Show 5 c M n 7 IAL S T 0 af a Y M y aca d y of the north ami r J I 1 a 11 ve LOVE STORY af A GRAY JACKET by randall parrish lAut hoPi when wilderness was F algo illustrations BY y ARTHUR B williamson N copyright by A C mcclurg mcclur A co intend entered at t hall londia 7 SYNOPSIS the story opens in a confederate tent at a critical stage of the civil war genlee imparts to capt wayne an important message to longstreet Iong street accompanied by sergt beret cialfi an old army scout wayne starts on oil his mission tile the two after a wild ride get within the fhe lines of the enemy in the darkness wayno wayne Is taken for a federal officer who came to keep an all appointment appointing rit and a young lady on oil horseback Is given in tits his charge she bhe Is a northern girl and attempts to escape but fails alls one ond of the horses succumbs and craig f foes through with the dispatches wes whilo N wayne ayne and my lad lady y 0 of f the north are re left alone they seek shelter in a tut hut and en entering bering it in the dark a huge mastiff attacks wayne the girl shoots the brute just in time the owner of the hut one jed bungay and hla his wife appear and soon a party of horsemen approach they are led by a man claiming to be red lowrie but mrs bungay discovers him to bo be a disguised impostor who proves to be maj alai brennan a federal W officer whom the union girl recognizes he orders the arrest of wayne as a aspy le py while a prisoner wayne seea flies files 0 of f confederates pass and knows that cragg has delivered the message ile he to la brou brought alit before sheridan CHAPTER XI continued very well sir he said bald gravely your fate to la in spur own hands and will depend very largely upon your replies to my questions you claim to ao have been tho the bearer of dispatches des patches and hence no spy yet you possess nothing to substantiate your claim As your regiment Is with lee I 1 presume you were seeking longstreet street were your dispatches des patches delivered eted 1 I havo have reason to bellve belive so by yourself by the sergeant who accompanied me and who continued the ibe journey after I 1 was detained Is lee contemplating an immediate movement general sheridan I 1 exclaimed indignantly dign antly you must surely forget that I 1 am an officer of the confederate army you certainly hav have 0 no reason to expect that I 1 will so far disregard my obvious duty as to answer such a question your refusal to explain why you were hiding within our lines Is ample reason for my insistence he said tartly and I 1 am not accustomed to treating spies with any great consideration era tion even when hen they claim rebel commissions you are not the first to seek escape in that way was yur your despatch the cause of the hurried departure of longstreeth Long streets troops eastward this last question was hurled directly at me and I 1 noticed that every eye in the room was eagerly scanning arty face I 1 had the quick fiery temper of a boy then and my cheeks flushed 1 I positively decline to answer one word relative to the dispatches des patches in trusted to me I 1 said deliberately and my voice shook with sudden rush of anger and no officer who did not dishonor the uniform he wore would insult me with the question A bombshell exploding exploder in the tha room could not have astonished them as did my answer I 1 realized to the full the probable result but my spirit was high and I 1 felt the utter uselessness of prolonging the interview sooner or later the same end must come Sheri dans face naturally flushed instantly grew crimson and a dangerous light flamed into his bis fierce eyes for a moment he seemed unable to speak then he thundered forth you young fool 1 I can tell you that you will speak before another twenty four hours or ill hang you for a spy if it cost me my command major brennan take this young popinjay to the mansion house under guard brennan stepped forward smiling us as if he enjoyed the part assigned to film aim come on you johnny ho be said hoarsely soar oar sely Bely hla his hand band closing heavily on my ay arm then seeming unable to repress his hia pleasure at the ending of the interview and his present sense of power he bent lower s so 0 that his hia insolent words should not reach tho the others and hissed hotly stealing women is probably more to b your line than this tou ton miserable hound I 1 cried madly nono none but a coward would taunt a helpless hel bel plese prisoner I 1 only hope I 1 may yet be free long enough to write the ho lla ile with steel across your heart before ho he could move sheridan was upon his feet and between us back both oi of youl you he ordered ply there shall be no brawling here major brennan you will remain I 1 would speak with you further regarding tills this matter lieutenant caton take charge of the prisoner CHAPTER XII under sentence of death at this late date I 1 doubt greatly if i my situation at that time was so desperate sperate ae as I 1 then conceived it I 1 question now whether the death sent ence n would ever have been executed but then with tho the memory of sher her adans rage and my own hotheaded hot headed retort I 1 fully believed my fate was dei destined tined to be that of the condemned spy unless she who alone might tell the whole truth should voluntarily do so that circumstances had left me in the power of one whose tierce fierce dislike was already evident was beyond question and I 1 had bad yielded to tits his goading to such an extent us as to give those in authority every excuse for the exercise of extreme military power yet of one thing I 1 was firmly resolved no thoughtless word of mine should ever endanger the reputation of edith brennan right or wrong I 1 would go to a death of dishonor before I 1 would speak without her authority love and pride conspired to make this decision adamant come said caton calon briefly and I 1 turned and accompanied him without thought of resistance at the front door he od ordered ered the little squad of waiting soldiers sold leis to fall in and taking me by the arm arria led the way down the gravelled travelled gravel led path to the road I 1 was tin pressed by his seeming carelessness but as we e cleared the gateway he spoke and his words helped me ine to comprehend captain wayne he said quietly BO 80 that the ibe words could not be overheard you do not recognize me but I 1 was the officer who conducted you to headquarters when you brought the flag in at wilson creek of course I 1 must perform the duty given me but I 1 wis hyou to understand that I 1 wholly believe your word lie he stopped extended his hand and I 1 accepted it silently there must be some grave personal reason which seals your bips he be questioned there Is 1 11 I thought as much Icban I 1 chanced ced to overhear the words or rather a portion of them which brennan and havo have no doubt it if they were explained to the general he would feel more mo re kindly disposed toward you it was asked as a question and I 1 felt obliged to reply 1 I appreciate deeply your desire to aid me but thore are circumstances involving others which compel me for i lit 1 I am to be shot then the present to silence indeed my possible fate does not so greatly trouble me only that I 1 possess a strong desire alro to have freedom long enough to cross swords with this major of yours the quarrel between us its has become bitterly personal and I 1 hunger bunger for a chance to have it out do you know Is he a man who would fight tho the young fellow stiffened slightly we are serving stion upon the same game staff he be said more abruptly and while we have never been close friends yet I 1 cannot honorably take sides against him he has been out twice within the last three years to my knowledge and Is not devoid either of courage or skill possibly however the arrival of his wife may make him less a fire enter eater his wife I 1 stopped so suddenly that he involuntarily tightened his grip upon my arm as though auspicious of an attempt to escape do you I 1 awaked gaining some slight control over myself refer to the lady who came in with hla his party last evening most certainly she was presented to all of us as mrs brennan she has been assigned rooms room at hie bis quarters and sho she wears a wedding ring far too line fine a wo woman man in my judgment for such a master but the then nAbat that is not so uncommon a taki in mar marriage ilage why come to think about it you must have met her yourself have you reason to suspect this Is not their relationship I 1 not tn in the least I 1 hastened to answer fearful lest my iny thoughtless exclamation might become the basis for camp gossip gosela fladwed fla indeed deed I 1 was sear scarcely celk in the ladys bro presence sence at all coming in as aa I 1 was waa left in charge of tho the sergeant perhaps he felt that he had already said too tod much forwe for we tramped on in silence until we drow drew near a large square white building standing directly beside the road I 1 this Is the old culverton culberton Cul verton tavern known as the mansion house he said it Is a tremendous big building for this country with as fine a ballroom in it as aa chave I 1 have seen since leaving now new york we utilize it 11 for almost every lillta military ry purpose and among others some of tho the strong rooms in ili the basement are found valuable for the safekeeping of important prisoners we mounted the tepa as aa he was speaking passing through a cordon of guards and in the wide hallway I 1 was turned tover lover to tho the officer in charge goodnight good night said caton kindly extending his hand you may rest assured that 1 I shall say all I 1 can in your favor but it la Is to be regretted that brennan has haa great influence just now at and sheridan Is not a man to tightly lightly overlook those hasty words you spoke to him I 1 could only thank him most warmly for his interest realizing rea lising fully from hta his grave manner eliy my desperate situation and follow ruy my silent conductor down some narrow and steep stairs until we stood upon the cemented floor of ali the e basement here a heavy door in III the stone division wall was opened 1 I was pushed dubbed forward into the dense darkness within and tho the lock clicked dully behl behind n d me so thick wits was the wall I 1 could not even distinguish the retreating steps of the jailer tired as I 1 was from the intense strain of the past thirty six hours even my anxious thoughts were insufficient to keep me awake feeling my way cautiously along tile tho wall I 1 came at last to a wide wooden bench and stretching my form at full length upon it pillowed billowed pill owed my head on one arm and almost instantly was sound found und asleep when I 1 awoke sore from my hard bed and stiffened by the uncomfortable for table position in which I 1 lay it 11 was broad daylight that the morning was indeed well advanced I 1 know knew from the dingli of which streamed in il through a grated window high up in we the wall opposite me and fell like a bar of gold across the rough stone floor t I 1 was alone even in the dark of the previous night I 1 had discovered the sole pretence predence pre tence to i furniture in the place the room itself proved to be a large and almost square apartment probably during the o ordinary occupancy of the house a receptacle for wood or garden produce but now pe peculiarly culi arly well adapted to the safeguarding of prisoners the solid stone walls were of sufficient height to afford no chance of reaching the great oak girders that supported the floor above even had the tha doing so BO offered a favorable opening for escape there wece apparently but three openings of any kind the outside window through which the sunlight streamed protected by thick bars of iron a second opening quite narrow and likewise protected by a heavy metal grating and the tightly locked door by means of which I 1 had entered the second I 1 concluded after inspecting it t closely was a mere air passage leading into some other division of the cellar I 1 noted these openings idly and with scarcely a thought as to the possibility of escape I 1 had awakened with strange indifference as to whammy fate might be such a feeling was not natural t me but the fierce emotions of the preceding night had seemingly robbed me of all my usual buoyancy of hope it one ofie sense I 1 yet trusted that mrs airs drennan brennan would keep heep her pledge and tell her story atory to sheridan even it if sho she failed to do this and left me to face the rifles rillies or the rope then it made but small odds how soon it sh should 0 uld be ba over it sho she cared for me in the slightest degree she would not let me die unjustly and to my mind then she had become the centre of all life despondency la Is largely a matter of physical condition i and I 1 was still sufficiently fagged bagged to be in the depths when the door opened suddenly and an ordinary army ration was placed within the soldier who brought it did not speak nor did I 1 attempt to address him but after he retired the appetizing smell of the bacon together ith tho the unmistakable flavor of real coffee drew me irresistibly that way and I 1 made a hearty meal the food put now new life into me and I 1 foil fell to pacing back and forth between the corners of the cell my mind mina full or of questioning yet with a fresh measure of confidence that all would abill be well I 1 aa yet at it when without warn ins ina ili lip dor once again opened and Ll eutch caton entered ile he advanced toward me with outstretched hand which I 1 grasped warmly for I 1 felt how much depended on his friend ship and resolved to ask him some questions which should solve my last remaining doubts captain wayne lie he lugan soberly looking about him you yon are in even vorse orse stress here than I 1 supposed hut but I 1 shall see to it that you yon are furnished with blankets before I 1 leave sheridan is hasty himself and tits his temper often leads him to rash language I 1 am sure lie he bears you no malice for what you said but brennan has his eat ear and has whispered something to him in confidence what I 1 have been unable to ascertain which has convinced him that you are deserving of death under unde martial law without trial tho the opportunity of furnishing the information desired will bo be again offered you but as near as I 1 can learn the charge preferred against you in IB of such a private nature that it la is deemed best not to make it matter for camp talk whatever it may bo be sheridan evidently feels justified in taking the case out from the asial channels and in using most dr astle measures I 1 am sorry borry to bring you such news especially its as I 1 believe the charges aro are largely concocted in the brain of him who makes them and have but the thinnest circumstantial evidence to sustain them yet sheridan to Is thoroughly convinced and will brook no interference the discussion of the case lias has already led to his using extremely harsh words to his chief of staff 1 I am to be shot then his hand closed warmly over mine while there Is life there Is always hope lie he answered surely it must fp ap Z 1 L jed bungay as I 1 I 1 be in your power to prove the nature of your mission within our lines I 1 and the delay thus gainen will enable us to learn and meet these more serious allegations if I 1 but had bad time to communicate with general lee but now Is there i i i one no way by which such representation can be given this very day it if not full of your innocence then sufficient at least to cause tile the necessary delay J I 1 shook my head 1 I know of nothing other than my own unsupported word I 1 answered shortly and that Is evidently of no value as against major brennann Bren nans secret insinuations when Is tile the hour set 1 I 1 am not positive that final decision has yet been reached ached tc but I 1 board beard daybreak tomorrow to morrow |