The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1914-04-17

tering. chasing him from tree to
shrub. -
Speed" i shouted-"the sailors
from the Fer-de-Lance!a
] had picked up rifle with q bro
ken bayonet; the countess, claspEng
my left arm; stood swaying in the
rife smoke, eyes closed; and. when
a horrid screeching arose from the
depths of the garden where they were
destroying Tric-Trac, she fell to shud-
dering, aiding her face on my shout
der.
Suddenly Speed appeared. carrying
q drenched little figure. partly wrapped
in q sailors pea-jacket. slim limbs
dropping, blue with cold
put out that fire III there" he
said, hoarsely; "we must get her into
bed. Hurry, for Gods sake, Scarlet!
There's nobody In the housed"
"Jacquelinel, Jacqueline! brave lit
tie Bretonne." murmured the count
ess, bending forward and gathering
the unconscious child into her strong,
young arms.
A fresh company of sailors passed
on the double. rifles trailing, their Of
ficer shouting encouragement. And
as we came in view Of the semaphore,
saw the signal tower on fire from
base to top. The. marines fred stead
lily from the windows above us.
They want the Red Terror!" laughed
the sailors. They shall have i'll"
Blackened. scorched. almost suffo-
Gated, staggered back to the tearoom,
where the countess stood clasping JAG
queline, huddled in a blanket, and
smoothing the child's wet curls away
from face as white as death.
Together we carried her back
through the smoking hallway, up the
stairs to my bedroom, and laid her in
the bed.
The child opened her eyes as we
drew the blankets.
Where is Speed?" she asked. dream
lily.
A moment later he came in, and she
turned her head languidly and smiled
"JacQueline! Jacqueline!" he whis-
pered, bending close above her.
do you love me, Speed?"
"Ah, Jacqueline," he stammered,
more than you can understand"
.
Late that night the light cavalry
from Lorient rode into Paradise. At
dawn the colonel, established in the
mayory, from whence its foolish occu-
pant had fed, sent for Speed and me,
and when we reported he drew from
his heavy dolman our commissions, re-
storing us to rank and pay in the regi-
ment de marche which he commanded
At sunrise had babe good-by to the
sweetest woman on earth; at noon we
were miles to the westward. riding
like demons on Buckhurst's heavy
trail
am not sure that we ever saw him
again, though once, weeks later, Speed
and and a dozen hussars gave chase
to mounted man near st. Brieuc,
and that man might have been Buck
hurst. He led us a magnificent chase
straight to the coast. where we rode
plump into a covey of Prussian hus-
sars, who were standing on their sad
dies, hacking away at the telegraph
wires with their heavy, curved sabers.
That was our first and last sight Of
the enemy in either Prussian or COM
munistic guise, though in the long, ter
rible days and nights of that winter
Of II, when three French armies froze.
and the white death, not the Prus-
slams, ended all for France, rumors of
instruction came to us from the starv-
ing capital, and we heard of the red
flag flying on the Hotel-de-Ville, and
the rising of the carbineers under
Flourens; and some spoke of the lead
er of the insurrection and called him
John Buckhurst.
Then. for three blank, bitter months.
freezing and starving. the First regi-
ment de marche of Lorient Hussars
stood guard at Brest over the dia-
monds of the crown of France.