The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-08-01

glitter of the sun, kindling each ice
crystal to a living coal. Her tired, hot
eyes dropped, her feet dragged, but
the fever in her breast gave her no
rest, and she moved on unconscious of
her exhaustion.
There We're men who called to her
at times; she saw they were soldiers,
but she neithef heard nor answered
their hoarSe halls. Perhaps the pickets
thought she was some crazed, starved
young thing whose suffering had
driven her from the doomed city; per-
haps they took her for a nurse, for she
still wore the gray wool and the red
cross band above her elbow.
A squad of Franc-tireurs, outside the
outposts, called TO her TO go back. She
did not even raise her head. \ peasant
crouched before a fire in ditch by the
roadside warned her that uhlans had
been there the night before. She look
ed at him and passed on.
There was a shell of blackened viii
lage beyond her-a mere hamlet.
charred, crumbling, half hidden in the
snow. She entered the main street,
dragging her tired little feet over
burned timbers and piles of brick and
stone. Twice she stumbled to her
knees, but she rose and went on, her
gray skirt powdered with snow. There
was q man in the street, walking
ahead-a soldier. He heard her and
waited for her. II was some minutes
after he had dropped alongside that
she heard him talking, but even then
she did not look at him until he took
hold of her arm, still talking and
grimacing.
The man was Stauffer. He still had
her arm; she wrenched it away and
moved faster, but he followed and held
her back. From sheer weakness she
fell to her knees; then she hid her
face in her hands, crying as though
her heart would break She could
scarcely rise gain; her head swan
and the glare or the snow daZZled her.
She noticed there were two men be-
side her now; how the other came she
did not know. but she saw, with no
surprise that one of them was the
Mouse. He had the other man by the
arm and was leading him back toward
Paris. ITEMS" said the Mouse;
CAPTAIN Stauffer-here, don't run
away-Captain Stauffer, you are a lit
tie rough with ladies-come now, admit
you are a little ardent-eh, captain ?"
Stauffer turned frightened face to
the Mouse. What are you doing?"
he cried, struggling; "let gor'
Come on" said the Mouse amiably,
"let US get around this house-so-
where the lady can't see us. 1t might
frighten her.
What do you mean?" stammered
Staufer, wrenching himself free and
turning toward the road again.
waltz" said the Mouse, barring his
way I want to tell you something
amusing. DO you remember giving me
German gold piece to march with
you and your carbineers on the Hotel
dc Vile? Bon You said it was for
plumber. You lied; it was for NJ. Bis
marcki"
Stauffer took a step backward and
drew a revolver; the Mouse cleared the
space between them at single bound;
there was a Shrek, furry of snow
The Mouse stepped back, wiping his
red knife on his trousers.
Now go and sell the Nanterre
fort, ;" he sneered.
Stauffer stabbed through and
through, rolled in the snow, trying to
rise.
Go and sell Paris Hurry or you'll
be late" said the Mouse moving off.
The miserable wounded wretch dragged
himself after him, calling for mercy,
moaning and sobbing. praying he might
not be left to freeze in the snow. He
followed the Mouse on his hands and
knees, his agonized face raised. The
Mouse hesitated, watching the writing
creature askance. Then he went back
and destroyed him.
When he came up with Hide again,
he said nothing. She neither looked at
him nor spoke to him, for already, over
the snowy plain. her strained eyes were
fixed on a low hill that rose black and
solitary from the spotless level, the
Nanterre fort.
The Mouse saw it, too.
bringing smoke draped the battle
ments, where, from an angle hidden on
the hillside, a mortar fired slowly.
Other guns, concealed by the rocks in
the rear of the fort, sent the smoke
whirlirg up over the citadel, obscuring
the flag lying there until a current of
wind revealed it again.
On they went. on, on, and still on.