Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1883-07-21
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'1EIE
DEATHS HEAD CUIRASSlERS;
A Legend of the Old Guard.
BY CAPT. FRED. WHITAKER,
AUTHOR OF "THE PHANTOM KNIGHTS,
"RED RUDIGER," "NENlo, KING OF
TRAMPs," "THE IRISH CAP
TAIN" ETC, ETC,
CHAPTER xxx.

THE NIGHT BEEORE j JENA
AS young Delaroche rode away,
he left Gabriel Lenior in sup
pressed rage and excitement. So
his wife was actually plotting his
death with this Prussian, from
whom he had saved her just year
before.
He had given her all he had, his
unStained name, as shield against
the prosecutions even of the Empe-
ror of the French ; nod never APP
preached her save with the most
profound respect and yet now she
mad turned against him in his abb
sence, had listened to the tempter,
who had rank and wealth to offer,
and was deliberately counting ON
his death, to enable her to. marry
again-this time brilliantly" as
the world would call it.
"Out on her hypocrisy!" he NUT
tered, as he sat on his horse, mood
lily Watching the men massing tor IL
halt, and gnawing his mustache.
"She pretended to be coming to
look for me, with that old marquise
to play propriety, and. she must
need travel through the Prussian
lines under the escort of the man
who has been practIcing i'll secret
to take my life. But / will disap-
point all their fine plans. L will
not be killed. If I would not do it
to oblige the emperor, will not do
ii to please the marqulse and any
empty-headed wife. will kill this
fellow; and when he is dead, then
/ will say to her: "YOu would
not have me when you could. Now
/ consent that our marriage be an
nulled. You are no wife of mine"
Revolving all these plans of re-
venge, he did not notice that the
halted masses of cavalry were NOV
ing on again, as the road in front
became clear, and he was awakened
from his bitter reverie by the res
pectful cough of CasSe Tete, who
observed, with his usual freedom,
to. his old master
"The Third have moved out, my
colonel, and the orders are to walk
the horses. 's,S ssHE'z
Gabriel started and gave the Or
der to move on; but he felt at that
moment that he WouldthaV given
worlds to have a single friend to
whom he could confide some of his
griefs.
But there was no one. He had
been alone in the. regiment once
because he was the only blonde
there; now he was isolated by the
respect paid to his rank.
The only approach 10 intimacy
that he had ever had with any one
had been with the rough but faith
full Casse Tete. and he could only
speak to him confidentially when
they were alone.
So the day of weary delays, march
es and halts, on narrow muddy
roads, to allow for the tagging OF ar
tillery and wagons in front, passed
slowly away, and as the sun set.
the young man began to be aware
that distant fighting was going on,
at several points of the compass. --
The deep sullen booming of guns
was to be heard every few minutes,
and the sound reused in him sort
of fierce joy. .,.-
81 shall find him somewhere, y
was all he thought of now. The
fate of the campaign, the glOries OF
the French arms, the CHANCES OF
distinction to himself had all be-
come as nothing to the one idea:
~"I shall meet him now"
Itwas dark before they halted,
and the cavalry bivouacked in d
dense mass by the banks Of the lit
tie river Saale, under the shadow OF
some towering nights known AS the
Landgrafenberg. 80
Then, us the fires were lighted
and the stars shune out above, Ga
briel Lenior became aware 70: the
first time that they lad Joined the
whole mass uf the French army,
and that the enemy were on the
other side of the Llndgrafenberg.
AS far as he could see, all round,
the sky was red with the reflection
of the watch-iires, and the buzz OF
the two armies vas plainly audible
one to the other.
AS soon rs he had seen to his
routine duties, the young colonel
wrapped himself in his cloak and
threw himself on the ground by a
fire which CasSe Tete had lighted
in a recess of the banks of the Saale,
where they were sheltered from
view.
The faithful fellow had noticed
his masters silence and abstraction
during the days march, and had
made shrewd guess at the cause
of it, the more so because, riding as
orderly behind the colonel, he had
heard most of the conversation be-
tween Gabriel and Delaroche.
Besides hearing it, he had formed
his opinion on it, an opinion he
kept to himself till they were
alone.
Then when he had built up a
roaring blaze and brought his mas
ter his supper-a cold fowl he had
f0raged from house on the way,
with a bottle OF Rhine wine-he
cOughed as a preliminary to conf
dence, and observed
"YOur hOnOr's supper is ready"
81 can not eat to might" said Ga
briel, in a weary tone. 'Leave me
alone, Casse Tete. 1 want to
think"
Casse Tete coughed again.
"Thinking, on the eve of battle,
is bad for the health, my colonel.
Excuse me. l am an older sol.
Gjer than your honor, and your
h onor allows me to speak now and
tn en-"
tYes, yes. Go on, Ca, Sc Tete."
Bat the colonel leaned his chin
on his hands, and gazed into the
fire as if his thoughts were ia.
away.
Casse Tete coughed third time.
ar i were in your hOn0r's place,
would pick the last homes of this
fowl and drink every: drop of. this
wine. IL is a sure sign that a mau
is going to get killed, If he mopet
and does not eat, the night before
an affair."" s.
"Perhaps it would be- the bes,
thing that could happen. Casst
Tete," said the colonel, listlessly
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