Show 0 A r B copyright 1016 1916 by the reilly co FOREWORD I 1 TRUE HE DAREDEVIL just an ordinary story of a girl who masquerades in mans clothing there As is a vital reason behind it all it all a lark though comedy lurks on oa the footsteps oatha of the stout hearted pretender an american father a french mother arnd quick sympathies that link fatherland and n motherland berlind in love that braves very real dangers for tho safety of one and the honor of both in the story there is a most irresistible sis tible young man 4 whose name biame is buzz and who lives up to it there is an all irascible old bachelor uncle secretary of state to his excellency the governor of harpeth harleth Har peth the gre greatest I 1 gen gentleman ileman in the world but best of all there is roberta the 11 daredevil the lovable heart of a mighty likable story you may luay bo be sure she will captivate you just juit as a she did thoss thos who knew her in hoots tt i CHAPTER I 1 kibrig wavea avor hanh aich explosives AS AH heie abere ever a woman ahu liu W did not vry very brently t desire for hers herselia elif at long tho the luul lt and nii home ho io of a mau 1 1 hups ups also balso his til sword nr well i na AIR his hla 11 attitude it in the viewing of tire lire I 1 think not to a very lory small number of those hindlea of great curiosity it has been granted that they climb to theme a 0 the life lit of a ninn nian but it was nep dul vint they lio lie of and b sturdy of f heart to sun tain upon that eminence A and not lie be in aej I elow upon the rocks of a strange land 1 hob tin marqulix to di grez grass and bye have oh ob itney allied into a far country rou and aind thia Is IH what aliat liat I 1 biang in ing on returning not as a spy but shall I 1 say laden with spiced nud forbidden foi bidden fruit and fur for tile me it liaa has been a very alne dash irta the wilds of a land of stran strangeness genes und and I 1 do gidej not known that I 1 havo hare yet found completely returned unto my e taic sante of a woman I 1 oral began to that I 1 was cutout t out upon a greal etca journey aben I 1 t tood ja olal at the rail of the very carpe seiti aud and watched it plow its w way ay through tho the waves kavc s which they told us ua with abir splendor hid bid cruel arnol diurca I 1 felt the be future might be like unto those great dav waver and it be that it would break bieak lit la neta over high explosives I 1 found 11 I 1 had bad seen of those or of life come in my dying fathers eyes at and liere here I 1 at biti command out on oa the tit in quest quiet of a comans womans fate in u a marange country 3 t back to america nob bob and go BO straight to your uncle robert at inthe in he it valley ile ilc rut me louse loose because bo be understand when bhea I 1 married your mother out ot of the frenceh obern in pirl when I 1 named you roberta for litin him he returned tho the letter I 1 sent cent but with will a notice of 0 thousand iollar dollars in monroe co C for you I 1 tell him when your mother died yes ive been bitter hut but these german lull bill teta lets cut the life out of rap mr and I 1 a BC rk more plainly of ct the money manoy 11 and nd take nannette aud and tue the kiddie kid lie on tho the first boat theres starvation and maybe worse in li paris for you take the money audret to brother hob ert crt god of america take thern them and guide and that was all I 1 held him in my arms for a long time while old nannette and small pierre wept belld e me end and theu then I 1 laid hlin him upon his pillow nud straightened the little tricolor til color that the good ulster sister of tit the old gray convent tit in which lie lay had given me i to place in his hand band when lie he had find begged for it aty mothers country had meant my mother to him anti and he had given his life ire for her and france in the tre trenches ches of lie he and thim of at tits his bidding I 1 was ou on the v very err high seas bens of adventure from this thought of him I 1 was very suddenly recalled by old nannette Nannc tte who come came upon the UP deck from below le bon dieu she sighed as she bhe fettled herself irk in her mpr chair and took out the lace ince knItt knitting iaz la Is it not of a that I 1 have tied in my iny stocking the be nn essary francs HIM vve ne may land in that flint Ar neiten where all lit la of seeh a good fortune and also by my skill we have ISO francs franca above that need which must inual be at al cinat it hundred of their huge anil and wast til dollars all Is in well with us its and as mile bin spoke she pulled up tit the of pierres Pl orres soft blue serge blouse around his pale thin face and eased tit th behind hl tits crooked small hack Is Is that nil all which remains of the 1600 1500 we found to be in that bank nannette I 1 asked of her with it great uncertainty my mothers fortune do A from tier father tile the farquh de grez and hye and the income of my father from his government post had made life easy to live in that hint old boucic ai by the quay whore where so many any train from the he faubourg Fau Fati bourg st bt come to hear tier her sing after tier her fortune and children took her from the opera and to po go for tho the summers tit in the gray old chateau do Grez but of the investment of franca or dollars and cents I 1 had no knowledge in spite of my claims t to tie lie an american girl of much progress nis qs my mother had bad laughed and very gi antly adored ray in of an an extreme american manner anner ni copied in an nearly its as possible after that of my father cud and had fril failed leol to teach to rue ine even that thrift which la Is a part of tho the lot dot of every french girl front from the rau rati bourn bourg st bt germaine to the boulevard st hil hiechel chel but even in my ignorance the information of nannette fo its to tho the smallness of our fortuno fortune gave to mu me an alarm what will you mademoiselle it was necessary that I 1 purchase tho the raiment needful to tire tho young marquis de ores gren according to hla his state and for the marquise hla his bister also it was not to lie be contemplated that wo we should travel except in apartments of the very best in III the kalp Is not gold enough 11 in america evon even for sending in gren I 1 for bellef of 0 f suffering have not seen it given in ili the streets of pal Is Is it not there for us as do yo i make we me reproaches and began to weep into the he alne lawn of her fursch handkerchief no no I 1 now it was of a necessity tous toua to have the clofias and of course wo we t arel lit in he first class no do not have distress it if we need more money in america I 1 will obtain it I 1 made that answer with a gesture of soothing upon tier old shoulders which I 1 could conid never neter re member as not lent bent lit in an attitude of hovering over pierre or ir mo me eli eh merit rho with a per feet satisfaction tit nt mv mt assumption of all the responsibilities of our throe three existences existence i and ai I 1 loaned leaned against the leek deck rail and looked out into it a future as limitless ax as that water ahead of us luto into w which the glent ship wag plowing I 1 made a remark to rp had 11 in it nil all the wisdom of those who are lg ig borant the best beat of life la 19 opt to know what wil ippen next i A that was so extraordinary exra ordinary coming from irom a woman that you must pardon mo me for listening prid ind making exclamation cla mation came an answer in a nice voice enear near at my elbow the words were spoken in as pe perfect hect english as ol 01 Is i that you go to arner amar leal I 1 had learned from my father but to in them I 1 observed to be an intonation that my french brench ear detected as aa parisian also alao mademoiselle are you young women of the new era to be without that very delightful but often danger creating quality of curiosity As I 1 turned I 1 looked with startled e yes oyes into the grave bravo face of a man less lean than forty years veara whose sad eyes were for the moment lighting with a great tender neM which I 1 did not 1 I bellere the quality which will be most required of the women of the era eia which la Is mine ls 1 ts 1 courage and then more courage monsieur I 1 made answer to blin as if I 1 had find been discuss discus 4 ing some question with him in my iny fathers smoking room pt PI tho the chateau ie de grez as aa I 1 often came in to to do with my father and hla bli friends after tho the death of my mother when the cr brening ening i scorned too long alone they had liked that I 1 so BO came at times and the old count do de onte onic re marki markta d that feminine sympathy was the flux with which men made solid their minds into ft a unanimous purpose ile iio had been bill king of that war a few weeks after louvanne Louv Lour alne alue and I 1 hud bul risen and had stood very tall and very haughty before him rind and my father the women of france are to como after this carnage to mold a notion from what remains tu to them monsieur I 1 lad bad sad to him ns as I 1 looked Atral glit into face Is not the courage of women a war supply upon which to relt what that le L 14 e the young women such omen as slie bho going to do lit th eyears that como come otter after the iho deluge of america he hod had made a muttering question to my father as his old eyes derel over roo me in the he firelight from tile the memory of the smoking r room om nt at the chateau do de grez my mini mind suddenly returned to the roll mil of the ship and the frenchman beside me who was atna looking into my face ace with the same kindly queR question tion HI As to my future that and been in ili the eyes es of nay my old godfather and which had stirred my fathers thors fi heart to its american depths and made him read bend me back babli to tits ilia own country e all ah yes yea that courage isa good weapon with which to adventure in this america of the grizzled benr mademoiselle I 1 found the strange man saying easing to me with a nice amusement na as well as interest my M father had shot seven grizzlies grizzlier grizz lies before his twenty first birthday we have hare the skins four of thorn them in ili the grent great hall ball of the chateau de dc grez or or we did have them before bo be fore fare my voice faltered and I 1 could not continue speaking nying for the tears that rose in my throat th aront and eyes quickly the man tit at my side turned tits broad shoulders that ho he should shield me from the laughing and ex groups of people upon the deck near us its before mademoiselle to le asked with tears also in the depths of his bis itce yei I 1 answered and I 1 am now solus going into the great america with my crippled brother aud and tits his nurse alone it Is the landof laud of my father and I 1 have lits his courage I 1 must have hae also that of a F woman I 1 hare hae it monsieur and as I 1 spoke I 1 drew myself to my full round shouldered height which was almost equal to that of the man beside me mademoiselle I 1 salute the courage born barn of nn an american who fought be foro fare the guris guns of tile tho marne and yf a frenchwoman who sent him therel and as he spoke thus ho he removed from hla his head tits hla silk dock deck cap and held it all a bis big shoulder bh in a way that I 1 knew was a salute from a french officer to the memory of a brother and also may I 1 be permitted to present myself no aa it I 1 Is a sad necessity that you yon travel without one from whom I 1 might request the introduction he naked asked of mo me with a beautiful reverence after a search in his pocket for a few seconds he be at last discovered a cris anse of leather andi and presented to me a card inard As lip lie handed it to roe me hla his color rose up tip under tinder his bis black eyes and grave grava trouble looked from between their long black lashes I 1 glanced down at the cord card and reasi read Capit altie le ie count armond de casselles Las selles paris paria france forty fourth Chas chasseur Chasse seum do le ie nepul lique Fran francasso calso 1 M I le ie count I 1 know 1 know ww it la Is that you go to americal I 1 madi exclamation as aa I 1 clasped to my breast my bands and my eyes eres shone with ex 1 I have hare read it tn in le matin math just juat the 4 eforo yesterday you go to buy gi against the winter of starvation in the no man Is so great a Onan financier cler as you and so eo brave a soldier with your wound not healed from the trenches lo in the Hona monsieur leur I 1 salute youl and I 1 bet bent I 1 my head and held out my hand to him were to expect nimble w ns well as ag courage of you yoo young I 1 say i american women he be laughed as he bent over my hand band now shail I 1 bet be led for introduction to the small brother bild the old nurse he be asked alth much friendly interest in hit his kind I 1 eyes it was a ery wonderful thing to oh ob or tie narration of ire a th the e count de las sell concerning a c the actions of a small boy bay who ho lind bad run out of a night of shot and ishell hall into the henrt of his regiment aid and who had now lived five months in the trenches with them pierres Pt small roell face Is all of france and in his heart wider his bent chest burns it soul nil of irmice france it Is as if in her death at his birth my beautiful nother had find stamped her race upon him with the greater emphasis Is it that the small gaston Is IB a dare daredevil deril ie he Is mv mr hob ho he ques tined timed as we tto nu alt made a at the story of the count de I 1 as sellen concerning ning the sortie aortic of the small idol from the trenches in tho the dead of ono one peaceful night to return with a very wide thick flannel shirt of one of the enemy which he had caught hanging upon n temporary laundry line back of pie lerman trenches alt and your medal of honor M capt tn in no ne la in it permitted that I 1 lay for a little moment just one obe longcr tiger upon it pierre asked of him as tho the great soldier stood tall above the steamer chair nannette Nan netto sobbed into her lace and I 1 turned nu my head bend away aay as the tall man bent and laid tho the trail frail little hand against his decoration which lie ho wore almost entirely adden under the pocket of his fits tweed norfolk hor folli of erg lish manufacture only french eyes like wee could ave are seen it pinned there hidden over ilia als heart I 1 think lie he wore it to give him a largo courage conrage for his mission that meant bread or cr starvation to so many of lida his people at al 0 Capit capitaine alne I 1 said to him with artness of tears in my throat 1 I auld w auld that mere was some little thing that I 1 might do to serve franco france I 1 do so long ion to go into those awful trenches with that red cross on my arm as it la Is not permitted to mo me to carry a gun which I 1 can use much better than many men now handling aruns with bullets against tho the enemy but it la is necessary that I 1 obey the commands of my soldier father and take to a safety the small pierre and as wo we spoke be walked beside me to the prow pro of the large ship so that to us was vas a view of the heavens of blue bo be yond which lay our nur america sly lly child theae is a great service which you can render reader F franco rance lie he answered mo me as wo we stopped to watch batih the tha great white alte naves oung flung aside from the ship franco france needs friends lit in amer ten lea great powerful friends who will ull help her in contracting for food and all other munitions A beautiful wo man can do much lit in winning those friends you go to your uncle who Is in ono one of those in power in a state tit in 4 the tall man laid the ho frail little hand against his HI decoration that fruitful ralley of the Mills mississippi sippi from which 1 hope that my lieutenant count de bourdon whom I 1 sarit on that mission will get many mulct to baity food to the hungry bos boys jin in the tIu Chr beai tuu t T |