The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-10-20

from their fasteafngs and these fen UPON
her shoulder.
Wont you tell me-
The corporal here xirkea again q. the
man next 20 him
ssBacause-'' the girl r-oanef '.Be-
caGsA--thare isn't anybody up there"
The captain az last said timidly: Wei.
Tn afra.6-Tr1 afraid vel have To-
The girl sprRng 10 her feet again and
frrsplorei him with her hands. She locke
deep into his eyes with her glance which
was az this tine ike that Of thu fawn
when il says 70 the hunter: Have mercy
upon me.
These two stood regarding each other.
TIE captains foot was On the bottom step
but he seemed 10 be shrinking. He wore
an air OF being deeply vretched and
ashamed There was q silence.
Suddenly the corporal said in a quick
lew tone: Look out. captain"
All turned their eyes swiftly toward the
head Of the stairs. There had appeared
stood looking cooily down at them. No
word was said BY the troopers. The girl
gave vent 10 little wal OF desolation.
'rOh, Harry
He began slowly to descend the stairs.
His right arm was n a white sling and
there were some fresh blood stains upon
the cloth. His face was rigid and death
;.
The girl was again moaning in an utterly
dreary fashion as the youth came slowly
down toward the silent men IN blue.
SIX steps from the bottom OF the fiigh.
he halted and said: I reckon it's me-
you're looking for
The troopers had crowded forward a
trife and. posed IN 1.-THE. nervous atti-
tudes. were watching him Ike cats. The
captain remained unmoyed. At the
ka III = 80
head and said: Yes"
The young man in gray looked down at
the girl and then. in the same even tone
which now, however. seemed TO vfhrats
with suppressed fury. he said: And is
that any reason why you should insult
my sister,
AT this sentence, the girl intervened.
desperately. between the young man In
gray and the officer In blue. "Oh, don't,
Harry. don't! He was good to me, He
was good TO me, Harry-indeed, he was"
The youth came on in his quiet. erect
fashion until the girl could have touched
either OF the men with her hand, for the
captain still remained with his foot upon
the first step. She continually repeated:
''Oh. Harry oh. Harry
The youth in gray Unanswered to glare
fTto the captains face first over one
shoulder OF the girl and then over the
other. In voice that rang like metal,
he said: You are armed and unwounded.
while / have no weapons and am wound
ed. but"
The captain had stepped back and
sheathed his saber. The eyes OF these
two men were cleaning fire. bat other
wise the captains countenance was i'm
perturable. He said: You are mis-
taken. You have no reason
You lie,"
All save the captain and the youth in
gray started in an electric movement.
These two words cracked in the air like
shattered glass. There was a breathless
silence.
look at the youth contained a quality OF
singular and terrible ferocity, but he said
IN MS stohd tone: don't suppose YOU
mean what you say now
Upon his arm he had feh the pressure
OF some unconscious little fingers. The
girl was leaning against the wall as il
she no longer knew how To keen her ball
ance. but those flngcrs-he held his arm
very still. She murmured: "Oh. Harry,
don't He was good to met Indeed he
wasr'
The corporal had come forward until he
in measure confronted the youth in
gray. for he saw those fingers upon the
captains arm and he knew that some
times very strong men were not able to
tons.
The youth had suddenly seemed 10 be-
come weak. He breataed heavily and
hung 10 the railing He was glaring at
the captain, and apparently summoning
ali his VIII power TO combat his weakness.
The corporal addressed him with pro-
found straightforwar Don't YOU
be a derned f0ol." The youth turned to-
ward him so fierceIy that the corporal
threw up q knee and an elbow like a boy
who expects to be cufred
The girl pleaded with the captain. you
won't hurt him. VIII you? He don't know
what he's saving. He's wounded, you
know. Please dent mind him.
II won't touch him" said the captain.
with rather extraordinary earnestness.
Don't you worry about il at ALL won't
touch him.
Then he looked al her and the girl sud
denly withdrew her fingers from his arm
The corporal contemplated the top OF
the stairs and remarked without surprise:
There's another OF 'ern comingi"
An old man was clambering down the
stairs with much speed. He waved a cane
wildly. Get out Of my house, you
thieves! Get out, I won't have you cross
my threshold! Get OUT" He murnhled
and wagged his head in an old mans fury.
II was plainly his intention TO assault
them.
%
came engaged in protecting a stalwart
captain, fully armed. and with eight grim
troopers at his back. from the attack OF
an old man with walkI1gstick
A blush passed over the temples and
brow Of the captain and he looked pcrtic-
ularly savage and weary. Despite the
girls efforts he suddenly faced the old
man
Look here" he said distinctly. I'VE
came in here because we had been fighting
IN the woods yonder and We CONCLUDED
that some OF the enemy were in this
house. especially when we saw a gray
sleeve az the window. But this young
man IS wounded and 7 have nothing 20
say 70 him. / viii even take Ii for grant
ed that there are no others Hike him up
stairs. We will go away leaving your
damned old house Just as we found Il.
And we are no more thieves and rascals
than you are.
The old man simply reared: II haven't
got a COW nor a pig nor chicken on the
place Your soldiers have stolen every
thing they could carry away. They have
torn Down half nv fences for 1rewood.
This afternoon some Of your accused
bullets even broke my window panesl'