Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1894-02-08

1 squeezed through the window and
dropped to the ground.
I had not gone far when guard called
ont sharply, Halt Who goes therei"
"a friend" answered.
"Give the countersignP
Cartridge"
Pass on"
On reaching the corner l whistled softly,
and in answer negro came up and said
interrogatively, "Massa Toni"
YES" replied.
He threw long cloak over my shoulders
and started up the street at sharp gait.
followed him perhaps half mile, when he
stopped before a plain brick house, un-
locked the door and bade me enter. had
scarcely glanced around the dimly lighted
hall before the mysterious Mabel" ac-
companied by a young lady taller and
darker than herself, hurriedly entered
from an adjoining room. They had evil
IDENTIFY been waiting for me.
l only heard my benefactress say, "Oh,
Tom, thank heaven!" before her compan-
ion, with a wholly glad and half hysterical
cry, threw her arms about my neck and
showered tears and kisses upon me in most
embarrassing profusion.
was utterly dumfounded. Finally, col
lecting my thoughts, turned from the ex-
cited and half crying woman held in my
arms to the one partially knew, and said:
"My dear Miss Murfree, you have saved
my life, and l am bound, as an honorable
man, to tell you that you have made
strange mistake in thinking you know
mer'
"Mistakew gasped the young lady who
had so passionately caressed me. mistake!
What do you meani Are you not Tom
Atherton?"
mot quite" l answered, "but if you
thought / was he, the mistake is not a
very bad one. l am his twin brother,
Ned"
The surprise and confusion which had
overwhelmed me were transferred to the
young ladies, and for a moment we all
simply stared at each other. Then Mabel
laughed and said:
"And so you are that wonderful brother
of whom Tom used to tell u.s."
Eyes, fortunately" answered.
"And you stood there and let me kiss
you without saying word" Agnes Il
found ont afterward she was Agnes) said
reproachfully.
"You didn't give me time to object. even
if l had wished to-" was my perfectly
truthful reply.
81 don't know but that it is so," she as
sented. But, Mabel what shall we do
with him?"
II am entirely in your hands, and will
do whatever you WISH" | said. ''If my
being here will endanger you in any way |
will try and get through the lines tonight"
"You will be much safer here" Mabel
said. "We owe it to you to do whatever
we can for you"
"Owe it to mel'' said, "for what?"
"For your brothers sake He saved my
sisters life and protected our property
from destruction and us from insult. He
is the best and truest man that ever lived
and we cannot do too much for his brother"
was compelled to keep dark retreat
only part of the time, and several hours
each day were spent with Judge Murfree
or his daughters.
Mabel Murfree had saved my life, and
the gratitude felt was perhaps enhanced
by the fact that she was rarely beautiful
woman
After weary weeks of siege the city was
captured and the soldiers of Grant and
Sherman entered it in triumph and was
free.
When the time came for me to go, having
said goodby to Judge Murfree, went to the
parlor to see Mabel and Agnes, feeling
how hard, how very hard it was to say
farewell, and when l saw Mabel dressed
in pure white, with white flowers in he.
beautiful hair, her cheeks flushed with ex-
citement and her deep blue eyes unwonted-
ly bright, the duty was not made any
easier.
"Agnes is writing letter to Tom for
you to deliver" she said, as | entered the
room. "She will be down in few mo-
ments."
81 am quite willing to wait" l replied,
land indeed am sorry that / must go at
all l do not expect to ever again find
such friends as / have found here"
| "You must thank your brother for
them," Mabel answered
miss Murfree, Mabel, you wish to rob
your act of saving my life of any personal
significance. You do not want me to be
misled by the gift of my poor life to ask
for that which can make it valuable. re-
fuse to be warned. | love you, Mabel
love you madly, hopelessly-lovey you as
never thought to love any one, and while
dare not hope you will return my love,
could not leave you without speaking
Forgive me If ! have panied you, but it
was impossible for me to go away without
telling my love, and you will at least be
fortunate in the fact that an opportunity
will not soon occur for you to be troubled
again by one whose love was stronger than
his fear Of offending"
Tears trickled through the long dark
lashes then, half smiling through her
tears, she lifted her brave, clear eyes to
mine and said:
And what If insist on your remaining
TO repeat your offensei"-H. f. Marsh in
Buffalo News