The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-03-15
SUNDAY Is,

could have been seen by the blue
coated troopers. At last, however. she
made a sort of a rush forward and
went out into the bright sunshine.
/ The group of men, double breasted,
wheeled in her direction at the instant
The gray bearded soldier came toward
her She stopped; she seemed about
to run away. But the soldier DOTTED
his little blue cap and looked amiable
You live here, l presume?'' he said.
Yes" she answered.
well. we are obliged to camp here
for the night, and as we've got two
wounded men with US, I don't suppose
you'd mind if we put them in the
barn.
Thin the baru?"
He became aware that she was agi-
tated. He smiled assuringly. You
needn't be frightened. We won't hurt
anything around here. You'll all be
safe enough
The girl balanced on one foot and
swung the other to and fro in the
grass. She was looking down at it.
"But-but l don't think ma would like
it Tiff you took the barn.
The old officer laughed Wouldn't
she?" said he. That's so. Maybe she
wouldn't" He reflected for time and
then decided cheerful1y. We'll. we will
mere
she? In the house?'
Yes" replied the girl. "she's in the
house. She-she'H be scared to death
when she sees you"
Well, you go and ask her then" said
the soldier, always wearing a benign
smile, You go and ask her and then
come and tell me-
When the girl pushed open the door
and entered the kitchen, she found it
was no answer. The kettle was hum
ming its low song. The knife and the
curl OF potato skin lay on the floor
She went 20 her mothers room and
entered timidly. The now lonely as
pect of the house shook her nerves,
Upon the bed there was a confusion
of coverings Ma" called the girl,
ouaking in fear that her mother was
not there to reply. But there was a
sudden turmoil of the quilts and her
mothers head was thrust forth.
Mary" she cried in what seemed to
be a supreme establishment 81 thought
I thought"
oh ma" blurted the girl, there's
over 1000 Yankees in the yard, and
I've hidden three of our men in the
feed-boX." The elder woman, however,
upon the appearance of her daughter
had begun to thresh Historically about
on the bed and walled
Ma, the girl exclaimed. "And now
they want to use the barn. and our
men in the feed-box. What shall 1 do?
Ma, what shall I do?"
Her mother did not seem to hear,
so absorbed was she in her grievous
fiounderings and tears. Ma" appeal
ed the girl. MAJ
For a moment Mary stood silently
debating. her lips apart. her eyes fixed.
Then she went 20 the kitchen window
and peeked. The old officer and the
others were staring w the road She
went to another window to get the
proper view of the road, and saw that
they were gazing al a small body of
horsemen approaching at trot and
raising much dust. Presently she rec
ogniZed them as the squad which had
passed the house earlier, for the young
man with the dim yellow chevrons still
rode at their head. An unarmed horse
man in gray was receiving their close
attention. AS they came very near to
the house. she darted to the first win
dow again. The gray bearded officeI
was smiling broad smile Of satisfac-
ton. 80 you got him?' he called out
The young sergeant sprang from his
horse, and his brown hand moved in a
salute. The girl could not hear his
reply. She saw the unarmed horseman
in gray stroking a very black nous
tace and looking about him coolly with
an interested air. He appeared so in
different thai she did not understand
he was a prisoner until she heard the
graybeard call out; well, put him ir
the barn. He'll be safe there, I guess.
A party of troopers moved with the
prisoner toward the barn.
The girl made a sudden gesture OF
horror. remembering the three men il
the feed-boX.
Over in front of the barn three troop
ers sat talking comfortably. Their car
bines were leaned against the wall
At their side ana outlined in the blacl
of the open door stood a sentry, hi
weapon resting in the hollow of hi
arm. -Four horses saddled and &C
coutred were comforting with thei
heads close together. The four bride
reins were flung over a post.
Mary had intended to go and tell tn
commander in blue that her mothe
did not wish his men to use the barr
at all, but she paused when she hearC
him speak to the sergeant. She though
she perceived then that it mattered lit
tie to him what her mother wished
and that an objection by her or b.
anybody would be futile. She saw tn
soldiers conduct the prisoner IN graz
into the barn and for long time sh
watched three chatting guards and tn
bordering sentry. Upon her mind il
desolate weight was the recollection o
the three men in the feed box.
1t seemed to her that in case o
this description it was her duty to be
a heroine Plainly, a heroine woult
take measures to rescue the four men
If she did not at least make an at
tempt, she would be false to those care
fully constructed ideals which We're tn
accumulation of years and dreaming
But the situation puzzled her. Their
was the barn with only one door am
with four armed troopers in front o
this door, one of them with his bacl
to the rest of the world, engaged n
doubt in a steadfast contemplation o
the calm man and, incidentally, of tn
feed box. She knew. too, that even
she should open the kitchen door, thre
heads and perhaps four would turf
casually in her direction. Their ear
were real ears.
contrivances and expedients of fictiol
fall before the plain homely difficultie
of this situation. Sadly, ruefully, sh
thought of the calm man and of tn
contents of the feed box
The sum of her invention was tina
she could sally forth to the commando
of the blue cavalry and confessing t
him that there were three of he
friends and his enemies Secreted il
the feed box, pray him to let them de
part unmolested But she was begin
ming to believe the old gray beard t
be a bear IT was hardly Troba bla +ba