Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1899-09-08
XIV,
THE LIGHT ON THE CLOUDS.

For an hour we watched the slowly
moving bodies of cavalry; then the
ranks began to grow thinner, detach-
ments were smaller; scattered wagons
appeared, numbered up the valley, and
passed out of sight far in the distance.
Ambulnnces, men supported in their
saddles by their comrades, evidently
invalids, followed, the distance between
them and the main body constantly in
creasing. The rear was brought up by
stragglers, with here and there groups
of army traders, the former devoting
themselves to plumber, the latter bar
gaining, cheating citizens and soldiers
alike with pinchbeck trinkets.
When PUNK was aroused and
learned that our object had been ac-
complished by a woman, his mortifica-
ton knew no bounds. He went about
getting breakfast sullenly, muttering
that if we ever got back to the COM
mand he would give up scouting and
turn company cook. While we We're
eating our breakfast we discussed the
matter of our return. Should we wait
till evening and skulls through under
cover of the night, or set out boldly in
broad day? Punk was strongly in IA
vor of waiting till evening, and Mar
garet was decidedly of his opinion. l
would have declined to listen to PUNK,
but was persuaded by Margaret.
We spent most of the day in arrang-
ing the stories we would tell on the way,
At the outset we discovered one fact
likely to cause trouble. PUNK was in
favor of always making an explanation
that would involve the greatest I'M
truth; l was in favor of mild prevari-
cation; while Margaret would have
nothing but truth.
lieutenant" said Punk, 81 suppose
must obey orders, but if this party
is to travel with no other ammunition
than the truth, l must ask permission
to go alone"
The generals statement that he had
given me PUNK to supply my own de.
ficiencies occurred to me, and / was
loath to enforce my own plans in The
face of the corporal's opposition.
"How would it do" | suggested, at
tempting compromise, "for you to lie
like trooper, and for me to travel on
system of white lies, while Miss Beach
sticks rigidly to the truth?"
THAT" responded the corporal
would be like the cavalry charging
the men seated with their faces to the
crupper, the infantry pouring volleys
into the cavalry, and the artillery fir.
ing at heaven"
Margaret smiled. 9TH tell you what
we will do" she said to me. "Since
you command the party, the corporal
can conform to your stories, and I'll
keep silent"
"Done," said I.
And now that we had gained all we
had hoped for, and had before us the
peril of carrying back the news, we
made discovery that filled us with
dismay. Private Mellodew was miss
ing. During the day he had seen the
rear-guard of the army that had passed
and asked what it meant. When we
told him, / noticed look on his face
that might mean incredulity or might
mean determination to be incredulous
but we cared nothing whether he be-
lieved or doubted. What he had gone
for none of us could possibly imagine.
We did not suspect that under the APP
parently simple, cowardly nature there
lurked malevolence that might be ex-
pected only under stronger exterior
In our position we were vulnerable
even from crawling snake,