Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1889-12-06
TEE MYSTERIOUS GUNNER
An Exciting Story of the War
of 1912.
BIZ JOHN R. 1EUsICK.
CHATTER xm.-CContinued.,

CHAPTER Xu.-CCOntinued.9
Mrs. Ratchet stole noiselessIy away to
the room Of the wounded man and found
him still quietly sleeping. Then she
returned to the piazza. Both listened to
the noise and confusion all along the
line Of earthworks. There were loud
voices and the hurrying of footsteps Of
men.
"The spies have again been at work,
Mrs. Ratchet"
Then they cannot charge him with
being spy"
-Who?"
@The deserter of the Xenophon-that
mysterious gunner who drove the man-Of-
war from the harbor.
But Gck believes ne is a spy"
He cannot be, for Griffith said he was
prisoner locked up in the guard-hOuse,
and it cannot be. "
at don't make no difference who it is,
said Mrs. Ratchet; there is great danger
to US"
Ola agreed with her. but felt some
little relief in knowing that that strange
man in whom she had great interest was
now above suspicion.
In the noise and confusion the two Wo-
men did not notice that the guard, which
had been left at the house, had forgotten
their duty and were hurrVing down to the
parapet where the excitement and cOnfu-
sion was. The house was entirely unpro-
tected, and the women at the mercy of the
maraUders who might be bold enough to
enter the house.
Captain Gatren's house, the reader will
doubtless remember, stood on the hill at
the extreme north end of the village, and
was Just within the line Of earthworks.
There was a rRvine spanned by q foot
bridge between the house and the village.
This isolated house was some distance
from any others, and might easily be
raided without any one else In the village
being any the wiser.
After a while the excitement seemed to
die away. The women were about turn
ing around to 60 into the house when the
discharge of musketry in the distance was
borne to their ears.
What does that meRn?" Ola asked.
There is fighting down there"
For a few moments sharp firing was
heard and all became still. Then came
hurried tramp of feet, and the voice of
the Yankee SIMON was heard to say:
Come on, boys. Consarn their pic
turs, Wen make EN- think old Nick's eOut
tonight"
Ola could hear the Yankee with about
fifty others leap the breastwOrks and
hasten away through the woods in the
direction Of the firing.
Again all became silent and Ola and
Mrs. Ratchet re-entered the house. They
stole to the invalid's room and found him
still asleep. All through the confusion
and uproar Of that terrible night he had
slept.
Mrs. Ratchet at last prevailed on ou1
heroine to 60 to her room and retire.
Days of anxiety and nights of Wakeful-
ness had almost exhausted the poor girl
and her own room seemed so neat and
quiet when she reached it that she thought
she could sleep sweetly.
She threw herself on the bed without
removing her clothes and in a few mo-
ments was unconscious. The midnight
hour came and silence still enWrapped
the Gatrell mansion.
The church clock in the steeple had
Just ceased striking twelve and the last
echo was dying away among the distant
hills when there came to the window that
same dark face which had peered in on
the lovers. There was a diabolical grin
upon it, and the eyes cleaned with 6
fendish delight.
The window was nOiselessly opened
and a second figure appeared at his side
Then @ thin ray Of light from a darI
lantern appeared through the window
The head and shoulders of a man were
thrust into the room, and he nOiselessly
Wriggled his way inside. His companion
held the lantern so that the rays fell upoI
the face of the sleeping girl. The man
who wore the uniform of a British officer
walked nOiselessly to the bed where the
sleeping girl lay, and, saturating a hand
kerchief with a liquid from a vial, held
it a moment to her face.
Her breathing seemed to cease, and
lifting the apparently inanlmate form II
his strong arms, he ran to the window
Ieaped through, and joined his com
panion. They fastened with their fai
captive to the parapet, scaled it, anC
were Fastening through the woods whe1
the sentry hailed them.
Come, Bill, run; they're goin' t,
shoot said the abductor, who carried tn
insensibIe Ola in his arms. Both set OF
at a run into the woods.