217.les arrêta net:stopped them short.
218.francs-tireurs: theguerrillas, independent military detachments waging the war in their own fashion, and acknowledging no allegiance to the commanding general. The wordfranc-tireuris used for theindividualas well as for thecorpsto which such individual belongs.
32.ornière:rut; here,excavation.
416-17.ils en feraient une bouillie, une pâtée:they would make mince-meat or a pie out of him.
421.histoire de rire:matter of laughing; just to amuse themselves.
65-6.n'entendant rien que les plaintes sourdes de ses entrailles:hearing nothing but the dull gnawing in his stomach.
71.qui le crispa:which made him shudder.
825.nom d'un nom: a softened form of an oath.
93.chamarré d'or:covered with gold lace.
919.agenda de commerce:a drummer's note-book; as though he were jotting down an order for merchandise.
1010.un aïeul: here,an old man.
117.trois-mâts:three-masted schooner.
1114-15.un verre de mastic passé en contrebande:a glass of mastic which had been smuggled into the country.
129.un oncle d'Amérique: a common phrase, denoting a richperson or an unforeseen inheritance; according to the Continental idea, all Americans are enormously rich.
1221.cabanon:hut.
1225.fouillis:confusion.
1228.censée:thought, intended.
1311.pecaïre: a Provençal expression, which can here be rendereddear me. It is a universal exclamation in the south of France to denote surprise, pity, joy, or almost any other emotion.
1316.quoique ça:nevertheless.
1319.de but en blanc:without any preliminaries, point blank.
1328.aïoli: a Provençal dish, composed of oil, garlic, and codfish.
1329.bouillabaisse: a sort of fish chowder, with garlic; it is the national dish of the inhabitants of Marseilles.
141.voir un peu de quoi il retourne à ce New York:just see what is going on in that big New York. Notice the disdain expressed by the ce; compare with the scornful use ofistein Latin.
1411.Manche:the English Channel, well namedManche, from its sleeve-like form.
1426.sous-commissaire:assistant purser.
1428.escogriffe:sharper.
163.fourbu:worn out, tired to death.
1610.filer:to spin, thento spin along, to run fast.
177.topez là:let's shake on it.
1710.leur: cf. note on p. 14, l. I,ce.
187.que je vous donne telle quelle:which I'll tell you just as it is.
1810.moblot:soldier of the mobile. Themobileis the reserve force of the French army, called under arms in case of war, and then only to replace on garrison duty the regular soldiers who have gone to the front. Themoblotsgo to battle only as a last extremity, when regular troops no longer exist.
1816.vieux jeu:of the old school.
197.cela me serrait le cœur:the thought of that made my heart ache.
1911.pension:boarding school; the word also signifiesa boarding house.
1920.jouaient aux billes:were playing (at) marbles.
1924.un échappé des contes d'Hoffmann:as if he had escaped from one of Hoffmann's stories. Hoffmann, a German writer of fantastic stories, was born Jan. 24, 1776; died June 25, 1822.
1927.gaillard ayant fait campagne:robust, independent-looking fellow, who had been through the war.
2019-20.me les sciait à mi-cuisse:sawed into the middle of my thighs.
216.je l'ai pas mal oublié:I have forgotten most of it.
224.tourné:flanked.
261.s'ébranla:got under way.
2615.emballés:running away, on a mad gallop.
2629.débâcle:rout, confusion.
278.tintant le glas:sounding the death knell.
298.torrent:flood, swarm; both the living and the dead are here meant.
2917.Tuileries: in ancient times the site of brick yards or a tile manufactory; later the very center of Paris and occupied by the magnificent palace, home of the French monarchy, which was burned during the Commune directly after the war of 1870-71. The ground is now laid out as a park.
3013.Suisse: the Swiss yeomen were, on account of their sturdy character and reliability, entrusted with royal guard duty from early monarchical times; hence the wordSuissehas come to meanroyal guards.
3014.maréchaux: the royal title ofmaréchal, now extinct in the French army, was the highest office in the gift of the king.
3019.en culs de bouteilles:rounded like bottle ends.
326.escaliers en vis:winding stairway.
327-8.et qui s'arrêtaient devant des baies d'anciennes portes murées:and which stopped before the walled-up opening of old doors.
3224-25.des chausses à trousses:balloon breeches.
3225.casaque tailladée:slashed loose coat.
3225-26.coiffé d'un chaperon à oreillère et à queue pendante:his head covered with a hood and earlaps, with a tassel hanging from it.
3319.je suis étrangère: Marie Antoinette, consort of Louis XVI, was of Austrian blood.
352.qui vient de fournir une longue traite:who has just ridden a long distance.
3514.il piqua des deux: i.e.des deux éperons;he dug both spurs into his horse.
3514.à fond de train:at the top of his speed.
366.qui relevaient de son commandement:who were under him.
3611.fichées:placées, mises.
375-6.contreforts:spurs of a mountain range.
3813-14.au fur et à mesure:according as.
3926.hoquets d'agonie:dying gasps.
3928.nom de nom: an abbreviated and softened form of an oath.
3930.navrant:painful.
4013.du jarret:muscle. Thejarretis the sinew connecting the thigh and the calf of the leg.
4023.turcos: a corps of the army.
4331.échangent une accolade:embrace each other.
4515.Dame!Well!The derivation ofdameis the Latin vocativeDomine,O Lord; quite remote from an English expression of similar consonance. It is a choice exclamation, essentially Parisian, and used by all people of education; ladies use the term as the Englishwoman uses "Gracious!"
4515.soit: the subjunctive here well expresses the doubt in the trooper's mind. The idea of doubt or possibility is the basis of all subjunctive.
468-9.bonhomme:the fellow; un homme bonisa good man.
4616.trois petits blondins couleur d'épis brûlés:three little tow-headed children.
4621.A qui en as-tu?With whom are you vexed?The same construction in his answer: "j'en ai à cinq ou six drôles,"I can't stand five or six rascals.
471. After the war of 1870-71, the inhabitants of the conquered provinces had the privilege ofopter, or choosing between the French and German as their future nationality; this "choice" was made under certain vexatious restrictions, and those who chose to remain French, as the blacksmith in this story, had a disagreeable lot.
473.Qu'est-ce qu'on leur a donc fait boire?What on earth have they made them drink?
4713-14.vous rapetissez tout à la taille de vos marmots:you narrow down everything to the size of your children.
4720-21.latte de chasseur:his regimental sword.
4729.descendu:brought down, i.e.killed.
4732.chopes:large glasses, "schooners."
496.la chechia:the cap.
4928.chevet:the head of the bed.
5010-11.l'étui de fer-blanc où tient la feuille de route:the tin case which contains his military papers.
515-6.au beau milieu d'une affluence:right in the midst of a crowd, etc.
5122.s'il en fut:as could be; the bridal procession was of the utmost simplicity.
528.caraco de mérinos noir:a black wool jacket.
5230.contre-maître:overseer.
5233.faut croire:I suppose.
534.on se passera bien de moi:they will get along all right without me.
538."boraine de Nimy,"... "vaclette":boraine de Nimy, a kind of pipe;vacletteis explained by the words which follow.
5311.cogna le sien contre le mien:clinked glasses with me.
5311.le lampa tout d'une haleine:drank it all in one gulp.
5320.du fin matin au brun soir:from early morning till late at night.
5321-22.marteaux-pilons:trip hammers; the immense hammers of the iron works.
541.luron:a good fellow.
546.Pauvre fieu: (pauvre fils)poor fellow.
548-9.Une paille de fer rouge venait de lui crever l'œil droit:a spark of red-hot iron had just put out his right eye.
549.Le fourgon de l'hôpital:the hospital ambulance.
5417.quinquets:lamps; here slang foreyes; "our two blinkers."
5419.Que l'un s'en aille:quehere meansif,—if you lose one of them.
5431.viveur et joueur:a high liver and gambler.
5433-34.marchait cahin-caha, à la comme-je-te-pousse:got on any which way, just as luck would have it.
558.passif: a mercantile term,—liabilities. The assets of a concern are itsactif.
5512.sur le pavé:on the street, without work.
5513.à tout jamais:forever.
5517-18.qu'il n'attentât à ses jours:lest he might commit suicide.
564.fils d'acier et de laiton:steel and brass wire.Filiswire, thread;le filsisthe son.
5622.un tronc:a charity box.
5625.pancartes:notices, inscriptions.
5634.dentellière de son état:a lace worker by trade.
573.au cliquetis de ses fuseaux:by the clicking of her embroidery needles.
5724.demoiselle de comptoir:cashier.
60.Pour le ruban: the ribbon worn in the buttonhole, which shows its wearer to be a member of the Legion of Honor.
608.émarger:to receive money from the government.
6016.instrus: (intrus)an intruder.
6223.moellon:a rough stone.
6229.d'antan: (d'autre fois)in former times.
634.périgourdin:of Périgord, the old name of a locality in France, near Bordeaux.
6314-15.Ponson du Terrail: a cheap author of penny dreadfuls and serial stories, many of which deal with antiquity and use the antiquated language of the following lines.
645.hobereaux:country squires.
646.valetaille:the serving people.
6410.Bayard: thechevalier sans peur et sans reproche, as he is universally known in history. One of the most sympathetic figures of French history, the type of the nobleman and hero, who was equally adroit at keeping an entire hostile army at bay, alone, stationed at the entrance of the bridge, and at honoring beauty and wit. He died in 1524.
6423.rallié: this word is perhaps equivalent to the term "Mug-wump."
6425-26.qui ne semblait pas disposer de la Grande-Chancellerie:who did not claim to boss the whole chancery.
652.de relevée:afternoon.
663.fédérés: thecommunards, that is, the revolutionary section which fought against the established government, fired theTuileriesand theCour des Comptes(the Chamber of Deputies) directly after the end of the Franco-Prussian war; thefédéréssought to create political disturbances immediately after the withdrawal of the Prussian troops from Paris.
664.armée de Versailles: Paris was in the hands of the Prussians; therefore the French government withdrew to Versailles and from thence directed public affairs; hence the name "Versailles army," equivalent to the government troops.
667.arrondissement:ward. Paris is divided into wards, each with itsmaire, itsmairie(city hall), anddéputé(congressman); all thearrondissementsare, however, united for civil government under the prefect of the department. The departments (like the counties of an American state) have likewise theirarrondissements. There are eighty-six departments in France.
669.surseoir=remettre: to delay, to put off.
6618.les longues stations à la porte des bouchers. During the siege of Paris the people boughtbons, or checks, from the government, upon presentation of which their limited rations were supplied; long lines were formed in front of the dealers in food products; as the winter weather was extremely severe, this caused great physical suffering and sickness to many, especially to those of the poorer class, as the mother in the story.
672.armée de la Commune:the armée des fédérés; see note on p. 66, l. 3.
6727.Il en était là de ses funèbres réflexions:he was at that point with his doleful thoughts.
684.N'empêche que si:all the same, if,etc.
685-6.Prends tes jambes à ton cou:hurry up, pick up your heels.
686.fiche-moi le camp:get out of here.
6813.Oui da!Come now!
6817.accroire:believe, swallow that.
6831.en tourmentant sa moustache:twirling his moustache.
707-8.ne peut plus que sangloter:could do nothing but sob, broke down completely. The French often uses the present of the verb in vivid narration where the English uses the past.
7019-20.que le temps finira par nous faire oublier:which time will make us gradually forget.
7026.s'efforçait... à se ressaisir:tried to regain his composure.
7215.communard: see note on p. 66, l. 3; a soldier in the army of the commune.
THEhero of this story was with the German army during the last war between Germany and France. He hated guns and cannon and he missed very much his pretty wife and his children. He preferred to get up late and go to bed early and, above all, to eat lots of good things and drink beer. But now that he was [a] soldier, he was forced to pass the night on the ground, well wrapped up in his military cloak; and he wept often, thinking of the debts which he had contracted. If he was killed there would be no one to bring up his little ones. At the beginning he was afraid of the bullets which whistled close to his head, and he passed his entire time in an extreme terror.
When he was in the north of France, he was sent with a few companies to see if there were any French soldiers in the neighborhood. Everything was calm and he was walking along without thinking of the danger, when suddenly a band of guerrillas came out of the woods and fired at the Germans.
Walter Schnaffs knew that he could not run as fast as the Frenchmen, because he was so fat, and, looking around for a way to retreat, he perceived a ditch almost covered with dry brush-wood. He jumped in and fell to the bottom of what was really a deep hole. Soon all the noise of the struggle stopped, and night came on.
The poor fellow did not know what to do. He was horribly frightened, and he began to be very hungry. He still wore his uniform, and he thought to himself: "If I were only a prisoner of war, then, at least, I should not be hungry, and I could passmy time until the end of the war without any apprehension of bullets and sabres."
But new fears came to him: if he should meet any country people, he was sure that they would kill him with their scythes and pickaxes and their shovels; and the guerrillas would shoot him just to have a good time and see him leaning against the wall.
In the midst of these terrible reflections he fell asleep, and when he awoke he saw the sun shining almost above his head. He was so hungry that his stomach pained him, and the thought of the good sausage which he used to eat as a soldier made his mouth water. The idea came to him to attack a rustic who was alone, take away his shovel from him, and dig the ditch still deeper in order to hide himself better; then he felt that he was going mad, and finally he resolved to start for the château in the distance rather than suffer longer.
In the lower windows, which were open, he saw lights, and he smelt the pleasant odor of cooked meat, and without a moment's reflection he opened the window and entered the room. All the servants were dining around the large table, and seeing the German soldier they uttered horrible cries and rushed toward the door at the end of the hall. The chairs were overturned, and in three seconds the room was empty.
Walter did not know what to think; but hunger spoke louder than his other emotions, and he sat down at the table and began to eat and drink. He emptied all the plates and all the bottles, and he could scarcely breathe; slowly his eyes closed in spite of him, his head dropped on the table, and he fell asleep.
Some hours afterwards a great noise was heard; the windows were broken in and fifty men, armed to the teeth, rushed in, seized the German, and bound him hand and foot. He was scarcely awake, but he was glad to be a prisoner, smiled, and kept on saying, "Ja, ja." The colonel took a notebook from his pocket and wrote: "After a terrible combat the Prussians beat a retreat, leaving many wounded and prisoners in our hands."
They ordered Walter to go with them to the prison in the town, some miles from the château, and the colonel was decorated with the Cross of the Legion of Honor for his bravery.
THEtruth of all this story is that a bad fellow, the black sheep of his family, had embarked as cabin boy on an American schooner, had gone to New York, and there died, poor and unknown. But in the country around Marseilles they thought that he was rich and that his nephew would get his property.
One day a sailor who was returning from the United States met Tréfume, and told him that he had seen Uncle Sambuq on the docks at New York, and that he had lost in a shipwreck the presents which had been entrusted to him. At first people said that Uncle Sambuq was rich; then that he had slaves and gold mines and everything else. Everybody envied Tréfume, and the latter was happy, believing himself rich.
One day they received a letter from the French ambassador in the United States, saying that Uncle Sambuq was dead; that was all; not a word about his property. They cried a little, then the wife asked: "Why does he not speak about the money?" "That would not be proper," answered Tréfume. "He will soon write another letter." The days passed and nothing arrived; at last Tréfume took it into his head (had the idea) to embark at Le Havre and to go to America. The immense ship, with its splendid cabins and its passengers, caused in him a religious awe, and he did not speak for a week; then, toward the end of his voyage, he remembered the object of his journey, and he asked the purser, who was very busy on the eve of landing, where he should go. "Those gentlemen will give you better information than I," said he, "for they are Americans, and are well acquainted with New York." The purser said this to get rid of Tréfume. These gentlemen were always alone and spoke to no one, and did not take kindly to the attempts of Tréfume to speak with them. Every time he approached them they turned him their backs. But they, too, made curious by the appearance of the strange man, asked the purser who he was, and the latter, a practical joker, answered: "You know that he is a detective disguised as a Marseilles fisherman, to get on the track of some robbers."
Thereupon the two Americans shut themselves up in their cabin, and did not even come out to admire the harbor of New York when everybody was on deck. Tréfume sought the French embassy everywhere at New York, but as he did not speak English he could get no information. Suddenly he caught sight of one of the two Americans whom he had seen on the ship. He ran after him, and at last the man took refuge in a saloon. "Good morning, sir," said Tréfume. "Hush," answered the other, who was really a robber, and who thought that Tréfume wanted to arrest him, "hush, here is fifty thousand francs, and if you leave New York by theBretagnethis evening an unknown man will give you fifty thousand more." Tréfume did not understand a word of all this, but he was tired of New York, and he accepted the bargain. When he returned to Marseilles, he said that really the Americans do business very quickly, and that they are the foremost of the nations of the earth.
I am at loss to tell the funniest story of my whole life; but going back over the current of my recollections I find one, which, perhaps, is of no great value.
I had taken part in the siege of Paris when I was scarcely twenty-three years old and I was a strong and well-built fellow; I was very proud of my light beard, but I was humiliated at the learning of our enemies. We Frenchmen spoke scarcely a word of German, while they spoke our language very well, in spite of their German accent. When the war was finished, my first thought was to learn German.
I had studied English more or less at the high school, and I spoke it fairly well, but I have no need to tell you that the language of Goethe was a dead letter to me. Nevertheless I began to study the best method that I could find, and I took lessons from a famous teacher, and after four months I commenced to feel the need of going to Germany. A friend of mine gave methe address of a boys' boarding school at Hanover, where the purest German is spoken. They assured me that the table was good and that the teacher was the best possible. Therefore I started, and arrived at the school on a fine May morning. Through the open door I saw several small boys in the yard, who were spinning tops and playing marbles and all sorts of children's games. The oldest of them was not more than thirteen years of age, and the youngest was about seven.
When I told Dr. Davisson my name he looked me all over, made a gesture of surprise, and finally said: "What! Mr. X recommended you to come to my school? Don't you see that this is a boarding school for small boys? Your friend, when he wrote me about you, neglected to tell me your age."
I did not know what to say, but remembering that I was all alone in that city, I thought I might learn German with the doctor. I said, holding out my hand to him: "My baggage is in the carriage, and if I promised you to behave well would you take me all the same?" "We can at least try," answered he.
The desks were too low for me, the bed in the dormitory was too short, but I was bound not to set a bad example, so I remained four months with the doctor. I was in the highest class, and I made lots of progress; therefore I was rewarded for my trouble, and when I left the school I spoke German very well.
THEbattle had lasted all day, and at night it was still undecided; it was necessary to make a charge on two thousand Turks with a battery of artillery, otherwise the Russians could not continue their forward march on Plevna. It was a difficult affair, for the Turks were afraid of nothing; but the Russian general, who knew well all this, decided to send against them his last and best regiment. To their commander he said: "Occupy the enemy's position over there with your men. They are four to one of you, and many of you will find a sure death there. If you are successful, ringthe church bell, and I shall thus know that the Russian army is saved." The commander, in spite of his gentle air, was a good soldier; he answered: "I shall take the city."
The horses of the Russians reared as the bullets rained about them; it was frightful to hear the noise of the horses galloping at the top of their speed in order to cross the ravine; the soldiers did not utter a single cry, in accordance with the orders of the commander; on all sides the men fell, and the shock was awful. The Turks retreated a little and finally took a better station a mile from the city, in order to use their artillery. Almost all the Russians had been killed, and, reassembling his men, the commander found that he had but eighty left; the fate of the entire Russian army depended upon him, and nevertheless the Turks were not beaten. The horses that had lost their riders were well trained; they grouped themselves together, and it was easy to collect them. Then a thought entered the commander's head; he ordered the dead riders to be tied to their horses; this was a terrible task for the few soldiers who remained; they asked each other if their commander had become mad. Then Serge put himself once more at the head of his squadron, composed of a few living soldiers and of many dead ones. He gave the command to charge. The Turks, who thought that their enemy had been conquered, were greatly troubled by this new attack; but when, at last, they saw that the Russian cavalry was an army of ghosts, as it seemed, they turned and fled. The day was won; but only a few horsemen remained. The bell of the village church was rung. The commanding general of the Russian army arrived; by the devotion of that regiment the victory was assured to the Russians.
THEqueen, Marie Antoinette, had left the palace of Versailles on a dark, rainy day, and had come to the Tuileries with the king and the dauphin. There they saw that awful figure which he who knows the history of France cannot mistake. The legendrelates that when the monarchy is in danger, a little man, clothed in red, wanders around the halls of the palace; and it is a fact, for many people have seen him. On arriving, the royal family found that the apartments had not been warmed, and that everything was in disorder. Accustomed to the luxury of Versailles, the dauphin was frightened by the confusion, and he murmured: "These rooms are very ugly, mamma." The servants had hastily prepared the beds, and the dauphin went to bed and soon fell asleep. The great king Louis XIV had slept in those rooms, and the queen said rightly that one ought not to be more fastidious than he. Marie Antoinette feared that an assassin might be lurking in the dark apartments, so she called one of her maids of honor and together they went through the rooms. The queen gave a candlestick to her friend, and took one herself. In the direction of the marshals' hall there was nothing to fear, for the Swiss guards were encamped there; it was a magnificent moonlight night, but the queen's fingers trembled a little. She was not afraid, but during her short stays in Paris she had never been so far in the palace. She gave a glance at the great trees and at the Seine, which was visible through the windows. They opened the door which leads into the Louvre, and a shudder seized both the women as they thought of the forbidding legend of the ghosts which stalked through the palace. The key did not turn easily in the lock, but when the door was opened a gust of wind almost extinguished the candles. The darkness was terrifying, and the queen said: "If they had placed a guard here he could tell us to what point this corridor can take us. But there are no guards, so let us see; it is not necessary to call the guards." They wandered about some time in the old Gothic halls; finally they stopped, and the queen said: "This is the old palace." The maid heard a slight noise, and on turning around she saw a strange form, clad in the manner of a man of the fifteenth century; he was dressed in red. The ladies could not restrain a cry, and hearing this the form disappeared all of a sudden. They remained motionless for several minutes. Then the queen said: "Heaven wanted to warn me of the danger which threatens the monarchy. Let us go back. For myself, I am not afraid, but the king—theywill kill him." And they returned to the room where the child was sleeping. The little red man has not been seen since.
THEgeneral had set up his headquarters in a little house which resembled a thatched-roof-hut. He was extremely tired, and he threw himself on the bed without undressing and fell asleep. Suddenly in the distance we heard the galloping of a horse; soon an aide of the commanding general appeared, crying out: "Please awaken the general; I have orders for him."
Our general soon got up and read the dispatches by the light of a lantern which a soldier held, motionless, at a few steps from his officer. It was impossible to know the meaning of the orders from the general's expression as he read them. Soon, however, he turned to us and said: "My troops will give battle to the enemy to-morrow morning, if I am not mistaken. The news which I have received will force us to move forward immediately."
He called his officers and gave his orders, some verbal, others written; the map of the country was under his eyes, and he spoke in a low voice with several officers. Then the drums beat, and in less than an hour our division had folded its tents, eaten its morning soup, and had arrived at the place where it was to go. This time the general was not mistaken; we were going to be present at our first battle. Five minutes afterwards there was a lively cannonade, and the battle had commenced. I cannot give you the details of that memorable day; I relate a few incidents as I remember them. We received the order to advance; the noise of the guns deafened our ears; the air was saturated with the odor of powder; it was like a burning furnace when we charged over the plain; we passed the fire of the enemy's batteries in the midst of all this noise. I heard some one cry "Captain!" At the foot of an oak tree one of my comrades was wounded and dying. His terrible suffering hindered him from speaking; his only question was, "Is the battle lost or won?"
The bullets were whistling about our ears; we were going to charge with fixed bayonets. It was a hand-to-hand struggle, and men were falling on all sides, but we were forced to beat a retreat.
* * *
It was about twelve o'clock; I drank a swallow of water while waiting for new orders. It would be difficult for you to appreciate my feelings. I saw by my field-glass that the Germans were much more numerous than the French. Then came other hasty orders; we were tired to death, but the enemy were fresh. Everybody was very anxious. I approached the general; while I was speaking with him a shell burst at our feet, a bit of it struck me in the face, and my horse reared and set off at a great gallop in spite of my efforts to hold him back.
* * *
I passed over a great distance in a very few minutes. What could the French army do against so many men and cannon? Most of our higher officers had disappeared. Our clothes were covered with mud and dust, our faces were blackened by the powder; nevertheless the order came again: "You must charge once more!" "I have already lost half of my men," was the answer. No matter! We must begin over again; the ground shakes under us as we advance.
* * *
The shock is terrible. An officer fires straight at me, but I cut off his arm. I see the swords gleam all about me; three troopers come to my rescue. "Come, captain," they say, "the battle is lost. We are ordered to sound the retreat." Several officers of the general's staff repeat the command, and the day is lost.
THEblacksmith usually put out his fire as soon as the sun set. He liked to sit before his door and see his apprentices go by, and thus rest himself after the burden of the day. But this day hecame home directly and sat down at table. He was evidently in a very bad humor; his wife looked at him without daring to ask him anything. She had a nice supper on the white tablecloth; a good salad and some cream radishes. The blacksmith had no appetite, and at last he burst out: "Oh! what rascals they are, those young French soldiers whom I have seen with the Prussians this morning; they are not true Frenchmen, otherwise they would not have left their regiment and chosen to be Prussians. It is entirely their fault, and I don't believe that they are at all homesick; I can't understand why they come back. They must be cowards; I hope that our son will not be capable of such an infamy, for if it were true, I should rather kill him with my sword. But what's the good of getting excited? Our boy was in the war against the Germans." With that he began to laugh, and this idea put him in good humor again. He dined merrily, and then went to the tavern to pass a couple of hours. His wife remained alone. She took up her work and began to mend the stockings, after putting the little children to bed. She thought of her son, who, before being a soldier, used to water the garden and care for the house. Suddenly the gate of the garden opened; as the dogs had not barked, she was sure that it was no robber who glided along the wall as though he was afraid of being seen. Yes! It was her boy who stood before her with a sunburned complexion. He had come back to his native village, deserting his post in the French army. She had not the courage to scold him, because he told her that the discipline was so hard, and he was always hungry and thirsty. Suddenly they heard some one walking in the garden, and the boy had only the time to hide behind the stove when his father entered. The old man saw the military cap on the table; he understood in a minute that his son was there. Furious, he ran for his sword and rushed toward the stove where the boy was hidden. The mother cried out: "Don't kill him! It is my fault, because I told him to come back." The blacksmith stopped, and then said: "Well, to-morrow we shall see what to do. Go to bed now." All night the mother remained near the bed of her child, because she was afraid of the father. The old man did not go to bed all night long; he walked up and down in the garden, thinking ofwhat he was to do. The next morning he appeared before his wife and child, clad as if for travelling, with a large hat and a stout, iron-bound stick. "Come, get up," said he to his son. "Give me your uniform and take my clothes; since you have sacrificed your honor for love of your home, take this house and this garden. The blacksmith shop and everything else here belong to you. I am going to Algiers to pay the debt which you owe to France." It was in vain that the wife and child besought him to remain; he left the house without turning around, and remained five years in the army in place of his son.
ALLthe workingmen of the great city had put on their Sunday clothes; they were walking on the sidewalks and were talking together, when suddenly some one cried out: "Here is the wedding procession." My surprise was great when I saw at the other end of the street only the bridal pair and behind them four witnesses. I had supposed that this must be the wedding day of the owner of the factory, since the crowd was so great and was formed like two hedges on each side of the street. The couple smiled at their friends, and waved to them a friendly salute. The young man was leaning on the arm of the girl, and allowed himself to be guided by her. He carried his head high, and his eyes were fixed and glassy, and I saw that he was blind. After the couple had passed the door of the town hall I remained on the sidewalk, when a workingman whom I knew, an overseer in the factory, passed by. Together we entered a coffee house, and he told me the story of the couple: "The young fellow used to work in the great iron works; he was a model workman, and his comrades were very fond of him. One day there was an accident; a bit of iron entered his eye, and the ambulance was called to carry him to the hospital. He had to undergo a terrible operation, which did not succeed, for he lost both his eyes. His employer promised him a small pension, but in a short time the factory failed andall the workmen were without work. Of course the pension of the blind fellow stopped; the lawyers came and shut up the factory and took possession of all the account books. This was a hard blow for Jean; he was blind, sick, alone, and he was deprived of the small sum which assured to him his daily bread. We had to think it over, and at last, with the permission of the overseer, we built a little box at the entrance to the factory, where the blind man could sit and beg. It was no disgrace for him to beg, but he blushed with shame at the thought; in order not to be idle he made little objects of wire, which he sold. One day, however, during the terrible winter which followed, Jean fell sick and was forced to stay in bed. We placed a little collection box at his seat, but no one stopped to give pennies when it was so cold. There was a young girl near the attic where Jean was lying sick; she was touched by his misfortune, so she took her lace (she was a lace maker) and seated herself at the box. When any one passed she said: 'Don't forget the poor blind man.' Many people came to see her there, and she carried home her collection, in which there were not only the pennies of the workingmen, but also silver and gold pieces from richer people. She succeeded so well that she did the same thing the next day and all the following days, until Jean was finally cured of his sickness. You can easily guess the end of the story. Jean said to his comrades one day that he wanted to marry the generous lace maker, and he invited them all to his wedding. The marriage did not disarrange the daily work in the factory, because to-day is a holiday. The chief owner paid for the wedding dinner, and now you see why we are all here this morning. We wanted to prove our friendship for the poor blind fellow." As he finished speaking, the married couple left the town hall, and everybody cried out: "Long live the bride!"
WHENone lives in the country without working, one is sure to win the respect of all the village inhabitants. Although Olivier had only nine hundred francs income, yet he found this very true.
On arriving at Nançay, he remained very much by himself in the small room which he had rented in the village inn. From the very start everybody in Nançay had talked about him; those who patronized the inn asked: "Who on earth is that man?" "I don't know him very well," was the answer, "but he is an honest man, and he pays for his little room without trying to beat me down. He used to be a bookkeeper at the city hall in Paris, and they say that the government gives him a pension. Then, too, you see that he wears a ribbon in his buttonhole, and that proves that he is an honorable man." Some one asked again: "What is that decoration?" and an old man answered in an embarrassed voice, "Oh, I know! They give that to a man who has rescued the flag in battle." From that moment Olivier was famous in the village. When he entered the inn everybody stopped drinking and saluted him. He commenced to be puffed up by the respect by which he was greeted. The people, however, said that it was only his modesty. Thus he became a curiosity, and bicyclists as they passed the inn would ask to see M. Olivier, who had once rescued the flag. Everybody admired the hero, and a nobleman in the neighborhood sent for him and asked him for the story of his noble deed. M. Olivier, however, answered: "It is not worth while to tell the story of the affair. I only did my duty." A brave man does not like to talk about his heroic deeds. Thus, even at Paris, the story was known; only there, instead of repeating it as a legend, the nobleman told it as a true story to all his friends, saying: "It was the 37th dragoons, who were saved from death and destruction by the man whom you can see in flesh and blood if you will only promise to come and visit me at Nançay." It happened that the country was in the throes of a political election. Each candidate, in order to get more votes, promised to have M. Olivier decorated with the Cross of the Legion of Honor instead of the simple medal which he wore. No one thought of investigating the title of the old soldier to the decoration, until one day the Radical candidate made a little inquiry, and then he had posted a notice saying that M. Olivier was only a former policeman who had once pulled a drunken man away from the river. The man was only trying to drink a little water, but on areport of the circumstance the government granted Olivier the medal. This was too much for the inhabitants of Nançay; they asked to see Olivier, and one of them demanded, in a trembling voice, if it was true; and Olivier answered modestly: "Did I ever say the contrary?"
THEYhad taken the poor boy with arms in his hands, and the company of soldiers was going to shoot him. He was only eighteen years old, and the execution was to take place at the foot of the neighboring barricade. The poor little apprentice used to live with his parents without ever thinking of politics; but after the death of his father, killed by the Prussians during that terrible winter, when the streets were covered with snow and ice, the boy used to go and gather potatoes in the fields. One day he was severely wounded by a Prussian bullet, and then he enlisted, with many of his comrades, in the army. He had no heart in the struggle, and he was sure to die soon. If he could only give his life to his country! But now he was captured, and in thinking of all he had suffered he did not care whether he lived or died. It was certainly very hard to leave the mother whom he loved so well, but the thought consoled him that she was very sick, and that she would not have to suffer much longer. He would say good-by and...
"Come now, my youngster, you know what you have to expect," said a voice behind him. The young fellow looked up and saw an officer who was followed by several soldiers. "Are you ready for us, and are you not afraid?" "No, captain, I am not afraid of anything," was the proud answer of the boy. "I'm sure, if I told you to get out of here just as quickly as you can, that it would be soon done. I should never see you again." "Well, just try me for an hour, not a moment more. I'll give you my word of honor, and I'll keep it. At any rate, it wouldn't matter very much whether you shoot one more or less, and if I promise, I shall keep my word." "Come," said the captain, "you must think that I am very stupid.It would indeed be strange if you returned to get killed. You can't make me believe that." "Listen, captain; my mother is at the point of death; I must kiss her once more, and then, on my word of honor, I will deliver myself into your hands. Just grant me one hour of liberty and I will bless you for this supreme consolation." The voice of the youth trembled with emotion. The officer was evidently struck by the force of the words, for, taking on a very stern expression, he demanded: "What is your name? How old are you? Where does your mother live? Why did you leave home? Where is your father?" The boy told his story, and added that his mother lived near, at Belleville. The captain thought a moment, and then said: "Go ahead; I'll give you until this evening."
Our hero rushed away, and after ten minutes he entered his mother's home. He entered the room on tiptoe, for they told him that she was asleep. They were mistaken; the sick woman opened her eyes. Without saying a word the son rushed into her arms and sobbed as though his heart would break. "You have nothing to fear," said the mother; "take off that costume, return to your work, and I will hurry up and get well. You see that I am already very much better. Time will make us forget this horrible dream of war and death." These words tired the mother, and she let her head fall back on the pillow, closed her eyes, and fell asleep. The young man imprinted a kiss on his mother's forehead, looked at her a few minutes in silence, and then ran from the room. Without stopping, he returned to the captain, who was greatly astonished to see him so soon. He looked at him in astonishment as the boy told the story of his mother.
"You are really a very brave boy," said he, at last, "and I am going to pardon you. Return to your mother; it would be a pity to shoot such a brave fellow." The son flew back to his mother's house. She awoke as he came in, and cried out: "Victor, where are you?" The boy became later a famous officer in the French army.
COPYRIGHT, 1900,BYH. A. POTTER———ALL RIGHTS RESERVED314.11The Athenæum PressGINN & COMPANY PROPRIETORSBOSTON U.S.A.