Evening star., 1900-12-22

search of prominent rebels. Belleview ralu
fails, Wing captured and Norman accused Of
treschery Brain fever him from trial
ard takes him to hospital.
CHAPTER X.
The week that followed brought mani
fest change for the better In the conditions
surrounding the prisoner patient In the
Louisville General Hospital Up to the day
he first saw the face of Daisy Lane within
these whtewashed walls Holt had little
: care what happened to him. Weak. help
less, hopeless. betrayed by fate and aban-
doned. as he thought, by God and man. he
had fallen into state of such apathy
at one time to give the medical officers
abundant reason to regard his recovery
more than doubtful. Whether they thought
1t the easiest and most natural solution of
an ugly question, whether in the midst of
manifold cares and cases they thought of
1t at all, cannot be decided. He was left
entirely to himself to brood at will. 1t
was his superb strength and constitution
that tded him over the worst days. 1t was
the strong love in his young heart that,
thrilling through his whole being at sight
OF the fair girl who, despite obstacles and
III report, had ever been gentle, even SYM
pathetic in her manner to him. that
aroused his will and wits and the spirit
of fight that was only latent, and so deter
mined him to action 1t was his conduct in
Keeping other patients within bounds in
Ttead of seizing upon opportunity to
cape that attracted the attention of the
officers on duty at the hospital and COM
manded the almost reluctant gratitude of
Mrs. Lane In the first impulse of wom-
anly pity at sight of his thin, white face,
and while still full of eagerness to thank
the soldier who had saved her boy, she
had let fall the words that later she would
ENadly have stifed, and had exhibited
degree of compassion irrepressible at the
moment, but injudicious in view of her
plans for Daisy's future. Moreover, she
saw that the evidence of Normans suffer
ing had a telling effect upon her child
She saw unerringly the great wave of pity,
of pain, bewiderment, even indignation
that welled up from Daisy's innermost
heart, and realized that ali in one moment
there was overthrown the work of pa tient
months Of undoing at Norman's expense
and of worldly promptings in behalf of the
absent Malloy.
They had talked it all over, her husband
and herself, before the newly made major
left for staff duty in front of Washington
Ihey knew and acknowledged Daisy's pre-
dilection for Norman Holt. and even
mourned that they had felt compelled to
cold shoulder him out of their freside cir
Gle, but, as has been pointed out Lane
Yorshiped wealth and influence and social
station. Lane had made up his mind that
no matter which side Norman might
espouse the war would ruin him. Lane knew
by midsummer just to the last penny the
extent of poor McIntyre's inroads upon the
little fortune left in his hands for the bene-
fit of his sisters sons. Lane knew that
barely $4,000 remained to be divided be-
tween the two, and later, as the war wore
on, was fully informed of the breach be-
tween the notheaded father and his second
son. Even though reconciliation were later
to come what would be left Of the doctors
estate by the close of the war? Like Vir-
ginia in The east, Kentucky promised to be
a graphing ground in the west Who
could preserve Asholt from the ravages of
battle? What would Belleview's innumer-
able uncles aunties and pickaninnies be
frnyI fy,n ntoJ
the time the war was ended and the south
subdued? No! The Holts had been for
years his most valued friends. his partners
closest kindred but that benefcent part
ner was dead and buried now. The for
tunes of the Holts must soon follow suit,
30 what sense was there in sentiment? A
man must look out for his own. Here was
Senator MallOy, whom he had long looked
upon with disfavor and. dislike-had in
deed. treated him, now coming forward
In his bluff. hearty way, men of the world
you know" as he said. perfectly willing to
let bygones be bygones. to forgive and for
get his sights and snubs Aye even to ex-
.er. his powerful political influence to father
$his interests and asking nothing more ap-
parently. than that Lane should favor the
suit Of his son 1t would have been flying
in the face of Providence to deny him. said
Lane. And ye. when he took his little girl
in his arms to kiss her goodbye as he
hurried away to Washington as he noted
how wistful was the appeal in her humid
eyes, how piteous the quiver about her
pretty mouth, he knew she was thinking
of Norman and mutely pleading for justice
for him. She wouldn't believe Maloy's as
pensions. The men would never have elect
ed him their first lieutenant il those stories
. had been true. The very card Malloy had
played turned the trick against him. The
news that Norman had gone a private
soldier, cheated out of his commission had
reused her to such a pitch of wrath and
woe that for the first time in her life the
child had stormed against her parents had
declared them cruel, heartless. wicked-and
bursting into passion of tears, had fled to
her room, banging and locking the door be-
hind her, leaving them gazing into each
others white faces, stunned and aghast.
I'VE must leave 1t to time the ma jor
had said, after their long, dreary confer
ence. 1T is probably the end of poor Nor
man, anyhow, and the rest will come later"
The story of the luckless raid on Belle
view was not told In full in the press Of
the day. Like every fiasco, big or little.
the first year of the war. '"The affair was
all the particulars through the Rays at
Lexington, who. oddly enough, seemed to
hear not infrequently from Major Henry
Clay Holt of the confederate staff corps.
Through them she heard how successfully
the work of proselyting had been going on.
how vehemently the old doctor had been
working and how Hospitality he had en-
tertained the officers detailed for the duty
by Sidney Johnston and Buckner how the
- latter had sent two squadrons of cavalry
TO cover Belleview pending these operations,
another to serve escort for the officers
i'm the lower counties and still certain other
riders not in confederate gray. to keep
yigilant watch along the front. And so
when Wings squadron made its essay,
based on secret and reliable information of
the presence of the party at Belleview, the
guard was on the lookout for him, and
: never did Belleview tender a warmer re-
ception What nearly broke the old doc
tors heart however-what stunned him,
yet enraged him. was to find that his own
boy. his own little Benjamin, had led the
column that came to capture him. That"
said Kate Ray. " is something none Of us
who know Norman can in the least under
stand. 1t sounds incredible. Major Holt
seems to feel it as deeply as does his
father"
But what Kate Ray did not know and
Mrs. Lane did not learn until later In a
letter from Malloy, was that Norman Holt.
SO far from serving guide for the pur-
pose indicated. had played double game.
had traachero,iSlN hrouRht ahoIlt the dia.