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Show MED ML5T A TALE OF CIVIL STRIFE tt rRANDALL PARRISn h ILLUSTRATIONS fi-CD. RHODES maA.c.r?cu?eico' 1 by. And here I found her a woman a woman of charm, of rare beauty even; sweet and wholesome In look, her cheeks aglow with health, her eyes deep wells of mystery and promise. Her father! I dare not tell her of his death, of his dastardly murder. It was strange she had not recognized me, yet probably the real truth was that she had never before observed me with any care or Interest considering consid-ering me a mere boy to be laughed at and forgotten. I was only a stranger entering Into her life for the first time. I Noted a Slight Trembling of Her Hands as She Held the Paper Open In Her Fingers. This expression was in the eyes surveying sur-veying me as I ate quiet, earnest eyes, utterly devoid of suspicion. "You are a very young man," she said simply. "Not seriously so," I answered, rather inclined to resent the charge. "I am twenty-four." "You look like a boy I used to know only his eyes were darker, and he had long hair." "Indeed!" I caught my breath quickly, yet held my eyes firm. "Someone "Some-one living about here?" "Yes; his name was Wyatt I never knew him very well, only you recalled him to memory in some way. He and his mother went South when the war first broke out Where was your home?" "In Burlington, Vermont" "You are a regular soldier?" "I was a junior at West Point last year; we were graduated ahead ol our class." '" Her eyes fell, the lashes outlined on her cheeks, her hands clasped on the table. "Isn't that odd!" she said quietly. . "Do you know Mme. Hactell's school for young ladies at Compton on the Hudson? That is where papa sent me, and I was at the senior hop at West Point a year ago last June. A hall dozen of us girls went up; Fred Carl ' ton of Charleston was in that class ' and he Invited me. You knew him, ol course?" 1 (TO BE CONTINUED.) father must have removed those of Importance. Im-portance. "Possibly he carried them with him?" She leaned her head on her hand, her eyes thoughtful. "I think he once told me they were left In charge of a banker at Charleston Charles-ton an old friend. It would be too dangerous to carry them about with him In the field. You see I do not know very much about his affairs," she explained. "I was away at school when the war broke out and we have only met briefly since. My father did not talk freely of his personal matters even to me. I learned of his feud with Cowan by accident" "It was a feud then?" "On one side at least My father was shot at and several of our outhouses out-houses burned. The trouble arose over the title to property. Cowan." she explained, "was a squatter on land which had belonged to our family ever since my grandfather first settled here. We had title from Virginia, but the tract granted had never been properly surveyed. My father had it done, and discovered that Ned Cowan and two of his sons occupied a part of our land with no legal right" Her eyes uplifted to my face, and then tell again, one hand opening and closing on the back of the chair. She laughed pleasantly. "I hardly know why I am telling you all this family history," she continued almost in apology. "It is as if I talked to an old friend who was naturally interested in-terested in our affairs." "Perhaps the manner of our meeting accounts for it," I ventured. "But truly I am more deeply interested than you Imagine. It may prove of mutual advantage for me to know the facts. Did Major Harwood try to force them from his land?" "Oh, no," hastily, "my father had no such thought. He tried to help them to purchase the property at a very small price, and on long time. His intention was to aid them, but he found himself unable to convince either father or sons of his real purpose. They either could not, or would not, understand. under-stand. Do you realize the reckless, lawless nature of these mountain men?" "Yea, to some extent; they trust no one." "That was the whole trouble. Seemingly Seem-ingly they possessed but one Idea that if my father was killed they could remain where they were indefinitely. Their single Instinct was to fight it out with rifles. They refused to either purchase or leave." There was silence, as though she had finished. She had seated herself on tha wide arm of the chair, still facing fac-ing me, and I could hear the rain beating beat-ing hard against the side of the house. Suddenly she looked up into my face. "How odd that I should talk to you so "freely," she exclaimed. "Why I do not even know your name." "Charles H. Raymond." I could not be certain that the expression ex-pression of her eyes changed, for they suddenly looked away from me, and she stood again upon her feet "Raymond, you say!" the slightest hardening of tone apparent, "on recruiting re-cruiting service from the Army of the Potomac?" She drew a quick breath. "I I think I have heard the name before. be-fore. Would you mind if I did ask tc see your orders?" "Not in the least," I answered, nol wholly surprised that she should have heard of the other, and confident the papers I bore would be properly executed. exe-cuted. "I prefer that you have nc doubt as to my identity." She took them, and I noted a slighl trembling of her hands as she held the I paper open in her fingers, her eyes glancing swiftly down the written lines. "I have become quite a soldier ol late," she said, and handed the pack ' age back to me. "And I cannot doubi J your credentials. I am very glad tc ' meet you. Lieutenant Raymond," and " she held out her hand cordially. "As I have admitted, already, I am Noreet Harwood." ' "Whom I shall only be delighted tc serve In any manner possible," I re piled gallantly, relieved that she was ' so easily convinced. "Oh, I think the service Is more s likely to be mine. You confessed yoi broke In here seeking after food and i fire. Down below we may And both and It will be my pleasure thus t 3 serve a Federal officer. You have i lamp without?" 3 "On the stairs?" J She led the way like a mistress ii 3 her own home, and I followed. Then j was a force of character about the gir , not to be ignored. She chose to trea 3 me as a guest, uninvited, but none thi t less welcome, a position I was not re .. luctant to accept I held the lamp a: we went down the stairs together, toi 1 rays of light pressing aside the cur tain of darkness. ' CHAPTER VII. Parson Nichols. She put aside laughingly my sug r gestlon of assistance. The fire in th i. grate burst into blaze, and her hand i- were busily rearranging the table. "With no servants left and th I- house unoccupied for months," she es plained, "I shall have to give you sol " dier fare, and, perhaps, not very mucl r of that Pardon my not Joining in th t feast, as I have only Just eaten." a She drew up a chair opposite t where I sat supporting her chin ii her hands. The light between us lllu e mined her face, outlining It clearl; e against the gloom of the wall behind s It was a young face, almost girlish ii r a way. although there was a grave n strong look to the eyes, and woman! if firmness about lips and chin. I ha little of her In the days gon SYNOPSIS. Confederate Sergeant . Staunton artillery la e"'VrPby Gen! native rrtuntv on the Green fcjnar ay ynu "ral Jackson Wyatt meeta a mountaineer Earned Jem Taylor They ride together to house beyond Hot Spring. In ttijh Wyatt and Taylor meet Major Harwood. Lather of Noreen and an old nelghbo, of "Wyatt who Is ent to bed, while the two other men talk. Wyatt becomes suspicious, suspi-cious, and finds that Taylor has murdered Harwood and escaped. Wyatt changes to the u. S. cavalry uniform he has with him. and rides away In the night, running Into a detachment of Federal cavalry, to Whom he Id-ntlnes himself aa Lieutenant Raymond. Third U. S cavalry, by means of papers with which he has been provided. pro-vided. Captain Fox finds Harwood s body end follows Taylor's trail Fox and Wyatt fcelleve Taylor to be old Ned Cowan. The detachment Is ambushed. Wyatt escapes to the Green Briar country and goes to Harwood a apparently deserted home. CHAPTER VI. The Mistress of the House. I stood with ear pressed against the tpanel, fingers gripping the butt of my revolver. An ordinary latch held the ,'iP 'door closed, and I pressed this, opening open-ing the barrier slightly. The move-iment move-iment made not the slightest noise, and gave me a glimpse within. In front of a small grate Are, her back toward me, snuggled comfortably down In the depths of an easy chair, sat a woman reading. I could see little of her because of the high back of the -chair rising between us only a mass of dark brown hair, a smooth, rounded -cheek, and the small white hand resting rest-ing on the chair arm. I knew vaguely "her waist was white, her skirt gray, .and I saw the glimmer of a pearl-" pearl-" handled pistol lying on a closed chest at her side. Still she was only a woman, a mere girl apparently, whom I had no cause to fear. The sudden reaction caused me to smile with relief, re-lief, and to return my revolver silently silent-ly to the belt Her ejyes remained on the page of the book. I think I would have withdrawn without a word, but, at that Instant, a draft from the open door flickered her light, and she glanced about seeking the cause. I caught the startled expression in her eyes as Bhe first perceived my shadow; the book fell to the floor, her hand gripping the pistol, even as she arose hastily to her feet The light was on her face, and I knew her to be Noreen Harwood. "Who are you? Why are you here?" she asked tersely, a tremor in the voice, but no shrinking in those eyes that looked straight at me. I moved forward from out of the shadow Into the radius of light. It was only a step, but the girl recoiled slightly, the pearl-handled pistol rising ris-ing instantly to a level with my eyes. "Stand where you are!" she ordered. "What are you doing, creeping about this house In the dark?" '.'Not in the dark exactly," I answered, an-swered, seeking to relieve the strain, ind holding my hat in one hand, aB I bowed gravely, "for my lamp is on the stairs." I marked the quick change of expression ex-pression in her eyes as they swept over me. There was no evidence of recognition; scarcely more than a faint acknowledgment that my appearance was not entirely unfavorable. Yet surely that alone was all I could hope for. Except for that one chance encounter en-counter on the road we had never met since we were children, and she would not likely associate the son of Judge i Wyatt with the man now confronting her, attired in the wet and muddy uniform uni-form of a Federal lieutenant. Indeed it was better she should not; and a feeling of relief swept over me as 1 realized her failure to connect me with the past. No memory of my features found expression in her face, as hei eyes fell from mine to the clothes 1 wore. "You are Union? an officer of-oi cavalry? Ican scarcely comprehend why you should be here." Her atti tude no longer threatening, the gleam ing pistol lowered. "There are Federal troops at Lewlsburg, but but I dc not recall your face." "My being here is wholly an acci dent I explained quietly. "I supposed the house deserted, and sought en trance to get away from the storm There was a broken window" - "Yes," she interrupted, her eyes again on mine questloningly. "i touni that when I came; someone had broken in." "Robbery, no doubt." "1 am not sure as to that I have found nothing of any value missing Indeed we left nothing here to attrac vandals. She hesitated, as thougt doubtful of the propriety of further ex planation to a stranger. "Ii belollf here," she added simply. "This Is mj home. "Yes; 1 supposed as much; you an Miss Noreen Harwood?" Her blue eyes widened, her hanc grasping more tightly the back of th, chair. "Yes, she admitted. "You knew mj father?" "Slightly; enough to be aware of the existence of his daughter, and that thi! was his plantation." "Then you must be connected will the garrison at Charleston V "No, Miss Harwood; I belong to th. Army of the Potomac, and am her. lvl.v on recruiting service. A word o explanation will make the situation clear, and I trust may. serve to win your confidence. I do not have the appearance ap-pearance of a villain, do I?" "No, or I should not remain parleying parley-ing with you," she responded gravely. "The war has taught even the women of this section the lesson of self-protection, I am not at all afraid, or I should not be here alone." "It surprises me, however, that Major Harwood should consent to your remaining " "He has not consented," she Interrupted. Inter-rupted. "I am supposed to be safely lodged with friends In Lewlsburg, but rode out here this afternoon to see the condition of our property. Word came to me that the house had been entered. The servants have all gone, and we were obliged to leave It unoccupied. unoc-cupied. I was delayed, seeking to discover dis-cover what damage the vandals had done, and then suddenly the storm broke, and I thought It better to remain re-main until morning." She laughed, as though amused at her own frankness of speech. "There, I have told you all my story, without even waiting to hear yours. 'Tls a woman's way, if her impulse be sufficiently strong." "You mean faith in the other party?" "Of course; one cannot be conventional conven-tional in wartimes, and there Is no one here to properly introduce us, even if that formality was desired. So I must accept you on trust." "My uniform alone should be sufficient suffi-cient guarantee." She laughed; her eyes sparkling. "Well, hardly. I Imagine you fail to comprehend its really disreputable condition. But well, you you look like an officer and a gentleman." "For which compliment I sincerely thank you. However, Miss Harwood, my story can be quickly told. I am a ! , The Book Fell to the Floor, Her Hancf Gripping the Pistol. ' lieutenant, Third United States cav alry see, the numeral is on my hat ' attached to Heitzelman's command 1 now at Fairfax Court House. I have ' recently been detailed to the recruit ' ing service, and ordered to this sec ' tion." ' I found it strangely difficult, front 1 Ing her calm look of insistence, to ge ' on. But there was no way of escape 1 Beyond doubt the sympathy of thi! ' girl was with the cause of the North and if I were to confess myself Tom 1 Wyatt, and a Confederate spy, all hop of the success of my mission would b r immediately ended. Besides I lackee ' the will to forfeit her esteem--to per " mlt her confidence in me to becomi changed into suspicion. ' "Then I will go on," I said mon slowly, endeavoring better to arrangi my story. "I picked up a guide a - Fayette, but the officer In commanc I there could spare no escort. The mai - who went with me must have been i traitor, for he guided me south inti the Green Briar mountains. Last nigh s at dusk we rode into a camp of guei I rillas." I "Who commanded them? Did yoi learn?" "A gray-beaded, seamed-faced moun j talneer, they called Cowan." She emitted a quick breath, betweei I closely pressed lips. , "You know the man?" I asked. "Yes; old Ned Cowan; he lived ove ; yonder, east of here in the foothills , He and and my father had some trot) ble before the war. He he is vin 3 dictive and dangerous." She stopped her glance sweeping about the room j "I I have some reason to suspect. 3 she added, as It half doubting whethe she ought to speak the word, "tha Y either he, or one of his men, broke ii here." b "In search of something?" s "A paper; yes a deed. Of cours I may be mistaken; only it is not to b i found. The desk in the library wa I rifled, and its contents scattered ove e ! the floor when I came. I put ther a j back in place, but found nothing o f 1 value among those that remained, M |