Evening star., 1901-01-19

is found asleep at his post. Court martial con
victs Norman. who demands that Malloy. whose
~ the day uf his death.
CHAPTER XVI.
September. and all the north was IN
wild alarm! Lee, outfghting Pope and
outstripping Mcclellan, had leaped the Po-
tomac, and was swinging northward
through the heart of Maryland his fankers
riding within hail of Washington. Bragg.
dodging Buell., was bursting into Ken
lucky, where Kirby Smith was already at
work. his foremost troopers shaking their
fists and Haunting their gudons in the
very face of Cincinnati. At the national
capital there was amaze and despond
Throughout the southland was mad exuI-
tation- Through Nashville, day after day,
poured the divisions of the old army of the
Ohio. hanging on the left flank of the foe
Yet never checking his stride The peril of
the Union oppressed every loyal heart The
fate of the old flag hung In the balance.
Let the dead bury their dead muaned
the Over-weighted President. Every man
must he at the front. / cannot grant a
leave 1t was in answer TO the plea of a
Gonvalescent colonel begging only for two
days in which to carry home the body of
his beloved wife, who had nursed him and
his men through the Chickahominy fever.
only to fail ut last herself victim. Those
were ttNS III Wn-Cn 1ndlNluuaI cases could
hardly look for presidential action or in
reference, for days and nights were given
MP 10 public business. In the magnitude of
the cares Of the commander-in-cFief the
peril. Of the nation small wonder was it
that there seemed little hope of bringing to
the presidential ear the lone case of a
humble private, over whom the death
watch had been set for whom there would
b no week to come unless he signaIed
Hold"
EnyarJ, shot in fierce cavalry encounter
near McMinnville. had been borne to hos
pital. GafTney, still invaIided had been
transferred to a camp for conyalescents.
Norman Holt was utterly alone. One week
only one week-and the stern soldier at
the head of the department had said he
must face the firing squad that the army
might learn It's fearful lesson that sleeping
Oh post meant death.
He had written to the Rays who had
taken refuge in Louisville while Lexington
was invaded. but until the fourth dav no
answer reached him. Then it came in the
form Of a letter from Captain Enyarts
mother, saying that Mr.. and Miss Raw bad
gone To w Washington two days before his
letter reached the house, and, knowing their
anxiety on his account, she had opened it
and telegraphed. 1t seems Ma ior Lane too
was i'll of d fever. and his wife and daugfl-
ter had been sent for. Mrs. Enyart was in
deep distress about her son. who, with other
wounded. was being slowly trundled out of
Tennessee. But she dreaded lest Forrest
or Morgan should swoop down upon the
train All the world looked back to her
but she could find time to write words of
hope and cheer to the lonely and condemned
prisoner. Womanlke she could not believe
IL possible that atrociouS a sentence
could ever be carried out. Long years of
peace had dulled our people to the fearful
possibilities of war.
Five Of the seven days were gone. Nash
Vile was In wild commotion. Rraggs tri-
hmphant hosts had crossed the Cumberland,
prunced on the Louisville railway and were
heading for that city hard as they could
10. Buell. had hastened through, leaving
Thomas to command a day two, then
bidding him follow. Thomas had turned
the situation over to Negley and hurried
away with his fine division. and still
great force was left to hold this vitality i'm
portant state capital, and the eyes of all
men were turned ncrthWard watching for
the first Sign of the tremendous struggle
that must ensue the moment Bragg could
be brought to bay. And in those days there
dropped. alone. apparently deserted of the
world and forgotten save for his sentence,
the young soldier whose loyalty was costing
him his life.
The one wish he had expressed savored
too much Of the melodramatic to find favor
with the general In command. yet there
was method in It, for Holt had reasoned
that, while Ma'loy might not finch at false
swearing. now that he had either to swear
falsely or admit that his report of the affair
in the first place was largely untrue. still.
he might probably would. lack the nerve
70 give the word that should stretch his
that only to an officer of the provost mar
shall was such unwelcome duty assigned.
and that under no. circumstances would 1t
be ssddied material witness. Notified
that his request cou'd not be granted. he
asked that at least Lieutenant Malloy
should he required to attend the execution.
Even that ordeal might be too much for
him. and prompt him at the last moment to
confess the truth but Malloy had been sent
with the other witnesses in haste to join
their regiment. marching with McCook to
the rescue Of Louisville. Sheridan, too.
they told him. was now at the head of
division All so near and yet under the
circumstances poweriess to aid him.
There dawned day In late September
when the clouds hung low upon the sodden
earth for the heavens had mercifully
opened and poured out their torrents on
the parched and thirsty hllsides. and
drowned out the dense clouds of choking
dust through which had been tramptng
steadily northward the long columns, gray
Or blue all now one uniform shade of dirty
white. The flag hung lsnp and heavy on
Capitol Hill. The furrowed ridges to the
south were crowned with low-lying mist.
The coal smoke from the steamer tunnels
along the muddy banks hattened out across
the surface Of the swollen river. The skies
still wept and all nature seemed In sad ac-
cord with the strange. solemn ceremony
staged upon the open. undulating fields be-
tween the Notwithstanding pixies. In
long blue lines. forming three sides OF q
hollow square and facing inward. a brigade
had taken station and stood In silenca and