The Tomahawk. [volume] (White Earth, Becker County, Minn.) 1903-192?, 1915-12-23

tive faces. Something was hooting
high overhead. ..
Crash!
Night fell. A thousand tons of earth
seemed to rise up and strike him.
Scovell gasped for breath. He fought
with fury to worm his way through tho
overwhelming mass. He was aware
of fragments of debris that had once
been flesh and blood about him. He
found the free air, drew in a breath,
struggled out of the immense crater
made by the shell.
In the center Of the hole lay the mu-
| tilated and mangled bodies of the Off
GERS who had comprised the court-mar-
tial.
And suddenly Scovell realized that
he was free. None but the party knew
that he had slept. They had placed
nobody on guard in his stead. He had
not been absent more than quarter
| of an hour If he hurried he could be
back in time for his relief!
He was about to hurry down the
empty trench when he saw piece of
paper fluttering on the ground beside
| the body of the general. He picked
it up. The sky was family illuniined
by the light Of distant star Shells
Somewhere in the distance the artil-
lery was booming. Scovell could just
| make out the meaning Of the paper.
It was in German and contained a
number of rough diagrams which he
| ho1 RI ho Mo nf tho German
| trenches.
He must deliver the document as
soon as he was relieved, to his head:
quarters.
He waited no longer, but started Oh
as fast as he could go. AS ne ran he
remembered that the officer who had
disarmed him had thrown his rifle
| down beside him.
Five minutes later Scovell, breath
loss and overjoyed, resumed his soli
tary post among the trees. The sweat
streamed down his face as he thought
of his escape. What an escape!
But then-the document! He mus
in duty deliver that at headquarters.
| No doubt it was of the utmost conse-
| quence. The death Of the general and
| the destruction Of his aids by the
German shell occurring, as it had done,
in lonely spot, could not be known.
| Though it meant death 20 tell the
| truth Scovell must tell it.
For the sake of France, to whom he
| had sworn fealty, whom he had so
nearly betrayed, he must confess. He
! fingered the document in his tunic
! pocket and shuddered with horror as
| he realized the meaning of his duty.
And he thought again Of the girl in
Boston.
Halt! Who goes there?"
At once he was the alert, keen SOL
der again. The man who had come
| with the corporal to relieve him gave
the countersign. Scovel1 went through
the formula of the relief drearily. Then
he accompanied the nOncOm. back to
| the trenches.
| Ten minutes later he was standing
in the presence of the general in COM
mand. And he poured out his story OF
| treachery and sudden death.
He told the general everything in
| the broken French that the boy had
acquired during his short terr1 in
| France. At the end, without ASKING
for his life, he handed him the docu-
ments.
The general pressed bell upon the
little camp table and directed the or
derby who appeared to summon the
colonel of the Ninth. A few minutes
! afterward the two men were porting
over the document, head to head, and
| Scovell was entirely forgotten.
| He waited. Death meant not much,
and life-well, he had long since re-
signed the prospects Of long life. But
to be kept waiting for the death order
was unnerving. He waited.
Long afterward, as it seemed, the
general raised his head and looked at
him with an inscrutable expression in
his eyes.
"Private Scovell, you say that a
shell burst near you when you were On
sentry duty and killed group of OIL
| GERS whom you had not Observed?" ne
asked.
"No, sir. T."
"Whom you would undoubtedly have
challenged a moment later" the gen
eral continued.
Scovell's heart leaped. At last he
understood The general was dellper'
ately misunderstanding him. He meant,
then, to find an excuse as g. reward
for his discovery of the paper.
eyes. sir" he Stammered.
! The general clapped him on the
shoulder. "You have done WE'LL he
said. "Those officers whom you OBJ
served were German spies; this doc
ument is a complete description OF
our defenses, and would undoubtedly
in time have reached the hostile head
quarters and resulted seriously for rs
Your act shall not be forgotten, Cor
poral Scovell.''
And, in the midst of his bewilder'
ment. Scoyelps mind went back with
| hone Tn the girl of BOSton-nJt neces