New-York tribune., 1912-02-25
WI DAGOBERT'S REVENGE


wife and his two children And the next moment he
remembered that he had betrayed his cmci, and that
he had sold Metz
@What-P have sold Metz" he cried stopping IN
the roadway and pnChrg hiiScIl 10 idNC SuIc '"' o
was not dreaming.
II will be rccolcccd that he had been imposed upon
L,. that Prussian officer who had fooled even Count
R,oul Dagobcrt that he had given liberty to the cap
tive whom nc believed to be William Of Prussia; ana
that in exchange for this liberty he had been handed
Llivc- basscr through the enemy armies And 1ago-
Inert deceived by that astonishing likeness to king,
had held his supposed lustrous prisoner as hostage Tor
the fate Of Metz itself.
Oniy when he was alone did the hidcous cnormity Of
his ,rcachcry begin TO press upon hm' II was ptCN do
th night over him. heavy the ornament ol darkness.
Realization grppci him with stranghng fingers
81 have done this thing-mOH The price Of William
If. was Metz, Wonder with two hundred thousand
Frcnchmcn inside the tortltCatouS And now the cry
may fall. Great God. The blood OF all th"sc frcnch,
men isalrcadv upon my soul have made thousands OF
widows because wanted to my wliC. have MADE
Thousand; Of orphans because wanted my own cmI-
drcn! no. no. it is impossible! am dreaming, or else
| am mad-mad mad
During the next twcntv-four hours one ever knew
what became Of the schoomastcr OF Alarthc; and he
himself was never able 10 speak about It, Presumably
overwhelmed by growing horror his reason "rS@ok NM
and he rushed onward terrible object the roads
between Metz and Gravclottc, the highways trainpcd
into ruttcd mirc when the rcrcating French armies
were forced back from the last named place INTO the
duouIcd CITY \ mailman. BorlcnaVc fled among the
wrcckagc Of ammunition wagons, battery calSSonS,
fostering horses dead men whose vii faces stared At
yii skv lust how long his agony lasted he could
never tell; but he awokc from what seemed an eternal
nightmare and found himself on bed
sensation Of utter weakness made itself felt before
remembrance surgcd through Bordcnavcs brain he
grancd and turned his head, which clt heavy as pan
Of iron. He caught gimsc oi an open door' ana Dc
yond a few struggling iandcuns growing out Of waste
ground And as he looked and wondered, girl entered
She had fat rel face sleeves rolled to the top OF her
large coarse arms, and she brought an oior OF damp
straw. Instantly she observed the Wild, staring eyes
Of the franc,ircur fixed upon her.
A II, mon plmyc, 50 YOU have come back said the
n prl. folding her arms and surveying the haggard
face with a gOolnaIurcd smile
"Whcrc have | bccn,' whispered Bordenave.
an the the clouds ,., ;i,.1y my brave fellow
~HGrr bccni Ius, listen, OF course you are per
fcctlv well now, You will get straight up and kill the
King Of Prussia-ani AIctz-ani rescue Bazainct
Hlls! you did great things in your fever can tell
How did get here"
Thc giri shrugged her shoulders "Wc found you out
side, evening, my mother and l. mat was week
ago. and
"a week." gaspcd Bordcnayc.
we could not have kept you; but since Metz capu-
latcI the Germans have LETT alone. | suppose they
are all outside Paris God grant that in there is no other
Marshal Bazainr-that thrice accurscd traitor.
"Ah." groanci the schooImastcr THE city fell: IS
that it,"
There were a hundred and eighty thousand French
men and six hundred guns and they are lost TO France
The eyes Of the peasant girl flashed fire For moment
she was transigurcd.
Il want to get up" cried Bordcnave in hcartbrokcn
voice.
"Ty.'
He made the attempt and sank back as if fclcss
The girl half smiled and went out.
For seven more days the schoomastcr Of Nlarthc
turned thousand times his hard bed and cursed the
day Of his birth. He believed that would kill
him; but he found himself gaining strength. Then
fixed idea took possession OF him.
He would take the first opportunity Of getting shot
by the enemy He owed that much to his country and
to his God.