Le 13e Hussards, types, profils, esquisses et croquis militaires... á pied et á cheval by Emile Gaboriau
-Mille millions de tonnerres! s'écria le hussard Gédéon Flambert, j'y vois clair à la fin. Moi qui m'étais engagé pour servir glorieusement ma patrie, je suis tout simplement entré au service d'un cheval-de mon cheval.
Encore, ai-je bien le droit de l'appeler mon cheval, et n'est-ce pas lui, qui, à plus juste titre, pourrait dire: mon cavalier?
Le hussard Gédéon, de garde d'écurie ce soir-là était alors à demi couché sur une botte de paille. Pour la première fois, depuis cinq mois qu'il était soldat, il trouvait un instant pour réfléchir.
-Oui, continua-t-il, tout pour mon cheval, impossible de sortir de là. C'est, ma parole d'honneur, à en être jaloux. Je lui appartiens comme l'ombre au corps, ma vie est à lui, il l'absorbe, il la dévore. Car enfin, à quoi se passent mes jours, qu'ai-je fait aujourd'hui?
Ce matin, à cinq heures, bien avant le jour, j'ai été éveillé par les éclats enragés des trompettes.-Premier déjeuner et toilette de mon cheval.
Nouveau coup de trompette à six heures; pansage.-Cinq quarts d'heure durant j'ai étrillé, brossé, bouchonné, épongé, peigné mon cheval.
A neuf heures, promenade de mon cheval.
A midi, autre repas de mon cheval.
A deux heures, second pansage de mon cheval, nouveaux soins, autre repas.
A sept heures enfin, souper de mon cheval.
Et encore et toujours mon cheval! Pour lui on a remis en vigueur le cérémonial décrété par Caligula à l'usage de celui dont il fit un consul.
Cependant mon cheval est en bonne santé. Que serait-ce, grand Dieu! s'il était au régime. Je tremble à la seule pensée qu'il peut tomber malade et qu'alors je deviendrais son infirmier.
Mes journées ne lui suffisent pas, il lui faut mes nuits. Ainsi, à cette heure, lorsque je serais si aise de reposer dans mon lit, je suis ici de garde d'écurie, c'est-à-dire que je vais passer la nuit à veiller sur le sommeil de mon cheval, et du cheval de mon brigadier, et des chevaux de tous mes camarades...
-Garde d'écurie! cria une voix formidable, garde d'écurie!
D'un bond, Gédéon fut sur pied et en présence du brigadier de semaine qui faisait une ronde.
-Je présuppose que vous dormiez, dit sévèrement le brigadier; vous aurez le plaisir de me faire celui de deux jours de consigne.
-Brigadier, je vous assure...
-Silence dans le rrrang ou je réitère. Que je sais que les chevaux ils se plaignent que vos ronflements ils les empêchent de dormir.
Il n'y avait rien à répondre. Le brigadier s'éloigna en amortissant le bruit de ses pas, afin de surprendre quelque autre délinquant.
-évidemment, se dit Gédéon, je suis dans mon tort. Je songerai une autre fois à ne plus réfléchir, mieux vaut dormir maintenant et tacher de mériter ma punition. Mais pourquoi diable me suis-je engagé! Pourquoi ai-je été précisément choisir la cavalerie?
Pourquoi?
This early work by Émile Gaboriau was originally published in the late 19th century and we are now republishing it with a brand new introduction.
Lindsey's fiancé was the devil's first son. Not only did he lie to her but he also slept with her stepmother, conspired to take away her family fortune, and then set her up to have sex with a total stranger. To get her lick back, Lindsey decided to find a man to disrupt her engagement party and humiliate the cheating bastard. Never did she imagine that she would bump into a strikingly handsome stranger who was all that she was currently looking for. At the engagement party, he boldly declared that she was his woman. Lindsey thought he was just a broke man who wanted to leech off her. But once they began their fake relationship, she realized that good luck kept coming her way. She thought they would part ways after the engagement party, but this man kept to her side. "We gotta stick together, Lindsey. Remember, I'm now your fiancé. " "Domenic, you're with me because of my money, aren't you?" Lindsey asked, narrowing her eyes at him. Domenic was taken aback by that accusation. How could he, the heir of the Walsh family and CEO of Vitality Group, be with her for money? He controlled more than half of the city's economy. Money wasn't a problem for him! The two got closer and closer. One day, Lindsey finally realized that Domenic was actually the stranger she had slept with months ago. Would this realization change things between them? For the better or worse?
Marrying her best friend was a dream come true for Kelly, but everything truly has a limitation. Pierce is Kelly’s first love, but as his best friend, she knew well there was always another woman deep in his heart. Lexi Gilbert. The woman Pierce could never forget even if he had already been arranged to marry Kelly. *** Kelly finally realized their happy marriage of the last three years was just a beautiful dream when Pierce asked for a divorce just because Lexi returned. She could only be his best friend even if she was carrying his baby. *** Since their friendship had become a cage, Kelly chose to set him free, as well as the miserable herself. But why then, it was Pierce who became the one who refused to move on? To make matters worse, her devil stepbrother also domineeringly stepped in at the same time, asking her to be his. *** Her Prince Charming vs. Her Devil Stepbrother? How could Kelly save her heart in this battle of love and hate?
There was only one man in Raegan's heart, and it was Mitchel. In the second year of her marriage to him, she got pregnant. Raegan's joy knew no bounds. But before she could break the news to her husband, he served her divorce papers because he wanted to marry his first love. After an accident, Raegan lay in the pool of her own blood and called out to Mitchel for help. Unfortunately, he left with his first love in his arms. Raegan escaped death by the whiskers. Afterward, she decided to get her life back on track. Her name was everywhere years later. Mitchel became very uncomfortable. For some reason, he began to miss her. His heart ached when he saw her all smiles with another man. He crashed her wedding and fell to his knees while she was at the altar. With bloodshot eyes, he queried, "I thought you said your love for me is unbreakable? How come you are getting married to someone else? Come back to me!"
Madisyn was stunned to discover that she was not her parents' biological child. Due to the real daughter's scheming, she was kicked out and became a laughingstock. Thought to be born to peasants, Madisyn was shocked to find that her real father was the richest man in the city, and her brothers were renowned figures in their respective fields. They showered her with love, only to learn that Madisyn had a thriving business of her own. "Stop pestering me!" said her ex-boyfriend. "My heart only belongs to Jenna." "How dare you think that my woman has feelings for you?" claimed a mysterious bigwig.
Melanie married Ashton out of gratitude, but she quickly found herself entangled in a web of relentless challenges. Despite these struggles, she stayed true to her commitment to the marriage. In the hospital room, Ashton indifferently attempted to draw her blood, disregarding her discomfort. This callous act was a harsh revelation for Melanie, awakening her to the grim reality of their relationship. Resolved to prioritize her own welfare, she decided to sever ties. With newfound resolve, Melanie filed for divorce. In the process, she unveiled her concealed identities, leaving everyone in shock. Throughout these turbulent times, Melanie realized that Derek, Ashton’s uncle, had been discreetly protecting her all along.
"Miss Brown, I am the butler here at your service," the butler replied. "My master wants to buy the baby in your belly." "What?!" Does that mean the abortion didn't take place? Did they kidnap her from the operating table just to buy the baby? But why her? "You..." Alice was about to ask a question, but the man in front of her calmly continued, as if he had expected her question, "You're pregnant with his child, and he needs a child. That's all I can tell you." Alice was forced to sign a surrogacy contract and eight months later gave birth to two healthy babies. Fortunately, the man was unaware of her daughter's existence. It wasn't until five years later that fate brought them together again...