WAR STORIES.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVI, Issue 60, 11 March 1915, Page 10

WAR STORIES.

THE ESCAPE.

(By E. H. TBTMDfS.)

~ The deserter- sat- "up?"stretched: and -llinked his eyes at the fire. m ' 2 "Not morning yet. Corporal? ne tasked. '••Not yet. Etienne." - sleep; -17 have rhad bid jSreanis."" --■ - . -•- --.--. --• - -ThihUng of the colonels grim lace r flrhen he sees you,' eh. mon ami?" "- '-Xo; of the colonel's " j - He broke off, and looked sideways at ; -"-the-corporal. The"", jvjjispering -of-the . rtrrea-r-woria "was "alt -ihout-_and - even to . these two—soldiers inured to long night.. ; -watches in the presence of hostile arm- i -Ties—the sohnd-was eerie and diseomfort--anf The deserter shivered and looked Mahout him—at his waking companion -«lad in the "uniform of a Scarlet Lancer; 1 at "the forms of two troopers -wrapped in -cloaks, sleeping head upon saddle; at "the smoke from the little camp-fire -3vin<- heavily on the damp air; at the - DeKSrd;3hd.'.heyt-nd them -the Sirred oimmeSofltheihasin-shaped -dell "15" "which tEe**.. little" party -had ■ "camped. He twitched liis cloak closer ! 7'aTonnd his shoulders and stretched-out j "Jus hands, regarding.therffrehetween-his ; tlfin'-ers through half-closed eyes;_stirred \ -uneasily, aiid felt "for his-voice as one . -xnd J&r. -»- \ loss for a heginning. * You how I came j to desert," he -began presently in. furtive, | low 4-mesr --■«a^t--me--telV-3*aa > --while | they--*—and -he—indicated, the troopers j ■with a nod of the head—" are yet asleep. I "Sou have always good friend to ine, and perhaps you will understand.'-! Corporal Janot. nodded. " . | ** There was good reason for it. I am

s cure." he said, t.— -. 2*7"' , ' " You shall .decide," replied Etienne. "Five. . . yesj~l*"tarTC with •Lancers three. years ago I married. little chateau near"" Troves, in fewhundred francs a vfiar;but we were rich -in love, and that goes-far. -Eh!" — " I have heardso," was the philosophiieal reply. j . lil ' The deserter stared deeper into the fire, as-if he saY -the -events of h' s life -pictured there. -'pLSo we lived for over a and had no-Biought but to grow old -in our little . louie- and in each other's love—Marie »nd7T7 But disaster -was "to come. "My- wife was, invited to .yisit her uncle—a General of the Army of Italy «-^in~"Paris: IFrora—that"day dated—my downfall. - ..,," " ..: 7 One of'the troopers turned and the Seserter stopped, and watched - hint The man slept again, and the speaker hurried on, explaining himself in -phrases-.——■*' ■—<<»»»"»—. — .- ..... - „.- • "Before I met and loved Marie I had -loved the dice and the «ards77an<T'wilie: -still more. She caimeT-and stood between mc and ruin—between my beggared estates-and a grasping usurer. . I "bad given Iter my promise ."never, to" "play "again. di"d7"w"e "reaeh-Parisr' Hfan-I iroke my. word of honour. My luck had never been good; now it was damnable.. I lost; and mortgaged our house to pay. I/Ost again; and became —T -need not mince my -word—a .cheat., • "One night—and it seems to" mc "that T have lived that ni.sht again a thousand times —my foul play was discovered. "We fought, and I.killed :my man. Not till I saw the blood upon his shirt and Sis iody-.writhing did the full horror of my position appear.' Here, then, was my name dishonoured, a-crime hanging over my head, my estates gone, and (worst of all, through my wickedness, my wife whom I loved—better" thanTlife, must suffer more than >I . . . Never agaiß-dare-I-faceThefSad eyes and piteous lips. I determined to end all in. the Seine . . . But I was too great a. coward, and instead I "found myself' enlisting at Tours. "Sow-1 come 7to -the .worst part of my -has any worst which is all so bad. I had sent a letter to Marie—as from one already before fear prevented mc from, dying by my own hand. Could I write again and tell her I was alive and .serving as a private soldier? ;Could I-;ask her to share the hardships of our life?" He held put his hands appealingly. "To the devil with the ..idea!" raeped Janot: — "Very-well.- She thought I was dead, and so I am. This," _and he beat his breast witlK-lenched fists, and his-voice Tose.- "'is not Oasten—de la Corbiniere, but Etienne Carol, private in the Scarlet Lancers." | He caught himself in the act of loud self-denunciation, and the fear of discovery again overcame him. ; He. -on 5 •-speaking gotftly again. "It is this j:o-if ounded barrack duty ... .that lias *mdone~me.- In-the 4ield I "was - ■afe—in cantonments, pouf! ... You 'lemember our colonel went into Paris •recently—to return""-with" i,"wife— -"'" fe. Z: :Vshe corporal started,- drawing in-his ■| . ls-aath, sharply. "Z " ----- c - M\ .v ~- Carol «-«tiaTOd. : '~7: -r. .£-.

•'The regiment paraded to receive them. I rode beside you, and I marked that you looked at mc out of .the tail of your eye as madam and her husband rode'along* the line.:My headwas low, and mv eves bent downwards as for a fi|eraf, eh, corporal? Why? Because madam is my -wife!' t Corporal Janot leapt to his feet. "Norn de Dieul." he cried. "Xow you -understand, why. I deserted, corporal. " „ •-She might never have seen you, objected Janot. walking to the tire, and kicking the logs together. '-And again she might—l could not run tie Tisk." - - - - - "But how now?" cried the astonished I corporal. "You are going back. What •then, mon ami?" , I "I am coming to that now," replied iCarol quietly.- "Listen. If 1 go. back \\ shall be-shot for dese'rfion'an the face iof the enemy—lor "are not we here to 1 keep these Austrian dogs in leash ? That is good. -But if I go- back I may he recognised." "Well ?" queried ' the corporal. -If ." . .1 attempt an escape ... I shall be shot, at: once." ." .. .7 Overhead, where the branches of" the trees failed to. meet, the sky was lightening with the dawn. Around the little ■ camp thk chill morning .mists were rising.. The corpcrat"twisted7hi«*!; i-*« ust * cn i'? s > i , and 6tar£d7.into; the.fircr;, "* ~~~ 77 i "What do you wish?" he asked, sud- \ denly, after a while. j _'T"-wish you to shoot straight when I '; am far" enough from you to-give' the sem-* an" escape," replied Carol with--i out a falter.-

Jariof shivered' and77""drcw nearer to the fire. "It is hard to shoot a man one has ridden knee to knee with," said he. "Ma foi, you may have to do that anyway, my' Corporal," broke out Carol, "Come, "be a friend. Grant my dying ;request —if you "like it put that way." Thccorporal probed the fire again, and the sparks rose. His face was set and' he I swallowed in; his throat. He raised his carbine, inpected the priming, and then glanced about him-. "Wait a ' little," fie'-reniarkea, "the light-is iKid'yet—we must be certain." He stiivere'd again, -and this time Carol saw the quake of'his-back. "You must dd- better than this," he . cried," slapping him on the shoulder. 1 "That hand would never hold a' carbine steady." * I Janot was feeling the strain more than the deserter. He passed his hand' over his eyes and wiped his brow with- his i sleeve. Despite the cold-there were beads -of perspiration on it. Then he again exj amined the carbine, and, to make- sure, I reprimed it. "Before I fire," he said, wiping the moisture caused by the mist away from the" sights, "I'must challenge rd warn thesJ others." Don't you "stop—go on."

He laid the carbine" in the crook of his arm and walked over to the horses. . 3 lie light was stronger, and he could see plainly where the dell was bare pf trees. Became back and held out-his hand. They gr'PESd- i.' -. "Go- now," he cried, between his teeth. CarclvTose to his feet. "Good-bye," he whispered and waved his hand. "Shoot straight —for God's sake.'" ."".IHe rau. Jialtingly7"tip-lhe bank of .the "dell. Instantly the~~corporSl gave ihe alarm.

"Picart —Francois! The prisoner has gone!"

The troopers, with dim eyes, roused from their, heavy sleep, dimly saw hiiri | standing, carbine at shoulder. Carol, nearing the top of the bank, came into .bolder relief. 7 j -A shot shattered the-silence. ; -The deserter -stumbled in his run. fell 1 upon, his - knees, -and-collapsed-gently ;on I his face. /