Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1892-01-14

pany and an assurance that his appoint.
mcnt would hr soon confirmed
Yet here he was in ns hard strait ms
man ever found himself
The day had been one Of strange al
venture 10 him. band Of the enemy
had been sighted ut dawn, like them.
selves moving In a southcrly direction
tn Join their army, and Franks com
pany had been dcployed rs slIirmishcrs,
when, with u rush, there had sprung
from ambush on the flank two troops
Of Confederate cavalry, that sought to
cut of their retreat, II had been II mad
recall and most OF his mon had fou ght
their way back 60 their command, but
our hero had been ridden down by n
horscman, and had fallen atunncd and
scnsclcss 70 the ground. aud when he
had recovered his wits sufficiently 10
gaze around, the tide Of battle had
swept away, and not even n sound OF
firearms gave him signal where w,rc
friend or foe. ilr h,l risen and shaken
himself, aud found t. his delight that,
though bruised In body, no bones were
broken. Hut he was not alone. A few
feet away - strange s'cnc hu presented
itself. Prone ON the ground, with his
face to the earth, lay the Il mr, ~
man, while hnr,r, with torn bride
and turned saddle, stood over him, sniff
fling with distcndcd nostrils the pros
tratc form Of it's master. The animal
had not run away at Franks approach,
but had permitted him to capture and
caress him without sign of nervous
ness. Having tcthercd the horse to n
tree, Frank had turned his attention to
the man, whom he found 10 he u young
Confederate cavalry officer shot through
the leg and literally bleeding to death.
II had not taken him long to fashion u
rough tourinquct of leather strap
and piece Of wood, and 10 revive the
wounded boy with water from neigh
boring creek; so when he had done all
TO make him comfortable, he had
mounted the horse and sped for assist
ancc.
And now he found himself, after
hours Of useless riding, cut of from
further hope by this turbid stream,
A cold day In latter March had passed
away; pale and chccrlcss sun, that
had cast no heat on the lcnilcss scenery,
had sunk and the darkness OF stormy
night was coming ON rapidly. On the
brink Of the torrent he had refined M
his weary and Undiscovered horse, and
by the light OF day that yet fingered
In the sky, had seen far away on the
opposite bank the indistinct outlines OF
a house,
"Swim the river must" he NUT.
tered, "but death may be the pen,
atty"
lie knew that In his rear, the way
they had marched, lay wastes Of mo.
rasscs and dense pine woods, inhabited
only by the few wild animals civilian
ton had driven TO its roccsscs. As he
looked unNiously at the house, the abode
evidently Of some planter its out
lines disappeared In the gathering
gloom Of night; but lights were begin
ming to sparkle chccrfully through Il,
many windows Could those who were
comfortably, perhaps luNuriously, scat
| ed within but know that there was !
fcllow-bcing on the eve perhaps Of per
ishing hclplessly amid the dark ilow OF
that deep roaring river! Again aut
again he halloocd loudly, but in vain.
"Ah, II should perish here-such ,
fate" thought he shuddcriug, ITO be
east drowned corpse on some lonely
swamp, and to be found and stripped by
some reckless woodsman who will never
even send word Of my fate to the dear
ones at Meltonburg,"
With brief Invocation on his lips, he
gave the horse the rein, and with q
force and angry snort the gallant beas
plunged into the torrent. Floating
roots and trunks OF trees, the debris o,
tho storm that had swept tho land
struck rider aud horse and forced then
down the streami but after twice near
" giving up the struggle, the hors,
gained Il footing on the opposite bank
and cue ged from the flood, painting
snorting, dripping aud trembling L
every fbcr.
Lsasdiug thdbtlrtly st,ccti In Ehu iorfdli,