The Portland daily press., 1868-04-04
Selected story.
THROUGH THE ROOF.
rFrom "Hours at Home" for April.l


fading into colder purple.
The short twilight of that latitude was iaSt
deepening into night as Captain Bake ana L,
his Lieutenant, lett the last traces oi tue llItle
town which was occupied oy our regiment,
the Tooth Illinois Cavalry, and struck into
the secluded forest ROAD which led up into
the heat of the tail hills five or six miles
away.
Captain Blake was decidedly military fop.
He always wore faulpless uniform, and on all
proper occasions his delicate white fingers
were encased in tan colored kids, produced
from some mysterious nook Of his baggage,
the sources OF supply whereof, during nearly
four years of campaigning, remained as un-
discoverable to his brother oincers as the au-
thoTship ct Junius. his mar was long and
flowing, and he lever INDUCED in the neglige
of blouse or citizens linen sack. But his
courage had been proved more than OIL ce, and
many OF his ruder companions had learned to
their cost that under the kid gloves slumber-
ed muscles OF steel.
This evening, like all Others found him
buttoned to the chin in spotless blue. MY
own attire, on the contrary was that OF Lhe
ordinary citizen. l was too prudent, or cow
ardly, ever to 90 out of range OF our guns, in
that bush-whacker country, wearing the ma
t.onal uniform.
Three mics from the post, with two or
three faithful old seryants-the last of a
huge plantation corps = lived a youthful
WIDOW and her still more youthful and IN
married sister. The husband of the for
mer had been a Unionist, and one of the
earliest victims OF the remarkable mania Tor
murder which marked the outbreak of the
great rebellion, and, in some localities, con-
tinued to its close. There were TWO brothers
also, one OF whom was said to be away in
Virginia with Lee, and the other, sulky
boy OF sixteen, lounged about the old place,
ami was sometimes suspected OF guerrilla
procliyities.
1t was 10 visit these two charming women
--lor charming in its highest sense they
were-tbat Captain Blake and L turned our
horses heads up that dusty iolest road and
left behind the protection OF our friendly
guns. We had taken the same ride often
during the preceding three or four months
and had never met with any symptom Of
danger though it was said that band o.
busl-whackers had "a Rendezvous some miles
farther out. Several months before we had
had some rough experience OF warfare, but
we had passed long, quiet summer. Away
in Virginia the tremendous battles OF the
Wilderness "lied one with sort OF shiverins
awe of their impassive director. and farther
south, men listened wondern.9iy to the
chivairc story OF Alatoona and Peach Tree
Creek and Kenesaw. Even on our side OF
the Mississippi, Shelby occasionally dashed in
on the railway GU. let from Little Rock, OF
Ganeau's Texas Brigade proVokinsly sob
bled' Fort Smith camp immediately on the
heels of the departing paymaster. But in
onr little post we had dreamed away the
whole summer in the dull routine OF garri-
son life, without even an alarm 10 break the
monotony.
And SO we cantered along the dalkening
way, with the same nOnchalent assurance
with which we would have gone cut from
Illinois homes for an evening rine, Arrived
near the gateway OF the farm, following a
habit formed when We began our visits, we
turned sho ri into the dense wood opposite
and eoncealing our horses III its depths, pro-
ceeded on loot TO the house. The sulky 10y
was hanging lazily over the gate as we pass
ed In, and greeted us with gfuf 'How are
ye," and jerk Of his thumb towards the
house when we inquired for his sisters Far
ther up the path we met old Harry one of the
servitorS about the place, who accosted us
pleasantly, and then, coming closer, SAID
conhdentially, that he had seen four or five
mighty suspicious lOokln chaps" riding past
the house two OF three times on the preced-
/ lg day, and he thought that some of Buck
Browns swhackers" were about.
We were alone and totally unarmed. A
sudden sense OF danger struck me like a chill
and at once suggested to the Captain that
J
we should return to our horses and ride back
= TO our regimen, postponing our visit to some
more suspicious occasion. He, however, "a
ther laughed at what he termed my nervous
ness, aid argued that as the boy had already
seen us we would be heartily laughed at on
our next visit ii we did not at least show
ourselves to the sisters, if only for ten min
utes. knowing into what colossal proper
lions the Captain ten minutes were likely
TO eXnand | 1Hbpra1 In NV cnoonctiOn
during the short conference which followed
we walked back to the gate. The boy was
gone, and assuming that he had gone to the
house by some other path, and, probably, had
already apprised the inmates of our presence,
we turned again and walked without hesita-
ton to the door.
AT the beginning of the war the manor
house ofthe plantation had been burned, and
its proprietor murdered as an abolitIonist.
and the family were now living in an old ten
ant house, which was of logs and built in a
manner familiar throughout the West and
Southwest. A wide passage way, rooted and
noored, hut not incloSed at the ends, ran
transversely through the centre, on one side
OF which were kitchen ard a living room,
and on the other, three or tour small sleep
ing rooms. All these rooms opened into thu
passa9e-Way owe named, and in none of
them was there any other door. In the pas
sage way itself were kept harness, saddles,
hoes, spades, and variety OF outdoor imple-
ments.
inside the sitting-room there was. warmth
and light ana pleasant welcome There, too,
the widow, with tinge OF anxiety. mention
ed the suspicious horsemen OF the day be-
fore. Again the chill ran over me, and the
Impulse 10 return at once came stronger than
ever. But the merry hearted sister and the
gallant captain laughed our fears to scorn,
and declared the horsemen were but idle ne
gtoes or stroling Federal soldiers. These
latter knew they we're not. But we were
within the charming circle. TIE temptation
to stay was present, visible, glowing with
beauty and welcome. The possible danger
was remote-bareiy suspected, if even that.
Is 1t any wonder we stayed?
:" At all events" said the widow, "I'll 60
and have Will keep good lookout while you
are here, and report at once anything suspI-
cious he may see"
With these words she passed out of the
room, but after a briet absence returned with
the intelligence that viii was nowhere to be
found, and that his saddle and bride also had
disappeared from the passage-way.
Then OF course" said the younger sister,
"Will has gone up to The Brown place to see
Charlie, and if anything is astir in the coun-
try, those two boys will be sure to discover it
ana let you know"
ASs, leplleu Tue WluoW, muslDSly, II
must be SO. Anyhow, it will be safe for you
to stay little while, till the Captain sings us
one or Two OF those German ballads"
Captain Blake was no mean pianist, and
perhaps there is no better evidence OF the
fascination which led him TO this Jude farm
house, than the fact that. being such, he
could, without wiLcing, ST. down to an old,
asthmalic melodeon, and faithfully essay TO
accompany his voice in some of the quaint
ballads OF the Fatherland.
The evening wore away in music and pleas
ant chat. We had separated into couples,
and on one side of the room the widow and
myself, halt hidden behind a huge, old-fash-
Toned sideboard, conversed fitiuliy in tones
scarcely audible to ourselves, while in the
1arthest corner, the sister and the Captain,
with downcast eyes and tremulous voices,
held tender c. inverse. The last stroke OF tep
rang out from the old clock that stood on the
sldeboard as the door suddenly opened and
old Harry stole in, his round eyes distended
to their utmost, his grlsly wool almost erect
with fright
We sprang to our feet simultaneously.
"Maste' Capen," said Harry, in a loud
whisper, II iis see four, seben men c imb
ober de garden fence, an | hear horses in de
road You hab for TO run right now, or Buck
Brown hab got you, shup
Even while the old man was speaking there
was a heavy tread in the passage way, the
door was pushed rudely open, and half-a-doz-
en- motley looking ruffians, armed TO the
teeth, strobe in, seized the old negro by the
throat, damned his s. black SOUL" and, rough
thfusslnS HIM into the outer darkness,
closed tue door.
Like nearly all Lighthouses, this was of one
" hoi, L., l..