Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1889-09-26

Starlton was not in sympathy with the
guerrillas infesting the swamps and
caneDrakes round about her home.
But, had she been, the manly face be-
fore her would have been sufficient to
shake it.
The autumn breeze lifted the sheets
on the line, giving Elma glimpse of
several roughly clad men, halted in
the adjacent grove, evidently at loss
which way to turn to find the retreat
of the Yankee officer. They were the
guerrillas. A scornful flash lit up the
wine-dark eyes of the girl as she
turned to the man, who seemed to be
awaiting his doom or his salvation at
her fair hands. Yes; she would save
him. But how?
All! it is surely too late to help him
to escape recapture. See! two of the
| guemillas have started toward the
house, leaving the others in consulta-
tion at the border of the grove. In
another moment they will have seen
| the hunted man, screened by the
clothes on the line. On they stalk to-
ward the house.
Elma is girl of ingenuity, one ac-
customed to acting in emergencies.
She will foil those rough outlaws yet.
| 1t is not too late.
Here" she said, in very low voice,
and she quickly lifted the clothes which
| she had thrown into the capaclous bas-
ket, IF you will lie down in my old
clothes basket / think / shall be able
to hide you securely"
Very obediently, very quickly Ar
thur Hartwell coiled himself up in
Elma Starlton's clothes basket, and
very skillfully she covered him COM
pletely with the clothes she held.
Then she went on unpinning clothes
from the line, which she threw loosely
upon the basket. No one would have
guessed there was man beneath that
mass of clean clothes.
Elma was again singing as merrily
as lark when the guerrillas drew
near One of them bounded over the
hedge. He approached the girl, who
gave a well-feigned start, greeting him
thus:
ike Carterl What do you mean by
startling body this way?"
She knew him WELL as his home was
not far from the Starltons'.
Didn't so ter startle yer, Miss
Elmy; Pm on ther hunt of blamed
Yankee officer what's escaped us.
wall, Ike, we're not in the habit o.
entertaining Yankee officers here un
less we are obliged to. 1t is not gooc
place to hunt for them on the Starltor
premises"
Il know hit amt, Elmy," said the
fellow; "but we tracked him this away,
he explained.
"How did he escape you, Ike?" sh,
asked, trying to show an interest il
the subject, hoping thereby to allay
any suspicion that might have beer
formed in the guerrillas' minds.
The guerrilla launched out full ac
count of the capture and escape o
Lieutenant Hartwell. Elma listened
as attentively as if it were all new
story to her.
"As we-uns was consultin' in yor
grove, Pete Jarvis lowed he done seeC
n blue uniform, or somethin' thet looked
mighty like one, over hyar by these
clothes. Thet's why I come hyar q
botherin' you-uns."
A musical laugh followed this an.
nouncement. Then Elma said:
"An optical illusion. / suppose il
was mothers blue muslin curtains
J that Jarvis took for a Yankee uniform.
And Elma held up to view pair o.
] pretty blue curtains.
9 Ike Carter eyed them closely, ther
glanced at the overladen basket on the
grass, then back at the girl who was
t smoothing the azure curtains.
D "Hain't Pete Jarvis good un tel
| sight Yanks? No wonder we-uns done
| los his trail with sich a leader as Pete
I I'm plumb sorry, Miss Elmy, thet he
1 insulted them curtains thet away, by
? takin' 'em fur Yank's trousers" Ant
Ike Carter laughed at what he consid
J cred a clever joke.
Il should think" the girl remarked
= dryly ike, tell your party, with my
: compliments, that L think their eyes
must be full of cobwebs brushed from
the canes. Tell them to wash them
out and make another investigation OF
the thicket, she called to him as he
strobe away, looking rather crestfallen
for Ike had seen what Jarvis had, and
both had decided 1t must be Hartwells
uniform. But Jarvis being absent had
to bear the ridicule. Ike Carter could
not stand it to have the bright South
ern girl laugh at his blunders.
Dear reader, you and / know that it
was glimpse of a blue uniform that
those guerrillas had caught. But we
can smile over the cleverness of Elma
Starlton in turning it off so nicely and
heave a deep sigh of fulllgladness that
her mother had those blue curtains,
and that they happened to be in the
wash that week.
The guerillas went off, and evidently
} felt too sheepish over their mistake to
venture within range of those mocking,
dancing, wine-dark eyes, for they did
not return.
When the coast was clear, Elma un.
covered the queerly hidden Lieutenant
| who crawled out, with real thankful
} ness to his lovely deliverer, though
= his limbs We're so stiff that she had tc
assist him to the little closet, where he
remained effectually concealed during
| the rest of the afternoon. Here she
brought him every refreshment that
I her home afforded.
b Under cover Of the night, brave Ell
ma Starlton escorted Lieutenant Hart
well safe within the Union lines. Ere
he parted from her, he pressed her soft
hand, saying: "If L survive the war,
l shall return to thank you, as 1 am
unable to do now."
Arthur Hartwell did not forget his
promise. When peace reigned glori-
ously over grief-bowed nation, he oc-
cuDin1 q lucrative rneition IN ,,rb1 IN