The Washington times., 1894-12-23
onduct her home-but without OBTAINING r

conduct her home-but without detaning r
reporting her"
He Lifted q is cap. remounted his horse. and
rode away as the young girl, with Il proud
Indifferent step, moved down the road with
The sergeant. i mounted officer passed him
and sgluted-it was one of his own staff
From some strange instinct he knew that he
had witnessed the scene, and from some
equally stranIe intuition he was ANNOYED by
il. But he continued bis way, visiting one or
two outposts, and returned 10y a ong detour
to his quarters. As BE stepped upon the
VeranGa be saw Miss Faulkner at the bottom
OF the garden talking With some one across
the hedge. By the aid OF his glasses he could
recognize the shapely figure of the mu-
latto woman which he had seen before. But
ty its aid be also discovered that she was
carrying flower eXa lily like the one which
Miss Faulkner still held in her hani. Had
she been with Miss Faulkner in the lane-aad
If so. why had she disappeared when ne came
up! Imprl!el by something stronger than
mere curiosity. he walked quick y down the
garden, Ut she evidently had noticed him,
Tor she as quickly disappeared. Not caring to
meet Mss Faulkner again, he retraced his
steps, resolving that be would on the first op-
portunity personally examine and interrogate
this new Wis tor. For if she were 10 lake
Miss Faulkners place even in subordinate
capacity, this precauIion was clearly within
his right.
He re-entered his room and seated himself
at his desk before the dispatches, orders, and
reports ava ting him. He found himself,
however. working half mechanically. and re-
curing to his late interview with VI ss Fauik-
ner in the lane II she had any inclination TO
act the spy. or to use her position here as a
means OF communicating with the enemys
lines. he thought he had thoroughly fright
ened her. Nevertheless now. for the first
time. he was inclined TO accept his chiefs
opinion of her, She was not only too clumsy
and inexperienced. but she totally lacked the
self-restraint of a spy. Her nervous agita-
tion in the lane was due to something more
disturbing than his mere possible intrusion
upon her condolences with the mulatto.
On the contrary. il seemed to be personal
to himself. He recalled the singular signih-
canee OF her questions. Then it is war;
He recalled her strange allu@ion to his wife;
was il merely the outcome OF his own foolish
confession on their first interview, or WIS ii a
concealed ironical taunt! Having satisfied
himself that she was not likely to imperil his
public duty in any way, he was angry W til
himself for specuiating further. But although
he still felt toward her the same antayonlsm
she had at first provoked, be was conscious
that she was beginning TO exercise a strange
fascination on him.
Dismissing her at last with an effort. he
flashed his work and then rose, and unlock
ing closet TOOK out a small dispatch box to
which he intended to lntrust a few more i'm
portaut orders and memoranda AS he
oIened ii with a key on his watch chain he
was struck with faint perfume that seemed
TO come from ia perfume that he rcmem-
bered. Was it the smell OF the flower that
Miss Faulkner carried or the scent of the
handkerchief with which she had wiped his
checker a mingliug OF both Or was he
under some da5oliral spell of that wretched
girl-and her witch-like flower? He leaned
on the box and suddenly started. Upon the
outer covering of dispatch was a singular
blood-red streak He examined it closely--lt
was the powdery stain OF the lilly pol en-ex-
actly as he had seen ii on her handkerchi eff
There could be no mistake. he passed his
finger ovrr the stain-he could still feel the
81 ppery. impalpaDle powder of the pollen. 1t
was not there when he had closed the box
that morning. 1t was impossible that it
should be there unless the box had been
opened in his absence. He re-examined the
contents of the box. The papers were all
there. More than that-they were papers of
no j. poriance except 10 him personally: con-
tanned no plans nor key 10 any military Sc
cret. de had been far too wise TO intrust any
to the accidents of this alien house. The pry-
ing intruder whoever it was. had gained
nothing. But there was unmistakably the at
tempt And ;he existence OF would-be SPY
withn the purleus of the house was equally
clear.
He called an officer from the next room.
H las any one been here since my absence!"
"No. generali''
HAS any one passed through the hall?''
He had fully anticipated the answer, as
the subaltern replied: "Only the women serv-
ants
He re-entered his room. Closing the door,
he again carefully examined the box. his
table, the papers upon it, the chair before it,
and even the Chinese mating on the fioer,
for NM fnr ba- ind ne ba II
hardly seemed possible that any one could
have entered the room with the flower in his
or her hand without scattering some of the
telltale dust elsewhere; il was too large
flower TO be worn on the breast or in the hair
AgaiB. no one would have dared To linger
there long enough 10 have made an examina-
ton OF the box with an officer in the next
room aud servants passing. The box mad
been removed and the examination made
elseWherel
An idea seized him. Miss Faulkner was
still absent-the muatto had apparently gone
home. He quickly mounted the staircase,
but, instead OF entering his room, turned
suddenly aside into the wing which had been
reserved. The first door yielded. as he
turned the knob gently, and he entered a
room which he at once recognized as the
young lady's boudoir. But The dusty and
draped furniture had been arranged and un-
covered and the apartment bad every sign of
pEeseht use. lets although tnete was every
evidence of its being used by person OF
taste and refinement he was surprised to see
that the garments hanging in the open press
Were such as We're used by negro servants,
aud that gaudy handkerchief such as house.
maids used for turbans was lying On the
pretty silken coverlet. He did not linger over
these details, but cast rapid glance around
the room Then his eyes became fixed on
fanciful writing desk which stood by the win
dow. for in a handsome vase placed on its
level top and dropping on q portfolio below