Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1900-12-15

umn, with q stealthinees that, In spite
of himself, touched him with supersti-
tious significance. A warm perfume,
languid magnolia seemed to rise from
the half hidden marsh. An ominous ST.
lence that appeared to be a part of
this yelling of all things under the
clear, opal tinted sky above was so lit
tie like the hush Of rest and peace that
he half yearned for the outburst of
musketry n tumult of attack that
might dispel 1t. All hat he had ever
heard or dreamed of the insidious
south, with its languid subleties of cli-
mate, nj of race, seemed to encom-
pass him here.
But the next moment he saw the
figures he was waiting for stealing to.
wards him from the shadow of the gull
ly beneath the negro quarters.
Even in that uncertain light there
was no m~istaking the tall figure, the
gaudily striped, clinging gown and tur-
baned head. And hen a strange re-
vulsfon of feeling, quite characteristic
OF the emotional side of his singular
temperament, overcame him.. He was
taking leave of his wife-the dream az
his youth-perhaps forever! 1t should
be no parting In anger as at Robes;
It should be with a tenderness that
would blot out their past in their sep
arate memories-God knows! it might
be even a parting that at that moment
was a joining of them in eternity. In
his momentary e~Xaltation 1t even
struck him that Ii was a duty, no less
sacred, no less unselish than h n
TO which he had devoted his life. The
light vas growing stronger; he could
hear voices in the nearest picket line,
and the sound of a cough in the lnvad-
ing mist. He made a hurried sign TO
the oncoming figure to follow him, ran
ahead and halted at last In the cover
of a hack-ma-tack bush. Still gazing
forward over the marsh, he steadily
held out his hand behind him, as the
rustling skirt came nearer. AT last his
hand was to~uched-but ever at that
touch he started, and turned quickly.
1t was not his wife, but Rose!-her
mulatto double! Her face was rigid
with fright, her beady yes staring in
their china sockets; her white teeth
chattering. Yet she would have spok-
en-.
Hush" he said, clutching her hand.
In a fierce whisper. Not n world" h
was holding something white in her
fingers; he snatched ii quickly. 1t was
O note from his wife--not in the dis
guised hand Of her first warning, but
In one that he remembered as II IL
were a voice from their past.
Forgive my disobeying you to save
you from capture, disgrace or death
which would have come to you where
you were going! / have taken Roses
pass, You need not G that your
honor will suffer by 1T, for If | am
stopped / shall confess that l took II
from her. Think 10 more Of me, Clar-
ence, but only for yourself. You are
in danger"
He crushed the letter in his hand.
nv - - - Ill 10 a AANsAA
Selling her arm, land speak low. When
did you leave herr"
"~Sho'ly-just now" gasped the
frightened woman.
He flung her aside. There might be
still time TO oVertake and save her be-
fore she reached the picket lines. He
ran up the gully and out on TO the
slope towards the first guard post. Blu
a familiar challenge reached his ear,
and his heart stopped beating.
Who goes there?"
There a a pause, a rattle of arms,
voices, another pause-and Brant
stood rooted to the spot. Then the
voice rose again, slowly and clearly:
Pass the mulatto woman!"
Thank Cod she was saved! But the
thought had scarcely crossed his mind
before 1t seemed TO him that a blind
ing crackle OF sparks burst out along
the whole slope below the wall, a char
acteristic yell, which he knew too well,
rang In his ears, and an undulating
line of dusty soldiers came leaping like
gray wolves out Of the mist upon his
pickets. He heard the shouts of his
men falling back as they fired; the
harsh commands of a few officers hur-
rylng to their posts, and knew hat he
was hopelessly surprised and sur
rounded.
He ran forward among his disorgan-
lied men. To his CONSERVATION no one
seemed to heed him.! Then the remem-
brance of his disguise flashed upon
him, But he had only time to throw
away his hat and snatch a sword from
a falling lieutenant before a scorch-
ing flash seemed to pass before his
eyes inc burn through his hair, and he
dropped like a log beside his subaltern.
An aching under the bandage around
his head, where the spent bullet had
graZed his scalp, and the sound of i'm
possible voices in his ears were all he
knew as he struggled slowly back to
consciousness again. Even Their it still
seemed a delusion, for he was lying i'm
the hospital of the headquarters, with
officers of the division staff around
him, and the division commander him
self standing by his cot, and regarding
him with an air Of grave, but not un-
kindly concern. But the wounded man
felt instinctively that 1t was not the
effect of his physical condition, and q
sense of shame came suddenly over
him, which was not dissipated by his
superior's words. For, m%otioning the
others aside, the major general leaned
over his cot, and said:
Until q few moments ago the report
was that you had been captured in
the first rush of the real guard, which
we were rolling up for your attack, and
when you were picked up, just 10Y in
plain clothes on the slope, you were not
recognized. The one thing seemed to
be as improbable as the other" he add
ed, significantly.
The miserable truth flashed across
Brant's mind. Hooker must have been
captured in his clothes-perhaps in
some eXtravagant sally-and had not
been recognized in the confusion by
his own officers. Nevertheless he rails
ed his eyes to his superior.
You got my note?"
The generals brow darkened. yes"
he said, slowly, but finding you thus
unprepared-I had been thinking just
now hal you had been deceived by
that by others-and tina it
was a clumsy forgery. He stopped,
and, seeing the hopeless bewilderment
in the face of the wounded man, add
ed, more kindly: But we will not talk
of that in your present condition. The
says a few hours will put you
straight again. Get s~trong-for l
you to lose no time-for your
own sake-to report yourself at Wash
Report myself-at Washington"
repeated Brant, slowly.
THAT was last nights ORDER" said
the commander, with military curt
ness. Then he burst out: II don't I'M
1t, Brant! / believe you have
been misunderstood, misrepresented,
perhaps maligned-and / shall make it
my business to see the thing through