News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1901-11-06

What are you thinking dbo1t2' / asked
without any one suspecting you were
going on my accOunt?"
WELL now, why don't yo' give me
somet'n hard?"
Go and get me a newspaper or an
almanac"
He was out of the room and back in
moment with a Huntsville paper of
that mornings issue. l scanned its
columns before looking at the date and
noticed this item:
The main body Of the Yankees are marching
from Nashville to Columbia en- route it is sup
posed, to Pttsburg Landing, where they will
doubtless join the Federal General Grant.
Looking at the heading, l saw that
the date was the list of April
"Now, Buck" l said, get out your
pony; then come to me for instruc-
TONS"
look a-hyar, Mr.. Brandy Brandy
stone"-
"Branderstane."
"Well, Mr.. Brandinstane, if yo' got
| any 'structions | reckon yo' better give
'em to me now. Mebbe if | come back
hyar that doggone ole Lib'll come in an
yank me out"
you're right. Reach me that sheet
of note paper and a book to write ON -
that thin one; now pencil. All right.
Don't say a word till have finished"
| / wrote a message in as infinitesimal
characters as | was able on a third of
a sheet of paper:
Machine shops at Huntsville in good order Fiji.
teen to 20 locomotives. Nearly a hundred cars.
| No force in the town. To the east road runs
parallel with and near the pike for several miles
| and is handy to cut. To the west party to cut
| the road must pass round the city on the north.
Enemy gathering all possible forces at Pittsburg
/ Landing, but several thousand men at Chatt2.
nooga.
| / put neither address nor signature ia
| 1t, as none was necessary, and they
would be conclusive evidence against
me if the message should fall into the
| wrong hands.
Buck" | said, mount your pony
and ride to Huntsville. A few min.
utes before y O'Clock go into the Hunts
vile hotel; you know-the big brick
house on the square Go up stairs and
out on the front gallery. AT l. o'clock
a man with black eyes. long hair and
a pointed beard will walk out on the
gallery. Don't say anything to him
Wait, and after awhile he'll say some
thing to you
"Will he?" asked the boy, his eyes
full of wonder "What'll he say"
Hell say. It's fine day."
"What, if it's raininY
"Yes; rain or shine, If he's the man
you want, he'll say, It's a fine day.
Then you must say, Reckon you're
weather wise. stranger To that he'll
reply by asking you what kind OF
weather it was the day of the massa.
Gre"
what massacre? What's a massa.
cree"
"Never mind that. Stick to the les.
son I'm teaching yon. You must say
Black as night Then he'll say
whats the wordY ana you can hand
him this note. Now, suppose I'm the
man with the pointed beard and you
60 through the dialogue with me-"
l put him through his lesson till be
had learned il perfectly. Then | sent
him away with the injunction that, IN
case anything should go wrong with
him, rather than part with the paper he
was to swallow 1t. | rolled ii into q
ball and put 1t into the lining of his
hat. Giving his little hand a squeeze
babe him go, and he marched out as
proudly as if he had been appointed
military governor of Alabama. | had
no doubt he would execute his mission
to the best of his ability, but he was
very young, and | feared he would
make some blunder.
what a fool amp exclaimed as
soon as he was gone 81 should have
failed to communicate rather than in.
trust so important a matter to a boy
However, I'll leave here tomorrow
morning, and, If my message mis-
carries, by the time it's discovered I'll
be somewhere else"
Helen came in soon after Bucks de
parture and began to set the room to
rights. She attended to her work ST.
lently and did not even look at me.
] watched her as she moved about, ar.
ranging a curtain here, moving a chair
there or piling books on the table more
neatly. She was a true type of a
southern woman-tall, willowy, a head
set on her shoulders In a way to make
an artist involuntarlly reach for q
brush. Her hair and eyes were as
black as night, while on her cheeks was
a bright color. There was something
on her mind. l could see that plainly
/ fancied If / gave her time 1t would
come out. At last she dropped heI
work and stood looking out Of the win.
dow.
what are You thinking about?' ]
asked, going at the subject with
brusque directness.
"The mNn you came to Alabama to
kill"
"You would shield himT