Litchfield enquirer., 1873-05-29
From Scribner's Monthly. CAPTAIN LUCE'S ENEMY.

stronghold. There was dredging and dig
 ging and hard, patient weeks of approach
 to be spent before the plan of attack could
 be fairly tried. The country waited il
 impatience, and the army toiled and ! watched, and each individual soldier and
 citizen lived meanwhile the separate and
 private life of thought and feeling. oi
 which the visible existence IS but the
 mask or expression more or less dimly
 comprehended. It is of this underlying and more real life of two or three out ol the millions of actors in that tremendou: drama that am going to tell the story now.
 A carriage with two ladies and a very old negro driver came to headquarters oi one of the brigsdes one day about noon, and the general for whom they inquired came out courteously to hear what they would have. The elderly lady introduced herself and her daughter, explained that their house and lands adjoined his lines, and that the men of the neighborhood be- ing all in the southern armies, they were naturally exposed tc annoyance and un- easiness, and she asked to have a guard for the protection of themselves and their property. The general promised to see to the matter, made note of the name and place: "Mrs. Forest, of Cottonwood Plantation, :" two OF three miles to the southwest. In consequence of that inter view, Captain Luce of the '.Fessenden Rifemenh was presently detailed to post guard at the Forests place, and rode over h person the fist day. Luce was a good soldier, rather sober fellow, some what reserved and sharp with men, and a little shy among ladies; not handsome, but, of good presence, .and very much liked by his men. The two ladies were true sontherners, but of the better class. | They were proud of their State and the ] Confederacy, and scornful of the North i; but that aside, they were well-bred, toler- ably informed, superior m manners and bearing. It was no easy matter, that first interview of the young officer with his ! fair enemies. But he determined to have 1 an understanding with them, if possible, and know just where he stood in the place. 1 So after the first awkward difficulty of in- troducing himself, and the reserved and distant response which was not unnatural from the lonely ladies towards a strange man and an enemy whom circumstances forced them to receive, he said;
 "My men have strict instructions as to their duty, and wish you to report i'm mediately any dsrespect or annoyance which they may show or permit. will come or send as often as I can to see about it, and shall do my best to make your home secure and pleasant. But l must ask you to remember that We are soldiers in an enemy's country, and ex- posed on your account. The men must not be annoyed or harshly treated. You will easily see that they must regard an insult to them as aimed at the cause they represent by its enemies, and one that they are bound in honor to resent. l say this for your own sakes, wishing to save you trouble in the future. l do not re- spect you the less for taking sides with your State, and do not wonder that you do not love us for fighting your friends and desolating your country. But you must remember that there are two sides to the question; that your friends would bo at my homo if they could; and hope that some of them would see that my mother and sister came to no harm. I believe that they would"
 Beginning thus squarely, and continu ing to show the same simple, downright, but courteous bearing in his visits, the first constraint and somewhat naughty politeness of the ladies melted impercep- tibly into a respectful familiarity and con- fidence.
 The younger lady's name was Ellen. She was rather tall, with an almost mar tial carriage, so straight, and proud, and straight-forwa disdaining little arts and graces, turning neither to the right nor left. She did not belle the intelligence that lighted up her fine face; she was un- usually we'll read in books of the lighter kind. That alone would have kindled Q friendly feeling in the captain, who was something of student; and from the first he was piqued by her self-contained man. ner, and admired her simple dignity and the quickness and keenness shown ID what she said. With the growing confidence which constant intercourse with the young soldier inspired, her reserve wore of, and they became good friends in way, But the frank kiAdness that took the place of the young lady's first manner, had the same qualities of self-reliance and cour- age behind it, and Luce felt very senslbiy that he held his friendly footing upon sufferance and straight walking, and that one step aside would precipitate him from it; and the further he went in that path the less did he care to fall out of it.
 Luce presently found himself contris- ing to be at Cottonwood a great many times in week, and his mind going back there more and more as he went about his duty. He had small number of favor ite books with him in camp, and some of them presently found their way to the Forest mansion, and some with the name of that family on the fy-leaves took their place in the officers tent of company c. Luce began to have great liking for talking over Thackeray with Miss Ellen. She shared the incomprehensible dislike of her sex for that author, and she and the captain had many talk, good-hu- mored but sincere, and sometimes serious, over the masters men and women. But when Luce went over these discussions in his mind, it was not so much of the weight of the argument that he found himself thinking as of the lady's keen in stinct, her quickness and delicacy of per ception, and her shrinking from falsehood and impurity and difficulty in believing them. ss. .->.
 But digging and dredging could not last forever; and one day Captain Luce woke up and found that the army was be- ginning to move again His division was yet undisturbed. but he knew the march ing orders would come before long. and ! the thought brought him dull new feel ing not at all pleasant. He did not find the ache grow less by sleeping on it, and indeed he was late fall ing asleep and awoke very early. He made an errand to ride over to Cotton wood Tn the morning, found Miss Ellen alone, and told her of his near departure.
 "When we went into camp over here, " he said, "I was fretted by the delay, and now we are going. I feel as if I were leav- ing home" He laughed little, rather ruefully. --.
 She was doing some needlework, and she laid it down, and looked over at him thoughtfully ''So you're going away to fight my friends, " she said. "Doesn't it seem strange that you and I, sitting here, should be enemies ?''
 'It seems crazy" he answered. He 0as leaning againtst the open window. He drew his sword and let the sun glitter on the polished blade. It was pretty thing and made for pretty use he thought. This business he was now in took for the moment that look of grotesque and in- credible madness and folly that it does