The National tribune., 1902-06-26

| Before daylight"
81 will send Il man to the road. There
he will join you. Call York and he will
understand"
Thank you. Captain
He threw mp his hand warninsly.
None of that here We are safe now,
but how long? COnfcderates may be upon
us ut any moment
The man had never smiled once; as to
that neither had /.
| There are men mt campfire half
mile from here" said |.
are
Il can tell you news
Not ut my request" said he.
Meade has crossed the Pamunkcy.'
! "Yon are tired and sleepy" said he.
Yes
"Do as | am doing"
He began pulling off his shoes.
Take them in your hand, said he,
land come with me-
He took an object. Il dark lantern, from
the mantel. lighted it. then turned the
slide so that none could see He blew out
the candle. i'll darkness opened the door.
and went into the passage.
| / gropcd after him up flight of stairs.
We made two turns and ] knew that he
was standing still ! heard him close a
door Then he showed a light, and | saw
| II pea Ill II corner OF lne FpoHl
Look about you quickly said he, in
a whispcr-out went the iitht.
Again he whispered: You vii net see
me in the morning The door will be I'M
barred Good night"
felt his hand searching for mine, and
srasred it warmly.
The night WAS very warm, yet / was
afraid to take off more than my coat. Fo:
Il long time / had no sleep. | thought of
many things. The gloomy house oppress
cd me- This Showalter confused me. The
stiffness WAS utter. | was resting. but not
sleeping. DO you know that this house
| VAS the first ! had slept i'll for almCst
three years: OF course. I had slept in
hospitals and in tents, and i'll huts-Win-
ter qua tcl:;. both Confederate and Fed
eral. hut in no citizens dwelling. And
this did not seem dwelling. And Showal-
trr-wat life, No doubt of his loyalty
obtrlt!ed ! had full faith in his helping
me. Tomorrow ] should find York waiting
for ire, and should he guided on my way.
should reach Gen. Smith and deliver my
message. Where were the ether mcssen-
gers: Had they found difficulty? Had
either failed? Had either succeeded?
Where was Lydia? The base for the army
would now he White House. Yet | had
10 hope that 1 should find her there; it
WAS 200 early for that. | hoped Lydia
yet Scranton was dead. and / could have
10 proper fear of any enterprise against
her. Poor Scranton,
After Il long time / sank into troubled
slumber. Showalter had not promised to
AXE ne. nor had | asked it; for, ike
Giany other men. | always awakc-most
frequently too early, and lie and lose sleep
through fear OF not awaking.
But | was awakened.
The late-risen moon showed Il recess at
my right: as soon rs ] got my wits to-
gcther | knew that l was looking through
Il dormcr window.
Something had disturbed my sleep. ]
could remember no noise. yet perhaps
there had been n noise perhaps Showaiter
was coming up the stairs to wake me;
perhaps he had already opened the door
| got NJ and put on my coat. 1t was
time to start.
Carrying my shoes I approached the
door. 1t was yet closed. | put my hand
on the knob and gently turned, so grad
ually turned it that it made no slightest
sound.
Showaltcr had said that we We're safe;
when | asked if nobody was in the house
he had seemed to cvadc; he had repeated
that we were safe. Perhaps | was not
the only friend to the Union cause harbor-
ing here this night.
/ began to open the door. Deserted
houses have creaking doors. My door did
not crcak. / opened it very slowly, lis
trning for it to crcak. 1t was opening.
\ space of Il foot WAS between its outer
edge and tho door-facing. / could see into
the passage. | could see the dormer win
dow just before me at the end of the pas
sage | say | could see the window. but
this is not entirely true: ! could see that
there was window. There was some
thing that kept me from seeing it, in the
window stood Il form.
The pale moonlight fell upon = drapcd
figure leaning on the window-sill. It's face
was from me. | had not power to move
or breathe. Level with the window Il
branch of some green tree was waving in
the wind; tlickering shade and light fell
upon the bending shape before me. | could
not be deceived: something was there.
Never had | seen aught of the symcr-
natural: d.: kEayme, even. was more han
increduouS concerning such: science was
his guide, and natural law his study, and
in no degree did he share the superStitions |
of the past age. Yet here was Il thing |
that | would not name: here. before my |
eyes. in six feet of my hand, n thing that |
caused my hair to stand on end and my |
breath To stop. 1t was not hilcous; even
in imagination it was not, Yet fear had
come upon me mt seeing it. and feas held |
ne standing. 1t was motionless; 1t gave |
nc sound yet there seemed to enianate |
something greater than sound d? motion.
| felt that mind was thcre-that if the |
fern were that of the dead, vet thought |
remained, and | expected it to move and |
vanish had read and heard stories of |
such things. and had rejected them as
imaginary. deliberately or involuntnrily |
false Now. here before my eyeS--no unti- |
cal dclusion, but fact-was this thing
that wDnlt not tnI; phi. |