| Show THE ROSE OF CHATIill 1 By MATIEIOE THOMPSON I Copyright All rights reserved J CHAPTER V 1 1I I I iT l h V II Y lljtTht t < t fF h 1 I 1iV I I ir I vrvv hThI 0 I9J4 J wJ1 Rose Burned from him Before the news of the British fleets arrival at the mouth of the river had gone abroad in Savannah Maynard quietly qui-etly disappeared from the Fenwicke mansion without notice to any of the household On the day previous to this he had tried with great adroitness and much show of deference mingled ± h passion Jo pour into Roses ear the love which her beauty and grace had kindled in his strong and unscrupulous heart To say that aho repulsed him is to miss all the force of statement necessary to the simple truth She scarcely spoke nor was her manner in the least vehement vehe-ment A look a gesture a slow turning turn-Ing away as from something unspeakably unspeaka-bly despicable vile perhaps the single sin-gle word You uttered scarcely above her breath but with an emphasis that conveyed con-veyed the last refinement of disgust and abhorrence at all events there was no margin left for even a shadow of hope Never before in his life had he felt small weak insufficient in the presence of an emergency no matter how formidable Rose turned from him with just that deliberate dignity of movement which gave greatest effect to her beauty and walked away the embodiment as he felt of incomparable stateliness grace and purity He shrank into himself so to say and for some moments after she had gone his mind was vacant and his whole nature shriveled Of course with such a man this was but a passing state of discomfiture discom-fiture and disorder the result of surprise more than of anything else He with all his shrewd insight had not dreamed that she could summon at a moments notice the power to crush him like this Moreover More-over the exhibition of calm superb absolutely ab-solutely commanding dignity added to her charm that he felt a great joy in it even while collapsing under its serene weight of contempt Large almost gigantesque in stature with the suppleness of health combined with the strength of a justly proportioned and thoroughly trained physique he rallied ral-lied quickly from a wound whether of the body or of the mind The stupor of surprise and discomfiture soon passed from him and with a sinister smile he yawned and stretched himself as if shaking shak-ing off u light nap Confound the girl lie exclaimed confound the girl She is stunning amazing bewildering He walked back and forth chuckling to himself his facEt quite red and the slender scar gleaming on his cheek like a tongue of flame Minute beads of sweat gleamed on his forehead and his large shapely hands actually shook as he nervously rubbed them together It was while he was thus pulling himself him-self together after Roses departure that Maynard received from the hand of a servant a note written in cipher that informed in-formed him of the approach of the British Brit-ish fleet In a moment he had forgotten everything save the mission upon which he had come to Savannah With him not even love could stand in the way of the grosser enterprise which he regarded as duty Making a few quiet and hurried preparations prep-arations he vanished from the mansion without a sign or word to any of its inmates in-mates and went to confer with some of h Tory coadjutors The purpose was t fire the town in tho rear of the American Ameri-can army just at the time when the battle should fairly begin and follow this up with a show of attack upon the handful of guards left to keep order in the streets The plot was well laid and must have been successful had the moment ever come t put it into operation but before anything certain could be gathered after the British had landed the scattered and utterly demoralized American army was already fleeing in every direction Son enough the advance of the victorious victori-ous invaders poured into the tow When the battle began Mr Fenwicke was at one of h plantations some miles in the country By the time he could have his carriage made ready and be driven into town the British were there rushing up and down the streets and committing every outrage known t a mercenary and utterly conscienceless less soldiery Defenseless citizens were bayoneted houses wee pillaged women outraged negroes beaten with clubbed muskets drunken Hessians reveled in a manner of debauchery Mr Fenwickes driver was an old negro man whose courage was as pale as his face was black and when a crowd of brutal soldiers half crazed with wine stopped the carriage he tumbled off the seat and fell upon his knees in the sand I i at their feet They spurned him with their heavy boots and proceeded to drag forth Mr Fenvacke whose age and lameness were no appeal t their feelings feel-ings His heavy gold watch and seal his jeweled snuff box and his purse were quickly torn from his person while with rude buffets they silenced his ever effort to explain to them his loyalty to Great Britain and the services he had Tendered t the kings army His nose was bleeding bleed-ing on account of u heavy blow from the elbow of one of the Hessians and his throat bore long scratches from the nails of another Still another had snatched b ol ii gftttttenwDs hnt His clothes were torn his linen soiled his hair disheveled Piteously looking from one t another of the brutes lie staggered as he stood At this moment a single American soldier wearing the soiled uniform of a lieutenant darted out of a alley way drawnsword in hand andfell dawwor inhad furiously noon the Hessians smitinir them rin1f i and left in such fashion that three of themlay outstretched in u moment and the remaining two bndly cut staggered off bleeSihg and mightily bevere Mr Fenwicke was lifted bodily and placed in his carriage tha coachmanielt a hand onthe back of his ncck Get into that seat and drive home or Ill kill you grovled f very determined voice The officer leaped into the vehicle as the negro put whip to the horses Thank you oh thank youl cried tho old man How shall lh1 its you Lieut Prescott Dear me Im so so excited The infernal brutes He wiped his bleeding nose and tried to adjust his disordered hair From every direction came ominous sounds Shots shouts screams the noise of crashing doors and breaking windows Women and children both white and black ran wildly hither and thither What can all this mean the oldinan exclaimed fumbling for his departed snuff box What has happened Prescott gave no ear to these inquiries He simply cried out to the driver Faster you old scoundrel or Til prick yon with my sword The hordes were gentle well kept slow beasts whose pace not even the violent i I lashing that now fell about their flanks I could very much quicken I was not far they had to go however I the Fenwicke mansion being already insight in-sight it small odd looking windows peering over its little wall and gate I Gwa on dah I tolo yo stormed the old driver redoubling his lashes and at the same time shrinking and shivering in his seat Gwa on dah yo lazy ole racks o bones yo Nebber see sick pokeeasy ole bosses They reached the gate at last Lieut Prescott hustled Mr Fenwicke out of the carriage and through the gate Into the house quick and stay there he exclaimed he thrust him as up the steps The negro hastened to get the carriage into the rear inclosure Just then a broil began at a street corner cor-ner near the house CHAPTER VL c I i I j I I I z I c Flung herself between the combatants co I Rose Fenwicke as the first roll of musketry mus-ketry came pattering in from the eastward east-ward side of the town sprang to her feet as if bullet of the enemy had stuck her She had been thinking of Prescott and blaming herself she scarcely knew how for the bitter necessity that had caused her to send lihn away from the door on that ever memorable night when the Tories were having their secret meeting there Sho clasped her heart and stood listening to this strangely thrilling sound which like a desultory noise of thunder and hail indescribably more awe inspiring inspir-ing throbbed and rattled jarring the windows and sending the blood in almost I al-most painful surges through her veins From some cause the thought of disaster to the American army flashed into her mind along with the first spiteful crash of the guns Would Prescott be killed Her heart if to i gave a great leap a go outin search of him How terrible how unbearable it would be if he were to die before she could see him and explain her treatment of him It came upon her with irresistible power that she must go to him She did not pause to imagine where ho might be nor to consider the apparent impossibility of finding him in the tumult mult and turmoil of battle much less did any thought of danger to herself cross the field of her consciousness For a long while she stood motionless held so by the grip of her emotion which was gp too powerful to evince itself by any active outward sign Her mother passed rapidly through the room saying something t some-thing in an excited voice the servants I were in noisy commotion but she gavo I I no heed to her immediate surroundings I The sound of battle rolled nearer and nearer the musketry playing now here i i now there in fitful flashes like the showers j I show-ers of a wild storm the cannon booming at intervals followed by tho distant and startling crash of the shot Presently she moved looked around her threw on a light hooded wrap and ran out into the street and away in the direction of the fight Men and women and children were running mostly in a way counter to her course but they heeded her not nor she them With the hood of the wrap pulled well over her head and the folds clasped with one hand at her throat she went on and on as fast as she could until she began to meet flying soldiers sol-diers from Gen Howes army Back back one cried to her Go back tho British are coming His face was grimed with dirt and powder and his voice was husky and strained She paused and flung hurried glance around her while a strange weakness < stole into her limbs A mighty shouting had taken the place of musketry and it was coming very near I was more i awful than the firing had been Lady lady eave yourself gasped an old man who bareheaded and with i his thin white hair streaming back t hai steaing was i hurrying along Come this way Ho grasped her arm and almost dragged her with him for some distance Then she broke from him with Ten away a sudden desire to return to her mother t and ran back along the familiar way toward her home She was tired now and weak the sand was deep and heavy in places where there was no sidewalk t which made her progress slow and toilsome toil-some Once twice she was stopped by crowds people black and white wildly wild-ly mingled together To get away from these she had to make long detours Finally she became bewildered and was lost although but a lit distance from the house 1 3 i1 2 d J 2 ii 1 What evilluckj was jtcjtjKrt y ij tlris focus of her distress she came face I face with Maynard He wore citizens dress but was armed with a sword Recognizing her at once he halted and cave her a auick inauirinc glance be fore he spoke one tried to avoid him pu must go home Miss Fetfvricke d hid wirh gentle and respectful U 4 ess The street is no place for I you now I He grasped her arm As she shrank > away from him with an exclamation of loathing he simply dew her closer and added I owe it to you and your parents pa-rents to protect you and take you home Come right along there is not a mo ment to lose not a moment He led jher j < beside him as if she were a little J t child despite her resistance and protest I j I They had almost reached the Fenwicke I mansion when they were met by three j or four Hessians intent upon evil who I I called out at Maynard to surrender j But instead of complying he fell upon them so furiously and with such address that they scattered but not until after one had been wounded and two others disarmed All this time he had held Rose somewhat behind him shielding her with both his body and his sword and encouraging her with gentle but firm assurance The extremity of her fright could not prevent her from noticing notic-ing the vigor of h blows and the soft I kindliness of his voice as he addressed her herBe Be cool Miss Fenwicko never fear Ill lay them out You shall not be hurt theres no danger he was saying when Prescott came running from the gate of I the mansion with his drawn sword in his hand The men recognized each j other on the instant that their eyes met Not a word spoke either Their weapons clashed together with a sound that went i through Roses ears liko music Not that she felt any pleasure in such a struggle but as the swords leaped and J rang and flashed she looked into her lovers eyes and thanked God that he was living In the next moment she tore away from Maynards grasp and flung herself between the combatants I i At the sound of horses feet beating j I rapidly in the sand of tho street May nard looked and saw half a dozen or more American officers approaching at a gallop Instantly he darted through an alley and disappeared One of the officers was Gen Howe himself They were immediately followed by a troop of mounted men The quick eye of the general fixed itself upon Prescott with a pleased look of recognition He waved his hand and called to him Mount mount behind Frazer here lieutenant quick he ordered with peremptory per-emptory directness Up with you or those dogs will be upon us1 There was nothing to do but to obey Goodby dear dear Rose he murmured mur-mured unconsciously repeating the words spoken by Rose on the night of their still unexplained parting Good by goodby he said again and again as he hurried her to the gate and opened it for her He took her in his arms and kissed her then ran to the horsemen and mounted behind MYii Frzer u Rose stood aghast and bewildered gazing gaz-ing after them as they galloped away I j as fast as their horses could carry them Nor did they go a moment too soon for a i body of Highlanders appeared marching march-ing rapidly in good order from the eat and passed before the house ere Rose had thought of going il out of danger There was wild work for awhile scenes of barbarity and outrage which have been kept out of history made the little tow more like a camp of savages than like a place occupied by enlightened human beings Tho afternoon was waning when the advance of the British reached the streets of Savannah andbegan the horrible work of plunder and assassination Many of the best citizens attempted to escape Some were captured others were bayoneted bayon-eted u few made their way to the interior i in-terior and joined the indomitable little I army of scouts and free fighters that from this on sorely harassed the invaders I whose foothold in the south was now securely I se-curely fixed I The irony of fate fell upon poor old Mr Fenwicke whose loyalty to England j I was paid for in his assassination He owned a large store of valuable products j 1 and his great desire to save it caused him to venture into the streets with a I view of seeking the protection of the British commander Not 200 feet from h ow door ho was impaled on the bayonet of a drunken Highlander and died without a groan He lay on the fe soft sand all night to be brought in the next morning a rigid corpse whose placid pla-cid face appealed to Mrs Fenwicke and Rose with a force that made them one In their hatred of tho British I i Maynard who enjoyed the confidence of the British authorities used his influence in-fluence to prevent confiscation of the Fenwieke estate and to establish kindly relations between the bereaved house j I hold and the officer in command of tho j I city but nothing ho did could remove the deep distaste amounting almost to hatred with which Roso regarded him I To her every act of his appeared to be based on some sinister motive adroitly concealec behind an imperturbable exterior ex-terior of kindness and unselfishness He did not obtrude himself lug occasional visits to the house took the form of mere friendly calls upon Mrs Fenwicke to I j ask if there was anything he could do for them Rose was aware that she owed her life to him a thought of itself full of bitterness bitter-ness for what is more humiliating than to be hopelessly and helplessly indebted to ones enemy She could not drive him away so long as he treated her with such scrupulous politeness and respect moreover more-over tho shock of bereavement had rendered ren-dered her mother incapable of taking care of the estate and Maynard was at once ready and efficient So tho winter passed and the delicious tide of a semitropic spring washed over the ill fated town bringing with it wisps of mocking birds whose delicate silken rustlings soon followed siken wing rustlngs were folowed by a merry discord of fluting in all the orchards and vine embowered an gardens round about The winds from the Atlantic At-lantic brought a fragrant sea smell the plants leaped into luxuriant leaf and bloom and the sky cloudless for days together to-gether took on the richness and splendor of a gorgeous dream By night and by day long lines and angles of fowls stirred the higher currents of air and shimmered and winnowed and drifted from horizon to horizon like slowly shifting sketches blue miracle on some intensely Japanese mirace of a background The days were golden with a sunshine which was the very wine of life and tho nights were coolS cool-S et many perfumed and melodious with theug of rd that could not lCCj > juippinfess t < t Thd Ajnericair army for all that could bo earH itcmSavannahsmed to have Xitti and every hope of relief for the south was dead in the hearts of I the patriots u CHAPTER V f ill 0 t s As days weeks and months dragged 5P slowly by it became apparent to both Mrs Fenwicke and Rose that theirl J safety as well as their comfort depended de-pended almost wholly upon the unflagging unflag-ging and inexplicable interest taken in gng them by Maynard Apace with the lapse of time his exertions in their behalf be-half increased although it wan plain that he used every precaution to try to keep them from knowing it He never mentioned hia connection with any of their affairs save to make some inquiry i i when it became for him necessary hm to reach facts that it was of importance for him to use in their behalf and then only in a way that precluded embarrassment embarrass-ment Neither Rose nor her mother could be cruel enough to openly question his honesty of purpose so long as not even the slightest appearance of questionable intent was show liis conduct and certainly cer-tainly their condition would have become be-come unbearable had he chosen to let it be so Still was it the wound across I i his cheek or was it some half hidden expression of his eyes they suspected and feared him indeed they found I themselves all the time expecting him to disclose tho secret evil he was planning for them Naturally enough they often talked the matter over frequently resolving that they would make an end of it by telling him kindly and firmly that they I I I would prefer to be left entirely to then t selves but a often when he came in j his dignified and calmly courteous way I Ito Ito I-to inquire about their health or to report II I re-port some necessary details touching the I affairs of their estate it was quite impossible j I im-possible not to treat his kindness with a certain degree of gentle consideration II j I Never once did he in the slightest deport I de-port himself as if he wee entitled to be i j treated as a friend or even a familiar I i I acquaintance So the time passed on from spring to I I summer and from summer to autumn Early in September the fleet of Count dEstaing appeared off Tybee island and i forthwith the British commander at Sa I I i vannah made ready for u desperate defense de-fense Maj Gen Prevost had not been expecting the movement to begin so early in the season and had not pushed to completion the defenses that he had I planned I Now however he displayed great energy in finishing those works which would cover Savannah to the eastward I I and southward He ran his little fleet I consisting of four brigs and ships up tho I river so as to have them assist him in defending the town sent dispatches to Port Royal island ordering his forces there to march forthwith to join him and drawing in all his outpost detachments detach-ments concentrated every available man within the lines of defense While this was going on the American general Lincoln Lin-coln was massing his little army with a view to cooperating with dEstaing i the attack It was exhilarating news to Rose when she heard of the approaching struggle She felt sure that Prescott would be with Lincolns army and somehow the thought was full of cheer I was her turn now to hear as if in her heart the parting words Goodby dear dear Rose She w is impatient for the battle to j begin i Maynard came tc tel them that the I city was practically invested and that the siege might be a long one He did not think however that they would be in any danger so long as they remained at the mansion The enemys shells could scarcely reach there he hoped He was ready and would be ho said at all times to do for them anything within his I I power The guns began to bellow soon enough I I and the dreadful sounds brought with them concussions that shook the town j Tho air grew murky so that the light of day had a jaundicedcast and by night the flash of the mortars and the long blaze j of rockets made a strange glare peculiarly horrible The fascination the sight grew upon Rose j as she watched the high curving flight of the mortar bombs and listened to the loud jarring swish of the missiles followed by the heavy pounding of their fall j or by the explosion of the shells I pleased her excited fancy to regard each shot as a token of her lovers efforts to reach her Nearer nearer as the fell and more and more startling as their concussions became the heart of the girl throbbed j with increasing pleasure scarcely scarce-ly mixed with the terror of the occasion They never can take the town wo are far too well prepared for them said ra nard one day when a truce had beon agreed upon to bury the dead We shall drive them back badly beaten His words uttered so confidently and gently were as blows dealt with brutal violence upon Roses heart He had been in the thickest of the fight and showed the tremendous draught it had made on even his powerful frame but he bore himself with just that air of imperturbable imperturb-able almost pathetic patient reserve and refinement which he had assumed after Roses decisive refusal of his passionate sionate love propose propB I God forbid that you succeed she exclaimed ex-claimed so vehemently that itlent a dramatic dra-matic charm to her beauty May heaven strike with every American and every French arm God strike for merry England ho responded with a grave smile to which the scar of Prescotts sword cut added a touch of evil They never can cross our works i Rose stood up before him tall stately inspired with the spirit of patriotism her face burning and her lips compressed Somehow his words were as prophecy in her ears and she felt a strange sinking of her hope but she resolutely sustained herself Then into her inner consciousness conscious-ness once more rang Prescotts parting words Goodby dear dear Rose I wish I could say something more cheering to youh Maynard said preparing prepar-ing to go but I cannot We are going to hold the town He now worothouniform of a captain in the English army I made his commanding com-manding figure still more notable as he slowly walked away Before he had gone far he turned about and came back Miss Fenwicke he said and now there was a decided huskiness in hia otherwise rich and well controlled voice Miss Fenwicke nothing that you may ask of me shall ba refused nothing nothing When ho was gone Rose stood a one in a dream Slowly she was realizing what to her was most agonizing This man whom she hated had a heart and was suffering The thought thrilled through her with unspeakable effect like some vague but pervading sense of I sorrow pity and regret L Aarain the battle was resumed the < i ioblSJrgl1rfaSJallltflef8iiuP f in tne river and all the batteries on land opened in chorus and were answered by every gun on the works around the town The French j had thrown a strong force on land to cooperate with the army of Gen Lincoln so that now the allied troops practically surrounded Savannah and every point was threatened Days went by On tho 9th of October at day cay break there was a sudden roar of artillery ar-tillery a wild shouting and a prolonged burst of musketry as the whole forces of the besiegers stormed at once Count dEstaing led his men and he was gallantly lantly supported by Gen Lincoln The assault though furiously impetuous and stubbornly persistent utterly failed With heavy loss dEstaing wounded their columns broken and in disorder the allied armies fell back and in a few days asked for a trace to exchange prisoners pris-oners after which they withdrew the French fleet sailing away the American retreating the burn army up country bur ing the bridges behind them I the meantime Rose had gone though a most trying ordeal for the sake of love and patriotism From the moment that she had realized that Maynard really meant to sacrifice himself in any and every way for her she had determined at all hazards to escape from Savannah Her will once fixed on the adventure nothing could change her resolution When she found that Maynard influenced influ-enced by his love for her had assumed the character of a sincere and truthful man she felt that what he said to her must be true and then the terrible cOI viction fastened itself in her mind that Savannah could never be reduced by the allied forces and therefore Prescott could never come to her This was enough All her nature arose in aid of her determination to make her way through the linen to her lover if indeed he were still alive if he were dead she would at least be among those who loved their country to suffer and if need be die with them Would not this be well > With every mom nt the secret consideration consid-eration that this was her duty fixed itself it-self more firmly in her heart and so she set about preparing for undertaking which to us must appear strangely out j of keeping with her nature and scarcely justifiable CHAPTER TIlL I fli1J i t J i iii i j i i Qramput fell upon tils snccs On the night of the 8th of October or probably after midnight which would make it the 9th in the early morning while a great calm and stillness lay upon the town and over the two armies watching watch-ing each other as if with bated breath Rose Fenwicke accompanied by a trusty old negro man servant quietly took leave of her home and stole away treading tread-ing the obscure alleys and streets in the direction of her fathers plantation some miles distant F It was a desperate step but it had been well considered Viewed in the light of the present day it can scarcely be distinguished from what we call a wild escapade and for Trhich unsrintsd I censure would be meted out to the vounjj girl who should attempt it But aa timings were then the act was separated from any mere recklessness adventuresome adventure-some boldness I have before me as I write the diary of Rose Fenwicke kept at the time and written in the cramped hand and stilted style then in vogue also the yellow old letter which she left on her little table for her mother and in which she attempted at-tempted to explain and justify her course I know full well my dear mother so runs a part of the epistle that you will not attribute to your daughter what you are aware is not in her nature nor will you ever cease to trust her word who has never broken faith with any one T have fhrmtrlit jvnd nmvetl tnnrhinfr mv duty i to you my duty to my country I and i my duty to my lover Never once i have I suffered selfish desires to I hold place in my heart while searching I after i the true line of action 1 have at last become convinced that Savannah will never be retaken by the patriot army I shall never again see Wayne Prescott unless I go to him which 1 am now fully set upon doing even at the peril of my life I 1 reach urn I shall wed him at once and follow him whithersoever whither-soever he may go i It is hard almost unbearable to 1 live you thus to desert you by stealth but there is a call over yonder which I dare not close iny ears to and there is a terror here which 1 cannot longer endure I feel that you will be quite safe here The British commander will protect you and your estates so that you shall not want for anything I depart this night with good old Grampus who will bo able I think with Gods help to lead me forth from this more than prison into the free air of the country where 1 shall at least be rid of my enemies and persecutors I have searched in vain through the diary the letter and all the documents bearing upon the matter t find out why she spoke of persecutors Possibly the word was used with no directness Of application ap-plication She may have been anticipating antici-pating a sort of negative persecution from Maynard whose persistent kindness kind-ness must have amounted to something of the sort at least to u girl of her temperament tem-perament and situated as she must have been had she remained in Savannah Thero may have been however other and deeper reasons of which she did not care to make record and I am inclined to believe there were I appears on the face of it at least at this distance so improbable that she should have undertaken under-taken a task so hazardous in every way so likely to end in unspeakable disaster and so trying to a young girls nerves i she had not been impelled by some absolutely abso-lutely irresistible circumstances that 1 1HWpjiJl Jp taiiW i H luddenthmo deeper and real cause oIlier act At all events some powerful stim I I ulus bore her through a trial the like of which rarely comes to n woman and the J 1 > N s y > very tnougnt or wmcn snouia be enough I vfr 1 tll te1ea fe the strongest and most courageous maiden Grampus the old negro servant with I that cunning and cleverness characteristic characteris-tic of his race took his young mistress J I not by the highways but by the byways I and paths s well known to him that he could follow them quite a well bynight 1 1 as by day and carrying for her l light case of clothing soon had reached the I edge of a swamp just beyond which were the lines of defense Rosa was quite calm and cool for she long since had conquered her fears as well a her scruples and was now ready to meet every exigency with that peculiar cour age which belongs to woman She followed fol-lowed Grampus stepping firmly in his tracks and heeding little the gloom of the swamps or the ominous sounds that like heavy half suppressed breathings of battle rustled along the lines of the motionless armies There was no tiring no martial music no distant voices but to tho right and left and directly before them a strange stir a vague significant yet scarcely definable tumult of minor noises shook the stillness of the night Lights that could not be seen cast their flickering reflections on the sk rendering render-ing the solemn blackness of the densely wooded swamp still more heavy and awful aw-ful The trees were hung with immense festoons of Spanish moss mingled with wild grape vines amid which small animals ani-mals probably raccoons were scrambling scram-bling and playing Much of the way Rose was wading in water four or five inches deep and she had to lay hold of the negros coat in order or-der to follow him It had been agreed beforehand that Rose was not to speak unless Grampus first spoke to her so in perfect silence save the light splash of their feet in the water they trudged very slowly and cautiously along until they had reached the heart of the swamp Here Grampus paused and turning about whispered Deys somebody right yander Wes got ter slip back and go way roun zm udder way Rose could see no one but she knew well the quick eyes and quick ears of the 1 negro had not deceived him so she followed fol-lowed him without a word as for some distance he retraced the route by which 1 they had come Presently he changed his direction to the left and for a while they floundered through a dense watery thicket of low bushes finally reaching another path invisible save to the eyes of Grampus which led toward the lines Soon again they were balked for they came near going plump against a group of soldiers occupying a little rise of dry ground where an officer apppared to beat be-at work writing reading a dispatch or examining a map at all events he was leaning over a paper of some kind while a soldier held a minute pine torch close beside his face I Got ter try em ugin whispered the old negro bend down low an walk mighty light er dey git us shoV g i The night was not cold in the swamp it was almost sultry and swarms of mosquitoes hummed in the air and attacked at-tacked every spot of face neck or hands where the skin was uncovered Grampus did not care for these but to Rose it tese would have been torture unbearable in any lighter stress of circumstances slow It extremely Progress was i seemed that at almost every step Grampus I Gram-pus hesitated faltered and listened turning now this way now that and peering through the hideous gloom at the little twinkling lights which now and again gleamed for a second between the great tree boles and the low swinging swing-ing masses of fiuiercal moss Roses skirts were torn and her feet wet her hands and face were bl eeding from the scrat ches of thorns and the sting of insects but I she was unaware of it Her whole nature j i nat-ure was concentrated in what she was doing Grampus knew that the time was speeding rapidly and that if he did not hurry daylight would find them before thty had passed the British lines Still I it was quite impossible to do more than he was doing When presently they reached a small but deep channel in which flowed a silent si-lent sluggish stream the negro turned and saying Mus tote yo cross Miss Rose lifted her as if she had been a child and bore her to the other side They were now on higher ground at the edge of an open marsh meadow or field of some sort and they clearly saw a line of lights flickering along the opposite oppo-site margin margn Hab ter skirt roun de aidge of da woods whispered Grampus Fink we kin cabin git fru jes ober yonder by de ole Rose could see no cabin nor could I I Grampus for that matter but he kneW i I where i was and forthwith began by a I circuitous route to creep toward it By certain signs in the sky he knew that daylight was near but he knew also I that to hurry was to be nearly sure of revealing their presence to the vigilant soldiers Step by step like a cat creeping creep-ing upon her prey he led Rose along at a snails pace just in the shadows of the woods where they could not be seen It was much farther to the lines than the lights made it appear and they were I an hour or more going around the somewhat some-what circular opening to where Grampus Gram-pus 1 hoped to find place through which under cover of a tangled brake he could find their way to the American army which he knew occupied a slight ridge just beyond Grampus was n great coward one I way but in another he was as courageous coura-geous as B lion He had a mortal fear of a gun and ho well understood that if a picket or outpost sentinel should see him creeping along in this furtive manner there could bo no doubt a to what would happen It is due to him how iver to say that he thought more of the danger to his young mistress than of what might befall him in such a calamity calam-ity Fortune seemed to favor them as they advanced for as Grampus had shrewdly shrewd-ly foreseen the little deep ditchlike stream that ran in the midst of the brake and formed a sort of loop or horseshoe projecting between the British and the American lines had been deemed im passable and so had been left practically unguarded by both armies I ungarded ares The old negro knew every inch of the ground and so was able to find the only place over which a footman might safely pass Thither he conducted Rose After a long and toilsome scramble through the thick growth and over the coffee colored col-ored stream which in the dark sent up a sort of gloomy sparkle they at length found themselves once more on the margin mar-gin of jthe qpening already mentioned iutrhe3 re now between the opposing lines at a point about equidistant from each and the first faint streak of day was visible to the watchful eye of Gram h < 1t t r r We got ter bo in er hurry now be whispered fo it gwineto be broad day I light in less an no time Ho stood for minute considering what course to pursue His heart was begin ning to fail him but ho did not let Rose know i Bracing his will a best he could ho led her on still trying to keep forest within the cover of the fast thinning I I Rose was growing faint in spite of her resolution Her feet were wet a chill was in her blood and the long walk coupled with the excitement had told upon her strength She held fast to the arm of Grampus whose faithfulness made her situation endurable and by the most desperate efforts she kept from sinking down 1 at once a dozen roc ets leaped high in the air with a great rushing noise and with a flare of red light colored col-ored the landscape and the sk At the same time there was a burst of cannon and mora firing that shook the ground Shells went screaming overhead and round shot came thumping and bumping through the wood De good Lordy exclaimed Grampus we done gone Oh what we gwine do Miss Rose What ge A shell plunged into a marshy spot near them and exploding there flung the mud and water in every direction The funnel shaped hole blasted out by it was full of clinging smoke and gas Grampus fell upon his knees and began to pray I an instant Rose felt her nerves become like steel Get she ordered invoice up Grampus orcered a voice as steady a the best trained soldiers Get up There is going to be a battle batte Far and near a loud hum arose and then the batteries began to belch and boom rhythmically all alougthe lines A sound of martial music swelled through the increasing din and then came a mighty volley of human voices as the French and Americans swarmed out of their lines and formed for an assault Oh what we gwine ter do What we gwine ter do was all that poor old Grampus could say as he arose in obedience obe-dience to the command of his young mistress To the right of them a level flood of missiles was crashing through the low trees and the patches of canebrake On their left Rose saw a body of men form ing in close order For a few moments there was a strange lull which was followed fol-lowed by an awful thundering of the guns and a wild gust like rush of fiery missiles and then the allied forces stormed The air palpitated the earth trembled the like of fire tembled sky was lke a sea fre Amidst it all Rose saw the charging columns col-umns sweep along toward the Ilrifaph works that as yet were grim and silent as a line of tombs She was so absorbed in the sight that she did not hear the approach ap-proach of a body of troops that was making its way through the thin woods A loud order in a clear familiar voice startled her and at the same time filled her with joy It was Prescott leading on his men She looked and saw him a little way off his face pale but determined deter-mined his step as quick and firm as a panthers his sword flashing in the re light of the rockets carcasses and bombs and his fine form showing heroically i her loving vision She knew him instantly in-stantly although the light was of a kind distort the appearance of every object At this instant the British lines opened fire and loosed a tempest of death ETO BE conxuED |
