Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-04-21

L
goes farther than the grave He leaned
over and placed his hand upon the boys
| knee.
Hes not woman hater, barrow; but
he can't find himself comfortable with them,
perhaps. 1t tears at the old wound You
see, if he hadn't cared, there would have
been others. There has never been another
There is still but the one. How many men
do you know that could have been as faith
full as that? You see, happen to know.
We were at school together"
THE others returned after time, and the
group sat chatting until long after taps,
while the fire died down to Pickering bed
of glowing Goals. Several times during the
evening De Lesseps caught young barrow
frowning, and he knew the boy was chatting
under the restraint of inactivity, when he
felt he should be up and doing. He felt at
| tracted to the young fellow too, and won
dered what he could do to break down that
ridiculous antipathy to General Allison.
There was vibrant activity throughout the
night, and the dull thud of horses hoofs
upon the hard sand spoke of the gallopers
who came and went between headquarters
and the end of the talking wire, fifteen miles
back along their route,-the wire that was
creeping closer with every hour that the men
of the Signal Corps toiled along the shifting
surface, or among the rolling dunes; the
wire that maintained a tenuous grip on the
civilization they had left so far behind.
Toward midnight an aide had come tear
ing in with his horse IN lather, and ten
minutes later two troops Of lancers had
dropped quietly out of camp and disap-
peared in the reddish light of the moon that
was just showing like huge orange ball
above the little hills.
nsEJoro . commented Ropnaff
as they saw the aide climb stiffly into his
saddle again and walk his horse off, well
hear something before long. He's been up
ahead
Within the half-hour Allison himself
slipped quietly out of camp, attended only
by his aide de camp, and took the way by
which O'Hara had come. Then stiffness
fell over the troops, broken only by the
challenges, and the faint, rafting movement
of the rifles as they came to the port or pre-
sent. Gradually the moon swung higher in
the velvet, spangled sky, shedding its pale
radiance upon the slumbering groups that
dotted the white surface of the desert.
WHEN De Lesseps awakened, fully alert,
w in response to the touch upon his
shoulder, he found Captain Baynes, the
Generals aide, bending over him. The fire
had sunk to bed of redly glowing Goals, and
beyond the sand lay white in the brilliant
moonlight. The aide put his finger to his
lips as De Lesseps sat up.
4Get your pals up quietly, old man, he
whispered. aThe General wants you
aWhere? Headquarters"
3Five miles up ahead. I've had your
beasts saddled and led out. See that hillock?
Right behind there. l can give you five min
utes. Be slippy!'
He moved softly away, and the CORE
spondent turned to rouse his companions.
awake up, you chaps!' he whispered as he
stirred them out. Something's doing. The
old man sent for u.s."
@What? Where?" they demanded as they
rolled out of their blankets.
"Hush! don't know. Baynes just called
me. It's up ahead somewhere. Come on,
now. This way"
Five minutes later they were mounted and
sleepily picking their way through the out
skirts of the sleeping camp, with Captain
Baynes giving countersign in answer to
challenge. When well away they broke into
brisk canter. Twenty-Five minutes riding
brought them to a rough mud-brick hut half
concealed among some stunted palms at the
edge Of a dying oasis, and the aide threw up
his gauntleted hand.
@Here!' he said in low tone, and slipped
from the saddle as trooper came out Of the
| shadows to take his horse.