Show wco lopus ac I 1 1 I I 1 A ra a a a 7 CHAPTER 11 cont continued aued bending a keen heen 1001 upon the pris oner the planter addressed him r I 1 presume there Is little need of my telling you my man that you are in a fair way of stretching hemp caught within our I 1 nes ties there is but one con elusion to be drawn that la is you are 1 a federal spy of course you ou will mill F deny this but it matters little we f are j istl fled in acting upon this sup position these are times tor for action fr and our policy is to reduce sherman s army at every chance under these circumstances I 1 might as uell prepare to meet my fate re marked marred john coolly what are you anxious to dea d ea ejaculated the planter with mith consider able surprise I 4 not at all on the contrary cont yary I 1 have every reason for desiring to live tie but 1 as a soldier I 1 long ago made up my J mind to face the worst manfully when it came f but there is a peculiar stigma at A cached to the fate of a spy unmerited I 1 admit it has almas been so to fall in battle is honorable to be hung f a disgrace granted iet et not being a spy I 1 9 tal e little interest intel Inte est iest in the controversy you have not come here to engage in a an argument squire j ah ali you ou know mea i that Is th the penalty for being a man sir every one hai has i heard of squire granger and his love ly lehome tome it lt has been my pride lou can tin i agane my di at the prospect to come what is 3 our aa name j john emmett replied the prison er which was true enough as tar far as it went then listen to me I 1 am about to w give 3 iou on one chancelor chance for 3 our life refuse it if you ou like but the penalty i i it death I 1 go on 1 I am ready to hear bear you said emmett calmly listen to me you fall to grasp the situation under ordinary circum stances I 1 would as soon see my child dead as the wife of a yankee to save lyndhurst we are ready to do even this if you QU consent I 1 have a solemn contract here which you ou must sign 4 contract 1 lindly ti ell me its nature it may put a different face on the matter it is simply an agreement by means of which you swear never to claim mollie as your wife in fact to be a stranger to her unless she of her own free will decides other otherwise mise and you ou tell me she has consent ed to thise I 1 have said so expect nothing but cold coldness from her she is a georgia girl and bitterly opposed to all north ern soldiery soldier alake make up dour our mind that vou mill a ill never see her after this night allow this strange romance to fade out of your our mind lyndhurst will be saed sated and in twelve months the courts nil mill set you ou both free again this is a marriage of business and con lenience ven tence no dancing no blushing bride no happy hearts the growl of sherman s heavy guns Is the thy only music and that sad enough to south ern hearts decide in five minutes whether you care to live a benedict or die a bachelor john walked up and down doan lite life was sweet to him alm for he had much to accomplish duties to perform be sides what mattered it under these peculiar circumstances As yet the romance in ahe affair did not appeal 0 him before I 1 decide one way or the other will you ou allow me to see the young lady who has offered herself a sacrifice in order to save lyndhurst I 1 don t see chy w hy jot i show any curiosity in the matter as she will be your our wife in name only however I 1 am disposed to be lenient step this way she stands by the table in N I 1 V aa 1 w the marriage of moll e granger and the colonel jw you are a bachelor I 1 am told that Is true athen 1 then hark in halt half an hour from upa ou on will be a married man or chave have ceased to live I 1 1 gat bat this strange remark john turned and looked squarely into the face 0 of the ane planter pardon me ma if I 1 say that under t ordinary circumstances of the awo tac egils I 1 might choose the latter jl i oh ohl I 1 see you are a woman hater f hardly that I 1 have grown some wh what hat cynical regarding the happiness 41 acl those who mho wed and long ago re f solved alved to tg remain single i perhaps we can batter down the walls of your prejudice especially 1 when it is a cae of giving up your 5 our bachelor freedom or meeting a fate atiat t at usually makes men shudder t t 14 laa yourself vours elf squire for you mus musj aamir this is a os ion you bresg me then listen and ate i gh well the consequences before aou ou decide this thi estate has been my a pride it would hill 11 oneto to have it ru ned by the ee yan yankees e ces which must come about un less I 1 can secure immunity chave one child a daughter whose heart Is athe the same as mine she is ready to sacrifice herself in order to save lyndhurst go on 1 I am still unable to grasp you afe art frederal Pre aF edeal deral soldier my men thalme they believe you to be an ofil of ficere 9 1 it I 1 is true it if I 1 can show proof that this estate is the property of my daughter and that aishe is s the wife of pf a federal A officer lyndhurst will mill be saved from the torch john was electrified by the proposal tion and looked curiously at the man whose shrewd brain bad had evolved it one ofte glance at that determined face told hm squire granger meant all he said sald ana that a refusal to accept the contract would mould be the signal tar for a hasty execution what is your daughters daughter s it does hot matter still you would have to lidow hilow it ia Is mollie granger she cannot be tm twenty enty as yet just eighteen allow me to add you are showing a curiosity that is unpleasant to me vi al ell my I loar ar 6 i 1 jou ou 0 cst ion on fesa fess it would only be natural for a A gentleman to ask the name of the lady who was to be his wife tho th other room under the light tell me yankee will you accept and live john held his breath W he had not expected to see such a charming girl as the one who raised her head and coldly yet with some little show of curiosity toward him I 1 awill I 1 will sign the paper squire he said quietly while to himself he mut jf f I 1 have to be sacrificed on the altar of connubial folly I 1 could hardly wish for a more interesting pai kaitner trier in the ceremony ce remon CHAPTER III moll e squire granger wab a man of bus busl nes as he proved proved by producing the document in question at a signal a 00 aiple of df john s captors entered to act as witnesses it nesses and in s agn ng he was ma g careful to put down only so much of 0 his name as he had already given Y t it was mas evident that all preparations were mere made for the event even to a parson before the expedition was sent out to capture a bachelor yankee john aroused himself to take some interest in the th case perhaps the novelty of the s tuition had some thing to jo do with this departure from his usual nonchalance or it may be the presence of mollie granger arous ed a peculiar sensation within his bachelor heart the girl was as cold as ice lee and beyond one contemptuous look never vouchsafed him a glance john found himself smiling at the ridiculous nature of his position life is sweet to nearly every human being and few men would mould have refused to accept it even though the inevitable result was a sacrifice of personal liberty she stood beside him while the parson went through the service has efly as though a little ashamed of the part he took but ready to assist the squire in his scheme to save lynd hurst burst when the words to love honor and obey were read john saw her scarlet lip curl in contempt while the color momentarily left her face but she gave a little affirmative nod some spirit possessed him on his part to exclaim more hat usual emphasis I 1 will mill when the usual question was put to him and the girl turned a startled lolk loik upon him while her father scowled ill e a pirate 1 is t though a terrible suspicion hart had en ered ilia hi head lead that this good looking yankee alani nl m be was nas ising as an instrument for saving raving I 1 s property pio perty might at some f futi re tin e agn ln e them tro ble it was by accident that john s hand touched that of the girl he was amazed at feel ng a strange thrill shoot through agh h hs s fialo and ready to laugh at bin hin self if for such ruch foolish ness b b it it it gave him a sensation he had never bea ie and which he would ie lern ember membEr again he was ras left alone with the planter allow me to congratulate you said the other with wih a sneer in his voice I 1 can hardly realize that I 1 am no longer a single man an hour ago I 1 had not dreamed such a destiny was in store tor for me returned john with mith a careless laugh I 1 have a little nore ore writing to be done sit down please and fill out these documents then the bargain will be complete john did as requested of course the papers concerned the one move ment in which the squire quire was deeply interested intel ested when john came to sign bis his name and his regiment he man aged to so manipulate the pen that the word ridgeway was mas obscured and a casual glance would mould only reveal plain john emmett when the re discovered that his new son in law had placed the word colonel before his name he smiled grimly not because of pleasure in being related to a hankee officer for he hated the whole army of invasion from sherman down to the humblest drummer boy in blue but simply on account of the more favorable pros hect ahead in saving the estate from the torch and the pillager As it now stood sherman would be compelled to put a guard around lyndhurst in case any damage was done the government would be responsible for the whole property be longed to the wife of a federal officer are you satisfied squire asked the prisoner as the other put the papers away I 1 believe it is all right then allow me to depart in peace the squire raised his heavy eyebrows my dear colonel you certainly must have misunderstood me I 1 said nothing at all about giving you liberty it is against my principles to assist the enemy sir I 1 understood that the reward which was to follow my er sacrifice flee of bachelor principles was to be freedom john showed some signs of annoy ance though too diplomatic to even raise his voice above the ordinary pitch I 1 gave vou you the choice beav benmar ariage and the death of a spy you have chosen wisely colonel we will keep vou ion here over night and when the morning comes send sena you under guard to headquarters your life was in question and you have saved it say no more m words would be useless and might bring on trouble closing abrupt abruptly the squire clapped his hands and again his satellites entered each with an exasperating grin upon his face as though thoy ap prec predated the humor of the situa tion gentlemen kindly show colonel emmett my federal son in law to his boudoir I 1 hold you ou responsible foi his appearance in the morning As the squire spoke a hand was bah iah ial upon each of john johns s shoulders I 1 will go with you ou quietly gentle men no violence it if you please oi 01 you will find yourselves handling a desperate man was what the fed eral said and his manner impressed Impress ei them so far that they used no undue familiarity the sarcasm of the squires word could be plainly seen when the prison er was ushered in the boudoir li Is question a strong room that hail ha evidently served as a prison on mon than one occasion perhaps tor for re frac tory slaves to be continued |