The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1900-11-22

what was beneath it.
THAT very evening | was sitting !
Vmong lot of other men who were !
swotting for exam. l had a sheet of !
foolscap and was busy making
sketch of the action in Indian ink.
"Hallo, young man. said the i'm
structor, who had been looking over
my shoulder, unbeknown to me, what
have you got there"
"'You ought to know rs well, IL not
better than |, eargent-instructor'
"'I do know. But where did you get
itP'
"'That's my business
"Well, you must give it up
"'Oh, no, | shan't.'
"'But you must
cts mine, and you can't take it
from me-
"'We'll see what Lieut.. Brown says
about that
off Lieut.. Brown says must give
it up, will But not unless
"'Come along then, to his quarters
"'This is Sergt. Harding, duke OF
Cornwall's light infantry, sir said the
ergeant-instructor. when we reached
Lieut.. Browns room. lie has sketch
of the Maxim secret action and refuses
to give it up
"'How's this, Sergt. Hardng?' asked
Lieut.. Brown.
"'The sketch is my own, sir. ! re-
fused to give it up to the sergeant-in-
structor, but said l would give il up at
once, il you ordered me. But | have
made one sketch, and If you take that
| away from me, have the action in
my mind, and can always make another
sketch
THAT'S quite true. Yet such things
had better not be knocking about. You
will destroy the sketch Sergt. Hard
ing?'
"'Yes, thought l. when have shown
it and won my bet
"'And how did you get hold of it|
"'Must tell you, sir?'
"'Yes.'
"'I took il down in my notebook
while the sergeant-instructor held the
block behind his back
"The sergeant-instructo looked fool
ish, and Lieut.. Brown drawled:
=
had better have settled this little mat
ter without appealing to me. Good
night. both
"The sergeant-instructor was too up
set to want to see the sketch destroyed.
| lost very little time in strolling down
to that quiet spot where might light
on mam'selle. Not that, in view of
what is to come, wish in any way, to
say or to hint, or to imply that she was
French. Far from it. used the name
Mans 'selle' as meaning young foreign
person. as a sailor uses 'Dutchman' to
mean a foreign sailor, usually a Nor
wegian or Swede. She was there.
"'Good evening. mann m'selle,' said I.
Had you any idea of going on the pier
this evening, or do you prefer to stop
quietly here?'
"'To stop here, l think; that is she
said hurriedly-I-wonder wHy-'it
you're going to behave yourself prop.
erly.'
"'Well,' said I, as I've won my bet.
think may as well collect the stakes
"'You've won? You know all about
the MaXim?' asked she so eXcitedly
that her words tumbled one over the
other.
"I have told you So.
eyes; you are quite sure?'
"'Quite. have an Indian ink sketch
of 1t on me-
"Let me see it-let me see it, she
repeated, and her eyes CLEANED.
"'Quite so,' said l. 'Seeing's believ-
ing; butt should like to collect my
stakes
mo longer coy, she flung her arms
around my neck and kissed me till l
had no breath with which to repay her
kisses. But she herself had brea tn
enough to gasp:
"'Give me the paper
'I put my hand in the breast pocket
Of my serge, which | always used to
wear under my greatcoat. began to
pull out the drawing Just then |
heard the drawing voice of Lieut..
Brown come from the darkness-for
we were in a very quiet and cosy cor
ner:
"'I thought as much, Sergt Hard.
ing. You are under arrest. Follow me
l to quarters
az turned toward the voice, and then
toward 'selle--or toward where
she had been, for she was gone.
81 rose and saluted.
"May l ask you, sir
you're lucky man that had q
suspicion of the facts. You're foo
enough to do lot of harm, bu. too big
n fool to know you're doing it. You
Cornish enough, do you believe one ot
the prettiest women in Folkestone an6
one of the cleverest women in the world
is in love with you? You were just OF
. the point of giving drawing of the
. secret action to the smartest unofficia
military attache--and that is a spy
Of
"shall ! name the country which h,
named to me? Not !. No strained re
i lations, no wars and rumors of wars
~ 4 Al