The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-12-13

only German that 1 have met to-day
from whom L have had common civ
| ility."
"All that 1 possess l have gained
through contracting for the French
armies" said he. "Your emperor has
been good friend To me. But l beg
that you will ride on now, for we
have talked long enough. beware only
of Lutzow's night-riders!'
"Banditti?" | asked.
"All that is best in Germany" said he.
"But for Gods sake ride forward, for
have risked my life and exposed my
good name in order TO carry you this
warning"
Well, if / had been heavy with
thought before, you can think how /
felt after my strange talk with the man
among the faggots. What came home
TO me even more than his words was
his shivering broken voice his twitch-
ing face, and his eyes glancing swiftly
10 right and left and opening in horror
whenever a branch crealtcd upon a
tree. 1t was clear that he was in the
last extremity of terror and il is pos
sible that he had cause, for not long
after had left him | heard u distant
gunshot and a shouting from some
where behind me. 1t may have been
some sportsman hallooing TO his dogs,
but / never again either heard or saw
the man who had given me nv warming.
l kept n good lookout after this, rid
ing swiftly where the country was open
and slowly where there might be an
ambuscade. IL was serious for me,
since 500 good miles of German soil lay
in front of me; but somehow / did not
take il very much to heart, for the Ger
mans had always seemed TO me TO be
q kindly, gentle people, whose hand
closed more readily around a pipestem
than swordhilt-not out of want of
.valor, you understand, but because they
are genial, open souls, who would rath
er be on good terms with all men. did
not know then that beneath that home
ly surface here turks deviltry as fierce
and far more persistent than that of
the Castilian or the Italian
And il was not long before / had il
shown TO me that there was something
and hard looks. | had come 10 n spot
where the road runs upward through
Il wild tract of heatherland and van
ished into an lakewood. | may have
been half way up the hill, when look
ing forward l saw something CLEAN
under the shadow of the tree trunks,
and n man came out with coat that
was so slashed and spanglcd with gold
that he blazed like fire in the sunlight.
He appeared to be very drunk, for he
reeled and staggered as he came to-
wards me. One of his hands was held
up to his ear and ciutched Il great red
handkerchief, which was fixed to his
neck.
/ had reined up the mare and was
looking at him with some disgust. for
IL seemed strange to me that one who
wore so gorgeous n uniform should
show himself in such state in broad
daylight. For his part he looked hard
in my direction and came slowly on
ward, stopping from time TO time and
swaying about as he gazed at me. Sud-
denly, as again advanced, he screamed
out his thanks to Christ and, lurching
forward, he fell with Il crash upon the
dusty road. His hands flew upward
with the fall, and i saw that what |
had taken for n red cloth was mon
strous wound, which had eft great
gap in his neck, from which a dark
bloodclot hung. like an epaulette, upon
his shoulder.
my God!" cried, as sprang to his
aid, land l thought you were drunk!"
'Not drunk, but dying" said he. But
oh! thank heaven that / have seen a
French officer while fhad still strength
10 speak"
i laid him among the heather and
poured some brandy down his throat.
All round us was the vast country side,
green and peaceful, with nothing liv-
ing in sight save only the mutilated
man beside me.
WHO has done this? ?" / asked, "and
what are you? You are French, and yet
the uniform is strange to me-"
''It is that of the emperor's new guard
of honor. am the marquis of Chateau
ST. Arnaud. and / am the ninth OF my
blood who have died in the service Of
France. I have been pursued and
wounded by the night-ridcrs of Lut-
zow, but l hid among the bushwood
yonder and waited in the hope that Il
Frenchman might pass. could not be
sure at first if you were friend or foe,
but felt that death was very near, and |
that l must take the chance"
Keep your heart up, cornrade," said !
i. Il have seen a man with n worse |
wound who has lived to boast of it,"
mo, no." he whispered, 81 am going
fast" He laid his hand upon mine rs
he spoke and I saw that his finger nails
were already blue. "But have papers
here in my tunic which you must carry
nt once 10 the prince of Saxe-Felstein
AZ his castle of Hof. He is still true
TO MS, but the princess is our deadly
enemy. She is striving to make him
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