Show 1 UM N I 1 A L 1 ea S T 40 0 mil F ly y my lady of th dl we e LOVE STORY gf A GRAY GRAV JACKET by randall parrish lauther cAul LAu thor hopt gr when wilderness Wilde Wilder neis was king illustrations BY ARTHUR D williamson copyright by A C mcclura A co entered at t stationer Station ero hill I SYNOPSIS the sarry story onena in a confederate tent at a crit critical eat stage of the civil war genlee imparts to capt Way wayne waylean nean an ini important message to Longst longstreet accompanied by sergt bergt rh an old army scout wayne starts on nn ills his mis mission siou tile the two ft after after fter a wild ride got get within the lines of the c nemy enemy tit in the darkness wayne la is taken tor for a federal officer who camo came to keep kaei lin an appointment and a young lady on horseback la in given in lik lifs she Is it a northern girl and attempts to esca escape 0 but rails falls one of tile the homes suc succumbs c u and id craig cra g goes through with the dispatches while wayne alid my lady of tile the yorlli orth are left alone the they seek shelter in a hut but and entering enter ng tl it in the dark a huge mastiff attacks alayne way no the girl st shoots bonts the brute just in time the owner of the hiltonen hil nut tone one jed jd bungay and his wife appear and soon eoon a party of horsemen approach CHAPTER VIII continued do not permit the darkness to alarm you I 1 whisperer softly bending down as I 1 spoke until I 1 could feel her quick breathing reat bing against my cheek check our visitors are not likely to remain longer than will be necessary to get something to eat they need nev never er suspect our presence and all we have to do la Is to wait patiently until they move on I 1 only wish I 1 could discover something upon which you might sit down pray do not think me a coward she answered but I 1 have heard of this man aman Lowrie in the federal camps and I 1 would rather die than fall into his ands I 1 had heard of him also and of ills his nut outrageous treatment of women the memory caused me to clasp my hand warmly over hers and andl set my teeth hard it may not prove to be lowrie at ball I 1 said soberly but all these gentry are pret pretty ty mun muli alike I 1 rear fear however I 1 promise that you shall never fall alive into the hands of any of their breed before she could answer me other than bya by a slight nestling closer in the darkness bungay whispered this y yere ere hole cap leads down ter the right an comes out in a sort 0 gully bout a hundred feet back athars light nough bough ter see ter will by ater ye turn the corner bout twenty feet er sd you uns tins kin go on town down if rai rathor llor mollerin fol lerin ther borgs but I 1 reckon as aa how ill stay right yere an sorter see how ther ol 01 woman comes out where where was roderick then one blast upon life his bugle horn born were worth a tho usar men if you uns like ter see a burned good fight maybe ye better stay tow tew ther flier ol 01 woman Is risen pison if he once gits her dander up his voice was expressive of great expectations and I 1 had bad reason to believe hi hla s faith in maria would be justified before any of us however had time to change our positions we heard tho the follows fellows come stamping roughly into the cabin the thin slabs which divided us scarcely muffled their loud voices well old woman exclaimed one in voice so gruff as to seem almost as slimed pretending to be alone are you with all those dishes sitting bitting out on nn the table just beao eaten off too have nt seen no strange party along the road this morning have ye nary a one said maria and I 1 krew knew kr ew fro trova m her voice she was standing iose beside the fireplace are you mrs Buri bungay gay 1 I reckon I 1 am if its any 0 yer business dont git hitty bitty old woman or were liable to give you a lesion in politeness before we leave the leader trapped dropped the butt jf f life hla gun with a trash crash on the floor clero Is the little sneak anyhow what do you want of him avant want him to go long with us vere hunting tinting fi some nome parties and need A guide they toll tol us up toj tha road a bit he knew every inch 0 these yere mountings there ras ivas a pause as aa if maria alaria was wai endeavoring to decide as tol to the honesty of tho the speaker her final answer proved the mental survey had bad not proven latla factory wall wal I 1 reckon aba said calmly BB as you mis line it 11 hn moro more likely ter find antl him down bout then rhen shuts nil all these yore yere dirty dishes doing on oil tho the table lied hed surn sum yankee off officers acers yore they just juat rode on oil down ther trail UK an you uns up like hell ejaculated the follow fellow with complete loss or of temper seo see here old woman vo maii were too old birds to ile he caught with any such auch chaff well take n look aroun the old shebang anyhow and while were at it you put something on tile the table for me and my mates to eat the voice oice and manner were 1 hut but ints I 1 was lAl impi pressed eased w with 1 ah et a certain accent creeping into the mans speech be speaking education more in spite of an apparent of effort fort to make it so eo hla his dialect was not that of those 1 inyim bains laven as he be uttered these theao last words throwing into them a threat more lu in the tone than lie he language I 1 became aware of a thin ray of light penetrating tra ting tile the seemingly solid wall just in III front of me and bending silently forward could dimly distinguish the elliptical lead head of bungay its aa lie he applied one eye to a small opening ho had industriously made between the logs grasping mrs brennan firmly by the hand jiu ho that we should hauld not become separated I 1 crept across tile the intervening blackness and reached his side holy smoke cap the I 1 little ittle man inan n nn it in ill suppressed excitement as lie he realized my presence its Is a goin t ter c bo be belin hot in thai mighty soon margara mariara Mar iara lars steam Is a ho he silently made room for mo ine and bending down so as to bring my eye ee upon a level with his I 1 managed to gain some slight blight glimpse of the within the cabin mrs mis bungay stood with her hack back to tile the fireplace an iron skillet firmly gripped in III one liand land her face was red ed with indignation and there was a look in III her eyes eaps together with a defiant set to her ebin chin which prom ased trouble in III front of her carelessly testing resting on oil the his fits feet dangling in III the air was a sturdy looking follow fellow of forty or so with red straggling beard covering all the lower half of his face and a weatherworn black hat pulled so low as at almost to conceal his big eyes his attire was vas nondescript as though lie he had patronized tile the junk shop of both armies tit in his belt were thrust a revolver and a knife while within easy reach of his hand a musket leaned against a chair two others of the party younger men but even more roughly dressed than their leader were lounging between him and tho the door dungay bungay chuckled expectantly 0 lord I 1 if they only git the ol 01 guU ut a little more morel ailed led hp ho wills with a crash she brought tho the iron skillet down with all her strength hoarsely jumping up and down on one foot in his excitement hev ther fight of their life do you know the fellows I 1 asked Is that red lowrie Lowr le ile he shook his head never laid eyes on an any of ein cm afore but ye bet no good reckon a part 0 his crowd the man who posed as aa the leader of the party picked up tip the empty cof fee pot beside him and shook it IL come now mrs bungay ho he corni 1 I tell you yell were hungry so trot out some hoecake lind and fit up this pot unless you want t reckon with red lowrie the woman stood facing him yot yet never moved I 1 could see a red spot begin to glow in either cheek if I 1 had over ever doubted it I 1 knew now that maria possessed a temper of tier her own you aint no ret rei lowrie she retorted the fellow laughed easily no more I 1 aint old woman but I 1 reckon breckon we aint so durn far apart when it comes to getting what we go after come honest now where is the little white liver alverl et cur that runs this shebang ahe bang whatever maria liht venture to call her lord master in too tile privacy of 0 home it evidently did not soothe boothe her spirit ao 40 0 o hear him thus spoken aboken of by another anothy it jd bungay wun hum she rho an fiercely her eyes fairly blazing 1 I you would nt int be sprawl in ou on thet table ter for long mould nt 1 now noa well old lien hen weve tooled fooled here bore v It hyou about ua as long is as I 1 care to 1 ill go over thare and put conle of th tin i bacon on oil to try fry it rho alie get 0 it of tiie the way ill give tier her something I 1 13 0 jam ump for and lie he patted the stock of his bla gun instinctively 3 I 1 or dt iw my revolver arid and pushed its blue muzzle into the bo light under cods n shall I 1 give him cadose ta a doge dose I 1 naked eagerly not yun 0 lord not yrtl at tie ho exclaimed clai nied dancing from one foot to tile tho I 1 other tit in excitement let lct ther 01 gal hev a aho show W I 1 reckon ec ikue sties good ter thor ther whole three of 0 f em lesa jess they hoy shoot bill came calne up tip grinning hi 1 evident ly anticipated some borne tun und as tie he reached out a gritty band for the slab of bacch bacon took occasion to make some bome what mat it wits I 1 could not bear but I 1 noted the tha quick mck responsive flash in tho the domans womans wun ians eyes ind and tile the next liiK tant with a crash sho she brought the iron skillet town down with all her strength on top toll of the fellows fellow shead head without even a groan he bo went plunging down face ace foremost foie most lp in front of the fire in another moment she was battling like a wild fury with I 1 he other two it was a quick intense struggle tho nian inan near the door chanced to be the first in ana and he received riceld ed a blow front from the skillet that most assuredly would have hav e crushed hla his skull ba had ol 01 lie he not dodged ari it was it landed upon his fits shoulder and he 19 reeled back sick arid helpless by thia time the fellow kith tile the red led beard had bad closed upon tier her and wrested the skillet t oom from her hand liand struggling fiercely fj back alc and forth across tile floor maria mnina tripped over the body of tl the I 1 e fend dog arid and fell but as aa she did go BO tier her fingers grasped the red beni of ber bf antagonist it yielded to tb her ber hand and barbot bare of face save for a dark moustache tile the man mail stood there pan panting for breath above her ber then suddenly almost at my cry par ear a voice died bried frankl frank prank I 1 nm hero CHAPTER IX i in the hands of ae enemy in tho the first sur surprise of that unexpected joyful cry ringing at my very ears all my iny senses seemed confused and I 1 stood motionless then I 1 heard beard bungay utter titter a T smothered oath and know knew lie he had wheeled about in the darkness unable to distinguish the slightest outline of fits figure I 1 was waa yet impressed with the thought that he was endeavoring to muffle the girl to prevent tier her uttering tittering a second cry impelled by this flits intuition I 1 flung out my arni arm hastily and by rare good luck it came in contact with his hand none pf af that you you little curl cur I 1 muttered sternly ot of jils efforts efferts to break away no ball handon olleon lie her r mind you mis intro 11 biennas Bi 1 ennan what atit does docs this mean 7 she made no attempt to answer but I 1 could hear her now groping tier her way through the darkness toward the place of our entrance beigay detected the movement also and made a violent effort to break loose fron from i 1 my grip that he might hurry after her you ob ht go 0 me he died cried excitedly cit edly er by goll a knife shell give this whole thing away it if she ever gits out 1 for ingwer I 1 hurled him hial backward with all my strength arid and sprang after the fleeting fleeing woman wo man ekit atit I 1 was already too late to stop hey even had that been my intention with astren strength ath yielded tier her by clespe desperation aaion site she thrust aside the hea heavy vy PUPI oard and as the light swept in sprang foiw forward ard into the rudo rude shed with an anith anither ther cr bound gath cring her ter skirts as she ran she was up tip the steps and ald burst into the outer room A 16 moment ent later I 1 also stood in III the doorway gazing upon a that made my blood like tiro fire the fighting MW had evidently ceased suddenly with her first cry marla maria stood panting in ono corner the deadly skillet again in tier lier hand her hair hanging in wisps awn down her back still unconscious from the blow lie ho had received one fellow lay out outstretched ceol on tho the floor ills hla head rarely missing the hot ashes of tho the fireplace while ills his companion nursed hla his bruises and scowled from a safe refuge behrnd behind tho flie table babl e the uns unshaven haVn faces of several others of the gang weid were peering curiously in through the open door I 1 know now I 1 saw all this for tile tho picture of it is upon tipon the retina of memory but at the moment everything I 1 appeared to perceive or hear occurred in the centre of the room the man who had posed as the leader stood there alone facing us ua life his expression a strange mixture ture of amazement find and delight ile fie was a powerfully built man with keen gray eyes deeply set in their sockets right hand band rested heavily upon the alie hilt of a cavalry sabre the scat scabbard bard of which was concealed beneath tile the folds of the tha long brown coat he be wore As aa mrs brennan burst through the doorway he stepped eagerly forward his eyes bright brightening diling aud they met with clasped hanas Is it po possible edithl Edl he cried cried as 1 il 1 the could scarcely be 60 credited oh frank ille aho oi claimed almod eager ly it beberus all too good to be true how cams came you hero here hunting after you my fair lady indy did you suppose aou ou could collid disappear ae mysteriously HB as you yet dirt did lust night without my being marly barly fin an the trail have these there people injured you in till nicy wa way 7 ali and hy be glai Hed abou liliu him with a hrent in his gesture i oh lot no lie frank fins hastily tily every tins lis been most kind it was a were mistake nut but how strangely you tire ore dres dressed how flow very rough you look ile iio laughed but catill aill ills warm warin clasp of tier hands I 1 not the pomp and circumstance of gl glorious war which alch you expected girl lio lie naked asked lightly hut but wo we have all sorts borts of conditions to meet down here and soon learn tit in rome roma to do as the romans do As tie ho finis finished lica speaking ahing he perceived me for the first time all and his bis face changed instantly into cold stew nesa liess I 1 saw hi in sweep ono one hasty glance around as though he suspected 1 that hati I might not he be alone and ills his hand fell once more upon his sword hilt in posture suggestive of readiness for action who have we here ho he asked staring at we nic in ain amazement tint A johnny reb whatever I 1 am I 1 rc re my iny gol gorge ge rising suddenly at its his contemptuous term and ste stepping plAng out into the 1 I 0 A 1 r Z frank dont do that she urged earnestly room before him 1 I at least wear the uniform of my 0 servia arid and rank and not the nondescript uniform of a guerilla the scornful words stung him I 1 noticed vie the quick flush of anger in his big eyes lind and was not sorry you are insolent sir moreover you go too far for as it chances you are well within our lines flues and we nye will see to what extent lonor honor la Is consistent with the work of |