Show 01 LOA B wa ED jarc 5 71 CHAPTER continued A man Is the plaything of fate major I 1 married to save my life and now I 1 am to loe looe the same because I 1 stood up on that occasion that Is a rule that works both ways but it strikes me as hard upon the innocent party I 1 admit your act was forced on you and though furious enough on that night to have taken your life I 1 would have probably recovered and let you live seeing that mollie could get a divorce had you yon gone away and never shown up again the fact of your presence here in dally daily contact with the girl whom nhom fortune has made your wife gives me to believe that you mean to strive after her heart she Is romantic like most of her sex it Is the fear that after all you may win her heart that makes a devil out of me tor for I 1 tell you ridgely Rid geay I 1 wor nor ship mollie and I 1 ve sworn no one else shall ever win her love he was aroused by his feelings and colonel john actually felt a certain admiration for the man who would fight for what he believed to be his own though his title to the property was certainly hazy he shrugged his shoulders well auve got the whip hand now my dear fellow that s positive at the same time colonel ridge way I 1 admit that I 1 feel above this manner of making hashing way may with a rival I 1 am a gentleman and we southern people lay claim to peculiar qualities in that line I 1 will give you a chance tor for your life colonel john looked at him quickly what are the 7 9 that you swear on your honor to get a transfer and never again seel out mollie granger the girl made your wife by the fortunes of war you understand what I 1 meana I 1 do most assuredly replied the colonel well what Is your answerl I 1 refuse to sign the bond calmly sending out a few rings of smoke one might imagine he was discus sing tho the price of 0 flour in northern markets such was his coolness yet his life hung in the balance you recognize the inevitable con sequences 7 9 oh yes with a glance at the swaying rope and its ghastly noose at the end major worden looked at him in a peculiar way it was as though he hardly knew whether to let admira tion or hate get the upper hand this man astonished him gradually a black frown crept over his face I 1 see that my suspicions were right faith I 1 dida t nip this matter in the bud any too soon you ve reach ed the point where you ve fallen in love with my wife yes that s true confound you ridgeway can you blame me major perhaps not but all the same I 1 m determined you wont cross my path much longer ive known mollie many years and have sworn to make her my wife I 1 ve stood guard all this time ready to challenge any south ern suitor who might appear and you can depend on it I 1 don dont t mean to let a northern man carry off the prize from under my nose because he chances to come along at the time the foolish old squire has an idda the squire has a long head and don t you forget it he knows enough to get in out of the fain min and that s more than some people do As to priority of claim on mollie granger I 1 think I 1 can outdate you how so sira she promised to be my wife just sixteen years ago so you see she has only kept her word nonsense she was a child then just so and my little playmate I 1 saved her once when she fell into a brook being ten years her senior I 1 called her my little sweetheart this peculiar event Is after all but the hand of fate shaping our destinies I 1 remember now your cousin C crockett ackett told me you lived in the h oude that burned it dos not mat er the finding 0 V the brumhead rum head 0 at court shall be carried out you have now just fifteen minutes tu to live I 1 have written a few lines which I 1 am about to send to mollie by a special messenger they will give her satis faction since they save her the slow legal process of separation perhaps you would like to hear them he took out a paper and read the finding of the drumhead court over which I 1 had the honor to preside has been carried out colonel john ridgeway the spy was nas executed at exactly eleven 0 clock allow me to congratulate you on bour our freedom from an odious federal husband BASIL WORDEN major C S A you are banking heavily on the be lief that mollie hates me perhaps you may be surprised in that respect however I 1 have nothing more to say if I 1 have less than fifteen minutes to live and my cigar halt half burned kindly leave me to finish it alone with my thoughts with pleasure so saying the major wheeled and stalked away colonel john sat down on the floor he seemed to be wrapped in tation tor for his head was mas bent forward some persons claim to tell the state of mind of a smoker by his manner of sending out the rings of smoke if there is truth in this colonel john must have been thinking at a furious rate tor for he puffed vigorously at his cigar and surrounded himself with quite a cloud of smoke there was deep design back of his action as he carried out a brilliant scheme that had flashed into his mind some time before the rapid smoking created a glow ing spot of fire at the end of the cigar and as john bent forward he raised his hands applying the burning end of the cigar to the cord fire has accomplished wonderful things before now and it served john s purpose tr I 1 the federal had reached the blaz ng flambeau the cord was burned and his hands ready to become free no wonder he experienced a thrill of satisfaction and made up his mind that the finding of the court would not be carried out on this particular occasion the messenger had gone with the te note it was the old darky but unless his mule made better progress return ing than khan in coming to his place john had little fear regarding his ability to overtake the courier so he smoked on and watched and planned they had robbed him of his ver but he knew how this could be remedied his cigar was q as exhausted john still remained in the same position as it was his desire to conceal the fact that the cord had been burn ed almost through at length there was a stir and the major was seen looking at his watch then the men advanced the time tor for action had come and colonel john shut his teeth with a snap as he watched their advance knowing how fraught with importance were the next few seconds for him come it is one minute of eleven have you any message to send to your people or mo molliee ille said the ma lor jor grimly yes but I 1 prefer to take it my self they were nere close to him now and his quick eye had noted its opportune opp ity one of the men was actually carrying the colonel colonels a six shooter and the temptation proved irresistible with ith a quick movement johns john a hand shot out and his fingers snatched the weapon from the confederate confederates s belt there were cries of amazement of consternation and then with a leap the federal had reached the blazing flambeau torn it from the wall and dashed it to the floor bringing dark ness upon the scene CHAPTER out of the toils tolls the scene was as one of great concu sion and kaleidoscopic changes having thus deftly secured a deap o 0 on and in a measure himself master of the s i tilot colonel john proceed ed to fonua up the advantage by a series of quick movements that were apt to prove demoralizing to the en emy no sooner had darkness come upon the scene than the federal changed his position and fired a shot in the direction of a sound that waa was un do caused by one of his ene eng mies moving then he instantly changed his he held the advantage for his toes foes numbering at least four could not be sure that their fire was directed at the daring federal while all john had to do was to make hia his shots count when he could this singular duel in the dark was kept up for the space of several in minutes a shouts arose shouts that were sig ant of rage and pain tor for colonel john was not doing all this work with out some result and the satellites of the major perhaps even that worthy himself had ere this tasted of his lead such a mimic battle within the con federate lines was apt to draw atten tion and john had especial reasons for desiring to make a speedy exit from the room before a squad of fresh enemies arrived on the scene his later efforts were therefore dl erected toward discovering the post tion of the door As eyesight was of little avail in that smoky atmosphere he found him self compelled to depend upon his sense of touch groping along the wall he presently came in contact with the object of his solicitude to open was but the work nork of a sec see ond and slipping through the narrow space he found himself breathing the pure air it was a relief from the smoke of the interior the last sounds he heard were the groans of those who nursed their wounds and the loud though husky voice of the doughty major calling tor for light once free from the building colonel john made his way to the road he could hear the voices of men who were running in the direction of the house and found it a difficult mat ter to avoid the detachment of con federates from a neighboring camp they were drawn in that direction by the loud cries accompanied by the quick percussion of revolver shots that throbbed upon the air for such things do not riot occur without a mean ing and in war times that meaning can be readily understood colonel john had alrea already ady beert through a considerable experience during this night to few men in a year s time do ad ventures come such as had been his portion since old phoebus dropped his glowing face behind the hills that lay to the west of atlanta his was a warrior nature however hoever and one that could not be overwhelm ed misfortunes might come thick and fast by fair means and foul but john ridgeway would never yield himself a prisoner until every endeavor that lay in his power had been made so when he beard heard these contender Con feder ate te soldiers rushing in the direction of the house be he realized that his course was blocked by their coming the yankee officer had to bring to his aid that diplomacy which on other occasions had served him so well it did not desert him now he desired no encounter to be continued |