The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1896-09-10

There was something OF this strange
and fatefu resignation in his face, n
few hours later, when he.was able 10
be helped again into the saddle, But
he could see in the eyes OF the few COM
mdes who commiscratingly took leave
Of him vague, hatrcpressed awe of
some indefinite weakness In the man
that mingled with their heartfelt deyo-
tion to gallant soldier Yet even this
touched him no longer. He cast u
glance at the house and at the room
where he had parted rom her. at the
slope from which she had passed, and
rode away,
And then, as his figure disappeared
down the road, the restrained commen-
tary of wonder, surmise and criticism
broke out:
at must have been something highly
had, for the old man, who swears by
him. looked rather troubled, And it
wasdeucedq dqueer, you know, this chang
ing clothes with somebody just before
the surprised"
Nonsense! It's something away
back of thatl Didn't you hear the old
man say that the orders for him to re-
port himself came from Washington
last night? No." the speaker lowered
his voice, "Strangeways says that he
had regularly sold himself out to one
of them id secesh woman spies! It's
the old Marc Antony business over
again"
''Now think Of it." said the younger
subaltern, "he did seem nightly taken
with one of those quadroons or mulat-
toes he issued orders against sup
pose that was blind for us! Iremem-
ber the first day he saw her; he was
regularly keen to know all about her"
Maj. Curtis gave short laugh. THAT
mulatto Martin, was white woman,
hurnt-corked! She was trying to get
through the lines last night and fell off
a wall, or got knock on the head from
a sentry's carbine. When she was
brought in DR.. Simmons set to wash
ing the blood off her face the cork came
off, and the whole thing came out
Brant hushed it up-and the woman,
too-in his own quartersl It's 'ssupposed
now that she got away somehow in the
rushl"
HIt goes back further than that, gen
tlemen," said the adjutant, authori-
tatively. "They say his wife was q
bowling secessionist four years ago in
California, was mixed up in a conspir-
acy, and he had to leave on account of
it. Look how thick he and that Miss
Faulkner became before he helped her
off"
That's your jealousy, Tommy; she
knew he was, by oil odds, the biggest
man here, and good deal more, too
and you had no show!"
In the laugh that followed it would
seem that Brant's eulogy had been
spoken and forgotten. But as Lieut.,
Martin was turning away lingering
corporal touched his cap.
"You were speaking Of those prowl-
ing mulattoes, sir. You know the gen.
eral passed one out this morning"
$50 have heard"
Il reckon she didn't get very far. It
was just at the time that we were driven
in by their first fire, and / think she got
her share of it, too. Do you mind walk
Ing this way, sir?"
The lieutenant did not mind, although
he rather languidly followed. When
they had reached the top of the gully
the corporal pointed to what seemed to
be a bit of striped calico hanging on q
thorn bush in the ravine.
That's her," said the corporal. "
know the dress. / was on guard when
she was passed. The searchers, who
were picking up our men, haven't got
to her yet---but she amt moved or
stirred these two hours. Would you
like to go down and see her~
The lieutenant hesitated. He was
young and slightly fastidious as to un-
necessary unpleasantness. He believed
he would wait until the searchers
brought her up--when the corporal
might call him. =
The mist came up gloriously from the
swamp like golden halo. And as Clar-
enee i'rant, already forgotten, rode
moodily through it toward Washington,
hugging to his heart the solitary com
fort of his great sacrifice, his wife,
Alice Brant, for whom he had made it,
was lying in the ravine, dead and un-
cared for. Perhaps it was part OF the
Inconsistency Of her sex that she was
pierced with the bullets Of those that
she loved, and was wearing the gar
ments Of the race that she had wranged.
PART III.
CHAPTER I.