Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1889-08-01
A HAIR-BREADTH ESCAPE.

A HAIR-BREADTH ESCAPE.
In 1870, month or two before the
outbreak of the Franco-G German war,
one of the most promising cadets, or, as
they are commonly styled, "pupils" of
the military college of st. Cyr was Gas
ton de Langeais. He was the last rep
resentative of an ancient family in Brit
tany, whose traditional obstinacy and
impatience of control he had inherited
to an extent which rendered him more
popular with his comrades than with the
presiding authorities.
Not that he was especially remarkable
for turbulence or insubOrdination, or
that his infractions of rules were more
frequent than those of the majority of
his fellows. On one point alone he was
intractable, and exercised all his inge-
nuity in repeated attempts to escape
regulation which was inexpressibly re-
pugnant to him. Gifted by nature with
an abundance of luxuriantly curling
hair, of which he was inordinately vain,
the prescribed necessity of having it
cropped short was perpetual grievance
to him; and he looked anXiOusly forward
to his second year at st. Cyr, and to his
consequent emancipation from the too
close scrutiny to which he had hitherto
been periodically subjected.
sin two MONTHS he said exultingly,
to one of his intimates, my time here
will be up, and once named officer l
shall be free as air, and no longer asham-
ed to show myself to my cousin Louise.
For you see," he added, lifting his cap,
and displaying thick growth of short
curls carefully flattened down, 81 shall
have some hair left"
Castles in the air, however, are apt to
collapse; and Gaston's visionary projects
were, to say the least, premature.
A few mornings later, at the usual
hour of parade, the corps of youngsters
were unexpectedly summoned to under
90 the inspection of the infantry lieuten-
ant, Bouchard, lynx-eyed martinez, by
no means favorably disposed toward pu-
pills destined for cavalry regiments,
whom he contemptuously designated as
sscoxcombs." De Langeais, as the re-
cognized leader of tina band, was partic-
ularly obnoxious to him; and his keen
eyes twinkled maliciously as he stopped
short before the young man, and exam
ined him curiously.
"Take off your cap" he said.
CASTOR obeyed with an inward shiver
of apprehension.
81 thought as much," growled the
lieutenant. "If that superfluous hair
has not disappeared by this time tO-mOr-
row YOU will pass the next four days in
the sale de police"
"You are in for it now," whispered
his sympathizing eomrade when the
terrible Bouchard had passed on.
"Not bit of it," replied de Langeais,
Struggling his shoulders unconcernedly.
"Why, what on earth can you dor
81 don't exactly know; but intend to
put off the evil day so long as l possibly
can."
Next morning, with the aid of a couple
of brushes, well soaked in water, he sue
ceeded in Ievelling the rebellious locks
so as to deceive even practiced eye,
and appeared on parade with his won't
ed iaunty air, although not little ner-
vous as to the result of the coming or
deal. Presently the lieutenant arrived
with an ominously slow step, and paus-
ing as before exactly in front of CASTOR,
repeated the order of the previous day.
"Take off your cap"
For moment Bouchard appeared puz-
zled by the apparently smooth surface of
the "pupil's" head, but, bent on ascer-
tanning the real state of the case, he un-
tremendously lifted portion of the
flattened hair with his forefnger, there
by disclosing a substratum of tiny curls.
Then, turning to the adjutant who ac-
companiedhim, he briefly consigned the
offender for four days to the "salle de
police," and continued his round of in
spection with a self-satisfied grin.
During the last day of his seclusion
CASTOR practically employed his leisure
in decorating his knee, by a judicious
mixture of blue and green paint, with a
tolerably exact imitation of a bruise,
which he showed to the regimental doc
tor, pretending that the confusion had
been caused by his coming in contact
with a post in the riding-s school. Wheth-
er he implicitly believed the statement
or not, the good -natured medico put him
on the sick list, and thus twenty-four
hours were gained. His reappearance
on parade, however, became at length a
matter of necessity, and this time his
continued disobedience entailed on him
a weeks further confinement; at the ex-
piration of which he was again con-
signed to durance vile for an entire
fortnight.
"This will never do" thought de Ian
geais. 1.-THE earthenware pot must in
the long run be smashed by the iron
one. and shall have to give in at last
| had better try old GrisOn once more. v
Whereupon, having previously, by
way of precaution, added a few touches
to the pictorial establishment of his
knee, he limped into the consulting room
of DIR. Grison, who was fortunately toe
much engaged with other patients to be
stow more than cursory glance at tht
bruise, and, not knowing precisely wha'
to make of the case, gave the newcomer
an order of admission to the intirmary
then under the charge of half a dozer