Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-12-14
CHAPTER |
The Renegade

Inc henegdde
LIEUTENANT ALBERT WERPER
- had only the prestige of the name
he had dishonored to thank for his
narrow escape from being cashiered
At first he had been humbly thankful.
too, that they had sent him to this
God-forsaken Congo post instead of
court.martialing him, as he had so
( justly deserved; but now six months
OF the monotony. the frightful isola
tion. and the loneliness had wrought a
change.
The young man brooded continuous.
~ over his fate. His days were filled
with morbid self.pity, which eventu.
ally engendered in his weak and va.
cillating mind a hatred for those who
had sent him here--for the very men
he had at first inwardly thanked for
saving him from the ignominy of de.
gradation.
He regretted the gay life of Brussels
as he never had regretted the sins
which had snatched him from that
gayest of capitals, and as the days
passed he came to center his resent.
ment upon the representative in
Congoland of the authority which had
exiled him-his captain and immediate
superior.
This officer was cold taciturn man,
inspiring little love in those directly
beneath him, yet respected and feared
by the black soldiers of his little com.
mand
Werper was accustomed to sit for
hours glaring at his superior as the
two sat upon the veranda of their
common quarters, smoking their eve
ming cigarette in a silence which
neither seemed desirous of breaking.
The senseless hatred of the leuten.
ant grew at last into form of mania.
The captains natural taciturnity he
distorted into a studied attempt to in
suit him because of his past short
comings. He imagined that his supe-
rior held him in contempt, and so
he chafed and fumed inwardly until
one evening his madness became sud-
denly homicidal. He fingered the butt
of his revolver at his hip, his eyes
narrowed, and his brows contracted.
At last he spoke.
you have insulted me for the last
time!" he cried, springing to his feet
II am an officer and a gentleman, and
shall put up with it no longer with.
out an accounting from you, you pig"
The captain, an expression of sur
prise upon his features, turned to-
ward his Junior. He had seen men
before with the jungle madness upon
them-the madness of solitude and
unrestrained brooding, and perhaps a
touch of fever.
He rose and extended his hand to
lay it upon the others shoulder. Quiet
words of counsel were upon his lips ;
but they We're never spoken. Werper
y constructed his superior's action into
an atta@pt to close with him. His
revolveF<was on a level with the cap.
tain's heart, and the latter had taken
but step when Werper pulled the
trigger.
Without a moan the man sank to
the rough planking of the veranda
and as he fell the mists that hat
clouded werper's brain lifted, so thai
he saw himself and the deed that ht
had done in the light that those who
must judge him would see them.
He heard excited exclamations from
the quarters of the soldiers and h,
heard men running in his direction
They would seize him, and If they
didn't kill him they would take hin
down the Congo to a point where
properly ordered military tribuna
Z would do so Just as effectively, though
In a more regular manner.
Werper had no desire to die. Never
before had he so yearned for life a
IN this moment that he had so effec
lively forfeited his right to live. TIL,
men were nearing him. What was n
70 do? He glanced about as though
searching for the tangible form OF
legitimate excuse for his crime; pu
he could find only the body of tn
man he had so causelessly shot down
In despair, he turned and fed iron
the oncoming soldiery. Across tn
comround he ran. his revolver stil
ciutched tightly in his hand. At tn
GafsS q sentry halted him.
Werper did not pause to parley o
70 exert the influence of his commits
szon---he merely raised his weapon an
aliot down the innocent black. A me
uzent later the fugitive had torn ope
the gates and vanished into the blacl
nces OF the jungle, but not before h
Had transferred the rifle and ammun
tlon belts OF the dead sentry to hi
oVu person.
An that night werper fed furthe
cd farther into the heart Of the vii
41e4s New and again the voice o
~ 4rsuxht him to . listening halt
eeakcd ana f>ad{ ~ b