Waterbury Democrat., 1901-06-03

wrote:
 l hereby affirm that the person serving in the Chasseurs q Afrique under the name of Louis Vic tor is my elder brother, Bertie Cecil lawfully, by inheritance, the Viscount Royallieu, peer of Eng land. I hereby also acknowledge that have sue ceeded to and borne the title illegally under the imposition of his death BERKELEY CECIL.
 He let her draw the paper from him and fold it away in her belt He watched her with a curious, dreamy sense of his own impstencs against the fierce and aary torrent of her bidding "Can his life yet be saved? 2"
 "His hensr mAy-kis hener shall. Go to him, coward, and let the balls that kill him reach you, too, if you have,one trait of manhood left in you!' l Then, swiftly as swallow darts, she quilted him and flew on her headlong way down through the pressure of the people and the throngs of the marts and the noise and the color and the I movement of the streets.
 l The sun was scarcely declined from l it's noon before she rode out of the city on half bred horse of the spahis, swift as the antelope and as wild, with her only equipment some pistols in her holsters and bag of rice and skin of water slung at her saddlebow. She l had long route before her. She had many leagues to travel, and there were l but four and twenty hours, she knew well, left to the man who was con l demned to death; four and twenty hours left open for appeal, no more, be l twixt the delivery and execution of the sentence. There were 50 miles be- tween her and her goal. Abd-el-Ka- 1 der's horse had once covered that space 1 in three hours, so men of the army of l d'Aumale had told her. She knew what they had done she could do. Once only she paused. to let her horse l lie a brief while and cool his foam fiaked sides and crop some short, sweet grass. Then she mounted again and again went on in her flight. The horse was reeking with smoke and foam and the blood was coursing from his Hanks as she reached her destination at last and threw herself off his saddle as he sank faint and quivering to the ground. Whither she had come was to for l tress where the marshal of France, who was the viceroy of Africa, had arrived that day in his progress of inspection throughout the province.
 Have a care of him and lead me to the chief.''
 She spoke quietly, but a certain sen sation of awe and fear moved those who heard. They hesitated to take her message, to do her bidding. The one whom she sought was great and su- preme here as a king. They dreaded to approach his staff, to ask his audi ence.
 Cigarette looked at them a moment, then loosened her cross and held it out to an adjutant standing beneath the gates.
 'aTake that to the man who gave it me. Tell him Cigarette waits and with each moment that she waits sol dier's life is lost. Col"
 1, A few minutes and the decoration was brought back to her and her de mand was granted. The marshal, lean ing against brass fieldpiece, turned to her with the smile in his keen, stern eyes.
 What brings you here?"
 She came up to him with her rapid, leopardlike grace, and he started as he saw the change upon her features. She was covered with sand and dust and with the animals blood flecked foam.
 ''Monseigneur, I have come from Al giers since noon"-
 From AlgiersY' He and his officers echoed the name of the city in incredu lous amaze. They knew how far from them down along the sea line the white town lay.
 ..Since noon, to rescue 1ife-the life of a great soldier, of a guiltless man ; He who saved the honor of France al Zaraila is to die the death of mutineel at dawnw
 What! Your chasseur?"
 A dusky scarlet fire burned through the pallor of her face, but her eyes never quailed, and the torrent of hel eloquence returned under the bangs o1 shame that were beaten back under tht noble instincts of her love.
 ssMine, since he is soldier of France yours, too, by that title. I am come here from Algiers to speak the truth 1T his name, and, by my cross, by my flag by my France, I swear that not hail of his head shall be touched, not droI of blood in his veins shall be shedv'
 You speak madly," he said, witt cold brevity. 4The offense merits tn, chastisement. I shall not attempt t interfere"
 Hear me at leastv' she cried, witt passionate ferocity-the ferocity of 1; dumb animal wounded by shot. "Yol do not know what this man is, how h. has had to endure. do. have watch ed him; I have seen the brutal tyrann. of his chief, who hated him becaus the soldiers loved hims have seen hi patience, his obedience, his long sui fering beneath insults that would hay driven any other to revolt and murder have seen him-I have told you hoy
 at Zaraila, thinking never of death O , of life, only of our flag. Look you! : have seen him so tried that I told hin -I, who love my army better than an. living thing under the sun - that
 would forgive him if he forgot dut. and dealt. with his tyrant as man t man. And he always held his soul il patience. Why? Not because he fea, ed death-he desired it-but becaus he loved his comrades and suffered Ii peace and in silence lest, through hin
 +hayshould- be led into evil"