The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1897-01-15
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"a i s,17 H.
COPYRIGHT. 1894. By
BRET HARTE. -
COPYRIGHT. 1894. By
BRET HARTE.
PART III.

evening after you left the burying par
ty picked up the body of what they be-
lieved to be mulatto woman lying
On the slope. 1t was not Rose, but the
body of that very woman-the real and
only spy-whom you. had passed
through the lines at daybreak. My
brother thinks she was accidentally
killed in the first attack upon you by
her own friends, and SO fell double
martyr. But only my brother and his
friend recognized her through her
blackened face and disguise, and on the
plea that she was servant of one of
their friends, they got permission from
the division commander to take her
away, and she was buried by her friends
and among her people in the little Gem
etery of Three Pines crossing, not far
from where you have gone. My brother
thought 1 ought to tell you this; it
seems that he and his friend had a
strange sympathy for you in what they
appear to know or guess of your rela-
tons with that woman, and think he
was touched by what he thought was
your kindness and chivalry to him on
account of his sister.
You know now, do you not, why I
did not speak to you when we first
met. 1t seemed SO impossible to do
1t in an atmosphere and festivity that
was SO homogeneous to the dreadful
message 1 was charged with. And
when had to meet you later-perhaps
may have wronged you-but it seemed
to me that you were so preoccupied
and interested with other things that
[ might perhaps only be wearying you
with something you cared little for,
or perhaps already knew and had quick
ly forgotten.
81 had been wanting to say some
thing else to you when L had got rid of
my dreadful message. / do not know
if you still care to hear. But you were
once generous enough to think that
[ had done you q service in bringing a
letter to your commander. Although
I know better than anyone else the
genuine devotion to your duty that
made you accept my poor service, from
all that 1 can hear you have never had
the credit of it. VIII you now try me
again? 1 am in more favor here, and
I might yet be more successful in show
ing your superiors how true you have
been to your trust, even if you have
little faith in your friend Matilda
Faulkner"
. For long time he remained motion
less with the letter in his hand. Then
he arose, ordered his horse and galloped
away.
There was little difficulty in finding
the cemetery of Three Pines crossing
a hillside slope, hcarsed with pine
and cypress and starred with white
crosses, that in the distance looked
like flowers. Still less was there in
finding the newer marble shaft among
the older lichen spotted slabs, which
.. bore the simple words: alice Ben
. ham, Martyr" A few confederate SOL
diers, under still palmer and newer
wooden headstones, carved only with
initials, lay at her feet. Brant sank
on his knees beside the grave, but he
was thrilled to see that the base of
the marble was stained with the red
pollen of the fateful lily, whose bios
SONS had been heaped upon her maund,
but whose fallen petals lay dark and
sodden in decay.
How long he remained there he did
not know. And then 4 solitary buglc
from the camp seemed to summon him
as it had once summoned him before
and he went away-as he had gone once
before-to n separation that he now
knew was for all time.
Then followed n month of superin-
tendence and drill, and the infusng
into the little camp under his inStruc-
tion the spirit which seemed to be
passing out of his own life forever
Shut in by alien hills on the border land
of the great struggle, from time 10 time
> reports reached him of the bitter fight
ing and almost disastrous successes of
his old division commander. Orders
came from Washington to hurry the
preparation of his raw levies for the
field, and n faint hope sprang up in his
. mind. But following it came another
dispatch ordering his return to the
capital.
He reached it with neither hone nor
fear, so benumbed had become his spir-
it under this last trial. and what seemed
to be now the mockcry OF his last sacri-
fee to his wife. Though it was no
longer q question of her life and safety,
he knew that he could still preserve
her memory from stain. by keeping
her secret even though its divuigence
might clear his own. For that reason
he had even hesitated to inform Susy of
her death. in the fear that in her
thoughtless irresponsibility and i'm
pulsiveness she might be tempted to
use it in his favor. He had made his
late appointment plea for withhold
ing any present efforts to assist him.
Meantime he had reported himself for
duty at the war department.. with little
hope, however. in that formality. But
he was surprised the next day when
the chief of the bureau informed him
that his claim was before the presi-
dent.
II was not aware that had present
ed any claim" he said little haugh-
tily.
The bureau chief looked up with
some surprise. This quiet, pattern. re-
served man had once or twice puzzled
him before. Perhaps 1 should say
case general" he said. drily. But
the personal interest of the highest
executive in the land strikes me as be-
ing desirable in anything"
Il only mean that 1 have obeycd the
orders of the department in reporting
l.f I