Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-12-15

galloped on without needing them and they
were afraid to fire, for their own hussars
are dressed exactly as 1 was. 1t is best TO
take no notice at these times and then they
put you down. as deaf man.
1t was a lovely moon and every tree
threw a black bar across the road. could
see the country side just as If it were day
time, and very peaceful 1T looked, save that
there vas great fire raging somewhere in
the north. In the silence of the nighttime
and with the knowledge that danger was in
front and behind me, the sight OF that
great distant fire was very striking and
awesome.
But L was not easily clouded, for have
seen too many singular things, so l hum
med a tune between my teeth, and thought
of little Lisette, whom / might see in
Paris. My mind was full upon her, when,
trotting round corner, 1 came straight
upon half a dozen German dragons who
were sitting round a brushwood fire by the
roadside.
I am an excellent soldier. 1 do not say
this because L am prejudiced In my own
favor, but because l really am so. l can
weigh every chance in a moment, and de-
eide with as much certainty as though
had brooded for a week. Now saw ike
flash that come what might, l should be
chased and on horse which mad already
done a long twelve leagues. But 1t was
better to be chased EDWARDS than chased
back. On this moCnlit night, with fresh
horses behind me, 1 must take my risk
in either case, but If 1 were to shake them
off, 1 preferred that 1t should be near
Senlis than near scissors. All this flashed
on me as IL by instinct, you understand
My eyes had hardly rested upon the
bearded faces under the brass helmets be-
fore my rowels were up to the bosses In
Violette's side, and she was of with rat
tie like a pas-de-charge. On, the shouting
and rushing and stamping from behind us!
Three OF them fired and three swung onto
their horses. A bullet raped on the crup-
per of the saddle with a noise like stick
on door. Vioiette sprang madly forward,
~ ,Ia kxnI man dnh
it was only a Craze above the near fore
fetlock. All, the dear little mare how L
loved her when 1 felt her settle down onto
that long easy gallop of hers, her hoofs
going like a Spanish girls castanets. L
could not hold myself. / turned on my
saddle and shouted and raved. "vive
rEmpereur!' l screamed, and laughed at
the gust OF oaths that came back to me-
But 1t was not over yet. If she had been
fresh she might have gained mile in five.
Now she could only hold her own, with
very little over. There was one of them,
young boy of an officer who was better
mounted than the others. He drew ahead
with every stride. Two hundred yards be-
hind him were two troopers, but L saw
every time that l glanced around that the
distance between them was increasing.
The other three who had waited to shoot
were a long way in the rear. The ofhcers
mount was bay, fine horse, though not
to be spoken of with Nioiette Yet IL was
a powerful brute, and ii seemed to me IN
few miles it's freshness might tell. L
waited until the lad was long way In
front of his comrades, and then L eased my
mare down ittle-a very, very little, SO
that he might think that he was really
catching me. When he came within pistol
shot of me l drew and cooked my own
pistol, and laid my chin upon my shoulder
to see what he would do. He did not ofter
to fire. and 1 soon discerned the cause.
The silly boy had taken his pistols from ms
holsters when he had camped for the night
He wagged his sword at me now ana
~ or
seem to understand that he was at my
mercy. L eased Niolette down until there
was not the length of a long lance between
the gray tail and the bay muzzie
"Rendez-YouS!' he yelled.
81 must compliment monsieur upon his
French" said 1, resting the parrei OF my
pistol upon my bride arm, which nave
ALWAYS found best when shooting trom the
saddle. | aimed at his face, and could see,
even in the moonlight, how white he grew
when he unders TODD that it was all up with
him. But even as my finger pressed the
trigger l thought of his mother, and l put
my ball through his horses shoulder. l fear
he hurt himself in the fall for 1t was a
fearful crash, but had my letter to link
of. so 1 stretched the mare into a galiop
once more.
But they were not so easily shaken off,
these brigands. The two troopers thought
no more of their young officer tnan II he
had been a recruit thrown in the riding
school, They left him to the others and
Numbered on after me. 1 had pulled up on
the brow of a hill, thinking that L had
heard the last of them, but, my faith, L
soon saw that there was no time for loi-
tering, so away went, the mare tossing
her head and l my busby, to show what We
thought of two dragons who tried to catch
a hussar. But at this moment even while
1 laughed at the thought, my heart stood
still within me, for there at the end of the
long, white road, was black patch of cav
airy waiting to receive me. To young SOL
der II might have seemed the shadow OF
the trees, but to me it troop of hus-
saIs, and turn where L would death seemed
TO be waiting for me.
Well, l had the dragons behind me and
the husSars in front. Never since Moscow
have / seemed to be in such peril. But for
the honor of the brigade | would rather be
cut down by light cavalryman than by
q heavy. 1 never drew Bride therefore, OF
hestated for an instant, but / let Niolette
have her head. / remember that L tried to
pray as / rode, but am a little out of prac-
tice at such things, and the only words 1
could remember were the prayer for fine
weather which We used at the school on
the evening before holidays. Even this
seemed better than nothing, and was pat
tering it out, when suddenly 1 heard
French voices in front of me. All, mon
Dieu, but the joy went through my heart
like musket ball. They were ours-our
own dear little rascalS from the corps of
Marmont Round whisked my two dra-
goons and galloped for their lives, with the
moon cleaning on their brass helmets
while 1 trotted up to my friends In no I'M
due haste, for 1 would have them under
stand that though hussar fly 1T is not in
his nature to fly very fast Yet, l fear
that Violette's heaving TANKS and foam
spa:tered muzzle gave the lie to my care
less bearing.
Who should be at the head of the troop
but old Bouvet, whom 1 saved at Lepsc.
When he saw me his little pink eyes filled
with tears, and indeed / could not but
shed a few myself at the sight of his joy.
1 told him of my mission, but he laughed
when said / must go past through Senls.
1.-The enemy is there he said. You
cannot co.
II prefer to go where the enemy Is"
answered 81 would ride through Berlin IL
1 had the emperor's order"
"But why not go straight to Paris with
your dispatch? Why should you choose to
pass through the one place where you are
almost sure to be taken and ldlled?'
"A soldier does not choose, he obeys,"
said l. just as had heard Napoleon say it.
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