The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1893-03-29
REVENGED.

the lonely southern valley. The trem
bling evening star was hanging over thu
green silences Of the fragrant Tennessee
woods. Vapor wreathed phantoms from
the river course and from the denst
thickets that skirted the camp ground
came ever, and anon the mournful sound
of, whippoorwills, sounding faint and
low, like the remembered echoes of q
dream. Yet Wallace Keene would have
given well nigh all he was worth TO Oh.
change it's luxuriant verdure, one mo.
ment only, for the pine clad heights and
salt winds of Maine, with russet winged
robins chirping their familiar madrigals
in the apple orchards below.
Two years ago I left home" muir.
INJURED Wallace Keene as he gazed
thoughtfully ont where the purple sky
seemed to touch the waving woods. 1.-TWO
years since young Harvey told me he
never would give Marion to a common
mechanic yet the wound rankles sharply
still"
is that you, Spicer3 What nowY'
Captain Keene turned his face toward
the opening Of the tent. whers PTivats
Spicer's head was Just visible.
why, sir, our fellows have Just
brought In that lot o. mar that was hurt
in that scrimmage across the river this
morning. and some on EN- IL wounded
bad"
~ win be there directly, Spicer.r
There was q little crowd OF men gath-
cred on the river shore In the WARM
glow or the spring. bnt they silently
parted right and left tor Cptain
Keene's tall figure to pass through their
midst.
Six or " dusty, bleeding men were
sitting and lying around in various poo
lures, their ghastly brows made still
paler by the faint. uncertain glimmer Of
the young moon. Keene glanced quick
ly around, taking In the whole scene in
that one brief survey.
He stopped short as his eye fell on q
new fsce. half shadowed by the green
sweep Of dropping alders-a pale. blood
streaked face with q gaping cut on the
forehead
'.This In not one of our meni" no ex-
claimed sharply. How came he hereY'
mo. SIR explained Spicer. stepriDg
forward. "Isffink he be3cuxsd 10 no
Eighth. I'm sure | don't know how he
ever got mixed mp with oar fellows, but
there hs was, and ! thought ws'd bstter
mot wait for their ambulance, but bring
him straight here
Right" briefly pronounced Keene,
STOPPING oyer tho insenxible figure. LET
them carry him to my tent, Spicer.-
II beg your pardon. captain-to your
TENT"
Didn't you hear what I saidy' sharply
Intercepted the superior officer. Bruce.
make the others comfortable In Lieuten-
ant Ordway's quarters There win be
plenty Of room for them there
well, I'm beat!" calculated Spicer
five or ten minutes afterward as he
came out of the captains tent scratching
his shock of coarse red curls.
Meanwhile the dim light Of a lamp
swinging from the center of the little
tent shone full on the singular group
within its c~ircling folds-the wounded
private lying like a corpse, still and pale,
on the narrow iron bedstead, the young
officer leaning over him and supporting
his head-and the brisk. gray eyed little
surgeon keenly surveying both as he nm
folded his case Of phials and powders.
He ID not dead. DOCTOR
mo; but he would have been in an
other half hour. Your prompt reme-
dies have saved his life, Captain Keene."
Thank God! oh, thank Godr' III
The surgeon looked at Keene in amaze
ment.
He doesn't belong to your regiment
Why are you s interested in the casey'
Because, doctor" said Keene, with 0
strange, bright smile, when I saw him
lying under the alders, dead, as I thought,
rejoiced in my secret heart. AT first
only at first The next moment i re-
membered that / was q man and q Chris
tian. For years | have carried thc spirit
of Cain in my breast toward that man:
now it Ia washed out In his blood
II was high noon OF the next day before
the wounded man started from a fevered
doze into the faint dawn OF consciousness.
Where am IY he faltered, looking
wildly around him, with an Intellectual
effort to raise his dizzy head from tina
pillow.
Now. be easy" said Private Spicer,
who wa cleaning his gun by the bedside.
You're al right, my boy. Where ars
you2 Why in the captains tent, to b
sure. and that's pretty good quarters fo1
toe rank and file, ! should think
The captains tent2 How came / here9
That's inst what ! can't tell on
you'll have to ask himself, / guess. You
sin't any reIation TO Captain Keene, b
you7'
~Keene-KeeneIs repeated the :
tsBecsuse,. pursued Gpicsr. 'sIf you'd
heen BIZ own brother born, he couldna