The Lie Tony Told

I had kninvii Jawjuiy clü Kerouallos at Fo'itíiinehlnau ycurs beiore tho war, and v.'h' n howas bronght into my litt'c fiehl hospital unid tho Insmriant vine,yards of Murly-snr-tieiue, only a few miles from the edge of the great forest, he reeognised me at onco. It was earJy morniug. Indeed tho dawn had scarce oorue, and the river below uswaspearly gray iu tiie growing light, as rivera are before suuri.se. "Jj'Anglais, " ha cried joyously, for De Keroualles was a merry soul. He raised bis blood stained hand ia a littlo gay salnte. i rnako no doubt he had fougbt bravely and in a íuauner worthy of the oíd blood in bis veins. He was wet through and covered with dirk The battle had taken place 011 the previons afternoon, and the v.'oonded wereconseinently allowed to lie ont on the fields the whole night. "Le potit jeune liomme, " he added, "we meet again. " Then he fainted, with the smile on his lips. It ia only in books that men die different from whattheyhave lived. It did not Cake me long to look at this gay youth's wound, cutting away his En(?lish made linen, slicingthe cloth of his rongh uniform of a private 6oldier c f the Army of the Seine - a mere band of voluntoers rlnspite their grand namo. 1 knew a Benn nariste in it - not yet ordained a priast - who foaght bravely throngh it, although he lacked the ntrength to bold his rifle straight without a support. I saw at onae that the oareer of Jacquet de Keroualles was nearly over. Suddenly it all carne baok to me - Foutaiuebleau and the happy, careless, recklesB lifo in the old town where tho very paving stones are saturated with history and worn by the tread of ;hose that made it. Jacques de Keroualles; Tony, vicomte de Moy: Raoul de Kolles, and half a dozen others - harumscarnm fellows who made life one lonti langh. How often had we shouted the one! line chorus in the Rue de France as the; slow morning crept up the sky behindi the palace! l rost) from the wounded man 's side ;ir.i went out to the veranda of the villa e -.verted into a temporary field hospital. A oavalry offioer in the gay blue íiüiform of bis iuimortal regiment, with a short, fur triinmed cape throwu earelessly back from the shoulder, stood moodily lookiug down over the vineyards. He turned at the sound of my footsteps and shook hands gravely. I looked hard at hini. It was Tony dö Alny- a grizzled, hard faced soldier. "Well?" he asked. He looked into my face sharply and made a grimace. "Yon need say nothing. I see from your face. " He threw away a half burnt cigarette and resnmed his attitude of gloomy rofleetiveness. I had known hiru a young man a few years earlier, and glancing at him wondered whether I looked as middle aged as that. "The devil take all woincn!" he suddenly exclaimed with his absurd Frenen vivaoity and stamped his spurrod heel on the tessellated pavement. "The devil take all women, non arai. " "He will have as many as he can manage," I suggested, for I was younn in those days, and the little wound I still carry had a smart in it yet "Yon remember my sister?" Tony said curtly, and I nodded. We had all been in lovo with Mlle. de Muy, and he had managed in some way to keep as all in hand at once. She was frosh from a convent, where, it seems, these little arts must be acquired. The "botte" that gave me my own hurt was, by the way, learned thera So far as Jaoqnes do Keroualles had been concerned, however, we had ahvays known that it was a serieus matter. "Before the war, " Tony de Muy went on, "theywere engaged. Theh Jacquea joined the army. What else could he do? As for me, I had alwaya been in it, as you know. It is for our country, and Jaoques was aruong the flrst. It is for onr poor France that soino of ns fight for these Napoleons. " He turued and looked inco the dim room where the cots wero rauged in ranks - head and foot - the length of the floor. "He thinks that she has kept her word," he said, and i wondered how a few years' service conld have hardeued him. "And?" "And sho is fiancee toeonie Italiau oount - some scum of Rorne - who doubtless wears high heeled boots and paints his face, as I have seen them. " In his heat he spoke too londly, and .Tacques de Keronalles, lying in that quietroom, recognized the voice, though he conld not possibly have distinguished the words. "Is that thou, Tony?" called out the rheery voice from within. It was imrossible to realize that these were the tones of a dying man. I have soen two die laughing, both Frenchmen. "Yes," answered the man by my side. Wo entered tho room togetber. De Keronalles smiled when he saw us sido by side, Tony de Muy towering above me. "Ah," he cricd, "it is like old times!" I made shift to smile, but tho white Jook was already about his lips. I wishcd that I conld get away. "See yon, Tony, " he said, with a don changa to (jravity whicb had ai Wiiys beeu chara.' teristio of him. EngIi,;'.i püuplé, aml there ato always a few l:vv at. f'octainebieán, rhought De KerouaUos very French "See you, the cnod (íoi wauts me. What will yon? Vv'm must lie sattSÍll i! Tony held his lip with hi.s toeth and mudo no answer. "If I conld have neen Rmiee. " murnitired the dyiug man, with a wistfnl look at ine. lu books men invariably aceni to díe satisfied. Ín my experienoe they have always wanted something 1 could uot give thom. "The youug man looks arare, "he ssid. "Ah, yes, 1 lcn;iw We were to liave boeu tnarried, mon anii; that ia all. Theu he tay stíll for a miuuíe or so. "1 wondor if Bhe loves rae, " he said iu weaJcer voice, with a calui assurauco characteristic of his natiou, whiuh bus no avvu vardueaa where we are sulf and shy "Nir :i doubt of it, " auswered Beneo-s 'Totber steadify. And r!iH (iyiug tuau's eyes lightod. If 1 coul.l tull all that I have sueu compa88ed by a woman's love bebind her back, 1 should be disbeJieved. The beat stories aro rarely told. "At laat!" whispered De Keroualles. "At lafit, " was the uufliuchingreply. "Teil mü, " went ou tho dyiug man. "Did she say hoï" "Yes. " "What did sbo say?" Thn V'ieouito do Muy looked ia my tape and broathed heavily. As for mo, f looked out of the window. "Üid she say she would be oontent to . marry me?' ' "Yas, quito content. " "And more - beyond, I mean? All of liï l am the last of the De Keroualles. yoa kuow. " And 1 heard the first oatch in his breath "Yes, aü of it, " nnswored De Muy, Wbo liad two little aons at home in the south. "Shü wauted that also?" "Yes, Bhu wauted that also." Thure was a silenoe. The sun was now rising behind the pino trees on the other bauk of the river. lts golden light showed that on the face of Jaoques de Keroualles which had not hitherto been noticeable. Ho was dying of an internal bleoding which art was powerless to stop. He looked at me. "So, youug man," he said with his wouderf til gayety, "you see life has been worth the living, after all. To have won that, although it is so soon lost." ; Tony de Muy was iooking at me apro-ss the cotwith an expression which .ceinia'ded tue of my first operation. . , J.aoques do Keroualles did not speak tSgaiUi and the smilo slowly ohilled, as it wer, on his waxea features. De Muy failod for some time to realizo that his friend was dead. Thou he suddeuly peroeived it, and his grim faoe relaxed. "God forgive me," be muttered, and pressing my haiid he strode out of the room. His horse was waiting, and 1 heard bim clatter away to the front, where tho fighting had begun again. -