The Redwood gazette., 1901-06-26

And your sword writes In a brave
mans fashion writes what France
loves to read But before you wore
your sword here? Tell us Of that 1t
was romance. wasn't it 2?
IF It were. have folded down the
page. monsieur
Open it then Come. what brought
you out among us? Out with it..''
Monsieur. direct obedience is sol
dier's duty, but / never heard that In
quisitive annoyance was an officers
privilege,
The words were calm, cold, a little
languid and a little naughty. The man
ner OF old habit, the instinct of buried
pride. spoke in them and disregarded
the barrier between private of chas-
seurs and colonel commandant who
was also noble of France.
Chameleon flushed scarlet over his
frank brow, and an instant's passion
cleaned out of his eyes. The next he
threw his three chairs down with crash
as he shook his mighty frame like an
Alpine dog and bowed with a French
grace. with a campaigner's frankness.
a right rebuke, fairly given and well
deserved. ] thank you for the lesson
The chasseur looked surprised and
moved. In truth he was more touched
than he showed. Under the rule of
Chateauroy consideration or courtesy
had been thing long unshoWn to him.
stretched his hand out on the impulse
of soldier to soldier, Of gentleman to
gentleman. Then, as the bitter re-
membrance Of the difference of rank
and station between them flashed on
his memory, he was raising it proudly,
but deferenttally, in the salute of a sub
ordinate to his superior, when Chanrel-
Ions grasp closed on it readily.
The chasseur colored slightly as he
remembered that he had forgotten
tive stations.
II beg your pardon, Monsieur lie
Vicomte," he said simply as he gave
the salute with ceremonious grace and
passed onward rapidly, as though he
wished to forget and to have forgotten
the momentary self oblivion of which
he had been guilty.
Heavens muttered Chanrellon as
he looked after him and struck his hand
On the marble topped table till the
glasses shook. II would give years
pay to know that fine fellows history.
He is a gentleman every inch of him."
"And a good soldier, which is bet
ter growled the general of brigade,
who had begun life in his time driving
an OK plow over sthe heavy tillage Of
Alsace.
"a private of Chateauroy's, eh?"
asked the tirailleur, lifting his eye
glass to watch the chasseur as he
went q
'Yes-more's the pity said Chan
rellon, who spoke his thoughts as has
tily as a hand grenade scatters it's pow
der. "The Black Hawk hates him
God knows Why-and he is kept down
! in consequence, as if he We're the idlest
lout or the most incorrigible rebel in
the service. Look at what he has
done. All the bureaus will tell you
there is not a finer soldier in Africa.
Bedouin steel, He rode once 20 leagues
to deliver dispatches with spear
head in his side and fell in dead
faint out of his saddle just as he gave,
them up to the commandant's own
hands. He saved the day two years
ago at Granada. We should have been
cut to pieces as sure as destiny if he
hr,f1 r,of# hoI f,11< hy.o1y 1yny.
chasseurs together and rallied them
and rated them and lashed them with
| their shame till they dashed with him
to a man into the thickest of the fight
and pierced the Arabs center and.
gave us breathing room till we all
charged together and beat them back
like herd of jackals. There are a
| every one of them true as my saber-
| and in reward he has just been made
a corporalp' ~.
Superb" said the general, with grim
| significance. Twelve years in fire
under Napoleon he would have been at
the head Of brigade. But, them
and the veteran drank his absinth with
| = q ACSlCtA Ql Uul, IuGu. Nd
poleon read his men himself and never
read them wrong. 1t is divine gift
that, for commanders"
The Black Hawk can read, too, y
said Chanrellon meditatively. It was
the nickname that C,,sateauroy had
gained long before, anel by which be
was best known through the army.
mo eyes are keener than his to trace
general in embryo. But where he
hates he strikes beak and talons pong
till the thing drops dead even when
he strikes bird of his own brood
hat is bad said the old general
sententiously. There are four people
who should have no personal likes or
dislikes. They are an innkeeper,
schoolmaster. a ships skipper and
military chief
Meanwhile the chasseur went his
way through the cosmopolitan groups