“‘Now to the cellar!’ cried the commander.  ’There we shall at least find wine, for the French always have wine in their cellars.  Perhaps you will tell us there is no wine there!’ he said sneeringly, fixing his eyes on the child.

“‘There is wine in plenty there,’ she answered sweetly, favoring the captain with a smile.  ’You will find the jugs in the front part of the cellar.’  Gene lowered her eyes, that the officer might not read the thought that she felt certain was reflected there.

“‘Come,’ he said, leading the way to the cellar, which they gained by raising the trapdoor in the kitchen floor and descending a ladder, this being the customary way of getting to the cellar in a peasant’s home.

“For several moments all was silent in the room where Gene and her mother sat on the floor, the child supporting her parent with one arm.  Down cellar the voices of the Germans could be faintly heard.  At last Gene laid her mother down and tripped lightly to the kitchen.  Listening a moment she cautiously lowered the trapdoor in the floor and closed the opening, fastening it with its bolt.  Not satisfied with this, the child moved a table to the trapdoor, on which she piled everything of weight in the kitchen.

“‘All is well, mother,’ she said, returning to the sick woman.  Gene, for fear of exciting her mother, did not tell her what had been done.  The soldiers with the father having gone, the villagers soon appeared in the streets, and to them Gene explained that she had captured the captain of dragoons and several of his men.  By this time there was a great uproar in the cellar.  The dragoons were shifting and beating on the kitchen floor, raging and threatening.  They had discovered that they were in a trap.  It would fare hard with Gene and her mother if the soldiers succeeded in getting out, but of that the child had little fear.  The villagers now offered to guard the imprisoned soldiers, but the child knew her people could do little in this direction.

“Early in the afternoon a battalion of French chasseurs came galloping into town.  The villagers set up a great shout, and, running out, the child recognized the soldiers of her own country.  To the commander of the chasseurs she quickly made known her situation.

“‘Monsieur le Capitaine,’ she said.  ’There are in our house German soldiers.  They are in the cellar.  Some of their party have taken my father away, but the commander and some of his men I have locked in the cellar.’

“‘Bravo!’ cried the commander.  ‘Come, we shall see.’

“‘There,’ said Gene, pointing to the barricaded trapdoor.  ’Hear them rage.  They are furious, as they should be.’”

The officer quickly summoned some of his men to the kitchen, and, after the trap had been uncovered and thrown open, he bade them thrust their bayonets into the opening.

“‘Come out of that cellar, you Bavarian hounds!’ he shouted.  ’You are prisoners!’