The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1897-01-14

shaven head was bare, with wound across
it. from which the blood trickled over his
| forehead and down his cheek He was lean
ing on his gun with one hand, and in the
other he held an Austrian flag, all torn and
blood-stained-a flag he had taken from the
enemy.
"The General looked at him with the
greatest admiration.
Just look at that, Bricourt' said he,
| turning to his Aid-de-Camp. There's a
man for you! He'll have the cross And
repeating Fine fellow! Fine fellow!' he
| turned to his Aid-de-Camp again, and said
something did not understand-you know
am only an ignorant man-but remem-
ber all the same, Isn't that worthy of Plu-
| tarcb, Bricourt?' 0A3
"And then the pain insmy arm was so
great that l tainted away again, and heard
nothing more.
"You know what followed. have often
| told you how they hacked about my shoul-
| der, and how / lay in the ambulances for
| two months with fevef and delirium. And
| in my restless, wakeful hours was always
wondering what ought to do about Thirsty.
Ought ! to denounce him? / thought I
ought. But, then, what proofs had to show? ?
| And, after all, if he was a,scOundrel he was q
brave soldier. He had killed Capt. Gentle.
| but he had taken a flag from the enemy.
could not make up my mind what to do.
| When at length / began TO get better |
learnt that as reward for his brilliant con-
duet Thirsty had been promoted into the
Zouaves Of the Guard, and that they had
+ given him the cross Of the Legion of Honor.
For the first moment it made me feel dis
gusted with my own cross that.the Colonel
| 1,rI ~ ~
yet, after all, Thirsty deserved his as we'll as
! did mine; but he deserved, too, that his
ribbon should serve as target for a file OF
men told off to shoot him. All that hap
pened long ago, aid / have never seen the
Sergeant since; he is still in the service, while
/ have turned civilian. But just now, look
ing at that tunic, with its bullet-hole, hang
ing there in the shop-and goodness knows
| how it ever got there!-with the barrack
where the murderer is qnartered only q few
yards of, / remembered that the crime had
| gone nnpunished, and it seemed as if the
Captains ghost cried out for Justice"
| quieted Pere Vidal as best could, for
his story had put him into great state OF
excitement. / assured him he had acted for
the best, and that the heroic conduct of the
Sergeant of Zouaves had fully balanced his
| crime.
But few days later, when I went into
the Office, Vidal handed me newspaper,
folded so that / could only see one para.
graph, and remarked, solemnly:
What did tell you?"'
! / took the newspaper, and this is what
read:
| "AnotherVictim fIntemperance.-Yeste
day afternoon on the Boulevard de Grenelle, a
man named Mallet, commonly called Thirsty,
a Sergeant in the Zouaves Of the Imperial
Guard, who had been drinking deeply in all
the public houses in the neighD0rhOOd with
two of his companions, was suddenly seized
with an attack of delirium tremens, while
he was looking Mt some old uniforms hang
| ing in the window of secondhand clothes
shop. He ran down the street brandishing
his sword, and spreading terror before him,
| The two soldiers who accompanied him had
the greatest difficulty in mastering the mad.
man, who kept shouting with fury am
not a. murderer! took flag from the
Austrians at Melegnano!' We are informed
that Mallet really was decorated for the gal
liant act and that nothing but his inyeterate
drunkenness has prevented his being pro.
noted to the rank of an officer. Mallet was
taken to the military hospital, the Gros-
Gallon, whence he will shortly be removed
to Charenton, as it is doubtful if the unfor.
tunate man will ever recover his reason"
AS l gave back the paper to Vidal, be
looked at me earnestly and said:
Capt. Gentle was Corsican. He has
taken his revenge! "-iStrand Magazine, By
permission Of the International Ners Co.