The record-union., 1895-01-19

And before the Lieutenant knew what
| he was about he drew his sword, and
with quick. powerful thrust, sent the
glittering blade gliding through the
breast of the prisoner.
Great God, man! what have you done?"
cried the Lieutenant, springing toward
| the Captain.
Il have settled very perpleXing ques-
ton III time fer the grand march," he
calmly replied, as he wiped the blood
from his sword on the snow. And then,
assuming an air of great importance. he
! added:
The more of those brnozed devils we
kill the better we serve our country
| The Lieutenant being a man of few
words said nothing more to his compan-
ion, nor. indeed. did he ever thereafter;
| but as they walked on toward the station
| his head was bowed aud he was thinking
OF many curious things.
When they reached the ballroom the
| Captain discarded his great war coat and
went inside; the Lieutenant drew his
more closely about him and hurried back
| to point where he could crawl through
the tangled underbrush and reach the
| river. AS soon as he left the road he dis
covered that he had undertaken diff
cult task, for the underground was thick
! and heavy, and briar and thorn were
locked together in an ineXtricable mass
among the shrubbery. But he mover
stopped until he had forced his way
| through and reached the river.
Poor fellow! He said there would be
no danger in crossing tonight, and l
suppose l ought to try and make the
journey for him now" he said to him
self as he stood on the sloping bank
looking across at the light on the oppo-
site shore.
And the Lieutenant did try.
Never taking his eyes from the dim
light he ventured cautiously out upon
| the Ice and started across the river.
Alter he had gone, perhaps half the dis
tance, the Ice began to crack beneath his
feet, and he paused for moment, way
ering.
HE said there would be no danger"
he repeated again, and started on.
lie stopped again. The light had sud-
denly disappeared. His eyes followed
the dim shore line for miles, but there
was no light to be seen-nothing but the
black forest between the light streak Of
sky above, and the white, frozen river
below. recognizing the truitlessness of
a search for house in that dense forest
without light TO guide him he turned
and slowly retraced his steps.
When he reached the sloping bank
whence he had started he sat down on q
log and began to muse on the fate of the
boy that had escaped the dangers of a
1urlOus war only to be struck down when
he was IN sight of home.
After ALL" he said bitterly, as he
looked across the river, perhaps it is
just as well that the old lady over yon-
der does not know that her son lies up
there in the road tonight"
Then he rose and started back to the
quarters. Long before he reached the
road he heard the gay party on their
way home from the ball, and once, above
| the noise OF their merrment, he recOg-
| nized the loud, boisterous laugh of the
Captain.
Making his way back through the
thlch unuerpfush he came out into the
road just as a man hurried past. 1t was
the Captain. lie stepped back behind
the screen OF bOughs and stood perfectly
still until nothing but the faint outline of
the Captains form was visible in the
darkness. Then he slowly proceeded on
his way IN the direction OF the quarters.
lie had gone but short distance when
he saw strange shadow moving along
the road behind the Captain. AS he
qulckened his pace the shadow took the
form OF an object, and as he drew nearer
he beheld two, then three, then a dozen
objects moving silently and stealthily
along, bounding lightly from one side of
the road to the other and springing in
and out among the bushes like phan-
toms. he drew his sword with lust the
1alntest possible feeling of Impending
danger and hurried on. Then he slack
ened his pace and laughed long and
loud.
The hungry wolves know their victim
and 1t is no business of mine to interfere
with them in their pursuit of another of
their Kind" he said, returning his sword
to It's accustomed place by his side
Ihe Captain heard anoise behind him
and stopped-stopped long enough to
utter an awful blasphemy and strike
YlclousIy at the leader Of the pack with
| n I.1 Io
flight, but the hungry wolves only
snapped and snarled and followed close
at his heels.
FILLED with an awful terror at sight of
the halt-tamished beasts that were snap
ping at his heels, he ran until be reached
the place where his victim laid in the
road. Here his journey ended, His foot
struck the spot where the blood from
the wound in the prisoners breast had
spurted on the snow and become frozen
and he slipped and fell to the earth.
The Lieutenant heard a smothered
oath, the furious yells of a score of fran
tlc Deasts and then all was quiet. and the
dark, moving shadows stood still.
With mingled feeling of satisfaction
ana regret he paused for a moment bv
the roadside listening.
Cod" he said, furiousIy, "this ia the
denouement of the last day of the war.U
and then, after moments hesitation. he
| continued:
And that was the boy that gave me a
cup of water when [ was wonn6ad on
the battlefield at Tomsk.,
Again the moon peeped through the
dark clouds for a moment. but the
Lieutenant turned away, and all that
broke the death-like silence of the black
forest was the sound of his footsteps on
the frozen snow.
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