The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-01-15
PART I.

Of men who, TO avoid conscription. hid
In caves. canyons and dense thickets
Here also were the hiding-places OF
lawless bands of "bushwhacl;ers," who
went about robbing the weak and the
helpless and often committing muir
ders.
Through having lost an eye in boyhood,
and having slight lameness in one
leg. Old Coot Marlborough had managed
10 secure immunity from military duty,
and. with his wife. lived in cabin at the
FOOT of the Cohuttas, near the main
road leading over the mountain.
They are a-fghtin' like rips over
ut Dalton" he said late one summer
afternoon as he stood in the cabin door
and looked eastward. His wife left
the potatoes she was roasting in the
not ashes at the fireplace, came to his
side, listened TO the far-away artillery
and sighed deeply.
Its awful" she said. "Jest think o
Che pore men that's bein' piled up an
drug off the field dead an dyin'. an
half o. 'em starvin' fur some'n' TO eat
The Lord only knows what they are
h-fghtin' fur anyway"
"Let 'em go it." Marlborough said, un-
sympathetically; "the balls hain't a.
goin' TO reach ms over beer."
THE war has ruipt my life" she
said. with another sigh. II nought
a-putt up with yore disposition in ordi-
nary times, but thar is too much
temptation amongst all this outlawin'
fur . weak. waverin' man like you
hoped you was goin' to do better when
the war fust broke out but L lost all
heart when discovered you was adm
Seth Atoore's gang O. he devils"
You don't know what yo're a-tallSin'
about" he replied, surlily; mind yore
own Business"
"You can't deny it," the old woman
/. Vvent on, with the calmness of resigna-
Mon in her tone. "Tother night Bill
apnG come by AKIN fur information o.
MS family, an said he had got this fur
kyi thout detection. You talked to i'm
lik. Va friend, and got i'm to set down to
,rest while you went an told Seth
&k,c re. Do you reckon was much sur
prAw u when / heerd they'd caught I'm
. mlle furder on and robbed i'm O. the
hast ent he had in the world?"
: -Ye u don't know what you are a
4sIEin about" he repeated, but he kept
his ey . upon the ground and moved
uneasiA z.
/, "Bofo g Mandy married and moved
away fra IN us, you was Gffernt sort
Of npa I. kase she always did have
some insau ence over you furgood. Yore
- ',~<x u \. f.,,f
Al her fur marryin' the only man she
ever did lay any storesby. and yon haze
gone down ill ever sance. Mandy was
the only chiA ever bad. but you sep
arated me fro m her, ard my life is jest
ruined--that's all. She'Sgot grown chill
drcn by now. IN they'd "a been COM
fort 10 us, eftyou'd jest~a been more
sorgivin'."
He was prevei tied from replying by
the sound of ho rses' ht'ofs down the
road.
cit In the house." said tthe old wom-
IN, calmly: ''thar's no tellin' but it
snay be somebody lookin' fur you."
/. Pale and excited, he disappeared into
khe cabin. Mrs Marlborough stood in the
doorway, prepssed for any emergency.
Out OF the dunk down the road came
= bay horse, ridden by'a pdle> slender
boy OF sixteen.or seventeen years Of
age, wearing assoiled and worn confed-
crate uniform. His left arm was ban
DANCED. and he%looked4 very tired and
weak.
"rm . wounded sofdier." he said,
ldrawing rein ut the cabin. i've got
= furlough, an am a~tryin' to git
khrough to Piclxins county to my folks.
4 don't know which side you are on.
an you may not want-me to stop. but
a'vc lost . good deal @, blood, an cant
70 any further tonight"
1--WE never turn anybody AWAY. ef we
Kin help it," the old woman said. sym
pathetically; "gitxown, an I'll put yore
Aoss in the stable"
'Tll tend to 'im.r said Coot Yarbor-
ough, who had beenJistening at n crack
in the wall of the cabin. and now came
out fearlessly. The boy followed him,
as he led the horse TO the stable be-
hind the cabin, and with dis uninjured
hnnd opened his saddle-bags anil
emptied some shelled corn.into the ami
maI's trough.
"You got n mighty fine hoss," re-
marked Marlborough. as they were en-.
tering the cabin. 81 hain't seed rs
good q one in many day."
AS she placed chair for the guest.
Mrs. Marlborough cast a searching
glance at her husband.
He don't belong TO me-" said the
boy. "A feller over thar at Dalton lent
i'm TO me to git home on. He was
preacher. an was arfcerd the soldiers
would take i'm anyway. was offered
two thousand dollars fur him in Con-
federate money this mornin'."
Marlborough had caught his wifc's
eye. and made no reply. He satdoyn ia
the chimney corner. kicked the pine en-
bers under the logs. and continued 90
think OF the good points Of the horse
md what might be done with Il at