Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1889-03-21

''boys'' would be alive to dine on the
folio wing evening, I went to the head
quarter lines and left my dispatches
and as 1 got back to the cor respond
ent's tent saw q dark form standing
at its entrance and the pale face o.
Maxine Durand turned up to the moon
light
"Cheer up" said, humping him
on the shoulder, you're losing your
beauty sleep and then what will al
those damsels at Douai say when you
get back?'
Instead of turning round and chafT'
ing me in execrable Breton slang as
usual, Maxine took me by the hand
and said:
"Oh, Ned" q had taught him to
use the contraction of my name). 81
feel that l shall never see Douai
again"
In vain l expostulated with him,
walking up and down in the snow; in
vain I pointed out to him the fact that
throughout the campaign no CORE
spondent had been SO much as touched;
for answer he took me to the top of a
mound and showed me the lights of
Tirnova in the distance and said:
There is ball waiting for me be-
hind those walls; it will come to find
me tomorrow.
In vain l reasoned, in vain l chaffed,
and at last 1 thought it best to humor
him and then he said to me:
'.Ned. you are my most intimate
friend among the boys here. I want
you to do something for me when l
have fallen in the snow. 1. wear
around my neck a gold chain with a
portrait suspended to it, and a little
golden image of La Madonna The
portrait is that of the daughter of old
Nicholas Sterelle, of Douai. If 1 had
not been here l should have been mar
ried to her by now. When l am dead
l want you to take this chain, this
locket, this image to her, and say that
Maxine died thinking only of her,
praying with his last breath for her
in the hope of seeing her hereafter.
Listen moment; we parted terribly.
The war, as you know. broke out sud-
denly; and was ordered by telegraph
to the front without having a moment
in which to write to Marie. It hap
pened thus: was at Arjenton when
l received the telegram and l rushed
the same evening to Douai to say good
bye to her. l arrived tired and ill,
and before taking myself to see her
entered the restaurant of Pierre Lar
rez, to take bite to eat. There met
Pierre DufOure. who has for wears
been endeavoring to supplant me in
the esteem of Marie. He asked me
how it was that l was there and 1 told
him that l had been ordered to the
war and that had come to say good
bye" to Marie. He would not believe
it and l took out of my pocket the tel
egram l had received from Paris to
show him. At the same time l acct
dentally took out her last letter to me;
as he saw it, look of jealousy came
over his face. but he said nothing, and
presently rose and went out. My meal
at an end, l started for the home of
my sweetheart, but just as turned up
a narrow street which [ always used
as short cut in going to her, l felt
violent blow upon the head and re-
membered no more.
when 1 came to myself the little
money l had in my pocket, my watch
and all my papers, including the tel
egram and Marie's letter, had been
stolen - doubtless the thief, having
noticed that my clothes were of the
latest Partisan cut, imagined that l
was worth robbing. l came to myself
seated in the corner of a smoking-car
in train going in the direction of l
knew not where. 1t was an hour or
more before the train stopped. Then,
feeling sick and giddy, l asked how it
was l came there and where was GO
ing. The guard said that tall, fair
man had carried me in his arms into
the station, had taken for me ticket
to Paris. towards which the train was
now fastening, and put me under the
care of the guard. saying that it was
important that l should be in Paris in
the morning, but that had been hurt
in some drunken brawl. l was too
stupefied to say any thing. l arrived
at Paris and botook myself imme-
diately to the Office of La France, re-
ceived my instructions and my baggage
and half an hour later was on my way
to Nisch. Two hours after that you
met me and that is all.
Il have written to Marie since I
have been in the field. but / can not
tell whether my letters have got
through the Servian lines 1 could
not, as you American correspondents
do, send them to be posted by the edit
or of my paper. Promise me that
you will carry my message. my friend.