Litchfield enquirer. [volume] (Litchfield, Conn.) 1829-current, 1880-07-22
lowed: She used to get lots of letters; but


ed in petty treason. Most of it was foolish
nonsense-no good to the cause she wanted tc
serve. Her imprudence has made my own
position here very delicate one. Ihave writ.
ten to the commanders of all the prisons moi
to forward to her any letters that may pass
through their hands, and if any do arrive, you
had better burn them, unless you know the
handwriting. ~ a a.l.a'iutif@ Yfs LIl
Here came,a loud ring at the, front door.
The colonel and his wife moved instantly apart
and man came into the room,
'Good-evening, colonel. q Good evening,
madam. called to tell you, colonel, that
there's dangerous character at large in Bal.
timore-a rebel agent on secret serVice-and
the provost-marshal has given strict orders to
secure him. If they catch him, they will hang
him-sUre. He has been travelling as spy
all through our Northern cities, and is nowyon
his way back to the South with important
papers and information. It was thought he
might have come here to inquire about Miss
Fanny. Has any such person been here, Mrs:
Lewis2''
'No, sir" said the inexperienced equivoca.
tor. with a tremble in her tone.
~ Have you had no stranger here this even
ing ?" persisted the visitor; ',.4 d nal5 sni
The answer was inaudible, 81. ... . -...
Zone word with you aside, colonel" he
said, as he rose to 60, drawing Colonel Lewis
outside the parlor door into the passage. 81
don't want to be disagreeable to Mrs. Lewis,
but (this between ourselves) the policeman on
this beat says he saw man answering the
description come in this evening at your front
door. tell you because you would not like a
domiciliary visit from the provost-mar-
shall" '.s
THANK you, thank you. But am sure
yeu are mistaken. Mrs. Lewis is lady of
unspotted loyalty. If there be anything wrong
it is the servants who are concerned"
Colonel Lewis" said the visitor, in stage
whisper, Il don't like to destroy your conf
dence in Mrs. Lewis, but the gas was lighted in
your parler before the blinds were down and
the policeman saw him with Mrs. Lewis
standing on the hearth-rug. 1 hope you'll
find it all as right as you expect Pm sure"
The colonel walked to the front door with
his visitor. and came back into the sitting.
room. l knew that he was thinking, '.TheIe
is no way of exit from this room but by the
door that came in by or the closet. She has
the man in there" ..
"These local politicians are both low-bred
and impertinent," he said, as he came back to
her. "There would not be man with good
coat on his back at large in Baltimore, If all
their denunciations were listened to. Fanny,
he thinks ill of you. He thinks you would
compromise your husband. He says there is
a policeman watching our front door,
"Oh, Arthur" cried poor Fanny, II love
you so dearly, indeed do, and perhaps you
will not believe me Oh, why did Did he
say they would be sure to hang that man, that
spy, if they arrested him ?"
eyes, and most justly. A spy deserves no
mercy"
ooh but, Arthur, think of Andre"
swell, Andre had no right to complain, 1t
was the fate of war. 1t was the stern duty of
Washington"
Eyes, dear, everybody says so: but, Arthur,
| have never been able to OUe Washington
since read that story. And the men who
gave him up-all women always hate Htena."
'rhis is childishness, my dear wife. Would
you rather have had West Point taken by the
British, Arnold triumphant and rewarded,
Washington condemned as the traitor ?"
''No, no, of course not, /" she sobbed. "Oh,
Arthur, when was a child our cat had four
yellow kittens They lived under the porch,
and were very wild. But one OF them trusted
me- and used to come out to me, and l was
holding it in my arms one day, when our hired
man came to me, all bloody, with his axe in
his hand my mother had said they must he
killed, and he Lad cut off the heads Of the
other three kittens, and gave him mine-I
let him take it, l wake up even now some
times at night and remember how cruel 1 was
to that poor little yellow cat. 1t seems some
thing like murder
Fanny, this is to foolish" said her hus-
band.
81 know it, know it," she replied. ''But
l really believe should lose my reason if I
had to do the same thing over again"
Fanny" he said, sternly, 'you forget
yourself. | must remember my duty, what
ever you do"
After this there was silence between them
AT length the husband said
II have long report to write to- night, Fan
ny, and accounts to cast up. l must sit up
very late. My poor wife 60 to bed"
'Yes, DEAR" she answered, submissively
heard keys jingling in her key basket as she
moved across the floor.
'No, Fanny" said her husband, stopping
her: Il may want something from the Gel
lare. Leave me your keys"
"You will kill yourself with hard work.
Let us both 60, love-" s. Au. a@s
''No, no." said the colonel "Ge yourself !;
you have headache"
mo, Arthur" she answered. eff you sit
up, will stay too" d.
1T is of no use, Fanny" a
''Still, will stay here" t......
''If am going to sit up" said the colonel,
Il want my slippers"
''Lst me get them," she cried, eagerly.
''Sit down." .as...#
"Ns, I'll get them myself. They are in the
closet, l know. Is it locked No, see that
it is not the key is in tie door,"
He laid his hand upon the door handle of
my place of confinement. For half moment
he hesitated to turn it. heard Fanny sob.
think she caught him by the arm.
LET me 60, Fanny" he said, impatientiy.
II must. You had better 60 away" A
Hethrew the door wide open. The gas
light streamed in from the sitting room. She
rallied all her strength, and came in after
him.
Nothing met their eyes but the dresses, the
shelves, the rows of pickles and preserves, the
broken furniture, the trunks, the linen in Law
ender. But standing opposite the door, with
its hinges toward them, they may have seen a
large Saratoga trunk, marked on the side, in
big white letters, ''MIss FANNY LEWIS" Its
lid was not quite closed, the hasp having
caught upon the rim.
The colonel drew back. Poor Fanny per-
haps fancied I had mysteriously disappear
ed.
They took the slippers from the floor, and
went into the sitting room. There l heard
her coaxing him to go to bed but there SEEM
ed some hardening of her husbands heart
1O~olo ACiS WAiOH uCI PICJty DCISuo-
sions.
Fanny, " he said at last, eff you insist on
sitting up with me, getine some paper and an
inkstand from your chamber" ....s .z.s
There was no resisting this request. which
he made like a command She must again
have made a movement to pick up her key
basket, and he must again have checked her,
for she exclaimed, ''Oh forgot l beg your
PARDON" and left the room. ....,,...... I'D.
:, The moment she was gone, heard him rat
tie the keys. He put one or more Of them in
to his pocket. heard. too, click, as if be
were engaged in cooking his revolver. Then
he remarked, aloud ''the store room has no
window. l have him safe. If brave man,
he will keep quiet. Only q coward would
take advantage of herr" 1919. aT.o.t rei rs
He pulled out his watch 'fHalf past
twelve" he said, as Fanny came back again.
What agony she may have felt as she left me
without protection, and her husband exposed
to my attack if were armed!
"Here is paper and ink" she said.
''Now go to bed, darling"