she
pulled down " oyer her forehead; Two
signals. were. gifen-the one TO aim. the
other to fire. Between the first and
the second signal Mrs. -Lautant lifted
the 'brims Other hat ana pulled down
her smuffler. texposinE.fher face. sl ~
Never a i more 4thoroughly1f
.Sparalyzsl4 by irresolution atsa critical
moment. Should he shoot a woman
q woman to whom he had proposed
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. toeshootf hint
Before: he had made No. his mind which
ito do she had fired and put ball into,
. lal eehtesft that. that DROPPED him on the h
Sif5 laurent ~ identity it f' WI { I, exposed sssp1
a1f the aiattein1dtaaniSI.i fk9alizing what'11
unfortunate raffalf' Captain vohFs4
yGottschaik hid :faitenainto they ptelea1
,ed Leach 10theHto secrecy. md be. wa
hurried u 0~,a. h0Sniha M, He sree0V0Fed.1