The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1901-05-29

owner had been bold enough to remain
and guard his own, offered to trade
him the'fne British coat I wore for any
coat of his own, however old, provided
it would hold together on my shoulders.
He produced the coat and made the
trade, by which he was great gamer,
and asked me no questions, differing
therein from the country people Of the
northern regions through which l had
campaigned SO long. Moreover, he look
ed very curiously at the tall girl with
me.
"You are American, he said to ne
Just before we started.
Eyes. %
1.-The lady looks English. %
"She is English.
'sIt is very strange. %
"You are right. It is strange. -
Such were my thoughts as we walked
away. The man who seemed to live
there alone, half hunter, half farmer,
stood in his cabin door and watched US
until we passed out of sight.
prevailed upon the girl to ride for
awhile, but after an hour on horseback
she disnounted again, saying that she
preferred to walk About the middle of
the afternoon we met a farmer who con-
frmed my belief that Morgan had pass
ed on toward the Broad river, though
he knew nothing of Tarleton. An hour
later as we were passing through thick
woods some one cried out to US to halt
I almost sprang up in my astonishment,
and the girl uttered little cry Of fright,
for neither Of US supposed any one to be
near, having seen nothing and heard
nothing, and Old Put. l suppose, was
tired or dreaming
Stop said to Julia '9It may be
friends. -
Two men on horseback came from
position among the dense trees. They
were dressed in rough homespun gray
and looked like Americans, the two
facts together inducing the belief that
they were militia scouts of Morgan's.
AN American and his lady" said
the foremost to me. You are a soldier,
are you not::''
eyes" replied.
And on the way to Morgan, too, I
take it. Keep straight to the northwest,
and you Will overtake him. We are
good patriots too.
Thank you, said Morgan seems
to keep a good watch. 1 hope that we
will overtake him before nightfall.' %
He had ridden very close to me.
81 don't think it, my fine fellow, -
he said I'VE will take good care Of
both you and the lady, for we are Tarle-
tons scouts, not Morgan's.
saw then that the appearance and
manner of the men had deceived me,
but no thought of surrender to them en-
tered my mind. I snatched at my pistol.
The man, who was as wary as q pam
ther, saw tie movement, and, drawing
his own weapon, we fred almost at tho
same time. I saw him reel in his sad
die, but not fall, and 1 was conscious
of thrill of pain in my head, followed
by heavy, crushing sensation, as if I
had been struck by q hammer. stag
gered, falling to the ground upon ny
hands and knees. Consciousness lefS me
entirely for few minutes and then
came back dimly, just enough for me-
to dream and to create events for NY
self
In this dream l saw girl with tawnv
gold hair and blue eyes raise pistol
and fire at the second man, who had
drawn cavalry saber The man, shout
ing with pain, dropped his saber, clap
ped his other hand to his shoulder and
galloped after his comrade. whose horse,
frightened by the shots, was running
away with him. Both disappeared in
the wood, and the girl, who stood for
minute or two watching, the empty
pistol in her hand, seemed to feel sure
that they would not come back, for she
rushed to the wounded man on the
ground and raised his head in her arms
watched her with curious inter
est, this blond girl who had been SO
bitter of speech and yet SO much the
master of herself. The man had risen
to his knees once, but had fallen back
from weakness. His eyes closed almost,
his face became very white, and there
was blood on his hair. She raised his
head and kissed his face once, twice
and more. and begged him not to die.
Give! Live for yourself and for me,
Philip, for l love you, my heron' she
said. and great bay horse stood look
ing and listening. Then she flew to
little brook she saw flowing through the
wood, and bringing water in her cap
poured it upon the mans face, while
the horse nodded approval. Then she
washed the blood out Of his hair and
bound up the wound with something
white. "No, Put, I will never leave
him., she said, 81 will never leave
him, for he has saved me from death
and worse, and 1 love him-I tell you I
love him. whereupon the great horse
nodded his approval with extreme vigor.
/ came to myself, and Twas sorry that
the dream was over. 1t had been pleas
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