Show I A 1 A If II J r t tL L Synopsis of Preceding Chapters Norman Holt favorite son of at an rid 1 Kentucky family is reprimanded at West Vet Point for dueling and i Is 18 withdrawn by his hi father His home hom homecoming homecoming coming in the winter of ot 1860 1800 is t celebrated by an Kentucky Christmas gathering fathering Among the guests are Daisy 1 Lane Lne daughter of Dr Holts Bolts lawyer and J Burnett Malloy both of Cincinnati Tho The latter letters fetters of Introduction from Lanes partner Mr McIntyre and andIs andIs andIa I I Is Ia courteously ly received 1 but arouses arou B the 3 jealousy of or Norman Holt by his atten atlen Lions to t Daisy Daley Lane Miss Niss Lane front from the main party during a fox hunt and at the Christmas ball the name evening affect affects an air of proprietorship proprIetorship distasteful to aisy and ob oh obnoxious obnoxious noxious to his rival Norman Holt Hoit But all ill fooling feeling la Ia forgotten ol t when at mid midnight ll night hight lk all surround fr n Dr Holt to drink lr the Christmas punch which ceremony Is in interrupted terru ted by a midnight messenger who announces the dangerous illness of Judge McIntyre Investigation reveals his financial affairs in a hopeless tangle and the Holt fortune dissipated Henry and Norman herman enter Lanes Lane law office in Cin Cincinnati Cincinnati Cm Torman enlists as a private in 11 inthe inthe the Ohio infantry c Malloy through po political lg tp influence l is L lieutenant u t t in the same a company and Henry Holt Joins the con forces Norman is ordered to conduct a skirmishing party under Cap Captain C p tain Wn tam Wing to In search of prou ent rebels Belleview raid rolls falls Wing captured and Norman accused of o 0 treachery Brain fever saves soV S him Wm from trial and aDd takes him to the hospital Charges against Norman are disproved by Enyart Enart Norman rejoins his reGIment and aud aids aide a Sheridan in capturing T Henry nry Holt Norman Holt Bolt drugged by Malloy while on picket duty is found asleep at athis athis his hl post Court martial convicts Norman who demand that Malloy Malio whose testimony testimony testimony mony convicted him shall hall head hend firm firing party on the day da of his death Norman Torman is carty pardoned by President 08 Lincoln and iu CY made ag lieutenant of Kentucky Infantry an Norman Is accused by tho the Lanes Lanos of fI be betraying betraying betraying Theodore who has deserted nato to the hands haide of the secret service men No Noman Noman man num wius wi high praise from Sheridan for gallant rally of oC when mIen Malloy now jiOW major of or new regiment re returns to camp amp he ho Is 18 cut by Norman orman Norman c Cs by Confederate while trying to tos tove s ve dispatcher from front Thomas Captain Wing to Sheridan repudiates r tI s uttered against t Norman by Malloy who deserts In the of Mis 1115 Mission t tu tn cont army arm ion sion n Ridge Norman plants Union nag flaw on breastwork though severely wounded It to 16 1 Norman In spite of nil all an answered 8 rfd the sorrowing woman looking wistfully pleadingly into the pallid manly face as u she half tim timidly timIdly timidly idly held forth both hands Good God what humility of suffering there Is for forthe forthe I the mother who turns from the wreck of or her own hopes from the death of nil all that wae Wa planned and aud prayed for in hex her first born and gazes upon the full fruition fruit tine Ion t of effort ellort and ind energy In the person of another her boys own friend and On the one hand toy lay J y her Ish Ishmael masi mael a useless UHeI life a ruined career on the other stood he who had so faithfully striven to befriend her hel weakling w h he hen whom horn n they had ao o ully treated now lOW a tried leader leder of men tempered by adversity Y through tire fire and hood with wItt t the honor hODor and acclamation tion ion t of ot lila liM hi soldier comrades high Ir in rank and despite his youth y t not nn so o 0 high that in pity and amI sym sympathy sympathy sympathy pathy and forgiveness he had stifled the sense or of f his hiM own suffering that day by day he hp might succor their dying boy With her ler face lace bowed upon hIs hla hands lands she was as silently weeping when whon the door from an adjoining room open opened opened ed and Daisy DaiRY came rame slowly in inNot inot InNot Not ot since the week of DC Theodore Theodoree ar arrest arret ret rest had he Kt et tit t eyes on her That Th t was only a 8 year Yta agone a ue yet all the girlish look had lied fled fd from her fare face ta leaving it 4 pathetic sorrowful yet Inexpressibly 8 t Ii was wa the face fale of nt a woman i hastened chastened by b anxiety and suffering one In whom gentleness ne 6 r t and de devotion bad triumphed over thought of or self and made a R angel to the fhe aging and distressed dl eCi The mother lied known that death dath would doubtless be rn the sentence of her son should he hp fall into th 11 ln of the Union army and all li hr r thoughts had bad been b n of him 1 and his hi p peril The rhe daughter had bad to carry a double Jouble load The knowledge that her fathers were going ft frim om bad to t worse that the Investments prompted by the elder Ider alloy Malloy hart hati been ala and she had bad M word for It that hat now only he stood between that th t father and nd financial ruin Malloy vent mt nt further still He lIe had bad not scrupled to tn tell teU the daughter her fathers good name nam was wag as 8 had been he en that of Jill his us deceased ed partner McIntyre AH AU this for the girl had Jad had to toD br D vr r In the determination d that her mother should not hea bea it All this had been whispering Into her ears in of the be e suit of his lils hopeful son en No wonder as Kate Ray Ra wrote Daisy Dule looked as though she were go going going ing Into a 8 de inc And then for long months she had known mown how hideously unjust was Theo Theodores Theodores dores accusation against apin t the lov lover r to tov toWard toward v Ward ard whom her young yong heart had leaned from the first the lover Imer vt i n she had hadt t p lined a wt at her brothers mid nud mothers the lover Joer whom horn they the had all wronged and according to Malloy Mallo whom u hom the father had actually robbed for trust mom mo v too said he was W wa 8 In tn InIn 01 1 In the lite fathers speculations l tion What hat reward had hail Norman received at ot their hands for his lis devotion to o her brother and to her herIt herIt herIt It was but hilt a few weeks week after alter Theo Thee Theodores d dores res arrest arre t that she he learned the falsity of oC his Is accusations aC Kate t i ay had h 1 seen to that hut meantime there was ws Nor Normans mans nans brief cold reply o her letter the c he hek k returned and her Ler slight repaid in full I 1 shall never neer again attempt to tot t see e you After your letter Jetter I dou douSt t if 1 I In n ever race car to That was the last vord ord between them j t It would not have been the last for she had nerved herself lers lt to v write rite and tell ten him hint she nhe knew the truth Though she sh could not ask aRk him to forgive or forget she wished him to know she their bitter Injustice to him No girl have brought herself to such a 0 pitch of or the possibility of t being misunderstood mJ the shameful possibility that he might think her beg begging ping ging Ing for the return of his love and andt trust rust t No that she assured herself was gone forever Insulted and outraged as ns asIt asIt It had been n It was 88 the woman in lier ier now non prompting her at any ny copt cort co t to ac nc her fault It would have been easier r U t say MY I i sinned against thee to any other soul boul ul on earth But she had at last after ter attempts v written her he confession and tl t n came the dread drad tidings of or his desperate wound and capture The story of his heroism I came ame later Jat Kate Ray agan agn agn n But that was nothing nt new naw What could he ever over b be but brave heroic superb her knight her h r soldier her hero her lover aye her ber dearly deady loved Iwed one though he should 91 never know it though he be should never neves care to know though he would wOd probably come back bt k a a general in tho th by F L L LPt Q MA Pt f I and by and marry m rry I or pretty Lou Ward Vard who was smitten with one of Morgans dashing raiders or Lorna Walton Valton who wore wor the confederate confederate erate crate colors beneath her expensive bod bodice bodice bodice ice and could not see what so many men saw In Kate Ray As for Daisy she would devote herself hersel to poor mother She would nurse and anO anI soothe and work for her and so io In gentle deeds of good goodness goodness ness the child Ih had d lived through her years of penance refusing to yield to the pleas of the arid and td the bud had bad become the blossom sweet sor sorrowing sorrowIng sorrowing rowing uncomplaining but hut far more lovable and womanly And s suCh uen was she who with faltering footsteps and timid tim yet resolute mien mi n came come slowly forward and Norman turned and saw her saw In an Instant the tho change the year had wrought and stud the same old seizure fastened on his throat aad ald choked h utterance ut He could not speak Ho stepped toward her took her cold fluttering little hand and did not know he was Wa holding it till she drew it away eway gazing izing the while dumbly down into her pallid ace e an infinite sorrow sympathy and tenderness out F I 7 I t 1 ii 1 1 I f 2 j I iH tf i p 9 4 s te tev tes 1 C v i I Ii I I I i t A ATILE THE TILE I Ii l BEAD SAUK BACK INTO ROLLOW OLLOW OP 0 F THAT TAT BOO BO AD SHOULDER pouring from his big brave rave rae heart and overflowing In his deep brown eyes And though he lie could not speak she could j nd did She knew she must and had schooled herself hersel beforehand and even In her humility and in her trouble there was sweet SWett womanly dig dignity dignity dignity in her bearing there was con confession confession mingled with womanly trust In her he lovely eyes as us they looked up one moment into his Norman Holt was was wasat at least a gentleman and could not said stid Id she misunderstand her Yet was It not hard to have to meet him so soI soI I I ought not to say I am glad to see you here since we owe that to your be being being ing again wounded We e can never thank you enough Mr Holt Bolt It is Colonel Holt Hoit now Daisy said her h father coming forward It Is just Norman Theodores friend said he tie finding voice at last and striving to speak as though he h would give her hope hop and reassurance but she sew saw how hoi little hope there was behind the conventional mask There are men who can enn ride Into battle laughing in the face of oC death yet et can cannot cannot not so mith as summon a s smile when the King of Terrors sits by the bed bedside bedside side lle of another for tor whom women watch and anti pray pra He knew that there need be beno beno beno no fear of earthly tribunal for the fast failing falling son and brother Perhaps It was better so Three days da more given to him in which to minister to Theodore to strive to comfort and strengthen the sorrowing mother to be bf beof beof of aid to the girl for whom all the old love seemed to be revived redoubled Of or that it wits was no time tl to t speak One afternoon there came caine a dispatch The rho colonel commanding the th Kentucky cavalry desired to know how soon on the lieutenant colonel could report for duty There was urgent need of oC his services Showing it to Enyart Norman briefly said I 1 start tonight and nud Bob could only ony press his hand and say 5 y Youre right t But It was another matter to break it tr the Lanes He dreaded the affect on Theodore so rapidly was he falling faU It was Kate Ray again who came to Normans aid She had heard beard awl all lost no time You are going without heir knowing it is 18 not that your plan Nor Norman Norman Norman man she asked then quickly added But do you not wish to speak with Daisy Datsy Of or what I X p k to her herat at such a time he lie wistfully asked The Theman Theman Theman man in him shrank from front the he the thought of wooing when all aU her het thoughts must be beof beof beof of her dying brother brothel The woman in Kate Ray saw that then theu perhaps more than tt nt any other time there would be sweetness strength and nd support In the assurance that Daisy was wait oved and forgiven Again was It Kate Ray who took matters Into her own man might slip away with only obly a n few words to the family generally but as asto asto asto to Daisy Dal that was another matter malter matterAnd matterAnd And so just after nightfall as with sorrowing face nd n moistened eyes he be beI I came to ItO tell her ber he be had just bidden I Theodore farewell and that Theodore had smiled and borne It bravely Kate led him along the gallery of the big bg southern house past Mrs door to the railing at the cor corner corner corner ner Walt Vat here one moment will you said she and then disappeared It was a still December evening een ng The stars were sparkling in a cloudless sky I Out to the southwest as he faced the alley valley old Lookout loomed loom d like a big black bison against the lower heavens 1 Campfires flickered and twinkled every everywhere everywhere everywhere where at the f front ont and along the dim shadowy ranges to the right and loft left i Bat distance softened all earthly sound and anti a silence as of some New England wintry landscape fell tell like a mantle manlle upon the freezing earth On the floor below he could hear Bob Enyart t thump thumpIng thumpIng 1 Ing about his narrow room and knew just how eager and restless that young soldier must be but of other sounds close at hand there were few The gal gallery galleo gallery lery leo on which he stood encircled en the house on two sides at least and Theo Theodores Theodores dores doves room was at the northward end of the he east ast front well ell at his back Kate had entered Mrs room I and every little lItt e moment Norman ex ax expected x her return She had asked him hiza I Ito Ito to take a small packet with him but bitt i when she reappeared her bands were empty her face was blank I It at least I 1 cant find some something thing thin I 1 want Would you mind waiting while I run downstairs she ehe asked I shant be e long And wondering g that their cool levelheaded l Kate should ap appear appear appear pear so 80 perturbed Norman Normn Norm n waited He had left Daisy with her br b r mother had iad spoken brieflY gently with theta them th m bath b th striving still to appear ap ar hopeful bop ful of f see seeIng seeIng seeing Ing them again aga t wh wHew Theo Theodore Theodore Theodore dore was able a le t move He would write He would never forget f Lane only wept DeIt little s hand lay Jay long longin in his but their eyes hardly met as ashe ashe ashe he bowed in farewell He had dreaded that parting yet how he longed to live it over at least with her And then as Kate still failed to find the some something something something thing she he wanted on the lower floor perhaps Bob Enyart was helping her he now smiled Norman to he turned began betran be n pacing slowly along the he southern gallery and became gradually aware of a u slender shadowy girlish form leaning lenning against the pillar at the further end apparently gazing out at atthe atthe atthe the dark and muddy mudd street Another instant and he knew It was Daisy Dalsy Daisy Dasy enveloped in a hawl that hat muffled fled fl d her head and shoulders else must she have bave heard his hs step before she did which was not until he lie strode within six feet of her Then startled she turned and sew saw s w him turned again strove to flee but in that Instant even evenin evenin evenin in that dim light he had seen the sweet wan piteous face was bathed in tears Good God What were |