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Show ! CONDENSED 1 X CLASSICS I t WATERLOO t : ! Ey MM. ERCKMANN- I-! CHATRIAN !I t Condensation by y Charles E. L. Wingate , Kn-kmanu-Chalriiin la the Joint name of two Kreuch writers whose collnboru- lion mitde their work that of, o 1o speuk, one personality the former writing chiefly and the latter editing and adapting for the staKe. Kmlle j btrrkmuno was born on the 20th of j May, lSa, nt Phulsbourcri and Louis j Grutlnn Alexandre Cbatrlnn, on the 18th of December, 1S20, at Soldatent hnl, I Lorvnine. They began their -work to-I to-I pettier in 1S47 and contintjed doing so antll 1SS. Among their first p-.iblientlons are .'Science et Genie' "Sch in.lerhannes" Qnd many short stories. The series of novels to which Erckinnnn-Chntrlan owe In great part their reputation includes in-cludes ('I.e Fob Vecrof." "Madame Therese," "Hlstolre d'nn Consent de ISI3," "L'Aml Krll," "Hlstolre de I Homme des Peuple,' and many others. Their dramatic compositions and adaptations are "Georges le Chasseur des Huines,' "L'Alsnce en 1S11." Their stories, dealing with the realties real-ties oZ the times, are distinguished by simplicity and a genuine descriptive power, particularly In battle scenes and those of Alsatian peasant life. THERE was joy unbounded when Louis the Eighteenth returned in 1S14. Yes, everybody was delighted, except the old soldiers and the fencing masters. mas-ters. Living with Father Goulden in Pfalzbourg, of old Lorraine, I was happy in the belief that conscription was now over, and that at last, I should he able to marry Catherine and live in peace. So, when the marriage permit came, I rushed at once to her with the news. I kissed her again and again and We both wept for joy. And then, after the happiness of marrying Catherine, my greatest delight de-light lay In thinking that I should be a tradesman for the rest of my life. Ah, what a happy life I what satisfaction satis-faction to be young and to have a simple, good, industrious wife ! We shall never be old ! We shall always :ove one another and always retain about us those whom we love. Thus days and weeks went by. But, later on, we found that the returning royalists, the ministers and the princes, who had rushed back to France after Napoleon's banishment,, adopted the most insolent manner toward us, the people. And as to their treatment of Napoleon's former soldiers I can still hear the commandant expostulating, "They are starving us ; they are treating treat-ing us like Cossacks; enly they are too cowardly to shoot us !" But, about the beginning of March, a rumor began to circulate that the emperor had escaped from Elba and had landed in France. Quickly his advance toward Paris followed ; and the old soldiers, sent out to restrain him, rushed forward to kneel at his feet. Thus it was that Napoleon again came to the throne. What happened afterward, however, how-ever, was not so agreeable to me. now a married man, settled as I had hoped for a life of peace. For I was called to the colors. Aunt Grethel, who had always been like a mother to me, sobbed sob-bed aloud. Catherine passed into a deadly swoon. Yet, in spite of all, I needs iust leave for the army with my old veteran veter-an soldier friend, Zebede, and at once we were rushed to the front. One day, as we halted, the emperor came to our lines and the whole division di-vision shouted "Vive 1'Empereur!" I had a good view of him as he advanced ad-vanced with his arms crossed behind his back and his head bent. He had grown stouter and more sallow since the days of Leipzig. He looked much older and his cheeks were flabby. Little wonder, also, that he appeared worried wor-ried for had he not lost everybody's confidence? The old soldiers alone retained re-tained their love for him ; they were ready to conquer or to die in his behalf. be-half. But for my part I cared much more for Catherine than for the emperor. em-peror. Of her I thought v;iV ?restpyt tenderness, the more so knowing that she would soon become a mother. And I prayed to God to preserve my life. At last we came upon the Prussians and, driving them back at Ligny, marched on against the British. I thought I should drop every moment mo-ment from weakness, but finally near Waterloo, on mounting a little ridge, we saw the English pickets through tlie rain. In a cornfield, under a beating storm, we lay like gypsies, our teeth chattering chatter-ing with the cold and yet thinking of massacring our fellow men, and esteeming es-teeming ourselves lucky if we had a turnip, a carrot or anything else to keep up our strength. Is Unit a life for honest men? Is it for this that God created us? Is it not an abomination abom-ination to think that a king or an emperor, em-peror, instead of encouraging commerce com-merce and diffusing liberty, should reduce re-duce us to this state by hundreds of thousands? I know that this is called glory, but people are foolish to glorify glori-fy such men who have lost all sense of right and heart and relig'"n. When I awoke in the morrJog, the church-bells were ringing &-id I thought: 'Today is Sunday, a day of peace ai) rest. Pather Goulden, dressed In r his best coat and a clean shirt, U thinking of me. Catherine Is sitting on the bed and weeping. Aunt Grethei has taken her prayer-book and Is going to mass." As I pictured to myself thai quiet, happy life, I could have burs' Into tears. Put the drums began to beat and th trumpets sounded. The first movement was when out four divisions were ordered to ad vance. We were about twenty thou cand men marching in two lines and sinking up to our knees with every step in the soft mud. Nobody spoke a word. Face to face with us were the English, Eng-lish, in perfect order, their cannoneers with lighted matches in their hands. On all sides, as far as the eye could reach, nothing was to be seen but cuirasses, cui-rasses, helmets, swords, lances and rows of bayonets. "What a battle!" cried Buche, mj comrade-at-arms. "Woe to the Eng lish !" And I thought as he did. I believe that not a single Englishman would escape. But bad luck pursued us that day; though, had it not been for the Prussians, I think we should have exterminated ex-terminated them all. Down into the little valley we poured, pour-ed, right into the face of tlie Englis-i ire, and shouting all the time "Giv6 them the bayonet!" The batteries hurled their grape-sho; point blank upon us. It was then, fo-j the first time, I saw the English close at hand. They had fair skins and were clean shaven like respectable citizens. cit-izens. They can fight well, too but we are as good as they. Evory shot of the English told ; and this forced us to break our ranks, for men art not mere palisades. And almost at the same moment wo saw a mass of red dragoons, on gray horses, sweeping along like the wind and sabring our stragglers without mercy. It was one of the most ter rible moments of my life as we wer. driven back. What a fearful thing is a battle! Then out came Marshal Ney waving his sword in the air. Older, thinner and more bony than when I saw him last but still the same brave soldier with the clear eyes that seemed to take us all in. "Forward," he cried, "I shall lead you myself!" And we rushed ahead, one after the other like a pack of wolves, until we gained the principal oulpost of the British. But suddenly the rumor spread that the Prussians were coming. I .felt myself grow pale. At that moment cries of "Vive l'Era-pereur l'Era-pereur !" rose from thousands of throats behind us, and looking back I saw all our cavalry of the right wing advancing to attack the solid squares of the English. It was an awesome sight. With waving sabres they rushed rush-ed pell-mell again and again upon the red-coats. Twenty such charges they made, until the horses of our cuirassiers, cuiras-siers, exhausted, could no longer even walk and there still firmly stood the great red lines, steadfast i.s walls. Now all that remained for attack was the Old Guard those wonderful veterans who had fought ip Germany, in Egypt, in Spain and in Russia, of whom the Emperor took special care and who no longer knew parents or relations. They only knew the emperor em-peror who was their god. When it was said in the ranks "The Guard is going to charge," is was the same as saying, "The battle is won !" And Ney commanded them! Upon the Guard fell the concentrated hail of bullets. In twenty minutes every officer had been dismounted .and the Guard, reduced from three thousand thou-sand men to twelve hundred, slowly gave way. Now the entire English army fell upon us. And, as the remnant of the Old Guard fell backward, across the field fled hussars, cuirassiers, artillery and infantry like an army of savages. W fnt can I tell you more? It was utter rout. And in the valley old BluchiT, with forty thousand Prussians, Prus-sians, was looming up. The end had come and I wept like a child. Back we scurried, borne down with fatigue, hunger and despair. "Keep on," cried Buche, "the Prussians Prus-sians take no prisoners. Lookl they are cutting down everyone." So back, back, even to Paris we fled, and there we learned thai: hostilities hos-tilities were to be-suspended, that the emperor had gone, and that the king was returning to the throne. Desertions Deser-tions began. I hurried on from village to village and at last reached Pfalzbourg and my home. Up the stairs I sprang; Catherine was in my arms. I fell to sobbing so violently that one would have thought misfortune had come upon me. The first words of Catherine were, "Joseph, I knew that you would coue back. I had put my trust in God." Thus happiness finally reached us. Now I have lived to see the return of the flag of liberty and to see the nation increase in wealth, in education educa-tion and in happiness. People begin to understand their rights. They know that war only brings increase of taxation tax-ation and suffering; and when the people, as masters, shall say, "Instead of sending our sons to perish by thousands beneath the sword and the cannon, we will have them taught and made men 1" v.ho will dare gainsay them? In this hope I bid you farewell., my friends, and I embrace you w;UU all my heart. Copyrieht, 1913, by the PoU SHiblishins Co. (The Boston Post). Ciyvrisht in tha United Kingdom, the IVminions, it3 Colonies Col-onies and de-pendency ur.tl.-r thy copyright copy-right act. by fhe, I'oct Fublishin; Co.. Boston, ilass. f S, -, AU rigeW re served. |