Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1895-04-19

4O Uo "ualJ ual
"Lady Rats" and she hid her bushes
in the pillow on which his head rested.
The sun setting over Lookout noun
tain shone directly in the faces of May
nard and his party as returning from
Ringold they rode into Chattanooga. 1t
was glorious October evening, and the
heights towering them, covered by un-
seen Confederates, reposed about the
town like huge lions watching wound
ed animal, confident that at last it must
fall into their power.
Dismounting before his tent, Maynard
entered it, and there found letter
from his wife. She begged him to come
to her if it were possible, and If not to
write to her. He read and reread the
letter again and again, and then made
an attempt at a reply. After writing
half dozen, all of which he tore up,
he abandoned the task in despair. His
position was too uncertain. The sen
tence of the court martial hung over
him like sullen cloud. What could he
say to her to comfort her? He we'll
knew that the only comforting she
needed was to know that he was not
miserable, and Of that he could not as
sure her.
And so matters hung for week
Having no duties to perform, the time
passed all the more slowly. The Con-
federates were sending occasional shells
from Lookout mountain, and as they
were harmless the reports were some
thing of relief to Maynard, breaking
the monotony of the silence. He spent
much of the time thinking Of what he
would do in case the sentence Of the
court wero approved and carried into
effect. He formed many plans, which
were all abandoned. At last he settled
down to the resolve that he would 60 to
the army in the east, enlist under an
assumed name and await the coming Of
some missile to end his career, as he
had intended at Chickamauga.
One morning an orderly rode up to
him and handed him an order to report
in person at General Thomas head
quarters. Calling for his horse and for
his own orderly, Jakey, to follow, he
mounted, and in feverish mood darted
away to obey the order.
What did the summons mean? Some
thing definite in his affairs had come
about; that he felt reasonably sure of.
Perhaps tho papers of the court in his
case had been found. Perhaps they had
been made out in duplicate. The latter
supposition was the most likely. His
offense could not De ignored. Indeed be
could not afford to have it ignored. The
sentence must be either set aside or car
ried into effect Dismissal would be far
more desirable than living in suspense.
All these matters rushed through his
mind while he rode to respond to the
summons. The nearer he drew to head
quarters the less hopeful he became.
After all, was it not absurd to expect
anything except that new papers had
been made, the sentence forwarded zap
proved" and he was now to be inform
ed that he was no longer in the army?
General Thomas could do much for him,
but there was not general in the army
who had a higher sense of soldiers
obligations than he. How was it posi-
BILE that so great leader, So rigid dis
ciplinarian, one with such high concep.
tions, could do aughS in his case but
approve the sentence? And now he was
sending for him to inform him Of his
degradation.
Following this reasoning, by the time
he arrived at headquarters his expecta-
tions were at the lowest ebb. He dis
mounted, and so preoccupied was he that
he left his horse standing without fas-
tening her, but Jakey rode forward and
seized the rein. Maynard gave his name
to all orderly and in few minutes
stood before the man whose very pres
ence was quite sufficient to strike terror
into the heart Of delinquent.
But the first face on which Maynard's
eyes rested was not that Of the general
Another was there to greet him, one
who, he knew, whether he were honor
ed or disgraced, would never love him
the less 1t was his wife. The thought
flashed through his brain, "She is here
to comfort me when the blow falls "
He wanted to fly to her embrace. The
impulse was checked. He saw that she
burned to fly to him, but she, too, re-
strained herself, for there, between
them, lowered the figure of the general
Maynard gave him quick glance, but
could discover nothing in his counte-
nance to indicate what his fate would
be. These glances, these surmises, last
ed but for a moment, for the general
spoke:
"I have sent for you to inform you OF
your status in the army"
Maynard bowed his head and waited.
"The offense for which you were
tried" the general spoke slowly and
impressively, twas too grievous to be
overlooked 1t would have pleased me
in the case of 50 brave man to set 1t
aside, but such course would have con-
doned that which, if it should 60 unpun-
ished, would strike at the very founda-
tion of military discipline. In liberating
a spy intrusted to your care you violat-
ed sacred trust and assumed all au-
thority such as is not accorded to any
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