Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-08-11

but that all was darkness there, stole around on the roof of the piazza to the hall window, stepped noiselessly upon the sill, climbed over the lowered sash and found himself midway between the rooms He could hear the colonel's placid snoring and the regular breath ing of the other slecpers: No time was to be lost. Shading the little night lamp with csle hand, he entered the open door, stole to the bedside, took one long look at his mothers face, knelt, breathed upon, but barely brushed with his trem- bling lips, the queenly white hand that lay upon the coverlet, poured forth one brief prayer to God for protection and blessing for her and forgiveness for him, retraced his steps and caught sight of the lovely picture of Alice in the direc- toire costume. He longed for it and could not resist. She had grown so beau tiful, so exquisite. He took it, frame | and all, carried it into her room, slip ped the card from its place and hid it inside the breast of his shirt, slowed the frame away behind her sofa pillow, then looked long at the lovely picture she herself made, lying there sleeping sweet | ly and peacefully amid the white drap- ings of her dainty bed. Then twas time to go. He put the lamp back in the hall, passed through her room, out at her window and down the ladder and had it well on the way back to the hooks on | Jerrold's fence when seized and chal- l lenged by the officer of the day. Mad terror possessed him then. He struck blindly, dashed off ill panicky flight, paid no heed to sentrys' cry or whis- tling missile, but tore like racer up the path and never slackened speed till Sibley was far behind.
 When morning came, the order that they should go was temporarily sus- pended Some prisoners were sent to a neighboring military prison. and he was placed in charge, and on his return from this duty learned that the colonel's family had gone to Sablon. The next thing there was some strange talk that worried him-a story that one of the men who had sweetheart who was sec ond girl at Mrs. Huyt'.; brought out to camp-a story that there was an officer who was too much in love with Alice to keep away from the house even after the colonel 90 ordered, and that he was prOwllng around the other night, and the colonel ordered Lcary to shoot him I-LCary, who was on post on No ,.
 He felt suS' that something Was wrong felt sure that il was due tn his night visit-and his first impulse was to find
 his mother and confidc the truth to her.
 He longcd to see her again, and if harm
 had been done to make himself known
 and explain everything. Having no
 duties to detain him, he got q pass to
 visit town and permission to be gone q
 day or more. On Saturday evening he
 ran down to Sablon, drove over, as Gap
 tain Armitagr had already told them,
 and peCring i'll his mothers room saw
 her, still up, though in her nightdress.
 He never dreamed of the colOncl's being
 out and watching. He had ''scoutcd'
 all those trees, and no one was nigh.
 Then he softly called. She heard and
 was coming to him, when again came
 fierce attack. He had all n soldier $
 reverence for the person of the colonel
 and would never have harmed him had
 he known twas he. IL was the night
 watchman that had grapplcd with him,
 be supposed, and he had no compunc-
 tions ill sending him tu grass Then he
 fled again, knowing that he had only
 made bal worse, walked all that night
 to the station next north of Sablon-a
 big town. where the early morning
 train always stOpped-and by 10 on
 Sunday morning he was ill uniform
 again and off with his regimental com
 rades under orders to haste to their sta
 tion-therc was trouble with the In
 dians at Spirit Rock, and the --th
 were held ill readiness. From beneath
 his scouting shirt he drew fiat packet, | Tn1inr, hi,.1, h1 ,..,r,f,,l1x- : rolled, and thcrr in its folds of wrap } pings was the lovely directoire photo
 graph.
 Whose, then, was the one that Sloat
 had seen in Jerrold's room? It was this that Armitage had gone forward to de
 termine, and he found his sad eyed lieutenant with the skirmishcrs. ''Jerrold, said he, with softened
 manner, "a strange thing is brought to
 light this morning. and lose no time in telling you. The man who was seen at Maynard's quarters, coming from Miss Renwick's s room, was her OWL brother and the coloncl'S stepson. He
 was the man who took the photograph from Mrs. Mavnard'S room and has } proved it this very day. this very hour" Jcrrold glanced up in sudden surprise. He is with Us now, and only one thing remains which you can cleal up. We are going into action, and may not get through, Eur you, nor who knows who. Will you tell us now how you came ly ynur copy of that ! photographic
 For answer Jcrrnld fuinhlcd in hi: r pocket a moment ant drew forth two $ letters.
 II wrote these last night. and it wa. my intention to see that you had then f before it grew very hot. One is ad dressed to you. the other to Miss Beau 3 bien. You had better take them now, l | he said wearily There may be nC 9 time to talk after this Send hers aftel ) it's over, and don't read yours unti ' then =
 q Why, don't understand this exact Q ly," said Armitaso, puzzled. Can , you tell me about iLo piCtCrc::' = ''No. l promiscl not to while lived @ but it's the simplest matter in tn, f world, and no one at the coloncl's haC d hand in it. They never saw this on e that l got to show Sloat. It is burne, l. now. said twas given me. Tha was hardly the truth. I have paid fo d it dearly enough.
 E. ''And this note explains it:' z "Yes. You can read it tomorrow. " CHAPTER XIX
 h And the morrow has come. Dow d in a deep and bluff shadowed valley