The Scarlet Scarf By Anna Leach Read online

  The Argosy, February, 1896

  The Scarlet Scarf

  By Anna Leach

  HERE was a hush through all the

  stood on a pedestal near by. He had

  big Paris house. The head of it, the humiliated Prussia! There was a discreet T banker Vernuil, had been so busy cough at the door, but the lovers did not for days that he could hardly come home.

  hear it.

  The servants had all fled to the upper

  “But if you had married me first,”

  windows where they dared to peep out at Vernet said, “you might have come to me the soldiers passing by, and I fear that sometimes.”

  Mademoiselle, “Old Mam’zel,” was not far

  “If you were wounded I would

  behind them for all her gray curls.

  come any way,” the young girl said

  It was the beginning of the Franco

  passionately.

  Prussian war, and France was high with

  “Your father would never bring

  hope and eager to show her bravery and you.”

  strength. But the household was not all at

  “I would come alone then——”

  the top of the house watching the troops. In Again that cough at the door, and

  a corner of the great drawing room, she turned hastily to see her father’s Swiss between a gilt screen and a window, servant. “I would bring Henri with me,”

  Lieutenant Vernet, in his marching she added. “and come to you.”

  uniform, was saying good-by to Lucille.

  And that little sentence it was

  They were betrothed lovers, but it was which made all the trouble!

  nobody’s intention that they should see Lucille wrapped a scarlet scarf

  each other like this alone.

  about her head and went up stairs with the It was a very tender good by.

  rest of the family to see Vernet pass by

  “You may be killed,” Lucille said,

  with his sturdy infantry; and her black eyes and shuddered against the new uniform, peering out of the rich folds, with the Swiss gay with braid and buttons.

  standing respectfully behind her, was his

  “I wish you could have married me

  last sight of her.

  before I went,” Vernet said. “Then if I had Two months later he lay wounded

  died you would have had my name, and the in a little hut near Arnheim.

  fortune I have to leave.” But Lucille put her The Germans were not far away.

  hand over his mouth, and tears stood in her The two armies, or at least that part of the eyes.

  two armies which were protecting the

  “Oh, never mind, sweetheart,” borders here by Arnheim, were hardly Vernet laughed. “It is not going to be as strong enough for a pitched battle, but they bad as that. It is going to be a lucky war, were continually skirmishing, and it was in soon over. We will be in Berlin before one of these skirmishes that Vernet had anybody can think. That is the way when been wounded. Back and forth the two France wars with Germany.” And he lines would go. Sometimes one would hold looked over her head with its curls tucked a position, and again it would be the other.

  up in the back á la Empress Eugenie, at the Until Vernet, who had been promoted one bronze bust of the great Napoleon which step in rank, had been wounded, he had

  The Argosy

  2

  held the village and most of the outlying

  “A

  woman?”

  farms; but in the demoralization

  “Yes, sir. She was a friend of mine

  surrounding his fall, when his men thought when we were in the village. She kept the that he was killed, they had rushed to him, inn——”

  been driven back by the Germans, and only

  “And you have been seeing her—a

  rallied in time to save themselves from woman of the enemy.”

  utter rout.

  The big sergeant flushed all over

  Vernet hardly realized it all. He was his dark face. He was a carter from near half delirious with pain and weakness and Paris, and he could look on no woman bad care, for the Red Cross nurses were not exactly in the light of an enemy.

  able to cover the whole frontier and to keep

  “She brought us food; most of what

  a staff wherever there was a little line of we have been able to give you. She brought men struggling.

  it to the sentry and went back.”

  As Vernet lay in his hut he talked in

  “And now she has come to stay?”

  his restless sleep, and it was always of

  “She said it was a shame so

  Lucille. She had said that she would come, handsome a young man should die for want and his disordered brain remembered her of nursing.”

  promise. Sometimes he would imagine that Vernet laughed weakly.

  he was talking to her.

  “That doesn’t sound much like a

  “Go back! Go back!” he would say.

  German woman, does it? I suppose you

  “You must not come here. This is no place have taught her some French tricks. How for you, in an armed camp. They should do I know she will not come in, discover not have let you come even if you did our strength, and——”

  promise. Put back your scarlet scarf, and let The big man grinned.

  me see your face,” he would say over and

  “They know every man we have

  over. “Let me see your pretty black eyes.

  already.”

  But you must not stay. You will be killed.”

  “That is true,” Veruet replied, and

  Then in his pain he would call her to his then after a moment’s glance about at the side.

  horrible disorder, he told the man he might One day a sergeant, a big, awkward

  bring the woman in.

  fellow, came into the lieutenant’s room and She was a comfortable looking

  stood against the corner of the fireplace.

  middle aged creature, who set Vernet’s

  “What is it?” Vernet asked weakly

  fears at rest at once. She certainly was a from the shelf-like bunk where he lay. It great comfort. She had a semblance of hurt him to open his eyes and look about order about him in no time, and had

  him. The place was a picture of disorder.

  warmed some of the broth she had brought.

  The man held his cap in his hands

  At night when his restless, talkative sleep and twisted it nervously.

  began, he was vaguely conscious that a

  “I have brought you a cook, sir,” he woman sat beside him. Sometimes he

  said.

  would think that it was Lucille, and tell her

  “A cook? What have we to cook?”

  again that she must go away, that it was

  “We can find something to cook,

  dangerous for her to be there, and he would and I thought she might tidy up a bit.”

  beg her to take down the red scarf.

  “She?”

  The woman stole softly to the door

  “Yes,

  sir.”

  of the hut where the sergeant waited.

  The Scarlet Scarf

  3

  “Who is Lucille?” she whispered:

  and lovely, when Vernet awoke and saw

  “His sweetheart. He has talked of

  the German woman standing over him. She nothing else. Evidently she promised to held something red in her hands.

  come to him if he were wounded, and he

  “Sir,” she said in an agitated
r />   fears she may if she hears it. We will be fashion, “I was told to give you this.”

  re——” And then, gallant as he was to the It was a scarlet scarf.

  comfortable innkeeper who had been filling Vernet sprang to his feet, and

  his stomach with dainties for the past reached for his uniform coat. He slept half month, he remembered that after all she dressed in those days.

  was an enemy, and turned away his head, As he took it in his hands he felt

  and did not see the look, swift as lightning, that he was dreaming. He had dreamed so that went over the woman’s face.

  much of a scarlet scarf, and had felt it melt

  “Reinforcements, of course. They

  away in his hands as he awoke.

  must take the village again, I suppose. Ah!”

  This was real.

  And she went back to the bedside of the

  “Where did you get it?”

  young officer, and sat knitting while she

  “Sh-h!” the woman said,

  listened.

  whispering. “There is a young lady—a The next morning she returned to

  delicate, beautifully dressed young lady—a her inn to get more food!

  Parisian, with such beautiful black eyes—

  It was late in the afternoon when

  —”

  she came running back; as she flew past the

  “Yes—yes.

  Where?”

  sentry who knew her, she panted, and sank

  “In the farm house beyond the

  behind a little embankment, just as a bullet village, Last night I felt that I must have came whizzing by.

  some eggs and broth for you to grow strong

  “They tried to kill me,” she gasped.

  on, and as I cannot go back to my own

  “They say I am a traitor.”

  home I went to the house of my cousin.

  Under her skillful nursing the There, kept a close prisoner, was the lovely young man rapidly improved. Despatches young lady. She was crying and begging to came to him, and he arose and dressed and come to you. She had heard that you were walked about the camp, giving orders. wounded. She implored that you would Evidently something was about to happen.

  rescue her. She sent the scarf! Oh, those The German woman appeared to see horrible men!” There was tragedy in the nothing but her pots and her knitting.

  woman’s tones. “If they are my

  The despatches were of the gravest

  countrymen they are only soldiers—and a importance. It had happened in the fortunes young girl! She said her name was

  of war, that Arnheim had come to be one of Lucille!”

  the strategic points, and the French were on Vernet gave a cry that was like that their way to occupy it in numbers. They of an enraged lion.

  might be expected in two days. The

  Lucille, his tender pretty little

  Germans had not discovered their Lucille, at the mercy of the Germans! He movements, and the whole country would was out of the hut, giving orders, calling to be in the hands of the French before they his men, in an instant. There was not a did. Vernet was simply to have his men moment to lose.

  ready to join the main array.

  The soldiers did not know what

  It was early morning, gray and soft

  happened. They only knew that they were

  The Argosy

  4

  ordered to retake the village they had lost, nothing stopped them. The farm house was and that they were only too ready to try it.

  taken!

  Rapidly they formed” and rushed

  When Vernet looked about him he

  around the hill. They could probably was dazed. The place was stripped of surprise the Germans. It was early. Their furniture and made into a sort of arsenal.

  arms would be down while they cooked There was no sign of a woman there. There their breakfasts. They could see the smoke were only two rooms and they were filled rising everywhere. But evidently the with French soldiers, standing at the Germans did not lay down their arms even windows now, and fighting.

  to cook. They met the French in their full Vernet felt his knees giving way

  strength, and as they had houses to fight under him. Excitement, the determination from, it seemed that they had only to cut to rescue Lucille, had kept him up, but now the Frenchmen to pieces.

  she was gone. He heard the approaching But the Frenchmen thought army of the enemy. They were in a trap. He differently. Each man seemed to be a saw it all. The German woman had dozen, and the pale, tall lieutenant appeared betrayed them to their death. His little band to bear a charmed life. Bullets could not would be literally and entirely wiped out.

  reach him. Like tigers, the wiry, brave little He would be known as a fool. Killed and a Frenchmen sprang at their heavier, better fool!

  drilled enemy, and carried everything Suddenly a mighty cheer went up

  before them. They swept through the from the throats of his men, and as he village like a storm, firing the houses, turned his dazed eyes toward the hill he leaving a trail of destruction behind them, saw the French, the real army, rushing fighting in the smoke like demons, and down behind him. The reinforcements had here, there, everywhere, was the young come. He gave a cry, staggered and fell, the lieutenant, who seemed to have a voice at blood gushing from the old wound in his every man’s elbow, spurring him on.

  shoulder.

  They pushed the Germans out

  When he became conscious after

  before them, and they fell back, joining the fever which set in, the real Lucille sat others behind. It seemed to Vernet, as he by his bedside in the Red Cross hospital, came out on the hilltop behind the village and his general was there to tell him what a and looked down at the farm house where brave man and great strategist he was.

  Lucille was, that the country was full of

  “If it had been an hour later, that

  Germans. They had been reinforced. They hill would never have been ours. You were pouring in. He could see them far struck in the nick of time, and you are away, coming, coming—an army.

  going to get the cross of the Legion for it.

  But fire was in his soul. He sprang

  “To be sure,” he went on, “you had

  out before his handful of men and lifting to take chances. We might have been

  his sword, shouted,

  delayed. But your coup succeeded, and will

  “The farm house must be taken!”

  be put down as one of the great points of And like an avalanche, they rushed

  this war. You should be proud of him,” the down the hill, and poured into the doors.

  general patted Lucille on the shoulder.

  Shot and shell mowed down the men, but Vernet could only smile weakly, and look the ragged remnant kept on. A murderous contented.

  fire belched forth from the windows, but

 

 

  Monte Herridge, The Scarlet Scarf By Anna Leach

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