The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1889-03-29


use the contraction Of my name), 81
feel that 1 shall never see Douai
again"
In vain / expostulated with him,
walking up and down in the snow; IN
vain / pointed out to him the fact that
throughout the campaign no cOrre-
spondent had been so much as touched;
for answer he took me 70 the top OF
mound and showed mo the lights of
Tirnova in the distance and said:
There Is a ball waiting for me be-
hind those walls; 1t will come TO find
me tomorrow"
In vain reasoned, in vain chaifed,
and at last Thought 1t best to humor
him and then he said TO me:
Ned. you are my most intimate
friend among the boys here L want
YOU to do something for me when L
have fallen in the snow / wear
around my neck n gold chain with
portrait suspended TO it, and little
golden image of La Madonna The
portrait is that of the daughter OF old
Nicholas Sterelle, of Douai II L had
not been her a should have been mar
ried to her by now. When l am dead
lockct, 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 a moment; we parted terribly.
The war, as you know. broke out sud
denly; and / was ordered by telegraph
70. the front without having a moment
in which to writo to Marie 1t hap
pened thus: 1 was at Arjenton when
I received the telegram and l rushed
the same evening to Douai to say good
bye to her. l arrived tired and i'll,
and before taking myself to see her l
entered the restaurant of Pierre Lar
rez, to take bite to eat. There l met
Pierre Dufoure, who has for years
been endeavoring to supplant me in
the esteem of Marie. He asked me
how il was that | was there and | told
him that / 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 1 had received from Paris to
show him. At the same time | acci-
dentally took out her last letter TO me;
as he saw il, look Of jealousy came
presently rose and went out My meal
at an end. started for the home of
my sweetheart, but just as turned up
a narrow street which 1 always used
as \ short cut in going to her, L felt
violent blow upon the head and re-
membcred no more
When l 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 robbHg. 1 came TO myself
seated ia the corner of a smokiug-car
IN a train going in the direction Of
knew not where II was an hour or
more before the train stopped. Then,
feeling sick and giddy, l asked how it
was ! caue there and where was 90
Ing Tho guard said that n tall, fair
man had carried me In his arms into
the station, had taken for me 4 ticket
20 Paris, towards which the train was
now fastening, and put me under the
care OF the guard, saying that il was
important that l should be IN Paris In
the morning, but that / had been hurt
in some drunken brawl ! was too
stupefied 70 say any thing. 1 arrived
al Paris and bOtOOk myself imme-
diatoly TO the Office of La France, re
ceiyed my instructions and nv baggage
and half an hour later was on my way
to Nisch. Two hours after that YOU
met me and that Is all.
have been in the field. but | can not
tell whether my letters have got
through the Servian lines. I 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.
and now let US go in and try to sleep"
Early next day they began to bonn
bard US from Tirnova- A war CORE
spondent's fist duty Is to his paper,
he Is Its property, and therefore he
has no right to waste himself unneces-
sarily; discretion Is, therefore. the
better part Of valor, and speaking for
myself, whenever the plan is feasible.
get into a tree and behind a good
thick limb / had done this TODAY
and my horse stood underneath, his
long caValry bride hitched over my
foot as it swung from my perch.
Maxine Durand had followed nv ex-
ample and sat in tie fork Of a tree
about twenty yards away, chanting
some little French song or other as he
made notes 81 the action that was go-
Ing on before our eyes. Presently 4
shell scared over nv head At q. Dis
tance Of about fifty yards and almost
Immediately afterwards three or four
rifle bullets whisred through the
branches Of the troe in which I was
sitting. It occurred TO me That this
was unseemly, and, stopping only to
llght cigar, l let myself drop into
my saddle and prepared to seek some
more sheltered spot, shouting as | did
50 my intention to Maxine. He pre-
pared TO follow my example, and as he
saw me light my cigar lie shouted:
Give me one; have been trying to
-lSht cigarette all the morning, but
It Is 50 windy can't do it. have
wasted al my uatches"
l gave him cigar and as l had a
spring-Aint-wheel and stee! and used
a scrap OF tinder, | called him over TO
me and handed him the apparatus.
As the hint-wheel revolved aud pro-
dIced 2 light shower of sparks. my
horse reared and danced away about |
half n dozen yards, and there / stayed |
waiting until Maxine got a light As |
he did so. the white cloud which ac- |
companies a shell appeared over our |
heads. l shouted to him: SHELF /
and ducked Immediately behind my |
horse, but he did not. The report |
came. and as my horse turned sharp |
and fed saw poor Maxine struck |