The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1897-03-05

that" "No. i said, drawing back, N
will not" AZ that his mood changed.
aud he flung himself into the operating
chair, aud bado me light my lamp and
shave his beard Ia a new country he
would DO a now man.
And indeed he looked a new man
with his gray beard taken OF and his
hair shortened. A much younger
man, for his hair was still black, or
only aprookled with gray. Whom /
had finished ho mufiled up his face.
saying with n bitter laugh. that is
would not do 10 take q chill. "And
now" ho said, ~ am promised ten
minutes with my son. 10 will be a
pleasant interview, don't You thinkT
with a hollow laugh that made my
blood run cold; "and before daylight
tomorrow" he continued, 81 shall bo
FAR away from here, and w0 shall never
meet again. VIII you not touch
handsw "My friend" said, "may
Heaven forgive you. but cannot take
your hand" aud Girls Lapin turned
away and was lost to sight in the dark.
ness.
! slept soundly enough that night,
Tor Whatever peoples troubles may DO
one must work, and work brings tho
need Of reposoi but just before day
break / was aroused by the soldiers
who we're billeted upon me turning
out. / got up to see what was tho
matter, when o Sergeant, catching
sight Of me, made signs to mo in a
rough, authoritative way to take up a
spade and follow him. turned sick
az what was going 10 happen, but
these were people not to be triAed
with, aud / marched away to the for
est with the rest.
IL was in this little clearing, mon
sieur, where the firing party was
drawn mp, with one solitary figure
stripped to bis shirt standing before
them. flung myself down on the
ground and buried my face in the
moss, and then the volley rang out
loud and clear. And then tho firing
party marched of, and / was left with
the Sergeant, who was carelessly pae-
ing mp and down, and who motioned
to me TO dig the grave. But first 1
went mp to the body to close the eyes
that were staring wildly, with, 1
fancy, some little consciousness still
lett IN them. But the face was quito
different from what | expected. With
the marks OF my razor upon it, and a
cash that l made in my agitation the
night before 1t was the face of Girls
Lapiu. All, how 1 pressed his hands
and fancied that the numbed fingers
teebly returned the pressure! His
crime was e1pIated, he might rest in
peace. And, ma fol, should like to
lie here myself, with the sound of the
axe in the distance and tue wood
pigeons oooIng. But that is all folly,
for when We are dead, what matters?
Mind, I do not believe for mo-
ment that the young man thought
that he had left his father to die. He
could net think it possible that they
should shoot ono man for another.
Nor would they have done so but for
the ruse of Girls Lapin IN having his
well-known beard taken OF. But,
anyhow, the young man escaped, and
the guard did not recognize the
change. And perhaps he does not
know to this day, for when the war
was over none could tell what had be-
come of Girls Lapin. And l also held
my peace, for 1 thought that such
would be the wish of my old comrade.
But M. Eustase got his epaulets after
all, and in the end the Comte gave
his permission ;hat he should marry
Mile. Agnes. And madame, who was
at first very angry, was alterward re,
conCiled, and when she died-both
she and the Comte are now dead she
left the bulk of her fortune to the
young couple. Aud so the little Eus.
tase is now NJ de Blenville, aud hunts
the forest like grand seigneur, but
some of us remember that, after all, he
is the son of Girls Lapin. ALI the
Year Round.