NOTES.

L'AVENTURE DE WALTER SCHNAFFS.

2 17. les arrêta net: stopped them short.

2 18. francs-tireurs: the guerrillas, independent military detachments waging the war in their own fashion, and acknowledging no allegiance to the commanding general. The word franc-tireur is used for the individual as well as for the corps to which such individual belongs.

3 2. ornière: rut; here, excavation.

4 16-17. ils en feraient une bouillie, une pâtée: they would make mince-meat or a pie out of him.

4 21. histoire de rire: matter of laughing; just to amuse themselves.

6 5-6. n'entendant rien que les plaintes sourdes de ses entrailles: hearing nothing but the dull gnawing in his stomach.

7 1. qui le crispa: which made him shudder.

8 25. nom d'un nom: a softened form of an oath.

9 3. chamarré d'or: covered with gold lace.

9 19. agenda de commerce: a drummer's note-book; as though he were jotting down an order for merchandise.

10 10. un aïeul: here, an old man.

L'ONCLE SAMBUQ.

11 7. trois-mâts: three-masted schooner.

11 14-15. un verre de mastic passé en contrebande: a glass of mastic which had been smuggled into the country.

12 9. un oncle d'Amérique: a common phrase, denoting a rich person or an unforeseen inheritance; according to the Continental idea, all Americans are enormously rich.

12 21. cabanon: hut.

12 25. fouillis: confusion.

12 28. censée: thought, intended.

13 11. pecaïre: a Provençal expression, which can here be rendered dear me. It is a universal exclamation in the south of France to denote surprise, pity, joy, or almost any other emotion.

13 16. quoique ça: nevertheless.

13 19. de but en blanc: without any preliminaries, point blank.

13 28. aïoli: a Provençal dish, composed of oil, garlic, and codfish.

13 29. bouillabaisse: a sort of fish chowder, with garlic; it is the national dish of the inhabitants of Marseilles.

14 1. voir un peu de quoi il retourne à ce New York: just see what is going on in that big New York. Notice the disdain expressed by the ce; compare with the scornful use of iste in Latin.

14 11. Manche: the English Channel, well named Manche, from its sleeve-like form.

14 26. sous-commissaire: assistant purser.

14 28. escogriffe: sharper.

16 3. fourbu: worn out, tired to death.

16 10. filer: to spin, then to spin along, to run fast.

17 7. topez là: let's shake on it.

17 10. leur: cf. note on p. 14, l. I, ce.

L'HISTOIRE LA PLUS DROLE.

18 7. que je vous donne telle quelle: which I'll tell you just as it is.

18 10. moblot: soldier of the mobile. The mobile is the reserve force of the French army, called under arms in case of war, and then only to replace on garrison duty the regular soldiers who have gone to the front. The moblots go to battle only as a last extremity, when regular troops no longer exist.

18 16. vieux jeu: of the old school.

19 7. cela me serrait le cœur: the thought of that made my heart ache.

19 11. pension: boarding school; the word also signifies a boarding house.

19 20. jouaient aux billes: were playing (at) marbles.

19 24. un échappé des contes d'Hoffmann: as if he had escaped from one of Hoffmann's stories. Hoffmann, a German writer of fantastic stories, was born Jan. 24, 1776; died June 25, 1822.

19 27. gaillard ayant fait campagne: robust, independent-looking fellow, who had been through the war.

20 19-20. me les sciait à mi-cuisse: sawed into the middle of my thighs.

21 6. je l'ai pas mal oublié: I have forgotten most of it.

LA CHARGE DES MORTS.

22 4. tourné: flanked.

26 1. s'ébranla: got under way.

26 15. emballés: running away, on a mad gallop.

26 29. débâcle: rout, confusion.

27 8. tintant le glas: sounding the death knell.

LE PETIT HOMME ROUGE.

29 8. torrent: flood, swarm; both the living and the dead are here meant.

29 17. Tuileries: in ancient times the site of brick yards or a tile manufactory; later the very center of Paris and occupied by the magnificent palace, home of the French monarchy, which was burned during the Commune directly after the war of 1870-71. The ground is now laid out as a park.

30 13. Suisse: the Swiss yeomen were, on account of their sturdy character and reliability, entrusted with royal guard duty from early monarchical times; hence the word Suisse has come to mean royal guards.

30 14. maréchaux: the royal title of maréchal, now extinct in the French army, was the highest office in the gift of the king.

30 19. en culs de bouteilles: rounded like bottle ends.

32 6. escaliers en vis: winding stairway.

32 7-8. et qui s'arrêtaient devant des baies d'anciennes portes murées: and which stopped before the walled-up opening of old doors.

32 24-25. des chausses à trousses: balloon breeches.

32 25. casaque tailladée: slashed loose coat.

32 25-26. coiffé d'un chaperon à oreillère et à queue pendante: his head covered with a hood and earlaps, with a tassel hanging from it.

33 19. je suis étrangère: Marie Antoinette, consort of Louis XVI, was of Austrian blood.

LA BATAILLE DE FRŒSCHWILLER.

35 2. qui vient de fournir une longue traite: who has just ridden a long distance.

35 14. il piqua des deux: i.e. des deux éperons; he dug both spurs into his horse.

35 14. à fond de train: at the top of his speed.

36 6. qui relevaient de son commandement: who were under him.

36 11. fichées: placées, mises.

37 5-6. contreforts: spurs of a mountain range.

38 13-14. au fur et à mesure: according as.

39 26. hoquets d'agonie: dying gasps.

39 28. nom de nom: an abbreviated and softened form of an oath.

39 30. navrant: painful.

40 13. du jarret: muscle. The jarret is the sinew connecting the thigh and the calf of the leg.

40 23. turcos: a corps of the army.

43 31. échangent une accolade: embrace each other.

45 15. Dame! Well! The derivation of dame is the Latin vocative Domine, O Lord; quite remote from an English expression of similar consonance. It is a choice exclamation, essentially Parisian, and used by all people of education; ladies use the term as the Englishwoman uses "Gracious!"

45 15. soit: the subjunctive here well expresses the doubt in the trooper's mind. The idea of doubt or possibility is the basis of all subjunctive.

LE MAUVAIS ZOUAVE.

46 8-9. bonhomme: the fellow; un homme bon is a good man.

46 16. trois petits blondins couleur d'épis brûlés: three little tow-headed children.

46 21. A qui en as-tu? With whom are you vexed? The same construction in his answer: "j'en ai à cinq ou six drôles," I can't stand five or six rascals.

47 1. After the war of 1870-71, the inhabitants of the conquered provinces had the privilege of opter, or choosing between the French and German as their future nationality; this "choice" was made under certain vexatious restrictions, and those who chose to remain French, as the blacksmith in this story, had a disagreeable lot.

47 3. Qu'est-ce qu'on leur a donc fait boire? What on earth have they made them drink?

47 13-14. vous rapetissez tout à la taille de vos marmots: you narrow down everything to the size of your children.

47 20-21. latte de chasseur: his regimental sword.

47 29. descendu: brought down, i.e. killed.

47 32. chopes: large glasses, "schooners."

49 6. la chechia: the cap.

49 28. chevet: the head of the bed.

50 10-11. l'étui de fer-blanc où tient la feuille de route: the tin case which contains his military papers.

UN MARIAGE.

51 5-6. au beau milieu d'une affluence: right in the midst of a crowd, etc.

51 22. s'il en fut: as could be; the bridal procession was of the utmost simplicity.

52 8. caraco de mérinos noir: a black wool jacket.

52 30. contre-maître: overseer.

52 33. faut croire: I suppose.

53 4. on se passera bien de moi: they will get along all right without me.

53 8. "boraine de Nimy,"... "vaclette": boraine de Nimy, a kind of pipe; vaclette is explained by the words which follow.

53 11. cogna le sien contre le mien: clinked glasses with me.

53 11. le lampa tout d'une haleine: drank it all in one gulp.

53 20. du fin matin au brun soir: from early morning till late at night.

53 21-22. marteaux-pilons: trip hammers; the immense hammers of the iron works.

54 1. luron: a good fellow.

54 6. Pauvre fieu: (pauvre fils) poor fellow.

54 8-9. Une paille de fer rouge venait de lui crever l'œil droit: a spark of red-hot iron had just put out his right eye.

54 9. Le fourgon de l'hôpital: the hospital ambulance.

54 17. quinquets: lamps; here slang for eyes; "our two blinkers."

54 19. Que l'un s'en aille: que here means if,—if you lose one of them.

54 31. viveur et joueur: a high liver and gambler.

54 33-34. marchait cahin-caha, à la comme-je-te-pousse: got on any which way, just as luck would have it.

55 8. passif: a mercantile term,—liabilities. The assets of a concern are its actif.

55 12. sur le pavé: on the street, without work.

55 13. à tout jamais: forever.

55 17-18. qu'il n'attentât à ses jours: lest he might commit suicide.

56 4. fils d'acier et de laiton: steel and brass wire. Fil is wire, thread; le fils is the son.

56 22. un tronc: a charity box.

56 25. pancartes: notices, inscriptions.

56 34. dentellière de son état: a lace worker by trade.

57 3. au cliquetis de ses fuseaux: by the clicking of her embroidery needles.

57 24. demoiselle de comptoir: cashier.

POUR LE RUBAN.

60. Pour le ruban: the ribbon worn in the buttonhole, which shows its wearer to be a member of the Legion of Honor.

60 8. émarger: to receive money from the government.

60 16. instrus: (intrus) an intruder.

62 23. moellon: a rough stone.

62 29. d'antan: (d'autre fois) in former times.

63 4. périgourdin: of Périgord, the old name of a locality in France, near Bordeaux.

63 14-15. Ponson du Terrail: a cheap author of penny dreadfuls and serial stories, many of which deal with antiquity and use the antiquated language of the following lines.

64 5. hobereaux: country squires.

64 6. valetaille: the serving people.

64 10. Bayard: the chevalier sans peur et sans reproche, as he is universally known in history. One of the most sympathetic figures of French history, the type of the nobleman and hero, who was equally adroit at keeping an entire hostile army at bay, alone, stationed at the entrance of the bridge, and at honoring beauty and wit. He died in 1524.

64 23. rallié: this word is perhaps equivalent to the term "Mug-wump."

64 25-26. qui ne semblait pas disposer de la Grande-Chancellerie: who did not claim to boss the whole chancery.

65 2. de relevée: afternoon.

PAROLE D'HONNEUR.

66 3. fédérés: the communards, that is, the revolutionary section which fought against the established government, fired the Tuileries and the Cour des Comptes (the Chamber of Deputies) directly after the end of the Franco-Prussian war; the fédérés sought to create political disturbances immediately after the withdrawal of the Prussian troops from Paris.

66 4. armée de Versailles: Paris was in the hands of the Prussians; therefore the French government withdrew to Versailles and from thence directed public affairs; hence the name "Versailles army," equivalent to the government troops.

66 7. arrondissement: ward. Paris is divided into wards, each with its maire, its mairie (city hall), and député (congressman); all the arrondissements are, however, united for civil government under the prefect of the department. The departments (like the counties of an American state) have likewise their arrondissements. There are eighty-six departments in France.

66 9. surseoir = remettre: to delay, to put off.

66 18. les longues stations à la porte des bouchers. During the siege of Paris the people bought bons, or checks, from the government, upon presentation of which their limited rations were supplied; long lines were formed in front of the dealers in food products; as the winter weather was extremely severe, this caused great physical suffering and sickness to many, especially to those of the poorer class, as the mother in the story.

67 2. armée de la Commune: the armée des fédérés; see note on p. 66, l. 3.

67 27. Il en était là de ses funèbres réflexions: he was at that point with his doleful thoughts.

68 4. N'empêche que si: all the same, if, etc.

68 5-6. Prends tes jambes à ton cou: hurry up, pick up your heels.

68 6. fiche-moi le camp: get out of here.

68 13. Oui da! Come now!

68 17. accroire: believe, swallow that.

68 31. en tourmentant sa moustache: twirling his moustache.

70 7-8. ne peut plus que sangloter: could do nothing but sob, broke down completely. The French often uses the present of the verb in vivid narration where the English uses the past.

70 19-20. que le temps finira par nous faire oublier: which time will make us gradually forget.

70 26. s'efforçait... à se ressaisir: tried to regain his composure.

72 15. communard: see note on p. 66, l. 3; a soldier in the army of the commune.