Military life in Italy : sketches - Societa italiana di storia militare

132 MILITARY LIFE.
battle, with great clouds of flour which veiled every thing,
and a little farther on the band was playing, almost drowned
by the racket of the drums and trumpets that fairly deafened
one.
" '
Poor people
!
to the
soldiers.
'
'
said my mother to the major, as she pointed
They never fail ; they are everywhere. It is
not enough that they defend us from our enemies, put out
fires, quiet riots, and protect our lives and our property ; they
protect our fetes too, and secure us our pleasures ; they who
have neither joys nor fetes, and suffer so much and make so
many sacrifices without ever gaining anything or obtaining any
recompense, not even any consolation, a word of acknowledgment,
or a thank you. The people do not as much as look at
them ;
we are every thing for them, they nothing for us absolutely
nothing.'
" The major, solemn as a judge, replied quite gravely, without
even looking at the soldiers :
'
That is true !
'
" '
If it is true !
'
added my mother quickly.
'
Look, major ;
look at the soldier there, the first one on this side, what a melancholy
air he has ! Can there be something troubling him ?
Does he feel ill ? '
" '
Who knows ? ' replied the major, smiling slightly.
" '
Who knows what is the matter with him ?
'
repeated
mother, looking at him pensively. That good woman is so constituted
that in the midst of all the racket and gaiety of a fete,
a trifle will take her mind from all that surrounds her, and
from thought to thought she falls into a state of sadness. The
my
carriage went on and my mother continued talking of that soldier
;
then she fell to thinking again, and suddenly said :
some one at home were ill ? That might be the case too.
'
If