Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1895-05-23

/ SO it happened that l knew she was
ander the same roof and that l had
concluded not to allow her to know
| of my presence until the morning
when l was startled by the words OF
! the British captain. From the door
/ | Sprang to the window, where | could
! see three or four forms moving about
J the yard, proving that the speech of
( the captain was no idle boast. l drew
from my pocket such papers as | had
! and tossed them into the fireplace
waiting until the last bit was burned
and then stirring up the ashes with
/ the pOker-fOr three years experience
in such things had made me wise.
In the meantime the voices in the
other room had been raised to a
high pitch, and although l could not
Case out what was said, it seemed
10 me that the speaker must have an
| extraordinary temper. l stepped to
i the door and opened it softly again.
l had scarcely seen the gray back
of the Quaker disappear through the
doorway at the opposite end Of the
room, when the handle was jerked
violently out Of my grasp and l stood
face TO face with the captain.
We'll, my good fellow" he asked,
did you intend to run over me-
l resolved the instant that l had
a distinct view Of his cOuntenance to
play the gentleman, the civil gentle
man devoted strictly to civil life, and
responded gOod-na turedly:
Pardon me, sir; but that was quite
possible, as l could not see you"
Then you were peeping," he cried,
with a great show of anger as he
! drew his sword. You are my prison
er. If you are so lucky as to go any
where from here it will be to Phila-
delphia."
IF So" 1 replied, Il should have
/ been forewarned and have been in the
middle of the room by the time you
/ opened the door"
You aren't afraid, and you speak
well. That is the way Of a soldier,
not "a
He stopped speaking suddenly and
regarded me intently. [ saw that a
new plan had flashed into his mind.
"Whoever you are" he continued,
| with more of excitement than of
anger "and l don't care a - who
yeu are, you are in my power. This
! house is surrounded by a whole com
| pany Of British. I'll allow you to
| leave only on one condition, that you
! exchange your outfit for my uniform
! and say no word of what has passed
| between us to any one. Come! your
answer, 1 have no time to waste"
We'll"
There is lady in the house, l
! believe. She, also, must be allowed to
leave without moIestation.
Done he cried. Then he roared
with laughter Come, Well go into
| this room here. I'm in hurry"
We wed with each other to see
which could undress the quickest.
Luckily. we We're nearly of the same
size, and his uniform fitted me per
| fectly.
But the sWOrd?' l asked.
THAT III lay on the mantelpiece. |
don't need it just now. But l swear.
shoulders are too square for a civil
lian's." He looked at me threaten
ingly and questioningly. l bowed, as
/ if thanking him for the compliment.
But / have no time for that" he
resumed desperately.
It's a woman" he cried. and the
! door swung behind him.
! \ woman.
| There was only one woman in the
! house. and | knew of only one woman
| who could make a man such a mad
| man. Had she come to an inn as Il
! trySting place with another lover on
| the same day that I had held her
| in my arms? What did it mean? In
/ stinctively | grasped the sword the
j captain had left on the mantelpiece
as if the mystery and the danger
which confronted me were something
! in human shape that l could fight to
! the death. | had aided him to see her
| by exchanging my suit for his cap
! tain's uniform. How, could not dis
Germ. l little cared.
Caution had become a matter OF
/ second nature to me. Hot-tempered
! though l was, I tried never to allow
! my anger to disturb the Steadiness of
my blade. l stepped quietly into the
rOOm-so quietly that the Quaker, its
sole occupant, who was sitting with
| his back toward me. did not notice my
entrance. He was cursing to himself
in a harsh brutal voice, and l waited
/ listening.
oh the women! They'll always
mix up such business. The d-n
little fool had this spy-d-n him
with the moose fairly round his neck
and then she took a fit and left
him. But he may follow her vet. II
would have been a rare hanging"
He took out of his pocket the
crumpIed copy of a newspaper, and
! turning to a marked article, began tC
make comments upon it.
! Orator. am [ ScOundrel! I'll teach
You what a traitor can do. Half yOul
ragtag rebel army will be scattered
like chaff before the wind before the
spring is over. To think that 4 pesti
ferrous. beardless boy could write ar
ticles that keep me from downing that
pOckmarked VirginiaIN"
! One step nearer showed me that he
was reading my own article from the
Son of Liberty. But for the compli
ment he had paid me in his bitter
/ ness | should have Strangled him then