Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1913-04-17

When Emile received from the cqqucuesye Of hi,
regiment the registered postal package which contained
his mothers hair he knew well enough what wac inside
the box for he had guessed his mothers intention from
certain vague expressions in her letters though She
fearing that he might protest against her sweet sacrifice
and wishing her gift surprise believed that
she had kept him completely in the dark; His comrades
crowded round him. "Ah the lucky youth Ah tbe
gay boyl All, the pig! the fat the mmcasufabe lat
pig! 1t is his sweetheart who has sent him her head
of har FIa ha ha lie must pay us a bottle Of wine"
and they pattcd him the back and dug him in the
ribs, he fixed the splendid black trc5s in his helmet
1t is his sweetheart" they yelled in chorus. Sacred
pig! Sacred Emile! Thy sweetheart ell? Is it not
is 1t not Useless TO deny it, you ruian" Emile did
not say that it his sweetheart but he was Just too
much Of Partisan to deny altogether he answered
neither yea" nor may but jocuar1y he asked his
trends to admire him. and they admired him every
note OF the scale, and from every point Of view
year afterward Emile got into serious trouble but
through no fault Of his He an fitvc bytgader
Cor lance corpora and comrade also an Save briq1-
der stole a document from the office OF the regiment
where both were employed a clerks, and was caught
red-handed. The thief, silly youth whose brain had
been added by reading the endless adventures OF Nic.
Carter, and similar American trash sold in illustrated
penny numbers no, only denounced himself as SOY in
the pay Of foreign government but accused Emle Of
being his accomphce The stolen document was of no
value, the whole story was the invention of hysercaI
IDIOT and hnes innocence was, after an elaborate in
qury made clear But he had sDen+ three v.ee[s IN
prison and when he back without apology or
compensation to his regiment he found that he was as
french soldiers say, conSgtc, there a black mark
against him; his Superiors looked upon him with sus-
pcion Inc tact was that the prosecutor the military
jnge instruction. who had the case in hand was con
WINGED from the beginning that Emile together with his
mother perhaps, was the Chief mover in vast system
OF espionage with ramhcations all over the world and
its center in Berlin, and, having hoped 10 make the
great hit of his life by uraveline this black consDirac
ed f1p nj
ly displeascd with Emile Emile might change into
another regiment but The ban, the eonSgat would fol-
low him wherever he went.
The Colonel was in bad temper when Emile. duv
introduced by his sergeant, respectfully asked for
months Leave to visit his mother in order console
her for his long silence, and to rc-esabsh his health
broken by confinement Gazing in wrath at Ernilc's
rosy checks. the Colonel roared "In, You sayl Clear
out You have already been absent from YOUR duties
too long and il ! hear any more nonsense rom Won,
YOU shall be punished severely The consequence was
that Emile had bad attack Of what in French military
and why the word should be employed to designate
an odd mental or, more strictly speaking moral malady
The symptoms OF the cdtard combine the after effects
Of too much drink, with touch OF ambulatory mania,
or mad longing to bolt. That night Emile, who had a
PERMISSION de mtnmt Qeave till mdnighD. did not
living in Paris with his old clum Chariot; on the
seventh dayaccordng to the rule in the French army
he notified to the police authorities deserter.
He longer dared seek his mother in the little
fiat at Montmarre, for that the place where above
But Tomorrow said Emile to himself. rs Sunday,
and mother will he at the cemetery Il will be quite
safe to meet her there So he sent message to her
is bit cxctabe" Charlots preamble was in the nature
OF crcumlocution, but he ended By telling Jeanne all
he knew and little more. Hes q good fellow all the
same said Chariot, when he in the blazing eyes
and white face of the mother the terrible effect OF his
story. OF its joke what he's done Sacred
Emile! very bad joke anyway He did not know
when he was well off. Sacred Emile'
At the cemetery Madame Duvernoy dressed in
the deep mourning she always wore when she visited
the Sergeans grave Her face buried in her hands
At first she did little but weep and shake her head.
Tell everything the mother insisted if she
did not already know ALL
They treated me with injustice, mother said Emile,
land | cannot stand thatW
There is much injustice in the world sobbed his
mother. "The world isn't perfect
It's good going back to the regiment; it
would be folly said Emile.
The mother shook her head violently in contradiction.
~ hou must, thou must go back. whatever happens.
It's thy duty, my little Emile Thy honor bids thee;
Thou must submit to thy punishment like brave lad
Emile after pause Mother | am leaving for
Brussels tonight, There's the ticket be bought.
Canst thou give me some money, just little; With
The Mother: Help thee to run awaya Thou know
est not what thou aSkest, my poor Emile Then
who is lying here would rise from the grave range
both ii he could know that ! had helped thee 90 de-
sert from the army beray thy country to break thy
word OF honor. Oh, mon Dieu, mon Dieu, the honor
that he held so dear"
Mother" insisted the lad, in hoarse whisper III
I go back it is the Conee dc Gacrrc (courtmartiaD
that will Judge me. have been absent six whole DAYS.
Do you hear? six whole days! l am deserter! And
they will have no PITY IF is because they have acted
will they admit themselves to have been in the
wrong. There is black mark against me. ! am cont
signs And 50 its Brlbi for me"
The word struck straight to the mothers heart Ptre
Ch5rubins widow felt an icy tii through all her veins
he had gained, "BiriM!