The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1901-03-01

precautions. drew from my pocket
long silk handkerchief, trophy of Il
Monmouth campaign, which | had pr,
served with great care.
''Hold out your hands, / said
"What would you do?' she asked.
turning upon me look of fire.
But was firm My experience had
been too great
Hold out your hands,, repeated
II intend to bind them together. Yo
play too MANY tricks. =
''You are not gentleman -
"You have told me that three or four
times already 1t won't bear further
repetition. -
II will not submit to such thing. F"
"Then will have to use force, which
will make it n-Ich more unpleasant for
you
l hated to do what had planned. 1t
was rude and severe, but then there are
few who have had women prisoners
like mine, and consequently there are
few who are in position to judge me.
/ prefer greatly to deal with the regular
forces, but in this case had no choice,
and so strengthened my will ard pro-
ceeded
"Hold out your wrists, repeated
II shall not hurt you. merely wish to
keep you out of further mischief. -
II shall never forgive you. she said
could afford to laugh at such a
threat
Il trust that nobody VIII forgive me
until ask for forgiveness, - l said
Size loo!-->. at me. her eyes full of re-
Eeillon. thought she was going to
raise her hand to strike me- but women
are so changeable and uncertain. In
stead she held out her hands meekly
bound her wrists together and no,
ticed that they were white and well
nodded. The handkerchief was soft and
could not pain her at all, and, BESIDES
her hands were bound in front of her
and not behind her. She need feel no
Inconvenience, but she must realize that
her opportunities for mischief were di.
minished vastly. Old Put locked at her
with an air of triumph, as much as to
say, "Now, miss, you are being pun
ished, and punished dcscrvcdly, for beat
ing me SO much. T" That seemed to be
her own understanding of herself
We resumed our march, the horses
walking behind us. The rim of the sun
was now leeeting the rim OF the earth,
and the western skies were tiuged with
ruddy fire. In the east the misty gray
of twilight was descending on field and
forest, and the chill of night was creep.
ing over everything. Even i'll our South
Carolina latitudes the nights are cold in
midwinter, and shivers6 as twilight
wind, with raw edge to il, swept over
the plain
There was a heavy cloak hanging at
her saddle horn, for she had not ven-
tured upon her journey unprepared.
took it off and threw it over her shoul-
ders. 1t fell below her waist like a great
coat, and buguoneu it securely around
her neck
"You are a barbarian, " she said.
II know it" replied, "but do not
intend to let you suffer more than is
necessary for your own good. That is
the kind of barbarians we are in this
| country"
The country was lone and desolate,
for we were on the sterile slopes of the
| hills. 1t was thinly peopled at the best
| of times, but now, raided necessarily by
| Tarleton's legion, which knew no mercy
to anything, whether animate or mani
mate, and plundered, too, by wild bands
| which claimed to belong to either army,
| as the occasion served, and perhaps be-
| longed to neither, the people had fled to
securer regions, where one side or the
other was master. Only those who have
seen 1t know the sufferings of country
harried by opposing armies and preda-
tory bands. l had hoped to find some
friendly farmer bolder than the rest with
whom my prisoner and l could find
| shelter, or if not that, at least some
abandoned house which would give us
roof, but l. saw no sign of human
| face except our own, and no roof appear.
ed either in the fields or among the
trees. 1t was solitude bleak and cold,
and the declining sun, now half way
behind the earth, warned me that it
would soon be time to stop, for the
darkness would be upon us, and in a
! land of hills, gullies and no roads we
could not travel well without light.
Despairing of such shelter as I had
expected, ! turned our course toward a
thick grove of trees rising like great
castle on the left. When we entered it,
the shadows already made darkness
there, and the night wind moaned
among the dry branches of the trees. /
saw the girl shiver, and again l felt
pity for her in spite of all that she tried
to do, though lost none of my distrust
and caution.
Almost in the center Of the grove was
small open space, sheltered from the
rush of cold air by the great trees which
grew SO thickly around it. 1t seemed to
me to be the likeliest spot we could find
for camp. l hitched the horses to
boughs of the trees and took from my
pocket small flask of that cheer which
good soldier seldom neglects drew
the stopper and handed it to the girl
''Take little of this, l said "You
must if you do not expect to catch your
death of cold.
II would if l could" she said, "but
! cannot while my hands are tied
~ had forgotten the handkerchief, Z"
replied, "but don't think We'll need
it any longer You have been warned
i sufficiently"