Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1864-10-01
SATURDAY MORNING, OCTOBERfs 1864.

your heelsl None of your ragamuffin cut
throats shall enter this house; nor shall you
until you are sober
Don't be foolish, Mary" hiccoughed the
officer. We only want that goldarned
Dutch Tory Abolition piano tuner, if he is
in the house. lie must fight for the South
| now, or hang.
ernest Fielder is here" answered Mary,
"and he is no Dutch Tory Abolition piano
tuner, but gentleman and that is more
than you are now Dick Basham. He has
harmed neither you nor any one else and
has not meddled with your niggers, or any
other mans and you shall not touch him
while he is under my roof"
ut is my roof as much as it is yours,
Mary" persisted Dick, who was inclined to
! temporize when he saw that the blood of
the Bashams" was fairly up in his sister.
| "It is not; for you said the house was to
be all mine while the war lasted if l would
let you have Jake and Henry. If it was not
mine, none of your thieving gang should
enter it, nor shall you, as told you, until
you are sober"
"Come on, boys" said Basham, as he
commenced to stagger toward the house.
my sister is carrying the joke too far
| We are not to be turned from our duty by q
| girl Make way there, Mary, for we must
search the house."
Halt there for your life. :" his sister al
most shouted, in tone that caused the
young man to stop instantly. DO you
know this can of Powder, Dick Basham2"
said she. as she pointed to it with her pistol.
And thisln thrusting the muzzle deep
among the shining black grains. Now |
warn you sir, that if you or any of your
thieves approach step nearer, will blow
hn,, all t,ra of
powder can do it,"
Hold, Mary" exclaimed her brother,
whom her desperate resolution had almost
sobered.- d.--"For Gods sake take your pistol
olt of that powder! You are excited; and
the least slip of your finger would send you,
and perhaps all of us, into eternity"
~ am as cool as ice, Dick Basham," an
ewercd the girl, land my nerves are as firm
nc on. Now mark me; give you until l
count tn ."nty to mount your horses and ride
awav from br,"r. Ii you do not leave in that
time I swear to >ou by the blood of the
Bashams, that | will he the pistol into the
powder. One-two-"
III bc bound she'd do it, Captain, SAID
one of tls men. II can see it il her eye,
and | reckon we'd better be gone"
"Of course she would" said Basham, al.
for sister of mine, if she hadn't spunk
enough for that. Well, she must have her
VIA. this time, and we will have chances
enoug., to catch the Dutchman."
I'VE alr going now, Mary" he continued,
"but you will be sorry for this, and it you
have So far forgotten your position and your
duty as to fall in love with that piano tuner
both YOU and he shall pay dearly for It."
l,t I fol, pf
my position and my duty, Dick Basham."
said the girl, rs the guerillas mounted their
horses and rode away.
When it was fairly night, Fielder bade
Mary Basham good-by, and went to the hills
with Ben Sterling. Mary sent her boy jim
with them, to bring her word if they got of
safely and when the boy returned she sent
him back to their temporary hiding place,
with twn horses and supply of provisions;
| Ernest Fielder, after much hardship and
some narrow escapes, reached the Federal
| lines in safety. Finding q number of his
old friends in ,he cavalry force, some of
them in high rank, he joined that arm of
the service: and as he had a thorough mill
tary .ucation, and was as brave as man
NAV well be, bis promotion was quite rapid;
so that in the course Of time he was known
as Major Fielder, and was spoken Of as
very promising officer.
1t was many long months after the mid
night of East Tennessee, before the CLEAN
of Union bayonets and the flash of Union
sabres hogan to make very pleasant sort OF
sunrise in that region. In the advance OF
the grand army, which at last carried re-
lief and protection to that prosecuted peo-
pie, was a fine squadron of cavalry, which
occupied, after a slight resistance, the VII
lage near which Mary Basham lived. This
squadron was commanded by Major Ernest
Fielder.
Dick Basham had been killed while max
ing Il brave but desperate defence against
the overwhelming force of the Federals
when they entered the village; and his sis
ter, although she did not love him as she
formerly had, was indignant at his death
and resolved 20 revenge it, if she could tind
a shadow of excuse for so doing. SO with
the "blood of the Bashams" boiling in hei
veins, she seated herself at the same window
where she and Ernest had sat so many
months before.
More troops came pouring into the villag,
among them an infantry regiment, all tlreo
and hungry. An army on the march seidoi,
treats very tenderly the country thronsi
Wnlcn III passes, nor ID uisSiPi"N 90 "'S f'N
served rs it should be. Some OF these mel
were excited by liquor, and others were 10
raging about as they chose,
A number Of them made their appearance
at Mary Basham's tine mansion, and com
menced a raid upon the pigs and poultry
Mary warned them of, but they laughed a
her, aud ordered her To open the door
Threatening to break il open IT she refused
She again warned them off, and leEeled ne
| rifle at the foremost man. The so'uly
laughed aud advanced toward the door WI
, rail 10 burst 1t in. Mary Basham COOL
! sighted her piece, but as she drew the tre
ger a 6ne-lookng, fair haired officer rode u
= In front of the dis0rderly soldiers Just J
, time 10 receive the bullet In his shoulder
|, lie fell from his horse, aud had only streng'
/, enough To order the men 10 pFotect INA
A house, aud TO carry him in' IL Nas tine'
q Fielder, -.
When Mary Basham saw who u was VI
A sue had shot, she quite forgot the death
i her brother In lhis new calamity, ana ~
!. enolness and irmness iorsook her entirely
a She did her beet, however, 10 cure u
a wound she had inflicted, and the pf
\ scnee OF the wounded officer IN the heu'
!. Vas the bsst pEoIeeIion shs could have ns'
J. "A .txa months before ETnest Mlly .