Show d THE lAST lESSON iI j V Singularly Human Story of 01 the Day Alsace Became a German Province a Tragic Tale of the Little Alsatians Al AI- Last Lesson in French by the Great Short S tory W. W Writer J I fir t I ALPHONSE DAUDET A. A Translated by Nixola I was Voas very lato late for school that morning So I TV was as afraid of or being scolded Mr Hamel had hM told us that ho was going to question us on x participles and I didn't t know tho the first thing about them For llor a moment I thought of or playing hookey or running oil off to romp in tn tho the fiel fields s. s The day was so BO warm wann so 80 clear cloar but I had the tIme strength to resist and ran rapidly to toward toward toward to- to ward tho the school Ordinarily at the opening of ot school there thero was a a. great noise which could bo be heard outside in tIme the street street street-a. a noise made b by the opening and shutting of ot desks desM the buzzing of or lessons rehearsed out loud and with ears stopped with tho the fingers ors so as I to learn better and by the heavy ruler of ot I Itha the tha teacher as he smote his desk now and then saying I Silence I counted counte on this disorder to slip into m my sent seat without being noticed But that day everything e was as quiet as az on Sunday Sun Sun- day dap morning Through the tho open windows I perceived that In my schoolfellows wore already In their places nn and that M. M Hamel was walking quietly quietly- up and nd down with his terrible ruler under his arm I 1 wa wad obliged to open the door and en en- tom ter in the midst of or this extraordinary calm You can imagine how I 1 blushed and how afraid I was was was' I But Emit no rio The t teacher cher looked at m me without anger angor and said In a very ory gentle voice olee Go to your seat quickly h. h little Franz Joram we VoC were about to without you ou I took tool lD my may place at little littie m my ray desk Then a recovered from my fright I noticed for tho the first time that our teacher had hod on his fIne fino green frock rock coat his pleated shirt and hi his embroidered black silk skull cap which ho wore only on days das of or inspection or of or tho the distribution of prizes The whole class wore an air solemn and unusual But what astonished me rae most moet was to perceive on th the benches In the back tho or room room which were g generally empty a n. great many villagers ers seat seated d and silent as we were ourselves There was old Hauser with his three-cornered three hat the tho old mayor tho the ancient letter carder carrier and many other persons of or Importance While I marveled at these strange things M. M Hamel had seated himself in his raised chair arid and in the tho same samo gentle grave gravo voice olce with which he ho had greeted me he lie said raid to us My children this fa Is the last time that I shall shaH teach you ou Tho The order has come from Berlin that henceforth only ottly German shall be tau taught ht In the schools of ot Alsace and Lorraine Your Tour new teacher will arrive ar ar- ar rive tomorrow Today you will have havo your last Jast lessen leeson in French I beg beS' of or you to be ba bel l very ry attentive Tow row those thoc tea few et words agitated mo me This th then n was what wha t had been posted at the city halll haul MY Mr LAST LESSON IN FRENCH I who I-who who hardly know how to write I would never novel learn then I must remain ignorant always I How I re regretted no now my wasted hours time lost hunting for birds birds' nests or coasting upon the banks of ot the l My books hooks which a little while before had seemed so 80 tiresome so heavy to carry m my grammar my Bible- Bible history became flu suddenly denly old friends from whom I 1 hated to part And I felt the same way about M. M HameL llama Now that be he was leaving fn that I should never see him again I to forgot ot all his punishments all the tho blows from that heavy ruler Poor man As AR t I was thinking these thee troubled d thoughts I 1 heard m my name called It was was my turn to Alt Ah what would I Ii not have havo given to bo be able to say that fa- fa famous fai i rule of participles in a loud clear voice without A single But I stumbled over the very first words worda An And 1 r stood swaying my heart heavy my ray II head d hanging down In shame Then I 1 heard M M. Hamel speaking to mo rue 1 will not scold you my ny little Franz ho be said For or you OU will be punished enough I know how v it Is 18 Every day ay you loLl ou say to yourself Bah Dah I have Jots Jot of t f time I will learn tomorrow n and d now you Sec seo what has happened It has al alWays always al- al ways been our misfortune in Alsace to put off orr our lessons until tomorrow tomo And now Prussia can say gay to us You Tou pretend to bo ho French yet Jet you ou cannot speak or write your own langua language c In all this I Franz ranz it Is not you Jou who ho are the most sou guilty Ut We Pe have all aU to reproach Then ho took look a grammar and rea read the lesson to us I was vos astonished at tho the way n I understood Everything E seemed easy SO easy so easy I dont don't think that I 1 had llad ever before beloro listened so attentively or that be had ever explained so clearly and pa patiently pa tl Grammar finished we be began an the writIng writIng writ writ- Ing lesson I M Hamel had prepared some flome copies that were entirely new and upon the thera he lie had written in lu his beautiful round hand han France Ira nce-AI nce Alsace ace 1 France nce Alsace Tho Time effect was lIko like that of ot little flags fluttering all ull over the classroom with tho the rods of or our desks for staffs You should have seen how every child applied himself What a a silence reigned One heard nothing but tho time scratching of or polls pens over paper From Front time to time when I raised my mT eyes from my task I saw 3 II JI Hamel sitting sit sit- tin ting motionless s In his chair looking stead steed lly lIy at ot the simple objects around him as if IC ho wanted to carry away with one look an indelible picture of or his schoolhouse school school- house For r or forty years ears he ha had sat sal in the same mo place with his little class about him Only benches and desks had grown worn and polished with long use Suddenly the church bell Intoned the noon hour and then therm tho the angelus At the same amo moment tho the trumpets of or the Pros Pros- returning from drill sounded under our windows M X Hamel rose from hit hi chair He was very pale and fc he bad had never seemed to me rue so 80 talL I My friends ho he began ray my H Bd But something choked him H N B. B old could not finish his sentence Then he turned toward the blackboard and arid picked up a a. piece of ot chalk Bearing on it with all aU h his strength h hit he wrote In hl his largest hand han Vivo Vive Ia la France rance Ho He stood thus thue facing the blackboard I a his bead head against the wall trail ll and without speaking ho he made a sign with hi ku hI band ban which said It is ts finished You ou are dismissed 1 |