The Breach of Discipline

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The story of a French lieutenant who resents an insult to the beautiful Helene, of whom he is enamored and to whom he is affianced, given by Capt. Miquelin, his superior officer. A challenge and a short fight in a dark alley result. Lieut. Boin leaving his captain apparently mortally wounded, and rushes to tell his sweetheart what he has done and on her advice flees from France. The next morning we see the detectives busy endeavoring to find the one who has assaulted the Captain. The clues lead them to seek for Lieut. Boin, who has disappeared. Mlle. Helene is questions in her boudoir, but is so clever in acting an enforced role that she throws the detectives off the track. Boin has proceeded to America, to the far west, and is mining in California when we see him receive a letter from the beautiful Helene (in answer to one which he has written) agreeing to go to California and become his wife. Time goes on and Gen. LeFarge, who has command of the division in which Lieut. Boin was an officer, calls to him the trusty captains three: Dunois, Villalon and LePard. News has been received that Boin is in California and that, while Capt. Miquelin has recovered, discipline requires that Boin be apprehended and be brought back to France. This task is assigned by Gen. LeFarge to Dunois and his two comrades. They proceed on their journey, arrive at California and at the home of Boin (a rough log cabin) to which they are brought by the burly sheriff of El Dorado County. Here they are met, much to their surprise, by none other than the lady they knew as Mlle. Helene, the rage of Paris. As they stop into the room Boin reaches for a rifle, but the sheriff is quick with his gun, tells him not to attempt anything of that sort, and the scene proceeds between the men. Boin introduced his wife and all bow graciously to the lady. He then tells them what he did and the cause of the encounter between himself and his captain, and proceeds to give himself up to the sheriff. The chivalrous western spirit of the rugged officer makes him turn toward the Frenchman with an air of questioning, and holding the warrant in his hand, he tells them that "if it were he, he would tear this thing up." Capt. Dunois is in a quandary. His sympathies of course are with Boin. He consults the other captains and they agree that the proper thing to do is leave Boin and his wife where they found them. Dunois starts to tear up the warrant when Lieut. Boin stops him and refuses to permit the Captain to make such a sacrifice. The young officer and his wife accompany the Captains Three to France, where the final scene of this interesting story is enacted. Gen. LeFarge receives the Captains and their captive and at first is very stern, but he shows a letter which he has received from Capt. Maquelin, written on his deathbed, requesting that Lieut. Boin be exonerated and stating that it was he and he alone who was to blame for the whole trouble. Boin is reinstated to his position in the army of France, and a pretty ending to the picture and story result.