The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-02-17

PARI LII.
Anxiously he called the sergeant's at.
tention TO them, and the old fellow
grudgingly permitted himself enough
independent action 10 observe their
movements from his post of vantage on
horseback.
Yes. they were two women. he ad-
mitted, after a long and careful scru-
Tiny, and they were coming this way.
Unquestionably they were monsieur's
friends. lie was of the opinion that they
were about opposite the most distant OF
rhe targets, and, IL the practice were de-
aayed little, il was possible they might
yet pass in safety. Women, however,
were not rapid walkers.
"For Gods sake. can you not signal
the batteries 10 delay?' cried Ray
The sergeant viewed him with plying
amazement.
Surely not. He was not provided with
signals, seeing it was not his duty TO
use them. There could be no need for
it If everyone did his duty.
"But, my God, man, you must see
there is need for it,"
The sergeant shrugged his shoulders.
Such an argument was beyond his
sphere of reasoning. At last, he added,
ofter long and painful interval OF
AAouqht, that, even if il were possible 10
signal, he would not venture to delay
the monthly practice of the Thirteenth
army corps. There was little enough
time before siindown.
AT that moment low boom rolled
from the north. Rayburn had been
watching .he tiny figures working slow
ly along the road; but now, with sud
den start, he turned toward the hills.
A faint cloud was hanging against the
blue Of the sky, and, as he looked, there
came flash. puff Of smoke, and, n few
seconds later, another boom. Then an
other and another, as the fire ran slowly
along the line.
Horrifed. he turned again TO the road.
The girls seemed 10 have covered
about quarter of tho danger ground,
and still they were walking on in APP
parent ignorance that their best chance
cf safety was to hurry back with all
tie speed they could command.
Then suddenly they stopped short.
Perhaps a shot had passed or struck
closer than before. Perhaps the shat
tering OF one of the targets had aroused
them to a realization of the fact that
those distant boomings meant danger
and possible death.
The sergeant still sat upon his horse,
stolid and impassiye, but his men could
restrain themselves no longer and were
waving their arms and screaming di-
rections that must be utterly inaudible
ut half the distance, and which Ray
burn, even where he stood beside them,
could not begin 10 distinguish. Atthat
moment the girls began to run. Then
one of them sank down and the other
bent over beside her.
1t seemed unlikely that she had been
struck, for the fall came during the
short interval between the fire of
two batteries. Most probably she had
tainted from sheer terror, but the dan
ger was terribly augmented and Ray
burns face set hard.
He had been known as a pretty good
football man, back in his college days,
md, more especially as a reliable tack
Ter. There sat the French sergeant on
his horse with the relaxed, bag-of-meal
seat of the cavalryman in repose. The
next instant--and no one knew precise
ly how it happened-he was sprawling
In the grass by the roadside. and the
animal was galloping down the road
with Rayburn crouching low upon his
back.
The sergeant sprang 80 his feet, wild
with rage. but his pistols were in the
holsters and his carbine was slung be-
side the saddle.
"Sacre Diable!" he shrieksd. "Tlrezl
tirez!r and the carbines cracked,
though. in honor 10 the French army,
] very much doubt whether they were
aimed at the flying man.
To the far-distant artillerists, how
ever. there could be no such scruples,
and the fire OF the field pieces rolled
along the line, as battery after battery
poured its weight OF metal across the
road, 20 plunge, for the most part, into
the plowed field beyond
Rayburn was not afraid. He was
filed with a mad. unreasoning exulta-
tion. he wanted TO wave his arms in