The Republican journal., 1881-02-24

could have married, and | gave her up
long ago Do you remember Miss Capel p
This led to my telling him how his
message had failed to reach her; and the
intelligence seemed to produce a great
self, several times "That may have
been the reason" and thereafter became
totally uncommunicative on the subject
| do not know whether Fred Belton ever
heard of this conversation but for my
own part the stirring events that were
daily happening around us soon put it out
of my head.
AS began by saying, we were encamp-
ed on the Rapidan river, just before that
terrible series Of battles in the Wilderness,
which ushered in the close of the Rebel
lion. Meanwhile an OminOus quiet reign
ed in our neighborhOOd, the only eXcGp-
ton being a rather annoying one in the
shape Of a sharpshooter on the conteder-
ate side Of the river (Which was there
about three hundred yards wide,) who
unerringly picked off any of our men who
ventured to show 50 much as his elbow
on the Federal bank. AS he had estab-
lished himself opposite the only spot in a
couple OF miles where it was practicable
to water our cattle, his presence was
particularly inconvenient; and we eX-
pended an apparently disproportionate
deal Of trouble in our efforts to dislodge
him, but nothing had any effect As i'll
luck would have it, there was no gun at
this polnt and it was in vain that we
peppered the place whence the deadly
shot proceeded, with our rifles. Every
day several valuable men were lost, until
at last the question, what is to be done
, became serious and pressing one. The
unknown marksman never was known to
miss; and all that any Of us ever saw OF
him was the puff of smoke from the muz-
Zle OF his weapon.
One afternoon Fred Belton came to my
tent Q was surgeon to our company } in a
state of such manifest discomposure that
at first | thought that the colonel had
been killed or the mysterious sharpshoot
er captured. 1t turned out to be quite
another matter, however.
"What do you think ~ he began, in an
excited Undertone. "Whose house do
You suppose is mile off there, on our
left ?" And without giving me time to
,,
as sure as you sit there. And whom do
you suppose ! saw? Miss Rosalind, her
self, is I'm living sinner She rode up
on horseback Just as was palavering at
the front door for provender BY Jove,
she's more divinely handsome than ever
And oh, my wig, didn't she give me a
rating, though Whew'
"What did she scold you about" de
manded, amused
''For being a Nirginian, and fighting on
the Northern side. tell YOU, she made
me feel like born sneak and blackguard.
\ little more and believe should have
rated again, and joined the johnny
Rebs. If | were a man said she, i
would make it my business to catch such
creatures as you, and hang y0un Its
my opinion, if few hundred women like
her were to enlist on the Rebs' side we
should be thrashed out of our boots in a
month. But luckily, there's not another
woman like her on the planet"
'lou'd better look out, or she'll make
a conquest of you in more ways than
one" said ], laughing. 'By the way,
this news would interest Camlion. Does
he know 2"
'No; and | don't mean to tell him, y
returned Belton rather sharply; and at
ter sitting few minutes longer, he got
up, and left me in apparently no very
good hum0r.
That same evening, however, he APP
peared again, this time in preoccupied
mood, and with his pipe in his mouth.
The conversation presently turned upon
the ever-actiye sharpshooter, and after a
few remarks had passed, Belton suddenly
exclaimed:
"lVe made up my mind to kill that tel
low, and I've thought Of way how it
may be done Iguess I'm as good shot
as he is, and if can get sight of 50 much
as a square inch Of him, he's settled y
lie then went on to unfold to me his
scheme, which appeared feasible, though
there were certain obstacles in the way
After We had discussed it for a while, he
said: "Do you know why'd want to shoot
! him ?"
"From patriotic motives, trust =" was
my reply.
"That's very well 50 far as it goes but
there's something else. | believe | know
who he is-or what he is at all events.
believe he's the man whom Rosaind
Capel means to marry. From something
she said to-day I'm certain she knows
him, and that there's something more
than ordinary between them And
don't intend that she will marry him if
can help it,"
did not much like this attitude of Bel
tons, and l told him SO; but he took my
structures in such i'll part that for the
present ! judged it best to say no more
Plainly he was in love with Miss Capel
| devOutly wished that she was out of the
way, but before breakfast time next
morning | was destined to hear Of hel
again. 1t was about the hour of sunrise
when Canlion, who had been out OF
picket duty during the night, entered my
tent, with his face flushed, and his blue
eyes kindled with repressed excitement.
81 have seen Miss Capel," he said, 60
ing to the point at once, as his custom
was. "Ihere was an alarm at my out
post two hours ago, and one of my meI
fired. we heard something fall, went
out, and found rider entangled with his
horse, which was shot dead knew hel
in moment, though she was in mans
clothes-a blouse and high boots. She
had lost her way, and had stumbled OF
us in the darkness. Their house is neal
here, she says. 1t was narrow escape
if she had been killed. could not have
borne it | wish this war were over"
"Was she armed ?" | inquired, feeling
more uneasy than | cared to confess.
"No. Why should she, poor girl ? She
had been to see some friend of theirs
somewhere up the country. | gave hel
man to see her safe home" He had
spoken the latter sentences ia low
voice; now he looked up suddenly, and
said with deepest emphasis: II would
give my life to know that she loves me
still as love her She did love me once
There's no other woman in the world fol
me-"
"1ou must bear iii mind that she's a
red-hot REBEL" ventured to remark.
"On the contrary she's more than hall
inclined to our side," returned Camlion
eagerly. "She told me almost as much.
In her heart she loves the Union best"