St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1880-07-16

| lie mas Oniy been In Baltimore few
hours, and Fanny was sent away South
before he came. Go in there-quick Z"
she added, as a mans footsteps sounded
| in the ball.
She opened an inner door, and en-
tered large closet or store-room. 1t
had no window, but was lighted by a
kind of fancy lattice-work at the top
of the partition that divided it from
the sitting room. Besides the door
through which I entered, it had two
others. / softly tried them both, and
found them fastened. The place was
sort of anterOOm now used as store
! closet. 1t had shelves in it, and trunks
and packing cases, broken articles of
furniture, linen laid up in lavender,
and ladies' dresses hung on pegs. 1t
was lighted by glimmer of gas from
the sitting-roOm.
envy darling Fannyw said a voice !;
and heard kisses-kisses as natural as
if the man had been SOutherner, and
not Il bLlUd-thirsty Yankee, whom
was bound to hate, to injure, and de-
spise.
heard him say to her. "Have you had
Cuiil! 1OH iOOh-l uOu KNOW uOW
you look. What is it, my sweet Fan 7'
| 'NOthing. What could it beW she
answered: but knew, from the trem-
BILE in her voice, that she was unused
to deceiving her colonel. 1 think, too,
that he probably perceived that some
I thing lay concealed under her ''noth-
ing" for he did not press her to say
more. He sat down, and l think he
drew her toward him.
"This is comfortable" he said. 'sThis
is home. This is better than campaign
ing. | have had a worrying day.
Claypole" Il judged that was his pred
ecessoT "has left everything in disor-
der in his department, and that busi-
ness of Fanny's has annoyed me be-
yond measure. 1t lays me open to
suspicion, and have had local pOliti-
clans at me about it all day. How
Fanny could have been so indiscreet,
so unmindful of what was due to my
position! She seems TO have been for
ever doing something that lowered, to
say the least of it, upon the verge of
treason. 1 hope, my Fanny, you have
had nothing to do with her proceed
ings."
mo, no, indeed!" cried his wife, We
hemently, with an accent of sincerity.
81 have always been so very careful,
because" Here she came to a sud-
den pause. | suppose the recollection
that she had Major Dangerfield of the
Confederate service hidden in her store
closet, broke unpleasantly upon her.
She added in lower tone, and with Il
different accent, 81 would not cOmprO
mise you for the world"
81 wish Fanny had had the same con-
sideration. General s. told me he
was very sorry to have to send her
through the lines, but that it had been
absolutely necessary. A little more
and she would have got herself into the
Old Capitol Prison.. The Union poll
ticians of this place have keen scent
for disaffection. 1t seems policeman
has been detailed for some time past to
watch this house, and they had a string
of charges as long as my arm against
her. Deari deari if women only would
stick fast to women's work, and leave
rebellion and politics alonew
81 don't think Fanny meant any
HARM" said the wife, timidy. "She
used to send things to the prisoners,
but then that was allowed. She used
to get lots of letters; but don't know
that she did anything worse"
"That is, she did not tell you all she
did," said the colonel. "Well, so far |
am obliged to her, for if half | hear is
true, she was stepped in petty treason.
Most of it was foolish nonsense-no
good to the cause she wanted to serve.
Her imprudence has made my own po-
sitiOn here very delicate one. / have
written to the commanders of all the
prisons not to forward her any letters
that may pass through their hands, and
if any do arrive you had better burn
them without reading them unless you
know the handwriting"
Here came loud ring at the front
door. The colonel and his wife moved
Immediately apart, and a man came
into the room.
''GOod evening, colonel. Good even
ing, madam. called to tell you, col
onel, that there is dangerous charac-
ter at large in BaltimOre-a rebel agent
Oh secret service-and the provost
marshal has given strict orders to Sc
cure him. If they catch him they will
hang him-sure. He has been travel
ing as a spy all through our Northern
.,
the South with important papers and
information. 1t was thought he might
have come here to enquire about Miss
Fanny. Has any such person been
here, Mrs. Lewisf
"No, sir" said the inexperienced
equivocatOr, with a tremble in her
tone.
"Have you had no stranger here
this EVENING"" persisted the visitor.
The answer was inaudible.
zone word with you aside, colonel"
he said, as he rose to go, drawing Col
ouel Lewis outside the parlor door i'll
to the passage. 81 don't want to be
disagreeable to Mrs. Lewis, but (be
tween Ourselves) the policeman on this
beat says he saw a man answering the
description come in this evening at
your front door. 1 tell you because
you would not like a domiciliary visit
from the prOvOst-marshal."
"Thank you, thank you. But l am
sure you are mistaken. Mrs. Lewis Is
lady of unspotted loyalty. If there
be anything wrong it is the servants
who are concerned"
"Colonol Lewis" said the visitor in
stage whisper, II don't like to destroy
your confidence in Mrs. Lewis, but the
gas was lighted in your parlOr before
the blinds were down, and he saw him
with Mrs. Lewis standing on the hearth
rug. | hope you'll find it all as right
as you expect, I'm sure"
The colonel walked to the front door
with his visitor, and then came back
into the sitting-room. l knew that he
was thinking, "There is no way of exit
from this room but by the door L came
=. IL 10 lnc ho