The Central Nevadan. [volume] (Battle Mountain, Nev.) 1885-1907, 1903-06-25
XVI.
burdened he made hss
way fof over 1--WE leagues. Tbs

-
the binding dust rose around
Hin VI great waves. The horse fell
khie, He Aad to dlsmount and move
slowly and painfully over the loose.
keNvy soil on foot. raising the dropping
ke4d OF tile lifeless rider. II was bitter.
weary, cruel travail, of IN i~ntolerable
labor, Of an ~intolerablc pain. At last
he drew near the caravansary where
he had been directed to obtain q change
Of horses. It stood midway In the dis
lance that he had to traverse. The
groups In the court paused In their
and In their occupations and
booked In awe at the gray charger with
its strange burden and the French
chassedr who came 30 blindly forward
like q mar feeling his passage through
the dark. Cecil moved slowly on into
their midst, his hand on the horses
rein. Then q great darkness covered
his sight. He swayed to and fro and
fell senseless on the gray stone of the
paved court. When consciousness re-
turned to him, he was lying on a stone
bench fl The shadow Of the wall. with
the GOODNESS of the fountain water bub-
bling nearand q throng Of lean, bronzed,
Eager faces about him.
Instantly he remembered all.
"Where is her he asked.
They knew that he meant the dead
man and answered him III a hushed
murmur Of many voices. They had
placed the body gently down within In
adarkeued charnber.
A SILVER passed over Elm. He
stretched hfs hand out for water that
they held to him.
"Saddle me q fresh horse. 1 have my
work to do"
He knew that for no friendship or
grief or suffering or self pity might q
soldier pause by the wayside while his
GRAND was still undone, his duty unful.
Allied.
He drank the water thirstily; then,
FEELING slightly from the weakness
that was still upon him, he rose, reject
ing their offers Of aid. Take me to
him." he said simply. They Under
stood him.
He motiohed them all back with his
hard and went into the gloom Of the
chamber alone. Not one among them
followed.
When he came forth again. the reck-
less and riotous soldiers of France turn
ed silently and r~eserentlally away. so
that they should not look upon his
face. for II wns we'll known through
out the army that no common tie had
bound together the exiles of England,
and the feAlty OF comrade to comrade
was sacred III their sight.
The fresh animal, saddled. was held
ready outside the gates. He crossed
the court. moving still like a man with
out sense of what he did. The name
that some Of the hurrying grooms
shouted loudly In their Impotence
broke through his stupor and reached
him. 1t was that of the woman whom.
however madly. he loved with all the
strength of a passion born out of utter
hopelessness. He turned to the out
rider nearest him.
"You- are Of the Princess Corona's
suitl What does she do hereT'
Madame travels to see the country
and the war"
The war? This Is no place for her.
The land is alive with danger, rife with
DEATH"
"Miladi travels with the duke, her
brother. Miladi does not know what
fear Is"
But
The feffiofistrance died on his lips.
He stood gazing out from the gloom Of
the arch at a face close TO him, on
which the sun shone full. a face Unseen
for IL long yenrs and which d Toner
before laughing and careless III the
light changed and grew set and rigid
and pale with the pallor Of an unutter-
able horror. Cecil brought his hand to
his brow In military salute. passed
with the impassiveness of a soldier
who passed a gentleman. reached his
charger and rode away upon his errand
over the brown and level ground.
He had known his brother in that
feeting glance, but he hoped that his
brother would see no more In him than
a French trooper who bore resemblance
by a strange hazard to one long be-
lieved to be dead and gone. The In
stinct Of generosity. the instinct OF self
sacrifice. t1ovcd him how as long ago
0he fatal Hight they had moved him
to bear the sin Of his mothers darling
rs his own.
Within six and thirty hours the in.
structlons he bore were In the tent of
the major whom they were TO direct.
and he himself returned to the cara.
vnnsary to fulfill with his own hand TO
the dead those last Offices which he
would delegate to none.
1t. was In the GOODNESS and the hush
Of the night. with the great stars shin.
ing clearly over the darkness OF the
plains. that they made the single grave
Under a leaning shelf OF rock. with the
somber fans OF 4 pine spread above II
and nothing neat but the sleeping
herds Of goats. The siillen echo of the
soldiers muskets gave its only funera,
requiem.
When all was over, Cecil still re-
manned there alone. Thrown down up.
On the grave. he never moved as hour
hftef hour went bv. To ofhers that