Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-07-16
CHAPTER XII-tContInued)

1
- him to assist Irene but such passing
thoughts were as straws in a whirlwind,
lie bent his wits to the one problem. He
was lost. Could he save her? Heaven
alone would decide A poor mortal might
only pray for guidance as to the right
course.
Inside the tumbledown barn the light
was bad 40 the prisoners we're halted IN
the doorway and score of troopers gath
cred around. They were not, on the whole,
a rufianly set Every man bore the stamp
Of a trained soldier; the device of skull
and cross-bones worked In white braid on
their hussar caps gave them an imposing
and martial aspect.
Here YOU are" announced the burly
Georg, producing frayed sheet Of paper.
Let's see-there's six of 'em. Henri Joos'
miller, aged siXty-tive, five feet three
inches. Elizabeth Joos, his wife, aged
forty-five. Leontine Joos, daughter aged
nineteen, plump, good-looking, black eyes
and hair, clear complexion red cheeks. Jan
MaGrtz carter, aged twenty-siX, height five
feet eight inches, a Walloon, strongly built.
Arthur Dalroy, captain in British army,
about six feet in height, of athletic phy-
sique, blue eyes, brown hair very good
teeth. regular features An English girl,
name unknown aged about twenty, very
good-looking. and of elegant appearance
and carriage Eyes believed brown, and
hair dark brown. Fairly tall and slight,
but wcll-formed. These latter Cthe Eng
| ish) speak German and French. lhe glri,
| in particular, uses good German huently
"CIicli"' calculated Franz, initiating the
snapping Of a pair of handcuffs. shave
| that fellow and rig out the lady in her
| ordinary togs, and you've got them TO the
dots on the is who are the first two for
! patrol?'
\ couple of men answered.
Franz
| .'but Won must hoof It TO Oosterzeele, ana
! Law Jan Maertz by the heels. You saw
| him. | suppose? You may even PICK MN
| mn on the road. If you do, bring nm PACK
here Georg, ride into OomoerBeh' Hu"M
| an officer that extract from the Argenteau
| notice and get hold Of a transport Ihese
prisoners are of the utmost Importance
Irene who lost no syllable of this DIRE
| s,t investigation had recovered her self
| controI She turned to Dalroy Her eyes
were shining with the light which, IN
woman, could have only one meanl1s' ..r
| Forgive me, dear " she murihuIeu'
| fear | am TO blame, ! was SeihS"'
might have saved Sou-, -..., 49,.
| oornora1 "You go inside, Fraulein You
oan sit on a broken ladder near the door
| The horses won't hurt you. As for .you'
| Mr.. Captain, you're sHPPelS i'''"' '0
we'll hobble you"
| DoIrov knew il was useless to do other
! ,bon falI in with the orders given. He did
| NOT try to answer Irene, but merely looked
| az her and smiled. Was ever smile more
| aIoouent? II was at once message OF
| undving love and farewell. Possibly, he
| r,igbt never see her again. But the bitter
| ,,ass Of anproaching death, enhanced as II
! ,,,os nv the knowledge that he should not
| hoya allowed himself to drift blindly into
| this omen net was assuaged in one vital
particular. The woman he loved was abso-
! IuteIy safe now from set OF lcentlous
! brutes She might be given life ana Ib-
| ertv. when brought before some respon-
sible military court he would tell the plain
| truth. suppressing only such facts as would
| tend 70 incrimlnate their good friends In
! Verviers and Huy. Not even a board Of
| Gernnan officers could find the girl guilty
| of killing Busch and his companions, ana
| this he imagined, was the cause or the nue.
| and cry raised by the authorities, How de-
| terr,ined the hunt had been was shown by
| the changed demeanor of the corporal. The
| man was almost oppressed by the magnl-
| tude of the capture. Dalroy was convinced
| that II was not the monetary reward which
| affected him. Probably this young nom
| commissioned officer saw certain promotion
ahead and that, TO a German Is an all
| sufficing inducement.
| The prisoners hands were tied behind
| bis hack and the same rope was adjusted
| around waist and ankles in such wise that
! ,,ovep,ent was limited to moderately short
| stems. But Herr Franz did not hurt him
| needIesslv Rather was he bent on taking
| care of him. Throwing a cavalry cloak
| over the Englishmans shoulders he said,
"You can squat against the wall and keep
| out of the rain, If you wish"
| Dalroy obeyed without a ward He felt
| inexplicably weary In that unhappy hour
body and soul alike were crushed. But the
cloud lifted soon. His spirit was the spirit
Of the immortals II raised itself out OF the
slough of despond,
The day was closing in rapidly; lowering
clouds and steady rain conspired 10 rob the
sun of part of his prerogatives. At Z
o'clock 1t would be dark, whereas the alma
nae fixed the close of the day at eight. II
was then about half-past six,
| Resolutely casting off the torpor which
had benumbed his brain after parting frbn
the woman he loved, Dalroy looked about
him. The hussars. some twenty all told
reduced now to seventeen since the messen,
gers had ridden of without delay, were
gathered in a knot around the corporal
Some Of their horses were tethered II
the barn, others were picketed outside.
Scraps OF talk reached him.
This will be plume gin your cap
Franz"
hlthy hole like this Almachtig!"
what are they? Spies?"
"Didnt YOU hear2 They stabbed Maio
Busch with a stable fork. Jolly old Buscl
--one of the best !"
phallan commlssariat wounding a third
eTha devil Was there a fehtlr
N8ome OF The fellows said Busch and th
,lhar. rnIIni have been drunk"