The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-01-06

AVOID QeISctlOn he quickly uTcppSU III
to the shadow of the gully that sloped
toward the run. The hot mist which
the scouts had seen was now lying like
q tranquil sea between him and the
pfckets of the enemy's rear guard,
which it seemed to submepge, and was.
clinging in the moist tenuous swathes
like draWn-out cotton WoOl-alonS
the ridge. half celebrating its face.
From the valley in the rear 1T was al
ready stealing in a thin white line up
the slope like the advance of a Ghostiy
column, with a stealthiness that, in
spite of himself, touched him with SUI
perstitious significance. A warm per
fume, languid and treacherous-as
from the swamp magnolia to
rise from the half hidden swamp. An
| ominous silence that appeared to be
part of this yelling of all Things under
the clear, opal-tinted sky above, was
so little like the hush of rest that ne
half yearned for the OutburSt Of mus
kerry and tumult Of attack that might
dtspel it. All that he had ever heard
or dreamed of in the insiduous south,
with its langlid subtleties of climate
and of race, seemed to encompass MIN
here.
But the next moment he SAW the fig
ure he was waiting for stealing toward
him from the shadow Of the gully be
neath the negro quarters.
Even in that uncertain light there
was no mistaking the tall figure, the
gaudily striped, clingang gown, and
turbaned head. And then g strange re-
vulsion of feeling, quite characteristic
of the emotional side of his singular
temperament, overcarne him. He was
taking leave of his wiie-tae
dream Of his Youth-perhaps forever!
1t should be no parting in anger as at
Robes; it should ibe with q. tenderness
that would blot out their past IN then
separate memorieS-God knows! 1t
Knight be even. a, parting that a. lhat mo
| ment was a. Joining of them in eternity.
In his nlomentary eXaltation 1t even
struck him that it was a duty no less
sacred, no less unseltiSh, than the one
/ to which he had devoted his life. me
| light was growing stronger; he couId
hear voices in the nearest picket line,
and the sound of a cough IN the lhVaH-
! ing mist He made a hurrled SlSn 10
| the oncoming figure to follow hlm' ran
ahead, and halted at last in the cover
| of \. hack-ma-tack bush. Still gazing
! forward over the marsh, he stealthlly
held out his hand behind him as the
| rustling skirt came nearer AT last MS
| hand was touched-but even at that
| touch he started and turned quickly
1t was not his wife, but Rose-her
n,rla++o double! Her face was rigid
with fright, her beady eyes staring IN
their china sockets, her white teeth
| chattering. Yet she would have spok-
"Hushr' he said, clutching her han !,
! in a fierce whisper. Not a world"
She was holding something white in
her fingers. He snatched it quickly.
! 1T was a note from his wife-nJt in
the disguised hand of her first warn
| ing, but in one that he remembered
as if it were q voice from heir past.
Forgive my disobeying you to save
YOU from capture, disgrace, or death
which would have come to You where
YOU were going! | have taken Roses
pass You need not fear that your
honor will suffer by it, for if 1 am
stopped I shall confess shat ! took it
| from her. Think no more Of me, Clar-
ence, but only for yourself. You are
| in danger
He crushed the letter in his hand.
Tell me-" he said, in a fierce whis-
per, Selling her arm, and speak low.
When did you leave here
'Sholy-just 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 out on to the
slope toward the first guard post. But
q familiar challenge reached his ear,
and his heart stopped beating.
who goes there|'
There was pause, rattle OF arms,
voices, another pause-and Brant
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 a blind
ing cracl1le of sparks burst out along
the whole slope below the wall, a
characteristic yell which he knew too
we'll rang in his ears, and an undu-
lating line of dusty soldiers came
leaping like gray wolves out of the
mist upon his picllets. He heard the
shouts OF his men falling back as they
! fired, the harsh commands CT "a few Of
| ficers hurrying to their posts, and
knew that he was hopelessly surprised
and surrounded.
He ran forward among his disor-
ganized men. To his CONSERVATION
no one seemed to heed hinl Then the
remembrance of his disguise flashed
upon him. But he had only time to
throw away his hat and Snatch a
sword from a falling lieutenant be-
fore a scorching fash seemed to pass
before his eyes and burn through his
hair, and he dropped like a log be-
side his subaltern.
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 it
still seemed a delusion, for he was
lying in the hospital of the headquar-
tiers, with officers of the division staff
around him, and the division COM