Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1914-06-03

brought you a bunch of lettuce-such
white fat lettuce! Will you see him?
May ! bring him here? He is a very
good boy"
Alike, o are impayable," the gen
eral groaned. II am your plaything!
Yes. bring the good little boy-send for
all the ~village-have in the servants
that will help me with my writing"
Alike. ignoring sarcasm. had flown.
In a minute she was back and led by
"Ah!" the general greeted him
sternly. My friend, h Marshall!
You have already beg un the attack on
my chateau. it seems?"
NO. my seigneur," the boy answered
gravely. Not yet. 1 bring you some
mothers garden. 1 chose the best"
II thank you." said the general with
seriousness. Il am not sure if your
mother will thank you equally. 1t is
a good present"
Francois was gratified. La Claire
had this morning sent him to the gar
dens with a wide margin of time, n
the inspiration had come as he looked
down the cleaning row of white lettuce
that he would a a tribute and make
a visit which the seigneur had asked
him to make. The seigneur would be
glad of the lettuce, for had not his
father said yesterday that it was the
best ever grown. that he would age
there was none Such in the village, no,
not even in the garden of the chateau.
He filled his mothers basket so full
that he staggered, and limbed the
slope and made his way past the ruins
to n left around the lift of LIE Rose,
across the Pre- du Sac, on to the new
chateau to the great paved courtyard
100 feet square, past the stables at the
LETT n on to the door. There a bis
man. dressed beautifully in violet,
mad refused fO 1ot him an ho1 avon
refused to a k his lettuce to the
seigneur, and the boy was about to &C
off grieved when a wonderful little
girl. also in beautiful clothes, but less
lovely than the violet ones. a APP
thought, and like a fairy she had
changed everything, and now here he
was in the presence Of the seigneur.
accepting thanks. looking about a.
much as he might and yet be polite. al
h unknown splendors of a room In
the chateau itself.
Genera Gourgaud brought down hia
Francois started-but not Alike.
Sabre de bois!" he threw at the
two children. You have ruined my
morning between you. 1 meant to fin.
ish those cursed chapters this morn.
ing. But let them wait. Having thu
honor to receive a visit from an officer
or high rank, the least I can do Is tc
entertain him. What amusement dc
you prefer. M'sieur the Marshal? l am
at your service
1t was natural to Francois to be.
lieve every one kindly; he accepted
with simplicity, if with slight surprise,
the generals speech.
Does the seigneur mean it?" he
asked.
But yet" the general shot at him.
IF the seigneur means it," Francois
went on promptly, II know what ]
wish"
"Parbleu! you dog" General Gour-
gaud was surprised in turn at this
readiness. What them"
"The seigneur has fought battles un-
der the great emperor himself?" the
boy asked in an awed one.
Yes came the abrupt answer
again.
ITO have fought i'd the emperor!''
n 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, Ratisbon!" clamored
Alike, and h scrambled over the arm
of his chair to her fathers knee and
her hand 9 around his neck. Tell
about Ratisbon the ditch and the
ladders. father. It's true" she nodded
at Francois, en~couragtngly. tits real
went on. addressing the general. "And
when that is done, tell about Austen
litz and the soldiers drowning under
the ice. And when that is done tell
about Wawram and
bs "aa't not ordered : ed. the .s general. II
I viii tell about Ratisbon IL You
wish" He settled himself into
his deep chair and drew the little
girl closer; a dark curl caught on
the rough cloth of his coat and lay
across his square shoulder; she held
his thumb tightly with n 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; outside h hot stiffness
lay over the park and over the wide
stretched scarlet heads higher than the
wheat; one heard h trampling Of
nornes In the paved courtyard Of the
castle where the red-roofed stables
stood: the distant voices Of grooms: in
the dim room there was no sound.
"One lived in those days, my chill
dren." the abrupt strong voice broke
the quiet. "War is terrible. but after
all n lives-if one is not killed at
once. It happened so to many that
that day" The deep voice stopped,
then went on again. "The Au~strians
held Ratisbon and the bridge across the
Danube river. The emperor wished to
take the town and that bridge. Marshal
Lannes was ordered to do it. You see.
my children. the walls were yery old
but filled with Austrian artillery. and
there was infantry on the parapets. An
old ditch lay under the walls. a large
ditch. dry, but 20 feet high and so feet
wide: All the bottom Of it was a
it was necessary to 20 down into that
ditch M climb up again to the walls.
and all the time one would be under