The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1894-04-20

| That one of the forts should have held
out and that the high private in COM
mand Of it should have been comp1i-
mented for his bravery ranked in the
majors heart. He received permission
TO enter tho field where the rank and
| file were surrounded by a Federal guard.
and searching out Royal kenton he an
srily demanded:
BY what authority did you presume
to hold that fort after my surrender Of
the post2"
I'VE did not know that your surren-
der included more than the fort you
We're holding, replied Kenton.
Captain Wyle told me something
about you before he left" continued
the major. He regarded you with the
greatest suspicion. 1t would not have
surprised me had you surrendered first
of all. y
= believo that honor was left to you,
sir, " quietly replied Kenton.
Hooray fur the Yank--three cheers
fur Kenton!' shouted the excitable
Steve. And they were given by the
whole force Of Confederates with great
enthusiasm.
II fully understand your motive,
sir!" exclaimed the major when the
cheering had ceased. "You simply
wanted to reap little Sloty--to stand
we'll in the estimation of your friends.
You have accomplished it, but there viii
be hereafter. The minute am ex-
changed shall prefer charges and have
you court martialed. If you don't con-
clude to remain among your Yankee
friends, ] shall"--
Hear he un talk Hike foolri inter-
rupted Steve, treading army discipline
under foot in his excitement. IF the
major hadn't surrendered befo' man
was hit, these Yanks couldn't "a got us
in ali dayg'
That's sol That's sol" shouted a
hundred men. And the enfire lot began
cheering for Steve Brayton.
And who are you, sir?'' demanded
the major, now pale with passion.
Private Steve Brayton, sir, of Cop
tain Wylr's clitter company, and l was
left behind here because / was friend
of Kenton's -
"Oh, l see. Well, I'll see to your
case at the same time. y
wounded men to show what we uns did
befo' we surrendered, =" replied Steve,
Rush him! Rush him." shouted
the crowd, overcome by excitement and
forgetting the respect due an officer.
The major backed away, but i'll an
instant he was carried off his feet and
rushed to the sentry line, and when he
picked himself up off the grass he was
bruised and battered and his uniform
in very dilapiiated condition. Groans
and hiesas followed him as he walked
away, and the laughter of the Federal
troopers was in no sense a balm for his
rutfled pride.
1t was noon before the stores were
destroyed and tho list of prisoners COM
pleted. Then came an alarm Colonel
Meshy, who has been dubbed Tho
Bandit of the Potomac, but who was
as regularly commissioned as any officer
in the Confederate army. appeared in
tire neiGhliorhood with about zoo men,
and before hc was driven off and the
prisoners wero ready to start down the
valley under guard it was midafter-
noon.
Yank, I've been thinkin this thing
over, /" said Steve Blayton TO Keuton as
they moved off, and jeat tell yo' we
ar in fix. Wehnin't neither Federals
nor Confeds any mo'H'
How D. you mean?"
why, if we uns stay yere, we'll be
held prisoners fur goodness knows how
long, and il we git back to the Confed-
tfacy the major will make it hot fur