New-York tribune., 1918-04-28

THE sergeant handed the captain
list of men whose turn had
come to have few days leave.
The officer, glancing at it hastily, no.
ticed one name scratched off.
"Why did you strike off Robelot?"
"At his own request, captain. He
told me that he didn't want to take
any leave"
THAT is strange; several times he
has asked for leave, and he seemed to
be waiting for his turn with great i'm
patience. Did he give you any reason
for changing his mind?"
"No, captain; l know only one thing.
Robelot received letter from home
this morning, and after reading it he
seemed much upset. He kept saying,
Well, l never expected that l tried
to get him to talk. But he wouldn't
give me any satisfaction. He only
told me that it was necessary to cross
his name off. His mind seemed to be
SO firmly made up that l did what he
asked"
"You did right. Some one else can
take his place. Is Robclot married ?"
eyes, captain"
"Well, here is the list" said the Of
ficer, handing the sergeant back the
paper, to which he had attached his
signature.
The men taking their furloughs went
away without Robelot. The latter con-
tinued to labor under a good deal of
excitement. But the other soldiers
didn't know why. If he talked cocoa
sionally to himself about it, he never
talked at all to them.
The captain meeting him off duty
could not resist questioning him.
"Well, Robelot, I see that you are
now anything but anxious to go on
leave"
eyes, captain"
"You have your reasons?"
"Certainly."
"They must be weghty. At your
age one thinks things over"
eyes. One has his own ideas"
The officer saw that the soldier was
determined to keep his reasons to him
self. So he dropped the subject.
Some days later the battalion left
the cantonment in the rear and re-
sumed its service in the first-linc
trenches. Robelot no longer seemed
the same man as before He had al
ways been brave soldier, doing his
duty faithfully, but in the spirit of
man who, without recoiling from dam
ger, does not think that it is neces-
sary to take extra risks. Now he be-
gan to exhibit passionate energy, and
from the way in which he talked about
the Boches and about his desire to
break their heads one would have sus-
pccted that he was eager to avengc
some personal injury.
circumstances were not such as to
postpone for long the realization Of
his designs on the enemy, if he really
had such designs. In fact, at the
front there is never anything like rea!
inaction. Every day soldiers of the
first line risk their lives.
The sector to which Robelot's bat
talon was assigned was particularly
active at that moment. Whenever an
offensive of the enemy threatened
Robelot was always ready to repulse
it. When an action was under way he
could scarcely be restrained. The SER
gcant, who never let him get out Of
sight, was more than once obliged to
caution him to be careful.
"On my word" he said to the others,
zone would believe that he is trying to
get killed."
He spoke to Robelot:
"You know, old man, that it is very
bad to expose ones self the way you do.
The good soldier ought to kill and not
get killed"
"To whom are you saying that, SER
geant? I have no desire to die"
Robelot's comrades could not under
stand him at all. But presently they
had Il still greater cause for astonish
ment. One night tho captain went into
the trench and asked for volunteer
TO creep out in front of the lines and
observe an unusual movement of
small group Of Germans who appeared
to be preparing something little dis
tance away.
LET me co." said Robelot. Cap
tain, you cannot refuse me this re-
quest!"
"Go, and be prudent" said tho cap