Show 7 CHAPTER I 1 f held by the enemy it was night in georgia the misty moonjean moon bean s filiere I 1 i through the latticed branches of the pines fell upon the figure of a man in bi ie who bollom followed ed a N ell worn path leading to a mansion situated on de abatable gifuni near atlanta fierce pierce and sangun ary battles had been fought all the wa a from chatta and the doom of tl e gate city w mis is sealed presently atlanta and its environs en in nt fall into the hands i of the victorio vict orlo is shern sherri an those were mere troublous times for the beracy and many a heart gre v cold with a N ague fear wh ie facing the ap pro preaching aching disaster close behind th s advancing figure a second might have been seen a tall lean fellow who wore more the chevrons of 0 a sergeant though it would be imp s sible to tell whether his disty d asty well morn garments stamped him a mem her ber of the blue or gra emerging from the pines the ho ise lay before the leader bati ed in the flood of lunar light he came to a stand aej and gazed upon the scene as though certain emotions long since dead had been aro ased to a new life while he thus stood the lanky sergeant jo ned tied him there it Is shanks iwas was a bo when last I 1 looked on tle tl e old home and it would hardly do to bell tell h how ow many any years ago that was mas great changes have taken place here in that time no doubt some of my old neighbors would think it rough that fletcher Ridge ridgeway ways s son should be i the army of invasion but thy inow know little of my life and could never guess the powerful motives that bring me here lets let s advance sergeant I 1 believe the house Is deserted in deed I 1 am surprised to see it stand ing with so many bands of plunder ing jayhawkers and guerrillas running through the country just as ye say sir replied same fountain that hid served 1 in in boy boyhood oad this pleasant d ty finished he ad vancell to the bu id ng wl alever I 1 recollections m ei e riot ng na gh fits his n ind an I 1 they must 1 b ive been legion he did i ot allow them to appear up on tl e s I 1 face ivi bently this same john v u ab a b capal ie le of controls ron con troll ng his feelings to a re I 1 able extent of couise the loor was fast he be expected that A w indo v would rant the desired ari ingress re s there mas ft as cometh ng rep i ant about his this no n ie of entrance but d ir in ing the stormy tormy war mar t times t ines men who were mere soldiers met with so many strange adventures adien tures that these feelings I 1 11 I 1 ad 0 to o be stifled to a greater or less 1 extent so john passed from one window to another trying tring each in t rn sue cess dl I 1 not come Immediate Imme diatel ir but he was mas not discouraged A man mans s character crops out even in such small things of life ind john possessed pertinacity to a certainty finally he discovered a window mindom that offered no resistance to his onslaught and thus after the long jong lapse of years he once more entered the house that had been h s boa bo hood s home like a man wall ing in his sleep he passed from one room to another the moonlight found an entrance through the many w endows though the were mere festooned with cobwebs a after ft er the manner of deserted man it served to reveal various objects in the rooms and johns john s mind went back through the vista of years as each familiar scene aroused mem ones ories of the past at length he stood in the room that seemed to be his goal here was the wide Ride throated chinney tle generous beat health th with its old fashioned andirons in front of a roaring fire how many times jn in the long ago had he sat with his boy compan ons cracking n nuts ats and chattering III e a lot of magpies or listening to grandfather grandfathers s weird sto stories gries of early life in the south A you are a yankee he asked curtly other his manner affectionate rather t than obsequious remember my caution guard your 40 tongue to you for the present I 1 am only 1 a fellow soldier plain john em ein rnett the sergeant saluted in a formal way sergeant you re a Tenness eean I 1 believed 9 from near knoxville sir my peo pie lived in the mountains some of ma m I 1 in wear the gray others the blue how came you ou to go with the north ive I 1 ve known n you a I 1 year ear and I 1 never asked that before the jayhawkers murdered my fath er ier before my ari ees ekes they wore more the butternut that settled the matter fifth me I 1 ve paid bad the debt I 1 reckon and the mountaineer ground his teeth at tle tl e recollection they were now near the ho ise one of those rambling so structures tures so well adapted to the country a pic pie tur esque building that would have de lighted the eye of an artist john seemed deeply interested memory awoke smoke within him and a strange thrill passed over his frame yes many happy days I 1 spent here at the old home before that wretched affair made me an exile see there is the same well bow often have I 1 slaked my thirst from its mossy buck et and yonder jonder ancient oak served me as 6 a hiding place from the little black imps who mho were mere my boy compan ions the impulse to again test the cool water far below the well bared curb la Is irresistible how hom do to you feel attl ar act it sergeant ber geant dry sir dr shall I 1 raise a bucket 6 it if you on will then we will try to enter the house my night mission concerns the interior and the old hearth of the great sitting room in Op particular please heaven they may be there the windlass sent forth many a dreary creal as it if displeased at bing compelled ta again enter the field of ott labor but the bucket of sparl 1111 ling a wel well water better than th dectar achar ec tar of the gods was mas soon goon til tit eri ed upon the curb and after an absence of a u an ani yeara bohr guenel pa p a s r hi john was an intensely practical man and quickly swept aside this halo of romance that threatened to over whelm him now to see whether the papers have lain there during these years or been discovered come my dear fel low brace up and put the matter to a test just as he was bending down to remove one of the stones that formed the hearth he heard the hoot of an owl from the outside this was the signal arranged with the sergeant it meant sudden danger john wheeled and stepped to a window but the dust was too thick on the glass to allow him a chance to see rhe t of a gun so on the n air this meant bus ness beyond a per adventure for in war times the dis char charge chare e of firearms fire arms is significant whatever his mission to this home of his boyhood it mi st for the present be postponed he again traversed averted tr the rooms aiming tor for the open window shouts were heard from the outside proclaiming the presence of the enemy in force john johns s bravery had been tested ere now on many a hard fought field and it t was with impatience at being interrupted rather rathor than alarm that he scrambled through the small pantry window no sooner had he dropped upon tha ground than violent hands were laid on him A muscular man john set about persuading his asai assailants lants that they could not thus act with impunity though three to one they might have met their match in this desperate soldier but tor for the coming of rein force forcemeats for meAts under the comb ned as sault john mas as soon made a prisoner and panting for breath awaited the next move of his enemies to his surprise only two of themi them seemed to wear any uniform tha th others were civilians or blacks and evidently belonged to some planta tion he 1001 ed in vain for signs of the sergeant and would have believed t th h 0 other ther n have made his escape 0 only for the haunting memory of the i augle hot what vuew they th ey io 0 with hir john pae gane no sig eiga ri of alarm and ard yet under the pa ua lar cu instances he I 1 chew abw tl ti ei e n ight be d pose I 1 to treat h anaas a 4 apaga exa exasperated aerated by the maid ot of sher mn man and the fa fate je of atlanta wh ch hung tren bl rg in tl tie e balance the georgians abre not in a mood for philosophy or medics cruel cruet war brings out the most intense pasq passions ions of men under these circumstances there fore he I 1 ept his ears on the alert to catch what was sard when the man wearing a contra ate captains nil form advanced and looked closely closel urto his face you are a yankees he asked ci ct artly I 1 am ed john bold desir 0 is of avoiding the charge of being called a spy married or singlea was mas the next astonish ing m question A bachela returned the federal proudly then I 1 reel on 30 i do men bring him bim along and it if he tries to escape a charge of b elshot must finish him to landh lyndhurst hust As he marched along in their midst the sorter found himself wondering monder ing whit astonishing aston ishin adventure was mas about to avei 1 I elm him CHAPTER II 11 A gr m altermat Alt ernat ve not a word mord vas said as they tramped trampe ct along the road john johns s cun curi alty had been aroused aro ased holever ho vever and he wondered whether his confession as to being a bachelor would have any bear ng one way may pr or another upon his pis possible fate as a spy the growl of heavy guns could be heard in the distance telling that shermans Sher mans grip was hourly glowing growing more benac ous and the time close at hand when the gate city must sur render to superior force these sounds were unpleasant music in the ears of those whose rested with the distressed distress southland and it promised to be an unfortunate time tor for any federal whom the for tune of war might throw into their grasp landh arst the name was familiar to john and he remembered that in the das of his boutu the grangeia Gran geis lived there perhaps ter haps officers were quartered there for the squire had almas been a most ardent patriot and no doubt from his vast resources had contributed much to help on the cause of the confederacy under such circumstances therefore it was possible that a drum head court martial might be held and a speedy execution take place john hardly ailed ed the thought of dying upon the scene of 0 boyhood I 1 s pleasures but the stern lessons of campaign life make light of even such a ghastly possibility so he trudged along in the midst of 0 his silent captors isow now and th the lall thoughts turned in the daret ui the sergeant but on each occasion the remembrance of that shot caused him to shrug his shoulders and mentally decide that poor shanks had already gone upon the road toad that awaited him they passed through a gate and entered upon well kept grounds lynd hurst was considered the finest estate near atlanta its peculiar position had thus tar far saved the historic old mansion with its delightful grounds from the bombarding guns ol 01 the enemy but once the city fell into the hands of the th conquering federals lyndhurst would feel the blighting influence and possibly be left in ruins lights gleamed through the trees showing that the mansion was far from being deserted straight up to the door they led the prisoner and presently john found himself locked in a room voices in earnest conver bation coula bouli be heard near by final ly the door opened and some one entered it was a man of about fifty whom john faced a man with a most de ter mined countenance in spite of the passage of years he recognized the other as his father s neighbor and friend squire granger to be continued |