The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1895-05-17
SS84E8gEz1NN2&E yyMsSE zIEs 4% sT54 sETEEsSsF5EsBGsBESSaH8
IS ThE EXpIoITS QF4@
SgH BRIGADIER GERARD, 4
sS-T44sszzsss
MHfTopWyv TLlEE ~ Held T!IEsaf gEEG 9
G7z4SQon&lKRD0I!G8

uNA tstNts " Nthiu w wv llu lllull'
and not to help inc. You have tho beur.
Ing OF n gentleman, and yet you steal
my husbands coat"
"Madame," said |, ~ bog that you
will not condemn mo until YOU know
everything. It Is quito necessary that
| should tako this coat, but II you will
have tho goodness to toll mo who II Is
who Ia fortunate enough 10 DO your
husband | shall 500 that tho coat Is
sont back to him.
llor face softonOd a little, though she
still tried to look severe MY hus.
band" she answered, "is Sir Charles
Meredith, and lie Is travelling to Dart.
moor Prison upon important govern.
ncnt business. | only ask you, sir, to
go upon your way, and 10 tuke nothing
which belongs to him."
"ihcro Is only ono thing which be-
longs TO him which | %coyet," sald |.
And you have taken Ii from the car.
riacc," she cried.
NO." l answered. 1T s,ill romans
there.
She laughed in her frank English
way. b
"lf, instead OF paying me compli.
meIts, you were to return my husbands
coat"-sho began.
MADAME" | answered, what you
ask is quito impossible. II you will al.
low ME 10 como into tho carriage | will
explain to you how necessary this coat
10 TO me-"
Heaven knows into what foolishness
| might have plunged myself had We
not at this instant hoard u faint halo in
tho distance, which was answered by n
shout from the little pos,boy. In tho
rain and tho darkness | saw n lantern
some distance from US, but approaching
rapidly.
~ am sorry, madam, that | am
forced to leave you." said l. "You eau
assure your husband thu. | shall take
every care OF hIs coat" Hurried rs 1
was. | yontured to pau,e 4 lnomeu. to
salute tho lady's hand, which she
sna,chcd through the window with m
admirable prstenco OF being offended at
my presumption. Then. as the lantern
was quite close to me. and the postboy
seemed inclined to interfere with my
flight, | tucked my precious overcoat
under my arm and dashed of into tho
darkness.
And now Iset myself 10 tho task OF
putting rs broad n stretch OF moor be-
tween the prison and myself A, the re-
naming hours Of darkness would al
low. Setting my face TO tho wind once
more, ! ran until fell from exhaustion.
Then. after five minutes OF painting
among the heather. | made another
start, until again my knees gave way
beneath me. | was young and hard,
with muscles OF steel. aud 4 frame which
had been t%oughened by twelve wears OF
camp and field. Thus | was able to
keep up this wild fltgh, for another
three hours, durin. which still guided
myself, you understand, by keeping the
wind in my face. Al the end OF that
time | calculated tina. | had put nearly
twenty miles between the prison and
myself. Day was about to break, 30 |
crouched down among the heather upon
the top OF one OF those small hills which
abound in that country. with the in.en-
ton OF hiding myself until nightfa Il.
II was no new thing Tor me to sleep in
the wind and the rain, SO wrapping N.Y.
self up in my thick, warm cloak | soou
sank into a doze.
,iRnt it was not n refreshing slumher.
I tossed aud tumbied amid n series OF
vile dreams, in which everything
seemed to 20 wrong with me. At last, l
remember. | was charging an unshaken
square OF Hungarian Grenadiers with a
single squadron upon spent horses, Jus.
as | did at Elchingen. | stood in nv
stIrrups TO shout "Vive l'empereur!'
and as | did so there came tho answer
ing roar from my hussars, "Vive Pom.
pcreur!' 1spraug from my rough bed,
with the words still ringing in nv ears.
and then, rs | rubbed my eyes and Won
dered il | were mad. the same cry came
again, five thousand voices in one long.
drawn yell. | looked out from INV
screen OF brambles and Jaw in the clear
light OF morning the very last thing
that l should have either expected or
chosen.
IL was Dartmoor Prison. There j,
stretched, grim and hidcous. within n
iurlons OF me. Had ITun on for n few
more minutes in the dark | would have
bu,ted my busby against tho wall.
was 30 taken aback at the sight, that
could scarcely realize what had hap.
pened. Then it all became. clear to me,
aud l struck my head with my hands
in my despair. The wind had veered
from north TO south during tho night,
and |, keeping my face always toward
it. had run ten miles on, and ten miles
in. winding " where | had started.
When l thought OF my hurry, my falls,
my mad rushing aud jumping. all end.
ing in this. i. seemed 80 absurd, that
my grief changed suddenly to amuse.
ment. and | fell among tho brambles
and laughed and laughed, until my side,
were sore. Then ! rolled myself up in
my cloak and considered seriously wha.
ahnulu do.