The Children of France | Page 7

on the following morning.
"Soon German soldiers began entering the houses, one soldier to each
house, in which he took his station, cowering the occupants by terrible
threats.
"Little Mathilde, when she heard the soldier assigned to their home
bang on the door with the butt of his rifle, fled to the kitchen, where she
stood listening and watching. She nearly cried out when the soldier
thrust the bayonet of his rifle at her father, and all the resentment of her
race at such injustice rose up within her.
"'I shall save them,' she breathed.
"Mathilde slipped out through the kitchen door into the walled garden,
and, climbing the wall, peered over. She could see German horsemen
and German infantrymen everywhere, the moonlight flashing on their
helmets and rifles as they moved rapidly about. How she should be able
to get over the wall without discovery she did not know. A heavy black

cloud at this moment drifted across the sky, hiding the face of the moon
for a few moments, and when the cloud had passed Mathilde was no
longer on the garden wall. She lay prone on the ground in a field on the
opposite side of the wall. Horsemen were all about her. Now and then a
horse narrowly missed stepping on her, and those Uhlans must have
wondered that night why their horses were so skittish.
"Every time she saw an opening the little heroine would dart ahead;
each time a cloud passed between earth and moon she gained a little
distance. Once a Uhlan's horse jumped clear over her and kicked
viciously at her after it had landed on its feet. You see, the grass in the
fields was high, there being no men to cut it. Had it not been for the
grass, Mathilde never could have accomplished what she did.
"At last she was clear of them, and then how she did run; she fairly
flew up the hill, stopping only when a French sentry halted her to
demand what she wanted.
"'I would speak with your captain,' panted Mathilde.
"The sentry laughed.
"'Think you my captain sits awake all night that he may receive calls
from the villagers?' he demanded.
"'But,' begged the girl, 'the Uhlans have come. They are even now in
the houses that they may come out and shoot you down when you go to
the village tomorrow.'
"'You are dreaming, my pretty miss. Go back to your sleep. It is a
nightmare you are telling me. Return and dream no more.'
"Mathilde begged and pleaded, to the great amusement of the sentry.
The child grew angry. She stamped and raged. Then she adopted a new
plan. Throwing herself on the ground the little girl rolled and screamed
and screamed.
"'Stop it! You'll wake the garrison,' he commanded.

"'That is what Mathilde is trying to do,' answered the girl, then
screamed louder than ever, and the sentry turned out the corporal's
guard. The corporal sent a messenger to the village to see if the child
was right.
"'If you believe me not, look yonder in the valley,' exclaimed the girl,
impatiently. 'What see you?'
"'Nothing. Wait! I see the moonlight glistening on something, I should
say on a tin sign on a tree.'
"Mathilde laughed ironically. 'It is indeed a sign, a bad sign, monsieur
Corporal. What you see is the moonlight reflected on the helmet of a
German Uhlan. Ha! Now believe you the little Mathilde?'
"'Call the captain,' commanded the corporal.
"The commanding officer came hurrying out. He questioned the child
and ere he had finished the messenger came running back.
"'The Germans are in force in the village,' cried the messenger. 'They
hide in the houses and their sentries guard the approaches to the village.
"'Summon the garrison to arms!' commanded the captain. 'You are a
noble child, Mathilde.'
"While a small force was left to guard the fort the others of the garrison
went down and surrounded the village. They surprised and captured the
sentries without firing a shot. These prisoners were taken to the fort and
locked up, after which the French in the village fired a volley into the
air. As they expected, the Prussians guarding the houses rushed out and
began shooting, but coming from the lighted houses into the darkness
of the early morning, their eyes were not keen and only one volley from
the French was necessary to fill the Germans with fear. The Germans
very soon laid down their arms and surrendered. While some of the
invaders were wounded, no one was killed. The entire German force
was captured and marched, humiliated, to the fort on the hill.

"Next day, when the villagers came to a realization of what Mathilde
had done, a purse was made up, everyone giving of his little