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

preach at Gen. Brundage. The helpless
Nirginian's face was impurpled. his eyes
bicodshot With the storm which rsndsd
him within. this old man who had the
strength OF baby and the wrath OF a
Titan. till scalding tears rolled down his
face IN his torture
"A gal, too, as handsome as a prize
doll at a church fair. WAL I say, we hey
struck 1t rich. boysT' The ruffian. leering
at Polly. threw a kiss to he- with his
dirty paw and assembled the steps to ap-
preach the family group. wentworth
Instantly shaped his plan. He allowed
himself 10 be rudely tostled as the man
lurched by toward Polly. but with a mo-
ton OF lightning he snatehed the pistol
from its holster and feIled the rascal
with smashing stroke Of the butt Be-
fore the gaping trio could shake of their
! daze he stood between them and their
81 ms, with leyeled slx-shoOter In hand
Quick. Caesar. a rife there. and stand
readyF' he sang TO the black boy who
mad watched the spectacle with big eyes,
ard scarcely had this recruit armed him
self when another tumbled over the fence
and clutched a second gun. With a gush
OF penitence, Pompey had followed the
/ marauders from the woods. "Pze a wick
Cd niggah, mars" he blubbered. Dem
Onioners swine to shoot me, an ] tole
UNI bout Mars Ginnul. But Tze fight
now. deed / will" And he pulled the
trigger with such remorseful zeal as to
SEND the bullet hUmming far wide Of its
marx The stupor OF the rascals was
broken by the shot, and they scuttled
IKE rabbits around the far side of the
| porch 10 join their comrades, busy in
piondering henroost and smokehouse.
Ihe shot upset Wentw orths calcula-
tons. He had fancied that the gang. de-
prived OF their leader and confronted
with arms, would retire without further
Trischief. Now he dreaded a fusiiiade Il
would &C s0rely against the grain TO fire
OF his own uniform, though that uni
form had been disgraced by its wearers.
and he would be clearly within the line
OF his duty. But fate took the problem
out of his hands. The jingIing OF scab-
bards smote the ear sharply, for the
Srass-g-own road had muffied the nearing
hoof beats. Carbine shots and yells rang
out as squad OF gray coated troopers
rode to the gate, while others pursued
such Of the flying thieves as had not
dropped What wonder that in the con-
fusion OF the scene shots few at the
SoAAldIs D4At HBuIe standing, SWORD IN
hand, on the grass, Tom Wentworth
sank to the ground. pierced by bullet,
and Polly. who had watched the swiftly
changing drama with her heart in
her mouth, felt a mist swim over
her senses. Blind TO all else, she
| spranS from the piazza and bent over
the huddled heap of blue. the hero VINO
! had fallen for her and hers What mat
! ter to her now whether he wore blue or
/ gray,
Polly, Polly, what does all this mean,"
said familiar voice. and she looked UP
into the face OF her brother, who com
manded the troopers
He. this soldier. the Federal gyard."
pante1 tie girl he saved US from those
Vretches, and now YOU have killed him for
II. Walter. An I. only this mornin [
mated him. and cyalled him BAD names"
| whimpered poor Polly.
III sorry" said Walter Rrundage. "for
| that missent shot, but it couldn't be
! helped Anything blue, you know. is a
magnet for bullets" And he took her
IN his arms and kissed her tenderly.
Good God. look at grandfather Full
OF an awful dread the pair ran TO the
/ porch. Gen. Brundage was dead, literally
slain by the violence of his own wrath
and outraged pride, a thin trickIe of
blood smearing his white beard. as il
oozed from the dilated nostril. The
daughter who had loved and nursed him
, so tendcrly sat within arms length.
b!indly winking, for her wits had gone
wcolgatherirg, and it was the sudden Wis
ion of Walter which pulled them together.
J Dean boy, welcome" she smiled. and
then her eye travelled with gathering
!i6ht and ken from their convulsed faces
10 the shock Of the dead face sagging
Imply on the breast
When the wounded Wentworth was
reused from the first torpor OF his shat
tered rib there came to his perceptions
the loud lamentations OF the negroes. .he
grief-stricken faces of the Brurdage Ia
dies bowed over the chair where the mai
eSty Of death was throned, and the sym,
pathetic group of gray troopers standing
apart. 1t seemed to belong to the imagery
of a dream. Then the tOrturing pain rack
ed him and cleared his brain for space.
He heard the words Of command ordering
the body of the marauder, which had been
tumbled from the porch. to be dragged
away. That was beyond the mending of
the galloWs tree or the surgeons trephine
Il have no time TO mourn" said the Con-
OF his voice. Two hours more an We
must ride. | barely got leave TO eyome.
an ia was TO such grief as this. To-
morrow al dawn''-he glanced about as II
even there he would hedge in a rerilo1s
secret-'we attack the Federal right with
crushin' odds. for 'StoneWalP Jackson has
arrived with his whole army 10 strength
en- Gen. Lee. an the Yankees suspect
nuthin'. We shall grind them to powder
an end the waw. for the victory in our
hands will make the world ring"
Fierce elation lifted his accent above
sorrow. though the tension quickly
gripped him anew
AN now We must bury this deah old
man till We can give him propah funeral
honahs worthy of the Brundages. To-
morrah the mem'ry OF this'n sharpen
Yet perhaps Polly'-his voice softened a
ittle-"that will fade away with other
things Of life, for / may be what he is
now, an you alone, with no one to lean
on"
His glance unwittingly roved, with a
frown of annoyance, to the wounded
Wentworth, who quivered with a feeble
movement. The pressure Of facts was
complex and immediate and one feeling
ci3shed with the impact of another II
don't know what TO do with this man.
Were he one OF those miscreants a few
minutes would settle it," His look of in
terroSation was answered by the nod of a
tall sergeant. But the fellows wounded
an has done us right gyallant service.
even, If 'twere his duty By heaven, the
problems maddenin'! l cyan't leave him,
with two women heah; cvan't send him
into Richmond; he cyan't be returned 10
his own lines" Capt. Brundase twisted
his mustache in moody vexation.
I'm settle that. Walter. He must STAY
heah." Polly's eyes were swimming with
the grief that would have its way. but de-
termination glittered through their mist.
and her voice rang clear My face 'u'd
shame me In the glass if the house which
he defended didn't give this brave man
shelter and nursin'. An he's out there.
perhaps dyin' now. He must be cared for
AZ once Don't You see, deah old Waite.
Tiers nuthin' else in honah?"
Walter suceumbed gloomily to logic and
gratitude, but with n wrench FOR he bod
ed vague mischief As Tom Wentworth