The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1900-12-08
CLARENCE
BY BRET HARTE.

BY BRET HARTE.
IT may sit up, mayn't r" She man
aged by sheer force of will to struggle
to a sitting posture. Then as the COW
erlet slipped from the bare shoulders.
she said, as she drew 1t with a shiver
of disgust around her again: Il forgot
that you strip women-you northern
soldiers. But I forgot also" she add
ed, with a sarcastic smile, that you
are likewise my husband-and this Is
your room"
The contemptuous significance of her
speech dispelled the last lingering rem
ant of Brant's dream. In a voice as
dry as her own he said: II am afraid
You Will now have to remember only
that I am a northern general and o
a southern spy"
SO be it," she said, gravely. Then,
impulslvely, but / have not spied o
YOU"
Yet the lex moment she bit her lips
as II the expression had unwittingly
escaped her; and with a reckless shrug
of her shoulders h lay back on her
pillow.
1T matters not,'' said Brant, coldly.
"You have used this house. n those
within 1t to forward your designs. 1t
is not your fault that>you found MOTH
ing in the dispatch box you opened.
She stared at him quickly then
shrugged her shoulders again. IT
might have known she vas false to
me" She said bitterly, and that you
would wheedle her soul away and you
have others. Well-she betrayed me-!
For what?'
A flush passed over Brant's face. But
With an effort he contained himself.
1T was the flower that betrayed you!
Ihn Ntvc ,,I--~ ,-l I-.,A f.lI l., L4ho
box when you opened it on the desk
by the window in yonder room. The
owe that stood in the window as q
signal. The flower l myself removed
n so spoiled the miserable plot your
friends had concocted."
A look of mingled terror and
came into her face. You changed the
signal" she repeated, dazedly; then in
a lover voice: THAT accounts for 1t
all! But the next moment she turned
again hercely upon him: And you
mean to tell me hat she didn't help
Sou-that she didn't sell me-your wife
Ito you for-for what was it?--a look
"a kiss?"
Il mean to say that she did not
know the signal was changed and that
she herself restored it to its place. 1t
Is no fault of hers o of youlE that 1
am not now a prisoner"
She passed her thin hand dazedly
across her forehead. Il see," she NUT
tered. Then again bursting out pas
~sionately. she said: Fool! you never
would have been touched! Do you
think that Lee would have gone for
you-with higher game in your. division
commander? Mo-! Those supports We're
a feint to draw him to your assistance
while our main column broke his CEN
ter. Yes, you may stare at me, Clar-
/ ence HRrantA Won ta,.a a rrn1 l., .,,o E
they say a dashing fighter, too. new
er thought you a coward even in your
lrresolution, but you are fighting with
men drilled In the art of war and STRAIT
eSy when you We're n boy outcast on
the plains She stopped, closed her
eyes. and then added YEARLY: But
that was yesterday-today. who
knows? All may be changed. The
support may still attack you. That
was why I stopped to write you thai
note an hour ago-when 1 believed ]
should be leaving here forever. Yes!
| did it, she went on, with half
Wearied. half-dogged determination
You ma as well know ALL L had ar.
ranged to fly, our pickets We're. to be
drawn by friends Of mine, who were
waiting for me beyond the lines: Well,
l fingered when l saw you ~arrive-lin.
gered to write o that note. And
was too late!"
But Brant had been watching hel
varying expression, her kindling eye
her strange masculine grasp of militar,
knowledge. her soldierly phraseology
all SO new to her, that he scarcely heed.
ed the feminine ending of her speech
1t seemed to him no longer the Diana
of his youthful fancy, Tut some Palla!
Athene who now looked up at hin
from the pillow. He had never befor,
fully believed in her unsellsh devotion
TO the cause, until now when it seem
ed to nave almost unsexed her. In hi,
widest comprehension Of her he hat
neve dreamed her a Joan of Arc, an
yet that was the face which nigh
have confronted him, exalted and in
spired, on the battlefield itself. He re
called himself with an effort.
Il thank o for your would-b
warning" he said, more gently. If no
tenderly, "and God knows l wish you
flight had been successful. But evel
your warning is unnecessary. For TIL
supports had already come up; the,
had followed only the second sigma
and diNerged to engage our division oi
the left, leaving me alone. And thei
ruse OF drawing our commander to as
sist me would not have been success
full, as | had suspected it and sent
message to him hat l wanted no help.
1t was the truth-it was the sole pun
Eort of the note he had sent throug
Miss Faulkner. He might not hay
disclosed 1t, but SO great was tn
strange domination OF this woman sti
over him that he felt compelled to as
sert his superiority. She fixed he
eyes upon him. And Miss Faulkne
took your message" she said, slowl,
Don't deny it! No one else coul
have passed through our lines. and yo
gave her a safe conduct through your
Yes! l might have known it. An
this IS the creature they sent me fe
an ally n c~onfidant!"
For an instant Brant felt the stIn
of this enforced contrast between til
two ONE But he only said: ''Yo
forget that I did not know you wei
the spy, nor do I believe that she SUI
pccted you We're my Wife"
Why should she?" she said, almo.
fiercely. II am known among thes
people oaly by the name of Benham.
my maiden name. Yes! you can tai
me u and shoot me under that lam
without dissracing yours. Nobody wi
know that the southern spy was II
wife of the northern general. You 81
l lave thought even of thati"
And thinking that. said Bran
slowly, you have put YOURSELF WI
not say in my power-for you are
the power of any man in this am
WING may KNOW you, or even near yC
speak. Weil-let us understand eat
other plainly. I do not know hi
great a sacrifice your devotion to 70,
, cause demands of you. 1 do not kno
) what 1t seems to demand Of me. He;
] me. then! I will do my best to prote
you and get you safely AVA fro
! here: but, failing that. I tell you plail
. !. ly that ! shall blow out you brail
! and my own together
5 She knew that he would do 1t. Y
Q her eyes suddenly beamed with a ne
and awakening light! she put "a,
her hair again and half-raised herse
upon the pillow to gaze at his dark. s
face.
And as / shall let no other life b
ours be periled in this affair." he we
on. quietly. "and will accompany y.
!, myself, in some disguise. beyond t
: lines. we will TAX the risks together
g Or the bullets of the sentries that m:
save us both all further trouble. !
hour or two more will decide this. U
y til that time your condition will e
cuse you from n disturbance or /
trusion here. The mulatto woman v
have sometimes personated MAJ