The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1913-04-15
DECENTRALIZATION
How French Lieutenant Came
Back TO Life for Honor
Of France.

OF france.
But 1t Is impossible. Mademoi
oelle!" SAID NJ. Andre Brouet, editor
Of the Clarion. swinging round in his
chair and looking at the American
girl intently. Outside the pale sun o.
Paris fall was gliding the walls ant
buildings of the avenue. mo, It wa,
an hallucination. Mademoiselle!" b,
reiterated. you cannot have seer
Monsieur the Lieutenant Savard. fol
the brave young man Hes. fathom,
deep. OF the Moorish shores"
Il saw him." answered the Ameri
can girl. nervously lingering the pear
Brooch which contrasted painfully with
her black mourning gown. Il met
aim in the street. dressed like q com.
mon man-and he cut me-"
"Impossible! muttered the editor.
but his face became more grave. IT
Il could be possible" he said.
'Mademoiselle, leave the matter in my
hands. If he be inside Paris. assured.
" my men shall have discovered him
BY nightfall will communicate with
you again."
Three hours later Monsieur Brouet
discovered the lieutenant, dressed a.
. laborer. in the little Cafe de l'Eu.
rope, quite questionable resort
where nobody who is anybody would
30. even If he had heard of It.
Found, Monsieur Lieutenant" ex-
claimed the editor. "Ah. Monsieur.
what does this mean?"
Monsieur, l have never seen you
before. | am an honest bricklayer,"
responded Lieutenant Savard.
This is what had happened: three
weeks earlier Lieutenant Savard,
Bearer Of an historic name and pledg.
ed to Miss Smith, whose brother was
nrst secretary Of the American lega-
non, had sailed from Toulon for
Madagascar. in charge of the torpedo
destroyer Arcade, having under him
. punishment crew Of irreclaimable
scoundrels. destined for garrison duty
In that far-away. inhospitable island.
The lieutenant embraced Miss Elsie
Smith, waved his hand to her brother,
and, with an expression of forced gave.
u, mounted the bridge. and the ves.
eel departed.
Three nights later he awoke to find
himself looking into the mouth Of a
pistol lie was quickly bound and put
into a small boat With a water key
and few rations of biscuit he drifted
apon the surface Of the Mediterranean,
while the mutineors having first got
splendidly drunk. ran the Arcade
ashore upon Cape JUDY and persisted
with her there.
Lieutenant Savard was picked up
BY fishing boat and conveyed to Bar
celona. There he took the train for
Paris. arriving rnHnloes and dressed
Is common sailor When he sent In
his card to the admiralty head that
official came hurrying out in dismay.
"YOu!" he calculated. "You are liv-
ing! But what is 1t that has occurred!
Come In: tell me-"
He heard the lietena nt's story In
cold silence. Then he rang for the
eewspapers-twelve Of them-and set
nem before his visitor. In the black,
staring headlines. Lieutenant Savard
Earned that the Arcade was a wreck.
and that he standing upon the bridge,
had persisted nobly, as became an Of.
ncer Of France. A monument was to
be erected in his honor in the Champs
Elysees. The land rang with his
aame.
"Well?" inquired Savard. looking up
with smile.
SWELL" reiterated the head Of the
admiralty. "Do you not understand
that you are dead man? Mutiny on
. French warghip! II is impossible.
Monsieur For the honor of France
you must be dead forever!"
"But my friends"
"A dead man has no friends. Evap-
crate. accursed one! Become desic-
Gated! Blow away! Go anywhere.
but let none know that you are alive.
Or the republic perishes!"
With Savard duty was paramount.
He understood that ne. who owed his
Me to the humanity OF the dead mu. |
must hencefcrth be dead az
hey. That night he broke into his
quarters, removed the few valuables
nat he possessed together with lit.
he money. and took up his residence !
IN poor quarter Of the town.
But Lieutenant Savard could not re-
main inside his tiny room. The
thought of his ruined life, of his
nancee. irrevocably lest to him. filled
bis heart with terrible grief He
roamed the streets in laborer's guise.
striving desperately by physical weari.
ness to forget. to induce sleep. On
me such occasion. his steps uncon-
.ciously leading him in the direction
,f the embassy. near which Miss
Smith and her brother resided. he
ZANE face to face with her. |
His first impulse was to rush to her