The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1896-08-20


mcssage-whether sent by Miss Faulk-
ner or omanating from the stranger
herself-which he had reasoned was
l,ased only upon knowledge Of tltr
original plan of attack-he never
theless quickly dispatched sma
,eo,lting party in the direction frGg
vhich the attack might come, will
orders TO fall back and report at one,
With a certain half irony of recollat
ton he had selected Jim Hooker TO ac
company the party as volunteer. Thi,
done he returned to the gallery, The
surgeon met him at the door. "The in
Gieations of concussion are passing
away" he said, but she seems to be
suffering from the exhaustion follow
ing some great nervous excitement.
you may go in--she may rally from it
apy momcnt.'
With the artificial step and myste-
rious hush of the ordinary visitor to a
sickbed, llrant entered the room. But
some instinct greater thnn this COM
mon expression of humanity held him
suddenly in awe, The room seemed no
longer his--it had slipped back into
That austere conventual privacy which
had first impressed him. Yet he hesi-
sdted; another strange suggestion-it
-eemed almost a vague recollection
oyercame him like some lingering per-
fiime, faint, far off and pathetic, in its
| dy ing familiarity. He turned his eyes
almost timidly towards the bed. The
soverlet was drawn up near the throat
al the figure to replace the striped cot.
tor gown, stained with blood and dust
which had been hurriedly torn of ant
thrown aside. The pale face cleansct
oi blood nnd Disgusting color, the long
Nrir still damp from the surgeon
sponge lay rigidly back on the pillow
Suddenly this man OF iron nerves ut
tered faint cry, and with face as
wliite as the upturned one before him
fell on his knees beside the bed. For
the face that lay there was his wife's.
Yes! hers. But the beautiful hair
that she had gloried in--the hair that
ii his south he hnl thought had once
fallen like a benediction on his shoul-
ders-was streaked with gray along
the blue veined hollows of the temples;
the orbits OF those clear eyes, beneath
their delicately arched brows, were
ringed with days of suffering; only the
clear cut proaler even to the delicate
imperiousness of lips and nostril, was
still there in all its beauty. The GOV.
rlet had slipped from the shouu'
its familiar marble contour startle
him. He remembered how in the!i
arly married days he had felt the sane
ity Of that Diana-like revelation, and
.he still nymph-lilte austerity which
lung to this strange, childless woman
lc even fancied that he brcathed again
| 10 subtle characteristic perfume o.
..e lace embroidcries, the delicate ell
rappings in her chamber at Roblei
erhaps it was the intensity ofhis gag
iscrhaps 1t was the magnetism Of j
psence--but her lips parted with
llf sigh, half moan. Her head, 81
hough the eyes were still closed
turned on the pillow instinctivel,
uwurds him. fIe rose from his knee
Ter eyes opened slowly. As the frs
,lare of wondermcnt cleared froE
them, they met HMM the old antag
,uism Of spirit Yet her first gesture
vas feminine patheticmovementwitb
both hands, to arrange her struggling
liair. 1t brought her white fingers
cleaned Of their Disgusting stains, as
a sudden revelation to her Of what had
happened; she instantly slipped them
back under the coverlet again, Brant
lid not speak, but with folded arms
itood gazing upon her. And it was
her voice that first broke the silence.
"You have recognized me! Well,
uppose you know all" she said with {
weak half-defance.
He bowed his head He felt as yetlr
could not trust his voice and envied ht
her own.
81 may sit up, mayn't ~" She mar
aged by sheer force Of will to struggl'
to sitting posture. Then as the cover
let slipped from the bare shoulders, sh'
aid, as she drew II with shiyer o
disgust around her again: II torgo
that you strip women--you northern
soldiers. But forgot also" she added
with a sarcastic smile, "that you an
likewise my husband-and this is you
room"
The contemptuous Significance Of he
speech dispelIed the last lingering rem
nant of Brants dream. In voice -
dry as her own he said: VI am afrai'
YOU will now have to remember oul
that am northern general and you
southern spy
80 be IT." she said, gravely. Then
impulsively, 'but have not spied o.
you" n.
Yet the next moment she bit her lip
as il the expression had unwittingly ef
capped her; and with a reckless shrug o
, her shoulders she lay back on her pi
low.
at matters mott said Brant, coldly
'.You have used this house, and thos
within it TO forward your designs. !
IL not your fault that you found notl
ing in the dispatch box you opened.