Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-02-25
Continued from page 9

"All the same, Varnhagen, we have our
marching orders, and you have your desire.
at is the Generals handwriting? You
are sure"
Dagobert lurched sidewise and fell to the
floor like log. His lips twitched; his eyes
rolled backward.
Varnhagen leaned over him, cropping and
peering. He rose wiping his fingers. "Wound-
ed in the left side, yes. said he; "but to me
it looks like an old affair newly opened. You
are quite assured
The Prussian shrugged his shoulders;
"You overdo it, said he. "If we were all
as cautious as you, we should still be IN Ber-
lin. Come, Gentlemen.
FAINT and more faint became the thud
l ding of horses hoofs. The German de-
tachment was out Of the village. The sound
died away, and the quiet of night fell over
the deserted place, the tenantless cottages.
The supposed aide de camp of General Won
Werder lay where he had fallen. Not an
eyelid moved.
Count Raoul Dagobert was rejecting up
on two matters. One was that his idea of
the forged despatch had worked very well
up to the present. He had fallen in with the
score of 1ancers under Lieutenant Varache
sent by General Chanzy to occupy Garlesse
if possible, and he had undertaken the er-
rand of getting the Germans out. His per-
feet control of high German, and the uniform
stripped three days before from Hussar
whom they had found dead in a coppice,
and the Iieutenant's gift of initiating hand
writing, were material enough.
And the other matter upon which Dago-
bert reflected as he lay on his back on the
sanded floor was that one of Shoten's men
had come back again by the easy process of
climbing through the window, and that this
man was watching him from behind.
He had not heard him enter; he did not
hear him move or breathe. He knew he was
in the room just as mouse knows when a
cat is watching it. The cat was Varnhagen,
who had been sent back by Captain Shofen
to bring away the cures set Of chessmen.
The supposed aide de camp of General
Won Werder had been abandoned as dying
man. The despatch was emphatic. In these
precipitate movements those who fell out,
fell out.
Varnhagen returned for the wooden chess
men, and he fingered, watching the man on
the floor. He was cynic and skeptlc, this
Prussian, in most things. And he certainly
did suspect that the wound in the messen-
gers left side was at least week old, and
that it had been opened afresh-for this
special occasion. Which was perfectly cor
rect.
The watching Prussian, troubled, nerv-
Gus, fingered the blue steel of his revolver.
He dared wait no longer. At the same
time
A VIOLENT witch jerked his limbs as
"A the handle of the door ratified. He
looked at it, and saw that it was moving.
The door opened direct into the road.
He listened with thrust-forward head and
eyeballs glaring. He had suspected the ex
istence of trap, and he now saw its jaws
in operation. There were men outside the
door, men who had entered the village when
the garrison quilted it.
"Foo1ed,7 muttered Varnhagen.
He might have escaped by the window;
but he was brave, and the slow opening OF
the door fascinated his eyes.
II will kill the first one, and then settle
this vermin, said he, g.ancing at Dagobert.
"After that, it will be time enough to con-
slider that have skin
He drew back nearer to the wall. The
top of head without helmet or KEPT, bare
grizzled head, appeared between door and
lamb. 1t was the head of Lieutenant Var
ache He raised it suddenly and swept a
lightning glance round the cures sitting
room.
accept nv respects" said Varnhagen,
and he let go at the officers head.
"Find him in hades-you." he beloved.
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