The Irish standard., 1896-05-09

The miserable truth flashed across
Brant's mind. Hooker must have been
captured in his clothes perhaps in
some extrayagant sally-and had not
been recognized in the confusion by
his own officers. Nevertheless he raised
his eyes to his superior.
sYou got my note?' :
The generals brow darkehed. Yes"
he said, slowly, "but finding you thus
unprepared--I had been thinking just
now that you had been deceived by
that woman-or by others-and that it
was clumsy forgery. He stopped,
and seeing the hopeless bewilderment
in the face of the wounded man, added,
more kindly: ''But we will not talk Of
that in your present condition, The
doctor says few hours will put you
straight again. Get strong-for
want you to lose no time-for your
own sake-to report yourself at Wash
ingtcn."
'Report nyself-at Washington!"
repeated Brant, slowly. ".
"That was last nights order" said;
the commander. with military curt
ness Then he burst out: II dou',t un-
derstand it, Brant! Ibelieve you have
s1een misunderstood. misrepresented,
perhaps maligned--and shall make it
my business to see the thing through
but these are the department. orders.
And for the present. am sorry to say,
you are relieved of your command"
He turned away, and Brant closed
his eyes. With it it seemed to him that
he closed his career. No one would ever
understand his explana tion-even had
he been tempted to give it, and he
knew he neverwould. Everything was
over now. Even this wretched bullet
had not struck him fairly, and culmi-
mated his fate as it might. For nm in
slant he recalled his wife's last offer
to fly with him beyond the SEASIDE
ycnd this cruel injustice-but even
AS he recalled it he knew that flight
meant the worst of ala half confess
sion. But she had escaped. Thank.
God for that! Again and again, in his
hopeless perplexity, this comfort re-:
turned to him. He had saved her. He
had done his duty. And harping upon
this in his strange fatalism, it at last
seemed to him that this was for what
he had lived, for what he had suffered,
for what he had fifty ended his career.
Perhaps it was left for him now to pass
his remaining years in forgotten exile.
even as his father had, his father-his
breath came quickly at the thought
God knows, perhaps as wrongfully
accused. 1t may have been prosf-
dence that she had borne no child, to
whom this dreadful heritage could be
transmitted. 800
and fateful resignation in his face, n
few hours later, when he was able to
be helped again into the saddle. But
lie could see in the eyes of the few conn
rades who commiseratingly took leave
of him a vague, half-repressed awe OF
some indefinite weakness in the man
that mingled with their heartfelt devo-
ton to gallant soldier. Yet even this
touched: him no longer. He cast o
glance at the house and at the room
where he had parted from her, at the
slope from which she had passed, and
rode away.
And then, as his figure disappeared
down the road, the restrained con1men-
tary of wonder, surmise and criticism
broke out: 80.
:. at must have been something highly
had, for the old man, who: swears by
him, looked rather troubled. And it
was de,lced queer, you know, this chang
ing clothes with somebody Just before
the surprised" *--..
"Nonsense! It's something away
back Of that! 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 cid Marc Antony business over
again"
''Now 1 think of it," said the younger
subaltern, she did seem nightly taken
with one of those quadroons or mnlat-
toes he issued orders against-I sup
pose that was a blind for us! Ireme1n-
Der the first day he saw her; he was
regularly keen to know all about her
Maj. Curtis gave q short laugh. "That
mulatto, Martin, was a white woman,
hurnt-corked! She was trying to get.
through the lines last night and fell of
q wall, or got knock on the head from
a sentry's carbine. When she was
brought in DIR. Simmons set to wash
ing the blood off her face the cork came
off. and the whole thing came out.
Grant hushed it up-and the woman,
too in his own quarters! It's supposed
now that she got away somehow in the
rusfl!''
'sIt goes back further than that, gen.
tlemen," said the adjutant, ahthori-
tatively.s '.They say his wife was .
bowling secessionist four years ago in
California, was mixed up in q conspir-
ucy, and he had to leave on account OF
it.. Look how thick he and that Miss
Faulkner became before he helped her
or!
That's your jealousy, Tommy; she
knew he was, by oil odds, the biggest
man here, and a good deal more, too
and you had no show" #5. /. U:
R IN the laugh that followed it would
seem that Brant's e11logy had been
spoken and forgotten. But as Lieut..
Martin was turning away q lingering.
corporal touched his cap.
81 on were speaking Of those pro,yl-.
ing mula ttoes, sir. You know the GER
eral passed one out his morning. ~