The Washington times., 1895-01-06

stronger; he could near voices III tno Ho"i
picket line. and the sound OF a cough IN the
invading mist. He made hurried sign to
the oncoming figure TO follow MIN, run
ahead and halted al last in the cover OF a
hack-ma-tack bush Still gazing forwaru
over The marsh, he stealthily held out MS
hand behind him as the rustiing sKirt eahie
nearer At last his hand was toucheu
even Mt that touch he started and turned
quickly.
It was not his wife. but Rose.-her muiatto
double! Her face WAS rigid with fright. her
beady eyes staring in their china sockets, her
white teeth chatterlng Yet she would maze
spoken.
'.Hushr' he said. cIutehing her hand, In
fierce whisper mot a word!'' She was
holding something white in her fingers. He
snatched it quickly. 1t was n note from his
wife-not in the disguised hand OF her nrst
warning-but in one that he remembered as
if it were u voice from their past.
Forgive my dsobeying you to save you
/ from capture. disgrace, or death -which
would have come to you where you were go
ing! / have taken Roses pass. You need
not fear that your honor will suffer by it. Tor
if am stopped | shall confess that l took 1t
from her. Think no more of me-, Clarence,
but only for yourself. You are in danger.
He crushed the letter in his hand. Tell
me- he said, in fierce whisper, seizlng her
| arm, ''and speak low. When DID you leave
herr
"sho'ly--iust now!'' gasped the frightened
woman.
He. flung her aside There might be still
| time to overtake and save her before she
reached the picket lines. He ran up the
| gully and ont on 10 the slope toward the first
| guard post But "a familiar challenge reached
| his ear, and his heart stopped beating.
who goes there?"
There was pause, rattle of arms, voices,
| another pause-and Braut stood rooted to the
| spot. Then the voice rose again, slowly and
| clearly: 'Pass the mulatto woman!
Thank God, she was saved! But the
| thought had scarcely crossed his mind before
it seemed TO him that bin ling crackle OF
sparks burst out along the whole slope below
| the wall a characteristic yell which he knew
! too well rang in his ears, and an unduiat,ng
| line OF dusty soldiers came leaping like gray
wolves out of the mist upon his pockets. He
heard the shouts of his men falling back as
| they fred, the harsh commands OF few OIL
GERS hurrying to their posts, and knew that
| he was hopleessly surprised and surrounded.
He ran forward among his disorganzed
| men. To his CONSERVATION no one sc med TO
heed him. Then the remembrance OF his dis
| guise flashed upon HIM. But he had only
| time to throw away his hat and snatch a
sword from a falling lieutenant before a
scorcbing flash seemed TO pass before his
eyes and burn through his hair and he
dropped like log beside his subaitern.
An aching under the bandage around his
head, where the spent bullet had grazed his
| scalp, and the sound of impossible voices In
! his ears were all he knew as he staggered
slowly back to consciousness again. Even
| then il still seemed q deluSion, Tor he was
| lying in the hospital of the headquarters, with
! officers of the division staff around him, and
! the division commander himself standing by
/ his cot and regarding him with an air OF
grave but not unkindly concern But the
wounded man felt instinctively that it was
not the effect OF his physical condition, and Is
sense of shame came suddenly over him,
which was not dissipated by his superior 8
words. For, motioning the others aside, the
major general leaned over his cot and said:
Until few moments ago the report was
| that you had been captured In the first rush
| of the rear guard, which we were rolling up
| for your attack, and when you were picked
/ up Just now, IN plain clothes Oh the slope,
you were not recognized. The one thing
seemed TO be as improbable as the other, he
added significantly
The miserable truth flashed across Brants
| mind. Hooker must have been captured in
| his clothes-perhaps in some extravagans
sally-and had not been recognized In the
confusion by his own officers. Nevertheless
he raised his eyes to his superior.
You got my note?''
The general brow darkened. Yes" ne
said, slowly, "but flading you thus unpre-
pared-I had been thinking just now that
you had been deceived by that woman-or by
| others-and that it was clumsy forgery"
He stopped, and seeing the hopeless be-
| wilderment in the face of the wounded man.
added more kindly: But We will not talk OF
that in your present condition. The doctor
says few hours will put you straight again.
| Get strong-for | want you TO lose no time
for your own sake-to report yourself at
! Washington"
Report myself-at Washington repeated
Brant, slowly.
That was last nights ORDER said the
commander with military curtness. Then he
burst oat: Il don't understand IT. Brant! ]
believe you have been misunderstood. mis-
represented, perhaps maligned@ and, I shall
make it my business to see the thing through
but these are the department orders. And
for the resent am sorry TO say-you are
relieved of your command
He turned away, and Brant closed his eyes.
With ii it seemed TO hin. that he closed his
career. No one would ever understand his
| eXplsntion-even had he been tempted to give
il. and he knew he never would. Everything
was over now. Even this wretched bullet had