Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1899-03-08

of storage in view of frequent forsg-
ing parties from both sides.
Polly found two United States of
ficers in the ball downstairs. talk ng
to NANNY. who was barefacedly de
claring that there was no one i'm the
house but her mistress. her young
mistress and herself.
AS Polly entered, the lieutenant in
command of the squad turned to her
''Good afternoon, Missy. We have
reason To believe that the notorious
scout and spy, Twyneham, is in THE
house. We captured his horse down
there in the bushes. and we must
search the house"
Polly paIed, but she anwered stead =
lily. ''Of course, you can do so If
you choose. bu; you will find no body
here. May ask YOU TO make no un-
necessary noise; my mother is i'll, and
don't want her TO be frightened /.
Nanny, 90 stay with her, please"
But nanny stood her ground.
"No. chile, tole her dev was comm,
and she told me To stay wild you"
The searching party indoors looked
I'm every room. IN wardrobes. closets,
under beds. everywhere that cat
might hide, while outside their com
rades kept guard over doors and
windows. Pollv's closet was opened
wide, among the others. but the pres
ence of the panel was not suspected,
and she kept her face as immovable
as that of a sphinx. Once she fared
mp. "TLis is an outra- sir" she
said. when she fOund that her moth
erS room was To be searched. "Our
orders are Imperative" answered the
lieutenant, calmly. boys. stay out.
side. Excuse me, madam. but we
are looking for Twyneman. and can
not leave any possible hiding place
unsearched."
every well, answered Mrs. Cum
ningham, rising to her feet in spite
of the binding pain. "When you
are sure that he is not on the lounge
| should like TO lie down again. Be
quiet Polly; don't you know they are
only doing their duty" aud so the SOL
diers withdrew, baffied and disap-
pointed.
He has got off, somehow, boys;
but ! believe he was in the house, all
the same. He's AS slippery as an eel.
that fellow" SAID the lieutenant. rs
they walked TO their horses. But
they rode away. going in different di
rections, MS though to pursue the fu
gitive.
When they were out of sight Polly
released the imprisoned scout and led
him to her mothers room, where Mrs.
Cunningham, in spite of her aching
nerves, insisted upon seeing him and
hearing in person all he could tell of
her loved ones.
They were still talking together,
and Polly was writing letter to her
father, when Mrs. Cunningham ears
sharpened by pain, heard horses feet
and voices outside. "Hark!" she
said, and almost on the instant the
soldiers were inside the house.
There was no time to get to the
closet, whether or no the searching
party had left one of their number
behind, who had noiselessly admitted
them, they never knew, but it WA,
plain that the soldiers were coming
upstairs. Twyneman took packag,
from his pocket and was handing i
to Polly. dispatches" he whis
pered.
No, no." she breathed; "quick-
my room, back there-the roof"
He understood her. 1t was tn
old part of the house, and the roo
of the veranda came up under tn
caves of the sloping roof. There wa
q wooden trough at the edge whicl
did duty as gutter, and caves an,
gutter together extended out for per
haps twelve inches. He had used
us a hiding-place many times Il
games of hide and-seek. He wa
slender. and it WAS dusk now; any
way the chance was worth trying
and in less time than it takes to tel
il, he had darted across the hall int
Polly's room and ont of the windo,
before the enemy had reached tn
head of the staircase; luckily, tn