Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1914-12-24
BRAVE MISS BROWN
BY II. N. EeBERT.

NSOpyriBHt, 1919, ny w. VI. SHdpHiaH.|
mo, madam, 1t is impossible to OBJ
tain railroad accommodation" ex-
planned the ticket seller to Miss
Amanda Brown for the tenth time.
YEARLY. you see," he added, with
what was meant to be fnality, "all
the trains In Germany have been
requisitioned for the conveyance Of
troops"
smiled Miss Brown, that l am an
American citizen, and I'm going to
leave for Paris tonight, war or no
war"
The American woman Is a tradition
upon the continent of Europe, and
Miss Brown was soon the center OF q
curious crowd, which had begun to
jeer her when Miss Brown, selling the
nearest Of the station l~oafers. shook
him until his head nearly fell off his
shoulders.
However, 1t is one thing to shake a
station loafer and another to shake
the German government. Miss Aman-
da Brown, who claimed to be from
Boston, could not secure any accom-.
mediation to Paris by rail.
The little frontier village Of Stur-
WITT, which was ~momentarily expect
ing the arrival Of the first detachment
to entrain for the camp, ten miles
further, on the debatable border line,
was quite worked up about Miss
Brown. A middle-aged art student,
she insisted that her niece was wait.
ing for her in Paris. The town would
gladly have got rid Of her, but orders
were strict-foreigners who wished
to cross the border must walk or
drive, no railroad passages could be
supplied.
" don't care anything about your
ORDERS" said Miss Brown defiantly,
settling the spectacles firmly upon her
nose. 81 got shunted here from Stuff.
CART, and it's up to the government to
find me a train"
The military governor threw up his
hands in despair. you might as well
ask me to find q train for General
Fevert," he said.
= Next to Miss Brown General Fevert
was the question Of the hour-or,
rather, his whereabouts. A French
officer of the highest distinction, and
reputed the best tactician in Europe.
he had been taking a cure at an un'
fashionable German watering place
when war was declared. II the Ger
man government could lay hands on
him before he crossed the frontier II
would be worth, they calculated in
Berlin, q hundred thousand men.
The frontier was being combed
fine for revert, but thus far he had
succeeded in avoiding arrest
Miss Brown, bafled, would not &C
knowledge defeat.
well, get me a buggy, then" she
conceded.
The military governor laughed. "You
might as well ask for a horse" he
answered.
." can ride" said the American
woman fiercely.
Unfortunately" said the governor
suavely, every horse and wagon is
taken over by the German govern
ment." And then he pondered deeply
He vas seriously troubled about
Miss Brown. He had gathered, from
words she had casually let drop, that
she was related to somebody attached
to the American legation at Vienna. II
would never do to create an interna
tional difficulty with the United States
I'll tell you what I can do" he said
to her. my little daughter has a don
key cart. The donkey is old and
was going to have him killed. Do YOU
think you can drive him across the
frontier? Then you'll be out of my
Jurisdiction and will have to throw
yourself upon the mercies Of the
French"
Never mind the mercy" answered
Miss Brown. where's the donkey
cart?"
Half an hour later Miss Amands
Brown, having grudgingly tipped hel
hotel porter, was to be seen seated In
the donkey cart. with an enormous
old-fashioned portmanteau, vending
her way toward the frontier. The
crowd accompanied her to the edge
of the town, jeering, but keeping Out
of reach of the whip she piled alter
nately upon the slow old donkey ant
upon the shoulders of those who ven
tured too near. And so Miss Brown
disappeared into the twilight.
The military governor had given all
the time he could spare to Miss
Brown. He gave her no further
thought. When an outpost tele
graphed a while later, announcing the
arrival OF a mad, middle-aged Ameri
can woman, driving a Glow old donkey
ten miles beyond the town, and in
uuired what was to be done with her
he consigned her Geographically to an
unnamable place and dismissed hel
from his mind forever.
This was as well, because the troops
came up on the night train and
marched out to attack the French al
dawn. When day broke the Germans
In their trenches, were answering q
pcvOMn nr orAooa