The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1913-11-14
cAApTER "a.
Restless Man.

4 Restless Man.
When I came into camp, late that
afternoon, / found Byram and Speed
cropping about among q mass OF news
papers and letters, the first mail we
circus people had received for nearly
two months.
There were letters for all who were
accustomed to look for letters from
families, relatives, or friends at home.
/ never received letters--I had re-
ceived none of that kind in nearly a
score Of years.
But there were newspapers enough
and to spare-Freneh, English, Ameri-
can; and / sat down by my lions cage
and attempted to form some opinion
Of the state of affairs in France.
When, on the 3rd OF September, the
humiliating news arrived that the EN-
peror was a prisoner and his army an
initiated, the government, for the first
time in its existence, acted with
promptnes3 and decision in a matter
Of Importance. Secret orders were
sent by couriers to the Bank of France.
to the Louvre, and 70 the InvaIides;
and, that same night. train after train
rushed out of Paris loaded with the
battle flags from the Inyalides, the
most important pictures and antique
sculptures from the Louvre, the great
er part Of the gold and silver from the
Bank of France, and, last but by no
means least, the crown and jewels Of
France.
These trains were dispatched to
Brest, and at the same time a telegram
was directed to the admiral command
ing the French iron-clad fleet in the
Baltic to send an armored cruiser to
Brest with all haste possible, there to
await further orders, but to be fully
prepared in any event to take on
board certain goods designated in
cipher. This we knew in a general
way, though Speed understood that
Lorient was to be the port of depar-
ture.
The plan, then, was simple; but, for
an equally simple reason, it miscar-
ried In the following manner: On the
4th of September the tr~easure-laden
trains had left Paris for Brest. On
the 9th the Hirondelle steamed out to-
wards the feet with the news from Sc
dan and the orders for the detachment
OF a cruiser to receive the crown
jewels. On the 9Th the news and the
orders were signaled to the flagship;
but the God of battles unclaimed a
tempest which countermanded the or.
der and hurled the ironelads into outer
darkness.
So, for days and days, the treasure
laden trains must have stood helpless
in the station at Brest, awaiting the
cruiser that did not come.
Speed and / already knew the secret
orders sent. The treasures, including
the crown diamonds, were to be stored
in the citadel, and an armored cruiser
was to lie of the arsenal with banked
fires, ready to receive the treasures al
the first signal and steam to the
French fortified port of Saigon in Co
chin China, by a course already deter
mined.
Why on earth those orders had beer
changed so that the cruiser was to lie
off Groix l could not imagine, unless
some plot had been discovered in Lo
RENT which had made 1t advisable tc
shift the location of the treasures fol
the third time.
Pondering there at the tent door
amid my heap Of musty newspapers.
looked out into the late, gray after
noon and saw the maids and men O
Paradise passing and repassing across
the bridge.
A few moments later drums begar
to roll from the square. Speed, pasl
ing. called out to me that the con
scripts we're leaving for Lorient; SO
walked down to the bridge, where tn
crowd had gathered and where a tai
gendarme stood, his blue-and-whit
uniform distinct In the early evening
light
/, Attention. cried the officer, a slim
hectic lieutenant from Lorient.
The mayor handed him the rolls
, and the lieutenant facing the shuflin,
single rank, began to call of:
"Rouz Of Bannaiec7"
Here, monsieur
I Don't say, Here, monsieurr Say
Present. Now. Roux9e
, Present, monsieur
Idiot Kedrec7"
"Preaentin
"%Garennel"
There was silence.
Iloberi Garennel" repeated the OF
Ger, sharply. Monsieur the mayo
: has Informed me that you are IiabI
for military duty. If you are presen
answer to your name or take cousi
7 Q%uencesi"
The %poacher. who had been loungln
d on the bridge, slouched slowly forwar
b and touched his car.
am organizing a franc corps" b
said.
3 You an explain that at Lorient
] replied the lieutenant. Fall In there
"But In