Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-06-12


 ness in this hour of martrydom.
 "oh God {" he prayed, again and again, 'ro be free only for one hourl To see her face once more, and tell her believe in her at last"
 But when freedom might have been his the bond of his word had fettered him as with iron, and now in the eyes of all mon he was e traitor, and arraigned on the heaviest charge that could be laid against q soldier. The hopelessness of his fate came homo to him at last with bitterness he had never deemed possible. But now he knew her guiltless' stainless, pure, as when he had taken her to his heart; and his whole soul went out in that one intense longing-that fierce imploring cry, ''To be free-only for one hour!"
 He looked down at his fettered limbs in mute agony. Of bodily suffering, weakness pain, even of the fate in store for him. he did not think-only of her. He had wronged her so deeply, judged her so harshly, and through all she had loved him with 8 love whose depth and purity he had never fath- omed before, till it came homo to him with the divine force of resistless truth, wrung from the reluctant lips of his powerful rival.
 "What she has suffered 1" so he said to him. self, again and again. "And I-her protec- tor-her guardian-the sharer of her Hfe-1 was the first to misjudge and forsake her."
 He grew delirious in his agony as he thought of it. As he pictured her now-hunted. op- pressed, pursued by ruthless foes, by pas- sion merciless and cruel as the grave, the violence of his hatred against this powerful enemy increased to fever point. 1t was not for himself he feared death now, not for himself that he would have recalled the blow, whose penalty his life would pay-but for her. For her who would be at his rivals mercy henceforward. for her whose youth, and beauty, and wealth of lovo and faith wore all sacrificed because of his want of trust. eff she had only told me-" he moaned in his feverish remorse. "How could dream 1t was her father she sheltered2"
 For he was in ignorance as yet of the oath she had taken. of the cowardly assertion and traitorous betrayal of which this man had been guilty. He knew nothing of the strug- gle between daughters duty and wife's love that had so perplexed and tortured the girls young, loving heart. He knew nothing of the cause that had induced her to accompany her father in his hour of peril seeing that her husband no longer believed in her, and had forsaken her-flrstl Now 1t was all too late. He had no hope left. With the morrow the court-martial would sit-his fate would be decided. and then As that thought crossed his mind he throw himself on his knees-his fettered hands up- raised to heaven-the hot tears raining down his white, sunken cheeks. "Oh GodP' he prayed, eff in Thy courts above there Is atonement for earth,s sufferings, or forget fullness of earth's pain, let me meet her there | since here we may not ever meet in life l again."
 With the next days noon the trial began. The case was brief, clear, indefensible. Tho plan of escape fortunately gave no names, bore no address, but the fact of its being in his possession was conclusive evi. dence. The soldiers gave witness as to hearing the struggle between the Prussian l officer and the prisoner. Colonel von Brand stein swore to the assault, stating that the man was evidently desirous of rega1ninG possession of the paper by violence: The statements were conc ise and plain enough. l When Leroux was asked If he had anything | to say he merely replied that the provoca' | tion given him had been too strong for any man to resist, and that von Brandstein had l in the first place, seized him by the throat and given him the lie direct. When ques toned as to the plan of escape, he refused te | say from whence 1t had come or who con l trived to deliver 1t, but said that being on parole he had declined taking any steps IT the matter, and if he had intended to escape he would not have waited three weeks befort making the attempt. He knew that what h' had done was unjustifable in military law but he begged the judges to take into consid eration the tyranny and cruelty to which h' had been subjected ever since his entrance into the garrison. His enemies themselve' could bear witness to that, and therefore h. considered himself morally exonerated. 1 for once he had dealt with his tyrant ant traducer as man to man, not as soldier t' l officer.
 "I know I stand at a disad vantage here. he said. "I am prisoner at the mercy my enemies. can hardly expect you to be neve that with the means of escape at han' refused to profit by them; yet, with destl before mo, solemnly swear speak but tn truth. The story may be hushed up-doubs less t Will-but truth, sooner or lsster. come to the fore; and then, in other la;uds and |
 To be continued.