The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1914-09-24

he stopped, saluted, called q word. II
was not a day to AXE anything for
granted; Colonel Cousrd halted the
regiment,
1.-THE arsenal" the man gasped.
They have taken Monsieur de persignv
prisoner. Monsieur lie General VoiroI
is on his way, but he is distant. 1t ia,
a step from here. The Third artillery
could arrive there before him-they
would Observation-Disclosures de Persfgnyt
less.
The colonel turned an inquaring look
on Francois. AS The princes messen-'
ger. as the man whom he had seen clos
est to the princes person, he deferred
to hiTn. and Francois realized that he
must make, and make quickly. a mo
mentous decision.
Inc arsenal was immense and Nightly
guarded. De P~ersigny had beer sent
with a small force to take it, for the
ammunition 1t held might at any mo-
ment De of supreme Importance. 1t
seemed that the detachment which
guarded 1T had been u~nderrated, for it
Aad made prisoners of De Persigny and
ms men, and this aide-de-camp had
alone escaped. If they were to be-
rescued, If the arsenal was TO be gained
Tor the prince, this very moment must
be seized. General Voiroi, royalist. the
commandment at Boulonge, was on his
way with reinforcements and the
against him put not gain ~
from him, with his whole being con-
centrated Francois thought. The or
ders We're plain-to lead the third artil-
lery to join the Prince on the mpa
But there are times in history when n.
obey orders is treachery. was NOT This
moment heavy with the right or wrong
OIL his decision one of them? Was il
not the part of a mind capable of great
ness 70 know and grasp the flying sec
ono or opportunity? Would not the
Prlnce reproach him, If he stupidly LET
this one chance in a thousand go nv
for servile fear of disobeying ordersp
He had left his H%ighness safe with two
regiments at his back; this other could
90 othln at the Place dalton bar
a turn of a hand. they might win for
the cause the very blood and bones of
success, a mighty arsenal. and for
themselves honor and gratitude from
their Emperor. In Francois mind was
a touch Of innocent vanity that ha.
should have the power to render so sig
na' a service, yet no thought at all for
himself or for the honor he might ain
or lose; whole-heartedly he weighed the
reasons why or why not it would be
best for the Prince.
me aide-de-camp's voice broke in.
My Colonel, 1 beg you, T implore YOU.
save Monsieur de Persigny. The Prince
loves hlm-he will be very angry if he
left helpless-they threaten to X e
cut hint myself heard-T inplore
you, Monsieur lie Colonel. For the rest,
Is indeed the momen of fate to win
the arsenal
Francois face lit with a fire of de-
c1s1on. My Colonel, it is for the
Prlnee-it would be his will we must
let slip the gift of destiny. To the
And while orders rang out sharply
and the regiments wheeled into slidinE
lines that doubled and parted and
flowed together again in an elastic
Francois, with a quick word to De Per,
aide-de-camp, was writing rap
idly on a bit of paper.
you will take this to the Prince at
once, he ordered, and the young Off
Ger saluted, for he, too, knew, as most
OF them did this mans anomalous yet
strong hold on Prince Louis.
Francois rode again to the colonel's
side. and he did not doubt that he had
decided rightly.