The Washington weekly post. (Washington, D.C.) 1878-1916, 1900-02-27

pose burned the clearer 10 break iail
bounds and carry the savage message
And then he batfisd nadIy with memory
10 catch the thing. which Knocked him and
faded into mist
The two poor souls downstairs brocded
In tho silence. hearing the tiny buzz which
sometimes makes silence a weird gallery
OF whispers. seeking In vain TO comfort
each other. Death had stalked in. clutch
ed one victim and was now riding with
skeleton fingers at bridIe-rein OF a second
into that pafldemonium about TO open its
jaws. Ardent Confederate as Polly was
In every fiber. the loom Of events weaving
n dawn OF blood red splendor for her caI.se
could not cope with other thoughts. In
the thick OF them the wounded man tow
cred big and stirred her with a reluctant
thrill. Now and then she had listened at
the door and heard the eeaseiess mutter-
ings, and maryeled what ghost OF duty
undone could so lmportune this heart of a
lion
Polly gave great start and knew she
must have slept Her aunt, too. was breath
ing heavily in her chair. The croak OF the
hail clock accentuated her loneliness, and
she looked out. TO see the front door ajar.
Had she only dreamed of Walter, heard
the ciank OF his scabbard in fancy only?
Her alarm Weakened the servants, who,
with lanterns, followed her in chase Of
the crazy wanderer, for his room was
empty. The lane led TO the woods and
thence TO the pike and not far on tie
journey sharp means and the giimmer
dropped by the scimitsr OF a new moon
betrayed figure dragging itself with in
rnite toll and leaning for a cane on an
other shining curve, which bent under his
weight.
The blow which threatens. What is
1t? How can / get there in -ime?' he
painted, pressing his hand to his brow in
despair. Us there no one to help me?'
Come back. You're very i'll not fit TO
walk. Come with US. We're here to help
you, pleaded the girl, laying her hand on
his arm.
Thank God" CALCULATED the delirious
man Joyously, there is a friend in need
at last! | know those brave eyes"-for
the lantern light flashed wildly on her
face-"eyes Of helpmeet and comrade al
ways. It's Polly, and she'll save my hon.
or, save the army" Then she felt that
his soul had cut through all the armOr of
habit and training to the naked truth Of
hers. He knew her in spirit, and not as
one compelled to be stubborn foe to all his
hopes wave of tenderness suTged in
her, rose above the old landmarks, and
touched her with an uneasy delight, i'm
possible as the thing was toward which
that instructive trust had set its vane.
Now, well soon have you safely back"
she said, soOthingly, and sent the servants
for fence rails to make a rude litter.
Polly will help" he continued mutter-
ing. yet she scorned me when | called
her Miss Polly. Miss Brundage, I know
you now for our bitter enemy he burst
out, with furious energy, as the links of
memory frightened their chain. Stand
aside!' and he motioned with the naked
saber half threateniEgly, then staggered
helpless and unconscious against her
shoulder, where she held the big man
safely over her throbking heart, slight as
she was, till the litter was ready.
Luck and the shortness OF the midnight
excursion had insured the rude surgery
of WentwOrth's hurt. and now collapse
stilled even the complaints of his angry
side The watchers not far away head
scarcely a STIR while the night dragged
and the tragedy of things ACCOMPLISHED
emptied into the tragedy of the fore
known. They longed for, yet dreaded, the
rise of dawn, and when the stars began
TO pale under a faint amber yhey were
counting the Minutes by heart ticks
Strangely. too, the subcOnscious mind of
the man had marked time to the march of
the hours, and as the waking moment will
answer to a precOnceived thought so the
liked eyes of Wentworth attested Dunctuai
vigilance OF the inner sense. Yet no i'm
preston seemed to note the inmates of
the room.
Amber warmed to pink and pink TO
crimson. ard Dobolinks and mocking birds
were tuning their pipes in leafy covers
when rumble suddenly broke as of thou
sands OF fails beating thrashing floor.
Then they knew that out there the air
had begun 10 spit death and that lives
were being harvested like standing grain.
1t was not long before the boom of more
student hammering rOared through the
monotone, intermittent but memorable as
the minute hand showing the seconds on a
watch dial, reverberation Of a hundred
guns, mingling their whiffs of grape and
canister or the vOmit of bOursting Shells
with the pelting hail, which smota the
faces of two armies intent on extermina-
ing each other from the face of The earth.
Their ears and hearts ached with that
pregnant witness. and the two women
covered before the conjuring of a dream
Ike spectacle. with Walter in the whirl
OF its imagery OF terror Polly's vision
saw through a glass darkly," but she
could scarcely keep alOof from the fancy
That WentWOTth'S self had ESCAPED from
its shell and was visitor and participant
among the maddered line of combatants
She wandered Iestlessly as the day grew
and suspense racked the more sharply.
yet glance at her patients stony calm,
a mask with wide open eyes, which blab-
bed no secret with tongue or look. had
power almost TO root her unwilling feet.
The sun climbed nigh in his clear heaven
and dropped toward the west, where a
smoky murk fouled the blue with creep
ing edges. Still there was no subsistence
in the angry roar the devilish meaning
Of which even distance failed TO make
less appalling, no softening of those i'm
mobile features.
At last something went into the CLASSY
brightness Of the eyes, and the BODY gave
a shiver. There was an increased fury
Of sound. and then il ebbad Wentworth's
face was gray and pinched with terri
bic bulletin writ larger in IFS lines. The
Eli ilO NOIhc " hION Ifldt Inc
Federal right Ind finally broken 70 pieces.
smashed by Jaekson's tremendous and
persistent assault. and she knew it as
surely as il an ORDERLY had Ralloped there
hot from that field of ca mage. Was II
treason that I'm the 10Y Of d triumph there
v as yet a f1utter OF pity for him whose
colnrs were now IN Parthian aight7 The
witness was dumb and sank into a nat
-ral sleep like a tired child.
The thunder Of battle rolled away. ard
the days Of a week brought iessenIng
mutters till Brundsee Hall agaln basked
IN NOnted quiet. The convalescent was
told nothing except that his own army
had made good its retreat to the James
River That. however. hacked an Had In
a nutshell. Another fortnight gave him
he outdoor tonic Of air and sunshine.
bat they could not assuaee his disturb
ID spirits. Not a prisoner. but an un-
willing waif in the enemy's lines. the d.
emra was maddening, and he must get
10 his oWn. as soon as growing strength |
y ould permit, through all the hostile