The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1901-06-20
foot on either shoulder Of her support

foot on either shoulder Of her support
ers, gave, the salute and answered.:
Simply, my commander, very sim;
ply. was alone, riding midway be-:
tween YOU and the main army-threei
leagues, say, from each. I was all
alone; only Vole-qui-veut flying with
me for fun. I met colon. knew the
man. For the matter of that I did him
once a service-sayed his geese and his
fowls from burning one winters day
in their house, while he wrung his
hands and looked on. Well, he was
full of terror and told me there was
fighting yonder-here he meant-so 1
rode nearer to see. That was just up
on sunrise. I dismounted and ran up
palm there" And Cigarette pointed
Ito faroff slope crowned with the re-
mains of once mighty palm forest.
Il got up very high. I could see miles
round. l saw how things We're with
you. For the moment 1 was coming,
straight to you. Then I thought I
should do more service if I let the main
army know and brought you a re-en-
forcement. I rode fast. Dieu! l rode
fast. My horse dropped under me
twice, but I reached them at last, and
1 went at once to the general. He
guessed at glance how things were.
and l told him to give me my spahis
and let me go. So he did. I got on a
mare of his own staff, and away we
came. 1t was near thing. If we had
been minute later, it had been all I'D
with you"
"True, indeed" muttered the zouave
in his beard. "a superb action, my lit
tie one. But did you meet no Arab
scouts to stop you?'
Cigarette laughed.
did l not? Met them by dozens.
Some had a shot at me; some had q,
shot from me. One fellow nearly wing
ed me, but I got through them all
somehow. Sapristi! galloped SO fast
l was very hard to hit flying. Those
things only require a little Judgment
But some men always are creeping
when they should fly and always are
scampering when they should saunter,
and then they wonder when they make
f1asco. Bahv'
And Cigarette laughed again. "Men
were such bunglers. Ouf!'
'Mademoiselle, if all soldiers were
like you," answered the major of
zouaves CURLY, ITO command a battal-
ion would be paradise"
"Al soldiers would do anything I
have DONE" retorted Cigarette, who
never took a compliment at the ex-
pense of her "children." "They do not
all get the opportunity. Opportunity:
is little angel. Some catch him as he
goes; some let him pass by forever.
You must be quick with him, for he is
like an eel to wriggle away. If you
want good soldier, take that aristo-
craft that handsome Victor Pouf!
All his officers were down, and how
splendidly he led the troop! He was
going to die with them rather than sur
render. Napoleon''-an Cigarette IN
cQyerea~ her curly head reverentially,
as at the name Of a deity-"Napoleon
would have given him his his brigade brigade ere ere
chiefv'
He will have justice done him, new
er fear. And for you-the cross shall
be on your breast, Cigarette, if I live
over tonight to write my dispatches"
And the major saluted her once more
and turned away to view the carnage
streWn plain and number the few who
remained out of those who had been
wakened by the clash of the Arab
arms in the gray of the earliest dawn.
Cigarettes eyes flashed like sun play
Ing on water, and her flushed cheeks
grew scarlet. Since her infancy it had
been her dream to have the cross to lie
above her little lions heart It had
been the one longing, the one ambition,
the one undying desire, Of her soul,
and, 10, she touched it's realization.
The wild, frantic, tumultuous cheers
and caresses Of her soldiery, who could
not triumph in her and triumph with
her enough to satiate them, recalled her
to the actual moment. She sprang
down from her elevation and turned
on them with rebuke. "Ah, you are
dreds Of better soldiers than I lie yon-
der. Let us look to them first. We
will play the fool afterward.''
And, although she had ridden SO
miles that day if she had ridden one,
though she had eaten nothing since
sunrise and had only had one draft Of
bad water, though she was tired and
stiff and bruised and parched with
thirst, Cigarette dashed off as lightly
as young goat to look for the wound
ed and the dying men who strewed the
plain far and near.
She remembered one whom she had
not seen after that first moment in
which she had given the word to the
squadrons to charge.
1t was terrible sight-the arid plain,
lying in the scarlet glow Of sunset, COW
cred with dead bodies, with mutilated
limbs, with horses gasping and with.
ing, with men raving like mad crea-