Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1916-01-08

GERS WHO uaQ comprised Ine COuIt-udT-
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 a quarter
of an hour II he hurried he could be
back in time for his relief!
He was about to hurry down the
empty trench when he saw a piece of
paper fluttering 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
believed to be plans of the German
trenches.
He must deliver the document as
soon as he was relieved, to his head
quarters.
He waited no longer, but started off
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 1t had done.
in lonely spot, could not be known.
Though it meant death to 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. Scovell 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 term 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 we're on
sentry duty and killed group of off,
GERS whom you had not Observed" he
asked.
mo, sir /"
Whom you would undoubtedly have
challenged a moment later" the gen.
eral continued.
Scovell's heart leaped. At last he
understood. The general was deliber-
ately misunderstanding him. He meant,
then. to find an excuse as a 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 us.
Your act shall not be forgotten, Cor
poral Scovell."
And, in the midst of his bewilder-
ment, Scovell's mind went back with
hope to the girl of B0ston-not neces-
sarily of living to see her again, but
at least of dying with an untarnished
name.
Circumstances Alter Cases.
PAT Cassidy purchased a now au-