Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1865-09-12

you may expect your visitors at any moment
All the soldier flashed into his face for the
moment be forgot her.
"CJlone boys, where's the Cllonel "
She watcbed him as he sprang away from her.
II he had seen her face he would have known
how much he he'd heightened her respect for
him because he did forget her on such an errand.
1t was only lor moment lle was back be-
side her then bis face was pale.
/" Margaret Y is terrible, you have saved us,
but you-'
" shall Do very well, Why not?"
" You don't know what hell you have come
into -you" he passed his hand over his fore
head the great drops stood on 1t. " My God
if | could gsi you safe at home-only get you
home!
She smiled
81 am not afraid. should hardly have IN
dortaken this little expedition if | had been
afraid" sudden confusion prevented his re-
ply-the sound OF the Colonel's voice, quick
0rdere and the men falling into line, Miss
Bronson tossed off ber cloak and took her pistol
from her belt.
hat are you going to do
Fight"
" Miss Bronson -
She threw off his hand from hois.
Why not? | will not hide here in the bushes
and die ike coward no, not even for look
like that, Mr.. NJ M'Ginley. You know | could not
60 tack il would. See, they are calling you"
Ths quick orders grew impatient /; the ranks
swept By them. M'Ginley fell into his place a t
the end Of the line Miss Bronson stepped be-
side him. lie said but one word after that
a. to
Her fingers stirred a little on the pistol her
glittoring smile played all over her face He
knew then that she would have dispised him if
lie had argued the case by 70 much as another
syllable.
"They are coming" sho said with a BIT Of
triumph 10 her smile.
ller face was worth seeing, when the sergeant
discovered her anl quickly ordered her out Of
the rank7
"lf you can tell me any reason, Sir, why
should not light, should like to know it.
Agin orders, mum
" But you are short of men,
4" Beggln your pardon, mum, believe you
hahn Z man.
" What does that matter have no more
fancy for looking on idle.
" Can't help it, mum, sorry 10 disappoint
lady; bat there's my orders. Wounded and
women-loks and young uns to the rear. SO, if
you please mum, you d better fall out
Miss Bronson obeyed in silent disgust. A wo-
mans viii rersi@ military discipline. Certainly
it was hard case.
A rustling Of dead leaves in the ravlne,
trsmping Of many feet, a fash Of bayonets on
the brow Of the hill then, vision Of dark eX-
ultant faces yell, a cheer, a thunder that woke
all the echoes sleeping far down the valley and
the quic. camp became battlefield.
the deserted fires flashing up broadly, darling
riffs Of light in through the smoke and horror.
showed Miss Bronson in under the trees She
stood there Tor five minutes Then the fair
haired boy, fighting beside M'Ginley, fell with
ball through his heart
When NJ Ginley turned his head he saw her
in the vacant place-the dead boy s.musket in
her hand
IL prefer to be here she said
Probably military discipline would have had
q word to say to it's late defeated antagonist, II
it had not been altogether too busy just then il
the confusion of charge. The picture, bright
in the iitiul glare, was one long to be remem-
bered the woman with her colorless, calm face
and eyes on fire, the shadow OF q smile still lin
gering on her lips, her black hair fallen low on
her shoulders, and the fearless aim Of the hand
so womanly 50 dazzling, 80 foreign to it's deathly
work.
She fought like veteran. M'Ginley, SO near
to ber, knew how her teeth were set, and could
see her breast heave with the sharp, hard breath
ing. 0nce she looked up into his face
don't know much about it tell me if |
am wrong'
Tue tone was q tone in which Margaret Bron-
son was unused to speaking he heard every ca
dence of il above the roar Of the muskery, and
in that hour when she seemed to have thrown
off her womanhood, be knew that she was nearer
to him than ever IN all her life before After
that he guided her.
=" Aim higher, Margaret.
You load in too much Of hurry, Margaret;
you gain nothing by it.
Margaret, you are out Of the ranks
So between his own fierce work-and she
obeyed him as implicitly as child. Throughout
the whole he used instlnctiyely the name by
which he had called her when they played togeth-
er in the old south field at home. She accepted
1t as instirotlvely. | think she liked it, Pos
sibly it helped bel; ; az to that you could not
tell she never quailed Cor an instant her face
never lost its coloress calm, her eyes their fire,
nor her hand its fearless aim.
The clmp-fres were dying low into their ash
es the moons sullen glare from the tree-tops
showed through the pillows OF smoke a breach
in the enemy 3 ranks. The lines staggered and
broke on the brow OF the hill,
We have them, said NJ M'Ginley, with
grim smile, ard fell with the words on his lips.
The ranks closed again and swept on victori-
ous down the slope far into the valley to finish
their work But the beautiful woman's face
was not among them
She knelt on the ground where he had falen
his blood stained her dress in pititu contrast to
its slkon richness.
4" Can you tell me whore it is ~
She spoke quietly; if she had bad. all the
Knowledge Of the surgeons, and every means OF
saving bis life st her command instead of being
ignorant and alone IN that desolated place, she
could not have spoken more quietly you could
not have seen that nerve trembed.
1t is nothing-only in my arm, | think,
he said Ieebly You can get home now, Marga-
ret-go; don's atop to think OF me-"
"l shall think of you. intend to saye you.
She looked about her lor moment. At the
right rebel lay dead in the bushes. A few
yards beyond another--dcsd or dying, for he
stirred little. No other human being was in
sight. The distant cimphres were out. The
moon hung angriy IN the mist far down the
valley the NOISE Of the conalct was growing
ininter M'Ginleya hot blood was still staining
her dress. Her sense of utter helplersness was
written for an instant on her face but it was
turned away from him and he did not see it.
You must stay hers she spoke rapidly
and decidedly" you must stay here little
while. shall help you into the bushes here
out Of sight, If there are stragglers round.