The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1877-10-16
THE WOMAN SPY.

TN NOW u very old man, long ago
i superannuated; and the adventure
/ am about to relate occurred when was
n STRIPPING captain promotion was rapid
them, many and many long year ago
We were then ut war with the Ottoman
empire.
1t was getting late In the spring ofour
campaign and our trouble with the Turks
was still far from being ut close, that
set out for Micasvar, in Transylvania,
to conduct number of recruits to my
regiment, which then lay In the vicinity
of Orsown, in village near the army
lived gypsy, who carried on the trade
of n, sutler. My new soldiers, who were
extremely superstitlous, asked her to
tell their fortune. l laughed ut them,
and at the same held my hand to the
gipsy.
''The goth of August" said she, with
q very significant air, and without ad-
ding another syllable.
wished to obtain some explanation,
but she repeated the same words; and,
as l was going away, she called out to
me in the same tone:
''The Goth of Augustl !"
1t may easily he supposed that this
date remained impressed upon my
memory.
We joined the army and shared its
fatigues and danger II is well known
that in this war the Turks gave no quar-
ter. The chiefs offered ducat for every
head that should be brought into the
camp; and neither Janissarles or
Spahis neglected any opportunity of
earning the reward.
The arrangement was particularly
fatal to our advance post. There was
scarcely night during which the Turks
did not come in superior numbers to seek
our heads and Mt daybreak it was often
found that portion of the camp had
been guarded by decapitated bodies.
The Prince of Coburg resolved to send
every night strong pickets of cavalry
beyond the chain of videties for the pur-
pose of protecting them. These pickets
were composed of one or two hundred
men; but the Turkish generals, finding
their troops disturbed in their retail
trade sent still more numerous detach-
ments against our pickets, which pro-
cured them still more considerable
profit The service of the pickets was
consequently of such nature that those
who were appointed to perform it al
ways put their affairs in order previous
to their departure.
Things were in this state in the month
of August. Several battles had not
changed the position of the army. A
week before the Goth, my fortune-teller,
of whom frequently purchased provis-
ions, again made her appearance. She
entered my tent, requesting me to leave
her legacy in case 1 should die on the
: day she had predicted, and offered, in
case l should not, to make me present
of hamper of Tokay. This wine was
rarity in the army. The gypsy appear
ed not to have common sense. In the
situation in which then was speedy
death was not improbable, but had no
reason to expect it precisely on the goth
of August.
Iacceded to the proposal, stalking two
horses and fifty ducats against the old
woman's Tokay and the auditor of the
regiment took down our agreement in
writing, but not without indulging in a
laugh.
The Goth of August came. There was
no probability of an engagement. II
was indeed the turn of our regiment to
furnish q picket for the night, but two
of my comrades were to go before me-
In the evening, as the hussars were pre-.
pairing to set off, the surgeon of the reg.
iment came to inform the commander
that the officer named for the picket was
taken dangerously ill. The one next to
him, and preceded me, received orders tC
take his place. He dressed himself in
haste, and was proceeding to join his
men, but his horse, a generally quiet
creature, suddenly began to prance an6
caper in such manner that he at last
threw his rider, who broke his leg in the
fall. II was now my turn. set off, but
l must confess, not in my ordinary
humor
commanded eighty men, and was
Joined by one hundred and twenty be
longing to another regiment, making in
the whole two hundred men. Our pos
was about thousand PAGES in front o.
the line of the RIGHT .1uinor n,nd mo .,,o..