Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1892-12-15

well, suppose / aml@
4 know y from yer voice.
"How's that asked the soldier, puz-
zled.
Kind o deep and smoothlike. Y
mought as wal put up yer shooter iron
got q bead "a y"
Mark could see no one. but judging
from the voice Of the speaker his alarm
partially subsidized.
Il reekoned y mought come along
hyar. 50 jisJ squatted and waited.
well, what do you want with me-
I'm one o. the Stacks. We're Union,
we Stacks air. They're goen to drive rs
out soon, reckon"
Union, chr What are you-nan.
woman, boy or galg7
''I'm gal.
1.-The dickens. What are you stopping
me for at the muzzle Of gum
"Lordyl How'd l know y Y mought
a ben bushwhacker. Iwar al the tav-
ern whar y tux supper. The landlords
wife, she's my aunt. / sor y come in
and hearn y taken TO old Venables.
They reckoned y war Confederate till
v paid IN Yankee shinplasters; then
they reckoned Y mought be Yankee
after all"
Mark began to be interested. II was
now evident to him that this person en-
sconced behind a snake fence. holding
him under cover Of a gun, was a friend
instead Of an enemy.
sWell:"
Il KEN out hyar to tell v bout it
Then let me see you as well as hesr
you
A figure with a gun climbed over the
fence and advanced toward the soldier.
When it came near enough Mark saw a
girl who might be anywhere between
sixteen and eighteen, for her skirt
only reached TO the tops Of her shoes,
and her hair was cut square around her
neck. She came very near TO him and
spoke in low tone:
After y left the tavern some on EN-
lowed v was Uuion. and f me on EN-
lowed Y was Confederate; leastawa vs.,
they wasn't sartin Uncle. he's bad
secesh. and he lowed y was Union and
bound on some errant fur the Yankees.
So he pursuaded several on 'em ter
mount a follow v. They was gitten
ready, and slipped out 10 the barn and
Tux my pony. what l rode over on this
afternoon, n Jakey's squirrel gun
(Jakey's my brother, what / allus car
ries when / ride round in these hyar
war times, n | makes tracks cross coun-
try by trail | allus goes to uncle's n
comes hum agin while the men air
comen BY the road. jest rode Sally
Maria among the trees thar aud tied her
and squatted behind the fence till y
come along and-Loriy sakes,~
What's the matter now
"Listenr'
They were both quiet for a moment,
the girls two big black eyes denoting
her anxiety. They could distinctly hear
the fread Of horses coming on a brisk
lope
Without a word the girl seized Marks
bride rein and led horse and rider of
the road into the wood AT short dis
lance behind rise in the ground she
stopped. Mark was inclined to go on
farther.
mo. no. she said hurriedly. my
pony's right thar. If she ketches sight
o. your horse she'll whiuny."
Mark dismounted, and the girl, pluck
ing a handful Of grass, held it to his
horses mouth TO keep his attention from
other matters that he might not neigh
and betray them. The two stood look I
ing at each other while the sounds grew
louder, dreading every moment that
either one Of their horses might give the /
signal that would lead to their discovery.
There were evidently not less than half
a dozen Of the horsemen on the road, I
too many for one man, even /
if well armed, to meet.
The men rode up to the fork Of the
road, where they refined in their horses
for a psrley. 1t was question doubt
less which load the Yankee soldier had /
taken. Presently they divided, one party /
taking the left hand road TO Tracy
City. the other the road leading up the
valley.
As soon a they were gone Mark took 1
the girls hand and gave It grateful
pressure:
'.God bless You, my girl; you've saved 4
me from capture or being shot in the
back-shOt, expect
The girl >huddered. She knew well
enough the sate he would have met if /
his pursuers had overtaken him. They I
would have come upon him warily and 1
shot him from behind tree. When the /
sounds from the retreating horsemea had I
died away III the distance she said:
Gomez
ruApTEP II