The Connecticut labor press. (New Haven, Conn.) 191?-1921, 1920-10-16
By A. CONAN DOYLE

fightings and slaughterings by land
and by sea, it was natural enough to
think that they were vicious by ma
ture and i'll to meet with. But then,
after all, they had only heard of US
in just the same fashion, and so, no
doubt, they had just the same idea
of us. But when we came to go
through their country and to see their
bonny little steadings, and the douce,
quiet folk at work in the fields, and
the women knitting by the roadside,
and the old granny with. a big white
smutch smacking the baby to teach it
manners, it was all SO homelike that
1 could not think why it was that we
had been fearing and hating these good
people for so long. But I suppose that,
in truth, it was really the man who
was over them that we hated, and now
that he was gone, and his great shadow
was cleared from the land, all was
brightness once more.
We logged along happily enough
through the loveliest country that ever
/ set my eyes on, until we came to
the great city, where we thought that
maybe there would be a battle, for
there are so many folk in it that ii
only one in twenty comes out 1t would
make a fine army. But by that time
they had seen that it was pity to
spoil the whole country just for the
sake of one man, and so they had told
him that he must shift for himself IN
the future. The next we heard was
that he had surrendered to the British,
and that the gates of Paris were open
to us, which was very good news to
me. for I could get along very well
just now on the one battle that l had
had.
But there were plenty of folk in
Paris now who loved Boney, and that
was natural when you think of the
glory that he had brought them, and
how he had never asked his army to
go where he would not go himself.
They had stern enough faces, for US,
can tell you, when we marched in, and
we of Adams brigade were the very
first who set foot in the city. We
passed over bridge which they call
Neuilly, which is. easier to write than
to say, and then through a fine park,
the Bots de Boulogne, and so into
the Champs dElysees. There we
biyouacked, and pretty soon the streets
were so full of Prussians and Eng
lish that it became more like a camp
than a city.
The very first time that 1 could get
away / went with Rob Stewart, of my
go about in couples-to the Rue
Miromesnil. Rob waited in the hall,
and I was shown upstairs, and as l.
put my foot over the mat there was
Cousin Edie, just the same as ever,
staring at me with those wild eyes of
hers. For a moment she did not rec
ognize me, but when she did she just
took three steps forward and sprang
at me with her two arms round my
neck.
'sOh, my dear old Jack - she cried,
show fine you look in a red coat!''
''Yes, lam soldier now, Edie, said
1, very stiffiy, for as / looked at her
pretty face 1 seemed to see behind it
that other face which had looked up
to the morning sky on the Belgian
battle field.
Fancy that y she cried what are
you then. Jock? A general? cap
tain?"
mo, / am private"
what! Not one of the common
people who carry guns?"
.'Yes, / carry a gum
"Oh, that is not nearly so interest
ing" said she, and she went back to
the sofa from which she had risen. 1t
was wonderful room, all silk and
velvet and shiny things, and felt in
clined to go back to give my boots
another rub. AS Edie sat down again
saw that she was all in black, and
so / knew that she had heard of De
Lissac's death.
81 am glad to see that you know ALL
said /. "for / am a clumsy hand at
breaking things. He said that you
were to keep whatever was in the
boxes, and that Antoine had the keys"
'"Thank you, Jock, thank YOU" said
she. "It was like your kindness to
bring the message. heard of it nearly
a week ago. I was mad for the time
quite mad. I shall wear mourning all
my days, although you can see what
fright it makes me look. All, I shall
never get over it. shall take the veil
and die in a convent"
eff you please, madame" said
maid, looking in, ''the Count de Beton
wishes to see you"
MY dear jock" said Edie, jumping
up, ''this is very important. I am so
sorry to cut our chat short, but I am
sure that you will come to see me
again, will you not, when I am less
desolated. And would you mind going
out by the side door instead of the
main one? Thank you, you dear old
Jock; you were always such a good
boy, and did exactly what you were
told"
And that was the last was ever to
see of Cousin Edie. She stood in the
sunlight with the old challenge in her
eyes and flash of her teeth, and so /
shall always remember her, shining
and unstable like drop of quicksilver
AS joined my comrade in the street
below saw fine carriage and pair at
the door, and / knew that she had
asked me to slip out SO that her grand |
new friends might never know what |
people she had been associ-
ated with in her childhood. She had
never asked for Jim, nor for my father
and mother, who had been so kind to
her. Well. it was Just her way, and |
she could no more help it than rab- |
hit can hclr@ n ppiDp IFS sent and vet |