The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1915-04-08
Take me-for the love or Godl"
'oseph still hesitated.

4 lin the absence Of orders to the con,
4 asary," Joseph says, II did as the old
3 IN requested ! carried him fifteen
i Nolneters to the northeast, and there
| left him at the crossroads OF Mes.
lsigny. which was well within our
| lines"
There will be occasion to quote 10
seph again, little later on; but be-
tween the time at which he stops and
the timo at which he begins again
there is hiatus Of several hours.
They were hours of lurid warfare
for the most part.
Then there came lull, with noise
and glare of battle rolling off to the
eastward like retreating thunder
storm.
The allied army, in this part of the
field, occupied the segment of vast
amphitheater. where the hills sloped
gently down to wide valley.
The lull strangely deepened. Some
thing was about to happen. The in
tuition, or telepathy, that sheds COM
mon feeling through vast masses Of
men was at work. Nerves strained,
muscles quivered, lungs labored. and
every pair of eyes that had that black
silhouette of ridge against the red
background in range was staring in
that direction-ready-ready for no
one knew what.
Then a single figure appeared.
It appeared out there on the ridge,
all alone-a short, stout figure in
long cloak and bicorne hat, majestic,
calm-the figure of Napoleon. It had
come out of the night. It had been
conjured up by the cannon.
The word spread, faltering, yet
rapid. from post to post and trench to
trench.
Napoleon!
1t came first from the noncommis-
stoned officers, the sergeants and the
corporals who were cheek by jowl
with their men, and who stared
through their binoculars, transfixed
Then it was seen that the higher Off
GERS were staring, too.
There were audible cries:
The emperor!"
Its Napoleon!"
Hes come to lead us!"
The CULVER, the thrill, was contagi-
GUS. 1t spread from company to COM
pany. from regiment to regiment, from
corps to corps. 1t revivified hope,
gloriied courage, gave an almost SUI
perhuman sense of confidence and
power.
Then there was the rush of an aerial
express train and shock of binding
thunder, as the enemy resumed the
bombardment.
Over the ridge where the figure OF
the emperor had appeared there came
a huge fash and rolling billow of
smoke, then darkness, then the quaver
of flame again, brighter than ever
where the weeds and brush had caught
fire.
He was still there!
There was rolling cheer.
As he was before, he was now
CAIN, commanding.
He turned to face tho long French
lines. Then, while the shrapneI burst |
overhead like rockets, and geysers of |
ire disgorged where other shells |
struck the ground, they saw him lift |
his hand In gesture that was both |
salute and benediction. Again the |
thunder-clouds Of smoke and fire had |
hidden him.
But the army was inspired, was |
straining now in frenzied eagerness. |
There came shrilling blast OF bugles
'or miles and miles, an infinite, food |
ing roar of cheers, and down the |
slopes and out across the valley to-
ward the ridge. and on, and on, and
IN, corps after corps Of exalted hearts
md reaching bayonets.
The army that had seen Napoleon
vas driving the enemy back from
Paris.
Let us take up the narrative Of Jo-
eph Dubois again.
He reports how he had followed the
ADVANCE of the allies almost to the
lew outposts they had thrown out,
md how, while the army was still hurl-
ng itself forward. he was constrained
0 return to Paris with dispatches.
He came to the ridge just beyond
he burning hamlet of (name deleted
" the censor) and there he found an
Id man, dressed like Napoleon"
wing grievously wounded by the road.
1T was the same old man had car
fed forward In the night" says Jo-
eph. This time he was wearing a
icorne hat and long cloak; but,
rom the silver plate on his neck,
new him for my invalid. So asked
i'm IL he wanted anything, and he
aid:
desire that my ashes-banks of
be Seine-this French people have Ii
D greatly loved
Il took him in my machine and car
led him back to Paris, where we ar