The Blockade of Phalsburg: An Episode of the End of the Empire Page 2

  II

  FATHER MOSES'S SPECULATION

  Early the next morning, after breakfast, I took my cane to return toPhalsburg. Zeffen and Baruch wanted to keep me longer, but I said:

  "You do not think of your mother, who is expecting me. She does notkeep still a minute; she keeps going upstairs and down, and looking outof the window. No, I must go. Sorle must not be uneasy while we arecomfortable."

  Zeffen said no more, and filled my pockets with apples and nuts for herbrother Safel. I embraced them again, the little ones and the big;then Baruch led me far back of the gardens, to the place where theroads to Schlittenbach and Lutzelburg divide.

  The troops had all left, only stragglers and the sick remaining. Butwe could still see the line of carts in the distance, on the hill, andbands of day-laborers who had been set to work digging graves back ofthe road.

  The very thought of passing that way disturbed me. I shook hands withBaruch at this fork of the road, promising to come again withgrandmother to the circumcision, and then took the valley road, whichfollows the Zorn through the woods.

  This path was full of dead leaves, and for two hours I walked onthinking at times of the Hotel du Soleil, of Zimmer, of Marshal Victor,whom I seemed to see again, with his tall figure, his square shoulders,his gray head, and coat covered with embroidery. Sometimes I picturedto myself Zeffen's chamber, the little babe and its mother; then thewar which threatened us--that mass of enemies advancing from every side!

  Several times I stopped in the midst of these valleys sloping into eachother as far as the eye can reach, all covered with firs, oaks andbeeches, and I said to myself:

  "Who knows? Perhaps the Prussians, Austrians and Russians will soonpass along here!"

  But there was comfort in this thought; "Moses, your two boys, Itzig andFromel, are in America far from the reach of cannon; they are therewith their packs on their shoulders, going from village to villagewithout danger. And your daughter Zeffen, too, may sleep in quiet;Baruch has two fine children, and will have another every year whilethe war lasts. He will sell leather to make bags and shoes for thosewho have to go, but, for his part, he will stay at home."

  I smiled as I thought that I was too old to be conscripted, that I wasa gray-head, and the conscriptors could have none of us. Yes; I smiledas I saw that I had acted very wisely in everything, and that the Lordhad, as it were, cleared my path.

  It is a great satisfaction, Fritz, to see that everything is working toour advantage.

  In the midst of these thoughts I came quietly to Lutzelburg, and I wentto Brestel's at the Swan Hotel to take a cup of coffee.

  There I found Bernard, the soap merchant, whom you do not know--alittle man, bald to the very nape of the neck, with great wens on hishead--and Donadieu, the Harberg forest-keeper. One had laid his dosserand the other his gun against the wall, and they were emptying a bottleof wine between them. Brestel was helping.

  "Ha! it is Moses," exclaimed Bernard. "Where the devil dost thou comefrom, so early in the morning!"

  Christians in those days were in the habit of _thou_ing the Jews--eventhe old men. I answered that I had come from Saverne, by the valley.

  "Ah! thou hast seen the wounded," said the keeper. "What thinkest thouof that, Moses!"

  "I have seen them," I replied sadly, "I saw them last evening. It isdreadful!"

  "Yes, it is; everybody has gone up there to-day, because old Gredal ofQuatre-Vents found her nephew under a cart--Joseph Bertha, the littlelame watchmaker who worked last year with Father Goulden; so the peoplefrom Dagsberg, Houpe, and Garburg, expect to find their brothers, orsons, or cousins in the heap."

  He shrugged his shoulders compassionately.

  "These things are dreadful," said Brestel, "but they must come. Therehas been no business these two years; I have back here, in my court,three thousand pounds' worth of planks and timber. That would formerlyhave lasted me for six weeks or two months; but now it is all rottingon the spot; nobody wants it on the Sarre, nobody wants it in Alsace,nobody orders anything or buys anything. It is just so with the hotel.Nobody has a sous; everybody stays at home, thankful if they havepotatoes to eat and cold water to drink. Meanwhile my wine and beerturn sour in the cellar, and are covered with mildew. And all thatdoes not keep off the duties; you must pay, or the officer will be uponyou."

  "Yes," cried Bernard, "it is the same thing everywhere. But what is itto the Emperor whether planks and soap sell or not, provided thecontributions come in and the conscripts arrive?"

  Donadieu perceived that his comrade had taken a glass too much; herose, put back his gun into his shoulder-belt, and went out, calling tous.

  "Good-by to you all, good-by! We will talk about this another time."

  A few minutes afterward, I paid for my cup of coffee, and followed hisexample.

  I had the same thoughts as Brestel and Bernard; I saw that my trade iniron and old clothes was at an end; and as I went up the Barracks' hillI thought, "Try to find something else, Moses. Everything is at astand-still. But one cannot use up his money to the last farthing. Imust turn to something else--I must find an article which is alwayssalable. But what is always salable? Every trade has its day, andthen it comes to an end."

  While thus meditating, I passed the Barracks of the Bois-de-Chenes. Iwas on the plateau from which I could see the glacis, the line oframparts, and the bastions, when the firing of a cannon gave noticethat the marshal was leaving the place. At the same time I saw at theleft, in the direction of Mittelbronn, the line of sabres flashing likelightning in the distance among the poplars of the highway. The treeswere leafless, and I could see, too, the carriage and postilionspassing like the wind through the plumes and caps.

  The cannon pealed, second after second; the mountains gave back pealafter peal, from the very depths of their valleys; and as for myself, Iwas quite carried away by the thought of having seen this man the daybefore; it seemed like a dream.

  Then, about ten o'clock, I passed the bridge of the French gate. Thelast cannon sounded upon the bastion of the powder-house; the crowd ofmen, women and children descended the ramparts, as if it were afestival; they knew nothing, thought of nothing, while cries of "Vivel'Empereur!" rose in every street.

  I passed through the crowd, well pleased at bringing good news to mywife; and I was saying to myself beforehand, "The little one is doingwell, Sorle!" when, at the corner of the market, I saw her at our door.I raised my cane at once, and smiled, as much as to say "Baruch issafe--we may laugh!"

  She understood me, and went in at once; but I overtook her on thestairs, and embraced her, saying:

  "It is a good, hearty little fellow--there! Such a baby--so round androsy! And Zeffen is doing well. Baruch wished me to embrace you forhim. But where is Safel?"

  "Under the market, selling."

  "Ah, good!"

  We went into our room. I sat down and began to praise Zeffen's baby.Sorle listened with delight, looking at me with her great black eyes,and wiping my forehead, for I had walked fast, and could hardly breathe.

  And then, all of a sudden, our Safel came in. I had not time to turnmy head before he was on my knees, with his hands in my pockets. Thechild knew that his sister Zeffen never forgot him; and Sorle, too,liked to bite an apple.

  You see, Fritz, when I think of these things, everything comes back tome; I could talk to you about it forever.

  It was Friday, the day before the Sabbath; the _Schabbes-Goie_* was tocome in the afternoon. While we were still alone at dinner, and Irelated for the fifth and sixth time how Zimmer had recognized me, howhe had taken me into the presence of the Duke of Bellune, my wife toldme that the marshal had made the tour of our ramparts on horseback,with his staff-officers; that he had examined the advanced works, thebastions, the glacis, and that he had said, as he went down the collegestreet, that the place would hold out for eighteen days, and that itmust be fortified immediately.

  * Woman, not Israelite, who on Saturday performs in a
Jewish householdthe labors forbidden by the law of Moses.

  I remembered at once that he had asked me if we wished to defendourselves, and I exclaimed: "He is sure that the enemy is coming; sincehe is going to put cannon upon the ramparts, it is because there willbe need of them. It is not natural to make preparations which are notto be used. And, if the allies come, the gates will be shut. Whatwill become of us without our business? The country people can neithergo in nor out, and what will become of us?"

  Then Sorle showed her good sense, for she said:

  "I have already thought about this, Moses; it is only the peasants whobuy iron, old shoes, and our other things. We must undertake a citybusiness for all classes--a business which will oblige citizens,soldiers and workmen to buy of us. That is what we must do."

  I looked at her in surprise. Safel, with his elbow on the table, wasalso listening.

  "It is all very well, Sorle," I replied, "but what business is therewhich will oblige citizens, soldiers, everybody to buy of us--whatbusiness is there?"

  "Listen," said she; "if the gates are shut and the country peoplecannot enter, there will be no eggs, butter, fish, or anything in themarket. People will have to live on salt meats and dried vegetables,flour, and all kinds of preserved articles. Those who have bought upthese can sell them at their own price; they will grow rich."

  As I listened I was struck with astonishment.

  "Ah, Sorle! Sorle!" I exclaimed, "for thirty years you have been mycomfort. Yes, you have crowned me with all sorts of blessings, and Ihave said a hundred times, 'A good wife is a diamond of pure water, andwithout flaw. A good wife is a rich treasure for her husband.' I haverepeated it a hundred times. But now I know still better what you areworth, and esteem you still more highly."

  The more I thought of it, the more I perceived the wisdom of thisadvice. At length I said:

  "Sorle, meat and flour, and everything which can be kept, are alreadyin the storehouses, and the soldiers will not need such things for along time, because their officers will have provided them. But whatwill be wanted is brandy, which men must have to massacre andexterminate each other in war, and brandy we will buy! We will haveplenty of it in our cellar, we will sell it, and nobody else will haveit. That is my idea!"

  "It is a good idea, Moses!" said she; "your reasons are good; I approveof them."

  "Then I will write," said I, "and we will invest everything in spiritsof wine. We will add water ourselves, in proportion as people wish topay for it. In this way the freight will be less than if it werebrandy, for we shall not have to pay for the transportation of thewater, which we have here."

  "That is well, Moses," she said.

  And so we agreed.

  Then I said to Safel:

  "You must not speak of this to any one."

  She answered for him:

  "There's no need of telling him that, Moses. Safel knows very wellthat this is between ourselves, and that our well-being depends uponit."

  The child for a long time resented my words: "You must not speak ofthis to any one." He was already full of good sense, and said tohimself:

  "So my father thinks I am an idiot."

  This thought humiliated him. Some years afterward he told me of it,and I perceived that I had been wrong.

  Everybody has his notions. Children should not be humiliated intheirs, but rather upheld by their parents.