Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1902-04-09

anu my men were heaVlly Wearled, /
decided to halt where we were for the
night among some half-ruined houses
which would make temporary forti-
fication. Fortunately a drove of little
cloven- hoofed horses which had been
scared by some of the rebels in their
fight happened to blunder into our
lines, and as we killed five before thew
were clear again, there was a soldiers
supper for US, and quickly the fires
were lit and cooking it,
Sentries paced the outskirts and
made their cries to one another, and
the wounded sat by the fires and
dressed their hurts; and with the Off
GERS | talked over the enga gements of
the day, and the methods of each
charge, and the other details of the
fighting. 1t is the special perquisite
of soldiers to daily over these matters
with gusto, though they are entirely
without interest for laymen.
The hour drew on for sleep, and
shores went up from every side. 1t
was clear that al my officers were
wearied out, and only continued the
talk through Difference to their COM
mander. Yet l had a feverish dread of
being left alone again with my
thoughts, and pressed them on with
conversation remorsele ssly. But in
the end they were saved the rudeness
OF dropping off into unconsciousness
during my talk. A sentry came up and
saluted. MY lord" he reported,
there is woman come up from the
city whom we have caught trying to
come into the bivouac."
How is she named?
''She will not say
Has she business?'
''She will say none. She demands
only to see my lord"
Bring her here to the fire. I or
dered, and then on second thoughts
remembering that the woman, who
ever she might be, had news likely
enough for my private ear Cor other
wise she would not have come to so I'M
cOuth rendezvous, | said to the SEN
try: Stay" and got up from the
ground beside the fire, and went with
him to the outer line.
Where is she?" l asked.
MY comrades are holding her. She
might be a wench belonging TO these
rebels, with designs to put knife
into my lords heart, and then we SEN
tries would suffer. The empress" he
added, simply, seems to set good
store upon my lord a t present, and we
know the cleverness of her tormen-
tors
Your thoughtfulness is frank" [
cold nd Io Il
an. She was muff1ed up in hood and
cloak, but one who loved Nais as |
loved could not mistake the form of
Ilga, her twin and sister, because of
mere swathings. So l told the sentries
to release her without asking her for
speech, and then led her out from the
bivouac beyond earshot of their lines
1T is something of the most pressing
that has brought you out here, Ylga ?"
You know me, then? There must
be something warmer than the ordi-
nary between US two, Deucalion, if YOU
could guess who walked beneath all
these mutfiings."
let that pass. "But what's your err
rand, girl2'
aye" she said, bitterly, there's
my reward. All your concerns for the
message, none for the carrier. Well,
good my lord, you are husband to the
dainty Phorenice no longer"
This is news"
"And true enough, too. She will have
no more of you, divorces you, spurns
you, thu Gsts you from her, and, after
the first splutter of wrath is done,
then come pains and penalties
The empress can do no wrong.
will have you speak respectful words
of the empress"
ooh, be done with that old fable! 1t
| sickens me. The woman was mad for
love of you, and now she's mad with
| jealousy. She knows that you gave
Nais some of your priests magic, and
that she sleeps till you choose to come
and claim her, even though the day be
century from this. And if you wish
to know the method of her enlighten-
ment, it is simple. There is another
air-shaft next the one down which you
did your cooling and billing, and that
leads to another cell in which lay an
other prisoner. The wretch heard all
that passed, and thought to buy en-
largement by tellingit.
But his news came a trif1e stale. II
seems that with the pressure of the
mornings ceremonies they forgot to
bring him a ration, and when at last