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Show tHE CELL'S SECRET)! By ANNA L. HEATH. A small body of German troops under un-der a Captain Henk occupied a little town somewhere in France. The inhabitants in-habitants had fled with the sole exception ex-ception of Old Louis, a crippled cobbler, cob-bler, who said he'd not leave his little shop and garden for any number of Germans nor for the kaiser himself. Henk liked this dauntless old Frenchman French-man and often went to his shop to talk. Ilenk's men had been rummaging about the town and reported to their captain that one of the cells In the tiny jail was so securely closed that It resisted all their efforts to open it. Henk went down to the jail and ordered or-dered his men to force open the door. They did so and found the cell exactly like the others and empty save for a stool and low cot. That night Henk sat talking in the cobbler's shop nnd idly asked the reason rea-son for the closed cell. Louis was evidently reluctant to explain, but after some urging told this story to the German : "Years ago, sir, in another war, some of your men and an officer named Holweg took this town. Marie, the best-loved maid among us, was known to possess a military secret of such import that your countrymen thought any means justified that , would wring it from her. They, confined con-fined her in that cell and daily tried to force her to play the traitor. Hunger, thirst, cold, threats, abuse, bribes and blows, all alike failed to open her lips. Pale, silent and proud, our French girl defied her foes. At last it was thought that a threat against her honor might avail. A young German named Berg was chosen to pass the night In Marie's cell. His position was most hateful to him and he hoped from his heart that a threat would suffice. "At nightfall Berg entered Marie's cell. Morning brought him forth, pale and trembling. Going to report, Berg suddenly laughed wildly, drew his pistol pis-tol and shot himself dead. For a time his fellows were shocked Into silence. Then Franz, a coarse, brutal fellow, stepped forward and boasted that he would ' learn the maid's secret, nor would he blow out his brains in the telling of it. "At nightfall Franz entered Marie's cell. Morning brought forth a raving madman, shrieking of unseen horrors and cowering in abject fear. For a lime none volunteered to investigate further. Then Lieutenant Boffmann, a student, a cold, exact scientist, declared de-clared he would learn Marie's secret and neither die nor go mad in the telling of it. "At nightfall Boffman entered Marie's Ma-rie's cell. In the morning no one came forth. Holweg and several of his men entered the jail and opened the cell door. Alone, Marie lay on her cot, dead, her hands folded and a smile on her lips. Though quite lifeless life-less her face glowed with a mystic light. The men looked at her in awe. Holweg looked about for some trace of Boffmann. A strange heap on the , floor drew his attention. He stooped to examine it. There were bits of cloth, a button, gold braid, human fingers, bones and hair. As the German Ger-man touched them they shivered into formless dust. Cold horror seized the men and they fled from the room. Outside, Out-side, the officer grew ashamed of his fear and returned to the call. Marie's body was gone. On the cot lay a paper. pa-per. Holweg caught it up and read aloud these words to his astonished men : 'Berg knew and Berg is dead. Franz knew and Franz is mad. Boffmann knew and Boffmann is nothing. Take heed lest a worse thing befall you.' As he finished the paper crumbled in his hand and drifted away like smoke. That Is all, sir," concluded Louis, "save that Holweg himself made fast the door and until now no one has cared to open it." Henk was silent and thoughtful during dur-ing the rest of his stay and when he had gone Louis grinned and muttered : " 'Twas a good story, my captain, a good story ; better than the poor truth that in rainy weather that cell roof leaked." |