The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-12-16
Ninth? Answer now, for your life de-


Ninth? Answer now, for your life de-
pends-"
A blazing star shell suddenly dis
closed the scene to Scovell's eyes as If
it had been etched in white. He saw
the eager group about him, the atten
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 the
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 breath,
struggled out of the immense crater
made by the she'll
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 fiuttering on the ground beside
the body of the general. He picked
it up The sky was family illumined
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.
1t was in German and contained a
number of rough diagrams which he
trenches.
He must deliver the document as
soon as he was relieved, to his head
quarters.
He waited no longer, but started on
as fast as he could go. AS he ran he
remembered that the officer who had
disarmed him had thrown his rifle
down beside him.
Five minutes later Scovell, breath
less and overjoyed, resumed his soil
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 must
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 10 tell the
truth Scovell must tell it.
For the sake of France, to whom he
had sworn fealty, whom he had sc
nearly betrayed. he must confess. He
fingered the document in his tunit
pocket and shuddered with horror as
he realized the meaning OF his duty
And he thought again of the girl II
Boston.
Halt Who goes there?"
At once he was the alert, keen sol
, der again. The man who had COM
with the corporal to relieve him CAV
the countersign. Scovell went through
the formula of the relief drearily. Thel
he accompanied the noncom. back t.
the trenches.
Ten minutes later he was standing
in the presence of the general in CON
mand And he poured out his story G
treachery and sudden death.
He told the general everything 1
the broken French that the boy ha
If acquired during his short term /
10 France. At the end. without askin
o for his life, he handed him the doc'
ments.
K The general pressed bell upon tn
s, little camp table and directed the o
n derby who appeared to summon tn
'e colonel of the Ninth A few minute
st afterward the two men were PORN
ID over the document, head to head, an
Scovell was entirely forgotten.
He waited Death meant not nue.
and life-well, he had Tong since r
IN signed the prospects of long life. B'
u to be kept waiting for the death ord'
e. was unnerving. He waited.
Long afterward, as it seemed, II
general raised his head and looked
e. him with an inscrutable expression
"a his eyes.
Private Scovell, you say that
~ shell burst near you when you were
cd sentry duty and killed a group of OF
ys GERS whom you had not OBSERVER"
nv asked
mo, sir. l."
Whom you would undoubtedly ha'
challenged q moment later" the &c
eral continued.
Scovells heart leaped. At last
a! understood. The general was delib'
II ately misunderstanding him. He meal
then to find an excuse as Q rewa
es' for his discovery Of the paper.
III. Yes, sir" he stammered.
J. The general clapped him on t
ng shoulder You have done well,
said. Those officers whom you {
lty served we're German spies; this d'
he ument is complete description
ay our defenses, and would undoubteC
all i'm time have reached the hostile nei
as quarters and resulted seriously for
MS Your act shall not be forgotten, G.
poral Scovell.
gn And in the midst Of his bewild
ire ment, ScoveIl's mind went back "
- - mr.