The Portland daily press., 1895-06-08

stories-of battles won and lost, of i'm
possible surprises, of march and siege
flew thick as the yellow leaves All
mems minds were in turmoil. Colonel
| Grice even knew not what TO believe.
Though no enemy menaced the post
communication was cut to north and
south. The picket line was trebled. Men
slept upon their arms. Though the how
ering enemy eluded his most venturous
scout, Colonel Grioe stood ready at all
points for attack.
The strain of uncertainty wore upon
him. His step was slow to halting as he
walked alone from the Mcneil house.
where his staff fingered over their sup
per. The house stood in wide grounds,
with thick strawberries about it. Half
way to the gate he stopped short, put a
hand hard to his breast and said husk-
| lily: "Yes. 1t III Colonel Grice. Say
| quickly, please, what you want of him :"
Anne Powell had called to him. Now
she slapped from acovert of evergreens,
stood fronting him, untrembling, with
dropped eyelids and hanging hands
"Confe with mo, please" she said,
turning into narrow path that ran on
to small arbor. thickly screened, but
so low rooted that both its visitors could
but barely stand upright in it's middle
Thus face to face, Colonel Grice wait
ed in tense expectanoe whatever she had
to say. 1t was nothing light or trivial
Her face bore, plain to his love illumined
eyes, a burden Of life and death. Very
gently he took one nerveless hand be-
twixt both his own. 1t lay there, with
40 flutter Of pulses, as Anne said:
II have coma to you for justice and
mercy. Justice to myself, mercy to my
father. Colonel Grioe, you gave me
safe conduct?''
eyes"
''You trusted to my honor. I have be-
trayed your trust. Six weeks ago, Jack,
my brother" the name coming hard
twas ordered with his regiment from
Virginia here. More. They sent him as
scout. He knew all the country. l.
he came home-at dead of night-I"-
Colonel Grioe put hand over her
lips. His face was like death as he
whispered: "For Gods sake, say no
more. I cannot bear it.
II could not bear not to speak," Anne
said huskily. cat least not to let you
know my-treason, and to ask it's pun
ishment.
''Do you know what that is?'
death, I suppose. That is easy, for
ones country; but, oh, to feel yourself
forswornn'
"Were you not afraid?"
/ "a Powell is never afraid. That is
why. Oh, sir, have pity on my fatherl
Send me to death III silence, in secret
Never let him know. He would fight
1 and die for me.
$50 would l, Anne. Anne, you must
know that while I live no harm shall
touch you. not even if this i'll thing you
have done were ten hundred times as
badp'
Then he caught her hands in his,
| saying, with half smile. Suppose in.
stead your sentence were-imprison.
ment for life?"
Anne answered only vita look. He
went on pathetically eager:
| cit might not be a long Imprisonment,
dear. Yoa see, meant for my life.
nave here-just under your hands-two
troublesome reminders of your friends
in gray which may make an end of me
any day. Gould you not endure me even
little while?''
Stormy tears broke up to Anne sweet
eyes. Impulsively she laid her cheek
against his hands and said brokenly:
"Oh, Colonel Grioe, if only could give
you my youth and strength Let you
live out my allotted spanp'
| Colonel Grice put her gently away,
drew a long, hard breath, and said,
looking full in her eyes, ''Let me take
you to your father, Anne, and please
| erythjng-except that I can
wait"
Ten years later, in the times of piping
peace, nothing more delighted Mr..
Thomas Gregory than to tell to the pass
ing stranger the tale Of Colonel Grice's
wooing Strange to relate, Mr.. Gregory's
southern sympathies grew much more
marked in an atmosphere devoid Of vii
famous saltpeter. So the tale was apt to
wind up thus: eyes, sub, he wuz er
Yankee-oolonel commandin the post
yere-an fell in love with her the very
mint he seen her. But our southern
wimmin are the clear grit, specially the
blooded ones like Cousin Anne Powell.
I tell ye, she didn't surrender tell
more'n year after Gen'l Lee did, an
| then believe it WIZ mostly from pyore
Oitv fer between the love and the load
in him it did look like he'd die. But che
did marry him, her brother Jack stand
in up with 'em, an now-why, Lord
bless ye, between his wife an the climit
he's as likely as any man ye know ter
live ter die of old age''
rur rrNN