The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-05-20


! the English hospitality and the fellow
ship of brave men, but ! might as well
have been addressing the two great
wooden clubs which stood balanced
upon the floor in front of me. There
was no sign of sympathy upon their
bull faces.
Business is business mounseer," the
old trairier repeated. Besides, how am
to put the Bustler into the ring on
Wednesday if he's jugged by the beak
for aidin' and abettin' a prisoner of
war? I've got to look after the Bustler,
and | take no risks"
This. then. was the end of all my
struggles and strivings. | was to be
led back again like poor. silly sheep
which has broken through the hurdles.
They little knew me who could fancy
that | should submit to such fate. |
had heard enough to tell me where the
weak point of these two men was. and
! showed. as | have often showed be-
fore, that Etienne Gerard is never so
terrible as when all hope seems to
have deserted him. With a single
spring | seized one of the clubs and
Come what may" l cried, you
shall be spoiled for Wednesday,"
The fellow growled out an oath. and
would have sprung at me, but the other
flung his arms around him and pinned
him to the chair.
Not If | know it, Bustler" he
screamed. None of your games while
| am by. Getaway out of this, Frenchy.
We only want to see your back. Run
away, run away. or he'll get loose"
It was good advice, thought, and
ran 20 the door, but as l came out into
the open air my head swan around,
and | had to lean against the porch to
save myself from falling. Consider all
that | had been through, the anxiety
of my escape. the long, useless flight
in the storm, the day spent amid wet
ferns, with only bread for food, the
second journey by night, and now the
injuries had received in attempting to
deprive the little man of his clothes.
Was it wonderful that even l should
reach the limits of my endurance? l
stood there in my heavy coat and my
poor, battered busby, my chin upon my
chest and my eyelids over my eyes. /
had done my best, and l could do no
more. 1t was the sound of horses
hoofs which made me at last raise my
head, and there was the gray-wus-
tached governor of Dartmoor prison
not ten PAGES in front of me, with six
mounted warders behind him.
$50, colonel" he said, with a bitter
Iat .
When a brave man has done his ut
most and has failed, he shows his breed
ing by the manner in which he accepts
his defeat. For me, l took the letter
which had in my pocket, and, stepping
forward, I handed it with such grace
of manner as 1 could summon to the
governor.
"It has been my misfortune, sir, to
detain one of your letters" said I.
He looked at me in amazement, and
beckoned to the warders to arrest me.
Then he broke the seal of the letter I
saw a curious expression come over his
face as he read it.
This must be the letter which Sir
Charles Meredith lost" said he.
"It was in the pocket of his coat"
you have carried 1T for two days?"
"Since the night before last"
"And never looked at the contents?"
I showed him by my manner that he
had committed an indescretion in ask
ing a question which one gentleman
should not have put to another
To my surprise he burst out into a
roar of laughter.
Colonel" said he, wiping the tears
from his eyes, your have really given
both yourself and US a great deal of
unnecessary trouble. Allow me to read
the letter which you carried with you
in your fight"
And this Is what I heard
ION receipt of this you are directed
to release Colonel Etienna Gerard of
the Third Hussars, who has been ex-
changed against Colonel Mason of the
Horse Artillery, now in Verdun."
And as he read 1t he laughed again,
and the warders laughed, and the two
men from the cottage laughed, and
then, as / heard this universal merri-
ment and thought of all my hopes and
fears, and my struggles and dangers.
what could a debonair soldier do but