Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-07-20
CHAPTER XIV
The Marne-and After

,syTNHATS awkward, SIR" said the cor
| J. poral. as the detachment moved off into
the night, leaving the motorcar's acetylene
lamps still blazing merrily
"Why 'awkward'?" demanded Dalroy.
| BECAUSE when we fellows met In n wood
| near Nome, we agreed that we'd stick to-
! gether and fight to a finish but II any man
| strayed by accident. or got hit so badly that
| he couldn't march, he took his chances and
the rest went on.
quite right. How does that aHect 'he
| present situation?"
"Well. sir" said Bates. after a pause,
| .,here's YOU an the lady. Our chaps are
| interested. II / may say it. You ought to
have heard their langwdge, even In whis'
pers when that--well. ! can't can MN any
thing much worse than what he was, a
cnrman oficer-when he was telling you
off, sir" ,, Gar
geant?" put in Irene innocently'
corporal. your ladyshp. Corporal Bates
of the I'd Bluffs"
"Im sorry to have to interrupt" said
DaIroy. you must give Lady Irene fulI
account some other time, II you are pan.
nine 70 cross the scheldt tonight there ID
n lang march before you. We part com
nanv at the lane you spoke Of. leave her
iodvship In the care Of you and your men
with the greatest confidence. MAKE TOT
Oosterzeeie II Jan Maertz Is prisoner
,,ust do what lies In my power TO rescue
him If ! fail, III folio" on anu fepo' ~
Gand in the morning"
For a little while none spoke. The otner
man marched in silence, safeguard whicn
thev had made rigid rule whle piercing
their way by night through an unknown
country held by an enemy VINO wouiG no'
have given quarter to any English soldier
rates was really a very sharp Fellow lie
hod serse enough to know that he had said
enough already. Dalroys use OF lfenes
t,tie conveyed a hint Of complications rather
beyond the ken OF one whose acquaintance
Win the facts was limited to an overheard
nn,,arsa lion between strangers Moreover,
soldier that ne was, the corporal realized
,hat one of his own officers was not only
deliberately risking his life In order to
save that Of a Belgian peasant but feit IN
honor bound 10 do no less
Go Irene was left TO tread ths narrow
n..h unaided To her lasting credit, she
reither fiincbed nor faltered'
..yve NAV find II difficult t. reach Gand,
-. III wait for you In Ostend, Arthur"
she said composedly,
Now these two young people had Just
n.en snatched from death. or worse, In
,aanner which, a few weeks earlier. the
iaast critical reader OF romantic fiction
,,nuId have denounced as so wildly improb-
ah,e that imagination boggled AT II. Irene,
TOO had unmistakaby told the man who
had never utteren WoIo oi '"o ioNc Nlat
was consuming him that neither rank nor
wealth could interpose any barrier between
them. It was hard, almost unbearable,
thst they should be parted In the very hour
when freedom might truly come with the
dawn.
,ore he dared trust his voice. Even then,
he biurted out not the measured agreement
yhich his brain dictated. but prayer from
his very heart. MAY God bless and guard
vou. dear 4" was what he said, and Irenes
yyesnonse was choked by a pitiful little sob.
suddenly Dalroy, whose hearing was
cuickened by the training Of indian shikar.
touched the corporai's c-m and stood fast,
bates gave q peculiar click In his throat
snd the squad halted. each mans feet re-
raining In whatever position they hap
raned 10 be at the moment.
sHoroes coming this way" breathed
~ ~ -: !: ..ss \. \: