Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1900-03-10
hat occupied the part Of the province


that occupied the part of the province
I OF Cote dor which rs yet had moi
been invaded. To gain this little Der
gundlan town, though, the risk mus
be encountered Of falling into the
hands of the Germans. My cousin Me-
lnsippc was a member Of the Red
Cross and offered boldly to go to necy
for the necessary quininc and antisep'
tics.
So one morning, wearing the Red
Cross badge, bundled up in his fur
grcatcoat, he set out on his journey,
Jogging along in an ancient cab drawn
by Il brisk marc. The road was free
not a lrussian on the ~horizon-and lie
arrived without trouble at his destina.
hicle with Il whole pharmacy he went
to the principal inn and resolved to or.
der a fine dinner. "If | am going to
pull in my belt these next few weeks
lie reflected, "it is only right to console
myself beforehand with n little dissi-
plti0n.'
In the hote! dining room he found a
large and merry gathering of officers,
delegates of the province, surgeons, all
epicurcs ana the owners Of good appe-
tites, so that they did honor to the
menu. With the dessert they turned
to military affairs and the march of
the enemy. My cousin told of his ex-
petition and said that he had found
the road open from L. to Recy.
"Ah, you come from T., doctorY'
interrupted one of the delegates.
when do you returnY"
'TOmorrow morning"
"In that cnse~l am going to charge
you with a dispatch for the sous-pre-
fet. 1t is urgent"
Melasippe lost no time in putting
himself at the prefectural service. The
official wrote his dispatch, sealed it in
an official envelope, gave it to my cous-
in, adding ~gravely:
~ commend this to you. 1t is i'm
portant business, and shall thank you
for delivering it into the hands Of the
sous-prcfct himself"
The next morning, after taking Il fine
roast and some burgundy on board for
ballast and trusting the official missive
to his waistcoat pocket, Mclasippe
mounted to the box and whipped his
mare into a brisk trot. The air was
clear and dry. and his hosts wine at
Recy had toned up my old cousin, so
that he was IN gay spirits. AS he was
leaving Auberiye he saw an old farmer
Of his acquaintance standing in the
door, very preoccupied. He, hail
ed him loosely:
"Eh, there, Father Sausseret! What
are you doing there-waiting for the
I'm not waiting" he answered a r.
castically, "because they're here al
All you have to do is to look
toward Montavoir to see them"
Melasippe TUNED his head quickly
md saw the Prussians pouring forth
the edge of the wood in the direc-
ton indicated.
He trcmlbled from head to foot, a
cold sweat burst out on his temples,
whip at his mare, who trottcd on quick
ly. He thought of the important dis
in his pocket, and n train of lu-
gllbrious reflections wound through his
mind.
They will take to the road They
will search me. find the dispatch-com-
munication under cover of the Red
Cross. The military code is pitiless; 1
shall be shot.'
How to execute his patriotic mission
md at the same time to- rid himself Of
l compromising papcl! lie naturally
of Dumas, who makes Chicot
II Il similar situation destroy a conf
letter of Henry HIS after
earning it by heart. An idea! He
would burn the letter after reading
md memoriZing the text. But perhaps
he woods to the right and to the left
we're filed with hostile sentinels. They
lad undoubtedly seen him already. 10
strike Il match and burn Il paper would
ny him open to suspicion. While ter
or and the sense of peril were thus
lgitatlng him and he vas sweating un-
Ter the painful mental operation he
suddenly felt the pipe in his pocket.
Saved" he said. 'FThere can be
unnatural about lighting ones
,ipe with Il scrap of paper"
so lie fastened the reins down under
he dashboard of his coach, prepared
lis matches, quickly broke the seal Of
he dispatch under cover of his cap
md dutifully began to read. These
we're the contents, word for word:
Prefecture of Cote do to the sous-prefet OF L.
Hello, old fellow! How are you? You must be
iored to death upon that rock of yours. VIII
rink to you tonight. CASTOR.
in heavens name!' swore Melasip-
10, twisting the official papers furious
Y and making them blaze up from. the
of his pipe in a great rage. "Ihey
,layed the devil with me!.'
He returned to l. as peaceably as
le had left, but to this day, even after
IS years, Cousin Melasippe has never
orgiven the sender Of the dispatch.
Zach time he tells the story he adds,
La!ing his fist, as if the malefactor
we're before his eyes:
ooh, the mean, the beastly, cur! He'll
,ay me some day! He'd better keep
nut Of my way!'-Translated From the