The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1891-03-21
CHAPTER ~.
E;yc, TIE EFT lrp

There is a strong contrast between q
| lady's bcudoir with charming young
woman for q companion and the cob
webby loft of a stable, whose chief
feature is sonEs eyil-smeuing, m5ldewed
hay, with occasional glAnpses Of fat
lazy spiders spinning? webs for flies that
never come to the sun~iorsaken spot,
vet that was just the meta,norphosls
which Frank Besant realized
F! He had been hastily hurried through
! the yard at the back Of the house, peg
| emptorily ordered to climb a ladder to
| his present uncoulforta BILE quarters. and
| notified that if he did not keep perfect
~ quiet until further communications
he would bring heavy trouble on the
head of his fair aoquain lance, let alone
entailing disa greeable consequences on
/ himself. So he sat for hours racodily
eliminating over the days occurrences
and wondering now Tbs adventure would
wind up.
The hades Of evening began to fall
at last, and Frank got more and more
! uncomfortable. Had it not been for
Charles Fulton he would have made an
EFFORT to escape, but of course that WAS
out Of the question:; besides he felt that
it would be q poor return to the girl
for her kindness, ii h. were 10 allow his
Impotence to jeopardize her safety
At last.
There was some CiAe moving III the
stable below. Frank listened with
hreatlless interest. Presently 81 7oice
called OUT cautiously:
"'Tis me, boss-Ann' Matte. Jess
come down de ladder sawf']y es ye can
-~~lE;ar ain nobody heall hut frens.
You may be sure that he obeyed Che
s111l7ulo with willing haste.
81 mos skeered to deaf bout yo,
honey" the old woman whispered as he
stood beside her. ''For Cords sake
foller savf'ly an don't ask 40 eiues-
tions. -
She led him through q door into an
alley, where stood Il light delivery
wagon, with an old gray horse in the
shafts, and Il white aired negro
perclled on the drivers seat, Acting
irA obedience to Aunt Matt ties directions:
he sprang into the l,o2y 81 the vehicle,
only to fnd himself beside The recul1l-
bent figure Of his wounded Captain
''Don' lie skeered, boss-lie <low,l~~77s
ain a-gwine ter hurt yer cautioned
the driver, as he flung a tarpaulln
cloth over them and started his horse
Oh a steady jog.
10 Franks delight his companion
was the first to break The silence
s'Besant, nl,7 dear fellow, shall never
forget the service you have done me
this night"
Never mind that. sir
''l3ut I do mind it, and always shall
mind it. was not irAsensible all thu
tilne lay on that cursed doorstep. SO [
saw something Of the gallant fight you
made to save my Life"
''yVel1, don't linger on that subject.
Where Go you think this t1arby is car
rying us2"
''Io the fair grounds. where our regi-
1nent lies. Won't rny father be jolly
glad to set eyes Oh nle--euess he's given
ne up for goner!''
''But how came you 10 get over the
effects of that ugly knock on the head
SO soon2"
ssSple1lsaid nursing. BY Jove, but that
was the house Of the Mothers and Sisters
OF Mercy with a vengeance. But, say,
Besant, did you ever see any thing 50
perfect in the shape of woman as Miss
Lascel7,es? Wish I'd seen more of her,
but it shant be my fault if the acquaint~
ance isn't improved, though it does seem
pity that they should be On the wrong
side of the fence in this National scri1n-
mage, doesn't it? And tllat reminds
ne to ask you as q particular favor not
TO let On to any one any thing Of shady
color you may have noticed in that
house, as it would be too bad to bring
them into trouble after all they have
done for u.s.
81 was about to make the same sug.
'gestion,'' Frank said, pleased that the
necessity Of cautioning g somewhat vol
atile young fellow, Though still his supe"
|rior officer, was spared him.
The drivers precautions, which en-
tailed considerable discomfort oil his
two passengers, seemed to them super
fuous, for no one molested them on the
trip. It was tedious, disagreeable
ride, but at last they were cheered by
the hoarse challenge Of the sentry and
heartily glad to find themselves among
their own again.
81 dassent go no furder, boss" the
driver said, whipping his horse round SO
sharply that he almost overturned the
vehicle, proceeding which nearly cost
him bullet through his body from the
conscientious, but too impatient young
soldier on guard.
Frank ran forward, however, and ex-
planned matters, while the darby
helped Fulton to the ground, where he
left him lying, not even stopping to
take the handful of silver the young
officer offered him, but, putting bis Old
nag to his best, sped in direction OF the
city. 1t is strange what terror the
colored people had of ''the Yanks" in
the early days Of the rebellion.
AS soon as Frank reached his quarters,
he learned that the police and officers
in plain clothes had been securing the
streets on the line of march, and that
the Colonel was well nigh distracted by
their futile efforts to discover the
whereabouts Of his son. AS for the