The Washington herald., 1910-07-07

1
their crests UP. and their coats shininH
like satin with much currying at thez
hands of brawny troopers.
Toni did not know what it was to be
afraid of horse, and loved nothing bet
ter than to hang about the barracks sta
bles and riding school and take eheerfully
the cuffs and kicks he got from the sol
diers for being in the way. Especially
was this true on Sundays. when he did not
have Paul verney's company. for Paul
went to church obediently, while Toni.
after submitting to be washed and
dressed clean, was almost certain to run
away. disregsrding his mothers frantic
cries after him. and spend the whple
morning in the delightful precincts of the
barracks stables. Jacques liked 1t, too,
and told Toni it reminded him of those
glorious old days when his trousers and
shake were new and he carried his
musket jauntily In the long red line that
set out for Russia So Toni haunted the
barracks stables TO please Jacques as
well as himself.
One glorious and ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
day a good-natured trooper had hoisted
Toni on the back OF a stesdy-going old
charger, who knew as much about teach
ing recruits to ride as any soldier in the
regiment. The old charger. being Of
Tended at finding the small, wriggling
object upon his back. took IL into HIS
head. for the first time since his colt
hood, to plunge and kick violently. and
ended by boiling out of the barracks
yard and making straight across the edge
OF the town. through the meadow to the
old stone bridge that spanned the river.
The trooper. who had meant 10 oblige
Toni suddenly realized that the boy was
| the only son Of his mother and she a
widow. Jumping on another horse, he
| galloped after Toni, down the stony
street. into the green lane, and across
/ the bridge.
| The old charger. who was eighteen
years old, gave out at the end Of the
bridge and came down to sober trot.
| He had not. with all his efforts. got rid
of the small. wriggling object on his
back. AS for Toni, he had the time OF
| his life It was the one full draft OF
rIotous JOY that he had tasted. 1t was
better even than licking the candy kettle
on Saturday mornings. The wild flight
| through the air. as II seemed to Toni,
the snorting breath of the old charger.
the delicious sense of humping up and
| down. lifted him into an ecstasy. When
| the trooper came up the horse was Sc
dately browsing by the wayside. and
Toni. with his arms clasped around the
horss neck and his black head down on
| his name, was IN a little heaven of his
own. The trooper, who had expected TO
find Toni lying by the roadside. mangled.
was immensely relieved and swore at
him out of pure JOY. and as a reward
for not having got his neck broken al
| lowed Toni 10 ride the old charger back
into the town. This was not to be COM
pared with that wild fight through space.
that glorious humping UP and down. that
sense Of delight in feeling the horse pant
ing under him, but it was something.
Toni. trolling soberly home. con-
cluded that he would not tel his
mother, but he meant 10 tell Jacques all
about it. and. putting his hand his poek-
Ell. Jacques was not there, Oh, what
agony was TOMS then! He burst into
a Mt Of weeping. and. rushing back TO the
riding school, erawled around frantically
everywhere the troopers would let him
go, searching for his loved and lost
Jacques The story of his ride had got
out by that time and he was not kicked
and cuffed when he searched, with
streaming eyes and loud sobs, for his
dearly loved Jacques. But Jacques could
not be found. not even along the stone
street, nor by the lanes, nor across the
old stone bridge and the day grew dark
20 Toni. He searched all day, and when
he went home at night and told his
mother OF his loss. Mime Marcel wept.
too. IL was no good 10 promise him a
whole company OF tin soldiers They
were only tin soldiers. but Jacques was
his friend. his confidant. other self.
his OVersOul. Toni cried himself 20 sleep
that night. II was so lonely up in the
little garnet without Jacques! And Toni
knew that Jacques was lonely without
! him. Toni pictured poor Jacques, alone
and forlOrn, lost in the tan-bark, OF
trampled under foot In the street OF
! floating down the darkling river, or per-
haps being chewed UP by the goats tina;
browsed on the other side of the bridge
J In the middle of the night Nine Mar
eel was awakened by Tonps groans and
cries.
'Oh, mamma, mammal" he cried, "how
E lonely Jacques must be! What is he
: thinking of now? He has no musket &c
take care of himself Oh, mammal
j and then Toni howled again.
The next day Toni was up at dawr
! searching for his beloved He searched
= all the morning. but could not find tn,
4 lost one. When he came home to din
= ner at y O'Clock, he met Paul Verney
and Paul saw by TOMS woebegOne lool
S and tear-stained face that some caiam
I ity had befallen him. Toni had looked
? forward with triumphant pleasure L
0 telling Paul about that wild ride on tn,
old horses back, but he could give it n,
thought Paul was kind and sympathetl,
, and understood TOMS sorrow. which wa
S some little comfort to the bereaved one
: While the two boys sat together OF
n the bench under the acacia tree, close |,
= Nine Marcel's shop up came little Den
4 ise as neat and pink and white as ever
: One of her hands was closed, and. a.
Y she approached Toni, she said in tn
r sweetest small voice in the world
Toni, is this yours? I found it In tn
0 street, and, opening her little hand
oh, joy!-there was Jacques, his shak
$ a little crooked, one of his legs out o
;, plumb, but it was Jacques. Toni, with
Q out a word of thanks, seized Jacques
: and, rushing off, flew TO his favorit
spot for medtatiOn-a little corner OF
! one Of the abutments of the old ston
| hrid ha
and held him to his breast, and told hin
. Of the heart-breaking search made 70
him, and Jacques. as usual. was siIentl
u sympathetic and understood ali that Tor
had suffered