The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1899-12-29
ANY road north on the other side ~

Yes. Drop your parrot business
and talk quick"
"No road runnin' moth. This road
runs down t Thatchers. Thurs moth
in but hill, goin' moth"
/ entered the cabin, took out my
map, and held it to the light. The
woman was right; after crossing the
river there was no road leading north
GLOW near the ford are weY'
"IIow nich?"
Eyes, how nigh? You're mighty par
ticular about your English"
"Three miles,"
| went out. mounted and we all rode
on while ! informed the others of the
facts | had learned.
"The rebel camp we were in" said,
sis near McCormick's mills, and that's
about two miles from the river. We
must be very near the ford. II we can
cross, we can keep on this road TO
Thatcher's, and then up Opossum creek
to the main road leading north to the
plantation
ITS purity hard travclin' in a creek"
suggested PUNK.
eve are wasting time" said, giving
my horse n spur. Never mind what
we are going TO do till we get to the
river"
We pushed on with renewed vigor.
The many night rides had taken with
the general wheD he was trying to get
his command away from an overwhelm-
lug force came up before me; | could
see him throwing back his head to get
a look at his favorite star. Though we
were galloping, / could not resist the
temptation TO look up. There in the
zenith, peering down at us like an eye
in the heavenly dome, was Alpha Lyra.
Look, Margaret" l cried. There is
the generals star"
She threw back her head just as l
had seen the general do. There was
that in the motion which seemed in
some mysterious way TO link his being
with hers. But my attention was di-
verted for just then, swinging around
a bend, we came upon the ford. The
road sloped gradually down to the
river, which flowed by as lazily as if no
one was in any hurry whatever
"Now, see here" | said with GER
tain composure that would OCCASION
ally surprise me by breaking the rapid
current of impulse within me, "we must
lay a plan. 1t won't do TO go blind any
farther. What do you propose, cor
poral?"
"You and the young lady git over The
river, find a nigger's cabin, and hide till
tomorrow night"
"That's your plan; Miss Beach,
what's yours?"
IF we can find boat, we had better
go up the river. When they come here
they'll probably think we have crossed.
At any rate, there will be three ways
for them to track us-across, down
and up the river, and they won't know
which we have taken. If we can reach
Doughty's ford, where we crossed when
we came, we will have straight road
home"
But we must leave our horses, and
we'll need them when we take to land
again"
81 can walk from the upper ford"
said Margaret, "if we can only get
there; I've walked there and back from
home often. It's only five miles"
IAN right, and now for a sliff. PUNK,
you go down stream, and I'll go up.
But there must be a limit TO our search; ,
neither of us had better be away more
than ten minutes. If we're not sue
cessful within that time wen abandon
the plan"
PUNK went off on his search with
more speed than | had ever before seen
in his deliberate person. Margaret
wished to dismount, and / helped her
to the ground, tied her horse to sap
ling, and started on my hunt up the
river. l followed the high bank, look
ing down on the margin as Invent along,
but used up my ten minutes without
success. Turning reluctantly, start
ed back to the ford hoping that PUNK
had had better luck. On the way |
cspied path leading down to the river
that had escaped my notice on my way
out; following it to the brink, there in
u little cove partly hidden among bushes
was a rickety flat-bottomed punt, fas-
teHeu W tree ny cuhlu ana pau
lock. l smashed the paddock with a
stone, then began to look about for the
oars, which | felt must be near, and
found a couple of short paddles leaning
up against a tree. Getting into the
punt, l showed off shore, and few
strokes, aided by the current, took me
down 10 the ford. Margaret was on
the shore waiting, and was overjoyed
to see me pulling boat, for PUNK had
returned a few moments before empty
handed He loosened his horse, and
mounting, rode down to the river to
let the tired beast drink.
what are you doing?" l asked, sur
prised.
"Pm going back after that flour
faced deserter."
you'll be captured"
"Never youmind, lieutenant. haven't
secuted ever since this war began for
nothing. When | go back there I'll be
somebody different from what am"
There was no time for dehnte Mar