The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1895-05-09
CHAPTER XII.
A RACE FOR LIFE.


to guard the telegraph line extending
south from Rossville. The regiment
was strung out to a considerable dis
tance, each troop guarding a certain
portion of the line. Corporal Ratigan
was placed in charge of section Of
two miles. Putting himself at the head
Of eight men, he led them to the end Of
his section nearest camp, and dividing
them into two reliefs of four men each
posted them at intervals of half mile
along the line under his care At sun
set, not being relieved, he prepared to
spend the night in bivouac. Selecting
olump of trees under which to rest and
cutting some boughs for beds-or rather
to keep the men from the damp ground
the corporal established the relief, of.
duty, there The rations were cooked
and eaten, after which the guard was
relieved. The corporal went out always
with the relief, posted his men and
slept between times.
1t was 2o'clock in the morning when
Ratigan started out to post the last re-
lief for the night The men followed,
grum and stupid, having just been wax
ened out of a sound sleep and not yet
thoroughly aroused. The party rode to
the extreme end of the section, left a
man and turned back, leaving man at
every half mile. Corporal Ratigan had
posted the last man half mile from the
bivouac and was returning when sud-
denly, turning bend in the road run
ming through a wood, he deserted a
dark object before him beside the road.
He drew rein and watched and listened.
The dark object, as he fixed his gaze
upon it, grew into the dim outlines Of a
vehicle, but it was too dark for him to
see if it contained any one. The corpo-
raj, whose mind had been fixed ON the
special duty Of protecting the line. at
once assumed that some one was trying
to cut the wire. He put spurs to his
horse and called out:
HALT, there! Throw up your hands
and surrender, or I'll shoot.
The only response was swish from
| a whip which came down evidently on
a horses back, and the dark mass be-
fore him vanished around the bend in
the road. The corporal dashed on, but
before he could get around the bend the
object had turned again. He could hear
the rattling of wheels and sounds of a
horses hoofs digging into the road at
q gallop. Whoever was behind that
horse must be driving at frightful
pace, for urging his own beast to his
best he seemed to lose rather than gain
ground. Coming to straight piece of
road, he could again see the object be-
fore him, but in the darkness it was
simply darker spot than its surround
ings. Suddenly the ears of the corporal
caught sound that filed him with as
tonishment It was voice urging for
ward the horse he was chasing. Rati-
gan had supposed that whoever was try
ing to escape was a man, yet this voice
was different from mans tones. It
sounded like that Of child or woman.
The corporal was puzzled. Then it sud-
denly occurred to him that perhaps he
was chasing Betsy Baggs
Now, the corporal was as conscien-
tious man as there was in the Army
of the Cumberland and one Of the
most gallant, but when the suspicion
fell upon him like a chill that he was
after woman whose presence, for the
brief period he had been with her, had
thrown strange spell over him he
ceased to urge his horse with the same
pressure as before. In the midst Of the
chase there had come a contest within
his own breast between two conflicting
emotions. II Betsy Baggs were in front
Of him, what would be the result if he
should catch her? He must turn her
over to the military authorities, and the
chances were she would be executed fo1
. spy. On the other hand, supposing he
permitted her to escape, he would be
liberating an enemy far more danger.
ous to the army in which he served
than . dozen batteries. In short, he
would be = traitor to his comrades and
his cause.
Miss Baggs, for it was she, had pass.
cd many piokets, had experienced many
lucky escapes. She had owbeaten OH.
oers and had cozened soldiers. She had
gone through q dozen places where q
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