Year: 1877

An Episode of the Siege of Paris.


When the German Army inclosed in
its iron grasp the most brilliant and
pleasure-loving city of Europe, trans
forming in a moment its epicurean pop
ulation into q people of heroes, the en-
virons once so gay and so beautiful had
experienced a change almost as great.
Most OF the detached villas were DESERT
ed, or occupied by the enemy, and the
villages, whose regular inhabitants had
either taken refuge in Paris or fled to a
distance, were repopulated by singu-
lar assemblage Of individuals, belong
ing to all classes of society, and bound
together only by the tie of common
nationality, and the necessity of finding
q shelter and providing for their daily
wants.


The hamlet of Boullainvilliers, which
had been thus abandoned, had received
an entirely new colony, and its beau
tiful avenue, carpeted with turf of the
most lovely green, hal all the appear
ance of a camp. AS long as the season
would permit, cooking was carried on
in the open air, and groups were con-
stantly to be seen surrounding the fires
and exchanging accounts of their mu-
tual misfortunes.


A painter of Fleurs, bearing the
English, or rather Scotch, name of Mac
Henry, was among these refugees. He
had brought with him from COlombes,
where he had before resided, Il remark
ably beautiful white goat called Fam
chette This creature, to which her
master was much attached, figures in
the most of his pictures. Light and
graceful as q gazelle, she is represented
sometimes cropping delicately the green
branches OF the hedgerows and bushes,
sometimes entangled in maize of brier-
roses, their pink blossoms and green
leaves falling around her in elegant
rarlands, aud contrasting well with the
snowy whiteness Of her skin.


Fanchette was universal favOrite; ;
and few there were at Boulainyilliers
who would not have deprived them
selves Of a morsei of the bread some
times so hard to procure, that they
might reserve a mouthful for the coat.
which, however, the saucy thing would
only accept from her particular friends


The grace and rare intelligence of the
animal frequently relieved the miseries
of the siege. All were surprised at the
wonderful education her master had
succeeded in giving her. He had even
taught her something of his art; and it
was really extraordinary to see the
sensible creature busily employed in
arranging pebbles on the ground, so as
to form n rude resemblance to q human
profile, often grotesque enough, but still
such rs one occasionally sees on human
shoulders; and looking at her work,
one could not help thinking that after
all their lower animals are, perhaps, not
so far inferior to us as we suppose.


The art with which Fanchette selected
from a bunch of flowers each one that
was named to her was really marvel
Gus. Roses, wallhowers, tulips, came
liaS, were promptly chosen from the
number, and it was rare, indeed, that
she made the least mistake. Two cen
turies ago they would have burned the
poor beast for a witch


The exercise which she preferred tc
all others consisted in catching on hel
horns a series of brass rings whish hel
master threw up in the air This she
did with the greatest address; and wher
she had got dozen or so of them en-
.oiroling her brow like diadem sh,
would begin jumping and ga!loping ant
shaking her head to make them jingle
till, over excited by their rough music
she would end by dancing in the mos
fantastic style on her hind feet, till, tireC