Show NEES 0 31 ft halppen ED aad anaw cy 3 jarc ay 7 CHAPTER continued it would only be justice and when the opportunity comes you will be able to depend on me even my son deceived me for I 1 suppose he knew of your marriage john remembered the conversation he had had near his old home with crockett yes he knew but since I 1 cannot be of service to you aunt sarah since my being called here was all a mistake after all I 1 might as well return there Is one thing I 1 would like to ask you I 1 shall answer any question neph ew you are kind indeed to make malte so light of my ingratitude have you ever told my cousin how I 1 was able to serve ou in louis ville I 1 have not though I 1 should have done so and I 1 will now that this has happened thank you aunt I 1 believe when he knows that he will not feel so bit ter toward me we are kin though we fight on different sides and when the e war ar Is s over I 1 hope to live here again gain lt it would be much better if we were viere friends spoken like a Rid Ridge geNay aay I 1 tear fear the better elements in our family de bended on your side and the baser on ours john it shall be as ou say I 1 shall never be deceived like this again and my wife you said mollie was here that she saw me enter this house vouse saw that desperate vengeful woman lei let me in yes it was true but tell me why does my sons son s wife hate you so soa I 1 would rather not say aunt I 1 as sure you it Is entirely to my credit though I 1 can guess it you could not re turn the love she once cast at your feet no no not exactly that still she gave you to understand she had a passion for you and you john you humiliate me more and more then you forgive my share in this vile plot she asked with tears in her eyes freely and fully he replied As he started tor for the door he en countered the vindictive woman who ad plotted so desperately for h his s overthrow one glance into his face revealed to her the fact that he knew all she ground er teeth in rage you have escaped me again john ridgeway but don t flatter yourself this is the end I 1 shall live to see you suffer worse than I 1 have endured she said bitterly you are a foolish woman belle why not forget the past and live only in the present there is enough work tor for patriotic daughters of the south to do without brooding over their own private imaginary injuries I 1 wish you no ill III but remember the next time you endeavor to come bet between veen mollie granger and ni self I 1 may not be so forgiving she was not at all cowed I 1 will never cease to be a th thorn rn in your side she hissed venomously I 1 hope we wl 1 never meet again belle f he said as he passed from the hoise ho ise nor did they this desperate woman who did not hesitate to risk her life for the lost cause was given a dangerous mission a few days later she was never heard of again no one knew what became of 0 her but the last seen of her was near a great dismal swamp which in avoid ing the camp ot of the enemy she may afave nave attempted to pass through only to get lost and miserably perish with all her faults and they were many she at least loved her country more than her own life which she freely gave as a sacrifice in the en deavor to assist the rapidly waning star of the sinking confederacy knowing her vindictive nature from A 1 1 ah 07 itzy S ff W naturally scorned her as any true honorable man would I 1 have BUS sus pecked as much but it does not mat ter she Is his wife and as crockett has sown he must reap you were about to ask me something else nephew where Is she now I 1 mean mol lie on the way home I 1 have reason to believe this caused him to be anxious to follow and yet remembering her fine scorn as she told him she hated hypo crites and detested him john winced at the thought of presenting himself before her after what had occurred why had she braved this trip to the city ity unless she was learning to love blin him unless something within her heart refused to believe him the guilty wretch belle stevens declared until bhe she had seen his duplicity with her own eyes this being the case john was not halt half so indignant over the contempt ble fraud that had been used to draw him to the place as he might have been could he dis discover coNer no benefit to his own cause in the matter belle stevens had planned well the gold of major worden had aroused her latent energies it such a thing were necessary considering how she bated hated his successful rival she believed the game was in her bands hands and that john could never ex plain away the circumstances which now clouded his name in the estima atlon of the woman he was fast learn ing to adore but belle stevens was yet to learn that sometimes engineers are des troyed by the very power they are supposed to bring into existence in other words hoist by their own pe tard colonel john had made up his mind that ince he could learn nothing more to his advantage tinder under this roof he had better be mon ing his main thought was to overtake mo lie on the road it if possible and es ort fort her in safety to lyndhurst perhaps she might be too indignant 0 speak to him never mind he could carry out his plan protect her on the way and leave explanations to a more com convenient eilent season T ling to his aunt he bade her farewell 1 I will see you again it if you remain tn in the city aunt sarah and anything may be able to do for you do not tate late to speak of it past experience colonel john would from time to time feel considerable un easiness whenever his mind reverted to the female spy when he stepped out of the house he found the faithful sergeant by the door to the horses sergeant was the order these had been left not tar far away mollie and her attendant dusky guard would have had possibly ten minutes start still they could probably overtake the granger vehicle before it had traversed more than halt half of the road leading to lyndhurst the squire had once been proud ot of his high st epTing horses this was early in the war the needs of the confederate caa airy alry service had caused many a levy to be made indeed a drag dragnet net had been used to scrape in every decent animal in the south so the squire squires s fine carriage horses had long since been offered on the altar of patriotism and tor for the last year or so he had been content to plod along behind a couple of antiquated animals that filled his breast with scorn colonel john knew all his he was not apprehensive therefore with regard to the vehicle reaching lyndhurst before them with only ten minutes start once mounted they galloped along peach tree avenue heading for or the outskirts ohp border of the city was reached bea beyond ond lay the road leading to lynd hurst burst all was peaceful around them and vet yet a mighty army la lay sleeping in and about atlanta the army my destined to carry terror and dismay while march ing through georgia far away on the distant hills could be seen twinkling campfires camp fires of an other host johnston and his heroes in gray watching and w v i biting for a chance to pounce upon the federals at some time when they could be caught nap ping several times the colonel turned in his saddle and swept his eyes over the spectacle once when they were halted by an outlying picket the colonel drew in ills his horse and after giving the coun ter sign leaned over to ask it if a vehicle had gone on before them the soldier replied in the affirms A tave and his description of the outfit given in a few sentences tallied e ex x acely with the squire s rig satisfied that the one in whom he had so great an interest must be just a short distance ahead colonel john spurred on there wag was a long stretch of road between this last picket post and lyndhurst that was practically un guarded this was the region colonel john had his fears about concerning I ve ie e safety of his wife roving bands of guerrillas could easily pierce the outer line of the fed brals and doubtless came within reach ot of the buildings his men were engaged to protect many times As yet they had heard no signs of the v vehicle e hicle ahead but the I 1 picket bicket had assured them it was not tar far away after all this might be something of a quixotic errand on his part but he saw his duty plainly before him and would not shrink no matter it if his presence was not needed As he galloped on he endeavored to map out in his mind some course which he had better pursue on the morrow when he found himself in the presence of mollie all he desired was to set himself straight in her eyes from these reflections colonel john was suddenly aroused he surely heard a cry in the darkness beyond a cry that sounded very like a shout tor for help in a female voice his blood seemed on fire at the thought of his worst tears fears being con firmed and mollie his wife being at the mercy of the rascals who serving under neither flag pillaged the dis country they have hae been attacked were the words he uttered as he spurred his horse forward CHAPTER just in time sergeant shanks dashed after his superior officer almost as eager for the tray fray as was colonel john himself for shanks had long ago gained the name of a fire eater and hence had a reputation to sustain it was no false alarm the road at this point alq sandy so that even with such a rapid ad vance there was no sound marking the onward progress no pounding of hoofs such as wo ild have been the result in another quarter where the thoroughfare had a hard surface this proved doubly fortunate not only did it prevent their arrival on the scene from being telegraphed ahead to those who were engaged but it gave the advancing warriors a chance to hear what was going on the shouts shout I 1 increased crease it was a darky who gave vent to them and his manner indicated tremendous excitement faithful old ezekeal unable to as his beloved young mistress in any other way was making all the noise he could hoping to attract some one to the rescue certain it was he gave the most un earthly yells that ever agonized mor tal tympanum and the guerrillas might be excused it they either turned and ran or set about ending his tear fear ful chorus with a bullet colonel john bending forward in the saddle sought to discern the situ atlon ahead as his horse carried him on with great bounds he could see lights as though the rascals had even had the assurance to start a fire at the side of the road and play picket A dark object that was the car ariage and around it the moving forms of the guerrillas though his steed fairly flew such was the impatience of the colonel that he kept using the spurs no pace could keep up with his desire thus he bore down upon the scene like a besom of destruction ready to sweep anything and everything out of his path he was inspired by a double motive c chivalry and love to be continued |