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Show "Captain," said he to the officer who had captured him, "will you be good enough to explain how you knew we were here?" "Certainly. Your telegram to General Gen-eral Stuart was repeated to our general gen-eral commanding the force you intended intend-ed to capture. We lost no time in getting get-ting on the other side of the river and. being advised of the movement of your troops, a superior force was sent to cut off that division which was to have got In our rear. This force of yours hn? been captured." The major stood with eyes wide open. "You say our dispatch was repeated to you from this ollice?" "It was." "I sent it In cipher." "We got it in plain English." "Uow could you have done that?" At this point the top of the loung on which the officer had rested was lifted and under it the face of a young girl was visible. "I can explain the matter," said a soft voice. "This office being in an exposed ex-posed position, I had this lounge made for me on purpose, In case I should need a hiding place. I've got an electric elec-tric key in here with me, connected with the main line by a concealed wire running from under the lounge. Wher I heard the Confederates coming 1 opened the lounge and got in. I heard the major tell his man the message before be-fore it was put in "Yankee WW B NE nIght in 1SG2' flfty cav" B airy men rode Into a vil-la5e vil-la5e in Virginia, and fol- Jjljj lowing the telegraph line, Jl 1 stopped before a house where the u wires entered a window on the second story. Kicking open the front door they mounted to a room used for a telegraph office, where they found a clicking key, but no person present. A woman's hat hung on a peg, a small pair of feminine rubbers were on the floor, and an umbrella with a mother-of-pearl handle stood In a corner. A . kerosene lamp was burning on the table ta-ble to which the electric key was fixed. "This office is evidently run by a woman," said the major commanding. "Come, sergeant, sit down there and get to work." A sergeant stepped to the table and the major read to him a message to be sent to General J. E. B. Stuart, as follows fol-lows : "We have destroyed the bridge as ordered, or-dered, and there is no retreat for that force of the enemy encamped on the other side. But the destroyed bridge is only five miles in their rear, and if they learn that It Is down they may slip away by another route. It may be well, therefore, to move upon them as soon as possible." "Put that in cipher," said the general, gen-eral, "and send it at once." A reply to the message was received, stating that two divisions would move simultaneously from different points on the federal force and a third would occupy the position of the wrecked bridge. All would move together by sunrise. The major was instructed to remain where he was till ordered away, and be sure to hold the telegraph con-, nections. The men bivouacked in the yard sur-rounding sur-rounding the house, while the officers awakened the occupants and secured sleeping rooms. The major, to make sure that no message of warning for the enemy should be sent, remained in the telegraph office. He had been on duty for several days, with but a few hours' sleep. There was a lounge in the room, very bulky and with a soft cushion. The major locked the door and threw himself him-self on the lounge. He was so tired that he found it difficult to Jo to sleep. The key on the table kept clicking with the usual words passing over the wire, for the messages that had been sent from that office having been in cipher those controlling the line could not know that the station was In the hands of the Confederates. But what bothered the major was n clicking which seemed to be within the lounge on which he lay. It appeared to be an echo from the key on the table, for when the key clicked the lounge seemed to click. But the major was so lost to consciousness that it would have taken the report of a cannon to arouse him. He was awakened at seven o'clock In the morning by one of his junior offl- cipher. So I was enabled to transmit trans-mit it In plain language. I knew the major was on the lounge, so I only used my key. when the one on the table - was clicking. That's all there is to It; it's not much of a story." "Xot much of a story !" exclaimed ex-claimed the federal fed-eral captain. "Well, that's a good one ! Only changed capture of our men into capture of Johnnies." John-nies." "A Yankee trick 1" cried the major. "You're not a Southern girl, are you?" "No, I'm from 1 uonn e c 1 1 c u t. l was brought T Kl" yu7 down here with No; to Marry the Union army ru if Yu'" to act as oper- Have Me" ator." "I knew you were from New England. They are very cute up there," replied the major. "Give me your name and address at home. When this war is over I'm going to hunt you up." "To kill me for this?" asked the girl, playfully. "To kill you? No; to marry yon if you'll have me. Any girl who can play as smart a trick as that is vroth going to Connecticut for, and doing a big job of courting to win." The major was marched away. But he kept his word. After the war he sought the girl and married her. (Copyright, 1920, Western Newspaper Union.) cers knocking at his door. Arousing Arous-ing himself, he got up and, after .a liearty breakfast, break-fast, called for the sergeant who had sent the message mes-sage for him, in order to be prepared pre-pared to receive the announcement announce-ment of the capture cap-ture of the federal fed-eral force which was to be surrounded. sur-rounded. The sergeant called up general headquarters head-quarters and was informed that no news had yet been received from the Confederate forces which had gone to make the capture. The major ma-jor was instructor instruct-or r,- li.M l,r pi lip station until or- "Put That in dered away. Clphe r," Said At nine o'clock the General, n clatter of "and Send It horses' hoofs at Once." was heard simultaneously on all the roads leading into town. 'The major ma-jor sprang to the window and saw federal fed-eral cavalrymen galloping from every direction toward n common center, lhat center being the telegraph office. There were hundreds of thi'iii, while he had but fifty men. There was nothing to do but await capture. In a few minutes a force had surrounded sur-rounded the Confederates in the yard and an officer, throwing himself from his horse, mounted the stairs in the house, followed hy two orderlies. Throwing open the door the orderlies covered the nernr. win. !,. m, of rtsislii.g mi.-:. ' ;oiv, Sim i.-iered. |