The Bossier banner., 1907-02-28
In the Foreign Legion
(Original.l

LII TIE region were TWO men, captain
Barzikoff, Russian, and Lieutenant |
Trayitez, Spaniard. Barzikoff was |
vigorous man Of thirty, Travitez a
slender young fellow, with large soft
brown eyes, who might have been
twenty or twenty-five. Between these
two men existed friendship that
| amounted to affection.
| One day Barzikoff proposed to Travi-
tez that they should exchange conf
dences, each telling the other what
had induced him to join the legion.
what avail? We would not believe
each other" said Travitez.
Il would believe you,, replied Barzi-
koff. ITO prove my confidence l will
place my life in your hands. You re-
member the attempt to kill the czar of
Russia few years ago, the one in
which so many revolutionists were i'm
plicated. Well, l was convicted Of be-
ing accessory to that attempted assas-
sination.
"A friend bribed my jailer, who
permitted me to escape not six hours
before l was to have been executed.
There, you see how I trust you. You
have only to write the Russian police
that l am here, and shall 60 to Rus
sia to die. Besides, you will receive
large reward
Travitez's face broke into a happy
smile, the first Barzikoff had ever seen
there, both at the evidence Of such i'm
plicit confidence and the knowledge
that his friend was innocent Of any
crime, but the next moment he remem-
bered that his own confession was In
order, and the smile gave place to an
expression Of anguish. Barzikoff no
ticed it and sighed
what was your trouble, boy" he
asked kindly, cheating, forgery, MUIR
der?''
Travitez walked away without reply.
his friend looking after him gloomily.
Surely such confidence as Barzikoff had
given would have drawn like conf
dence had not the young man been
!, guilty.
Then came the war, and the Foreign
legion was sent to the frontier.
One day it was ordered to assault
a knoll capped by a redoubt. 1t
marched up the hill gayly, as though
each man was glad at the prospect of
: being relieved of his burden of life, to
meet the storm which broke in his
!, face. Pushing steadily on, all that
was left of it, it planted its ban
: ner on the wall Of the redoubt. Bar
zikoff, who was uninjured, as soon as
: the fight was over looked about for
| Travitez. He found his friend lying
5 unconscious, the blood flowing from a
! wound in his chest. Barzikoff stanched
the wound with his own handkerchief
j. then carried the wounded Travitez to
$ a place of safety.
= Travitez recovered, but noticed tha;
Rarzikoff had changed in his bearing
J toward him. He asked Barzikoff why
I he had altered toward him. but could
get no satisfaction.
Il One day Travitez saw Barzikon
! crumple bit Of paper and throw II
away. AS soon as BarZikoff had gone
Travitez secured the paper and found
u it to be clipping from a Spanish news
u paper The next day Travitez, joining
Barzikoff, read the clipping aloud tt
y him:
''It is said that certain senorita whit
7. disappeared suddenly after a prominen
2 nobleman was banished from the court Il
Ie serving in disguise in one Of the regiment
% of a foreign nation"
70 Barzikoff looked up, surprised, bu
b. made no remark, and Travitez, tear
;rr AY,o obo, tho c,y1.inut
" by the bye, Barzikoff," he said pres
le emily, ''there is a handkerchief Of your
is l found among my things. have had
IS ever since was wounded at the attac
on the redoubt. How do you suppose
came into my possession
Il stanched your wound with It."
IS 'And to do that you were obliged t
lg open my coat
at The younger officer had turned ava
e. from the other and spoke the las
lit words in an almost inaudible tone.
lie IL was" Barzikoff replied.
Id 'And when you opened my coat 70
saw
81 did"
"And this bit of paper you threw int
We the wastebasket confirmed you in tn
ng opinion"
IT "It did"
ay Without turning Travitez tossed Ba
ed zikoff letter, which the latter seize
and read eagerly:
"Oh, Mercedes, why have ! permitt'
m. this wrong? When told you to go into Il
room where l had been with the dul
" I knew that he and I were suspected
he being there together and you instead
he me would be caught with him.
am tortured with remorse and have
last determined to put 1t In your powe
dear friend, to vindicate yourself whe
ever you choose to do so. 1t Is Tor "
tn to decide whether to bring discredit
oh the government of your country by co
victing princess or suffer in silence"
While Barzikof was reading the ne
" confessed woman stood with b
back toward him, her head bent, h
cir eyes cast on the floor. For a nome
les there was silence; then she heard
art. quick step behind her and felt a ps
mol Of strong arms about her.
,,f- s.AIy lover said Barzikoff In his de
,na voice
&C Looking up through eyes dimm
st with tears and a happy smile, she sa
cry "Oh, the pity Of ite'
nc "Yet there is future for u.s." Bal
art koff replied "Let us resign our CO
.orn missions and 60 to that far coun
a1ls where there are no mobiles, no kin
: - In America, amid the waving wheat
;aa Dakota and the yellow corn OF Ari
4 M. we may build home and yet