The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-11-17

the one woman who coulof have made Ben
toms stay a world OF straIise, sweet. witch
ing delight was beginningsday after day to
show less inclination TO approach him at
all. A fortnight OF watch sg that beautiful
dark face, that slender. vsilowy form, and
listening TO that silvery Eoice-alternately
pleading. cajoling. caresstlg. commanding.
while TO him IL was onty coldly courte-
ous-had done its work. cred Benton was
mending in body. but rot In mind. fof
doubly now was he a prisoner.
And this fair April m rning the new1
he heard had made him ll the more rest.
less and troubled. The Fesierals were land
ing in force and marchieg on Yorktown.
and Longstreet's whole had been
sent away. with others. q meet them. He
doubted not that his old comrades OF Nc
Dowel's corps would be IN action ere ever
he could reach them. and Che thought drove
his pulses up to fever he<t again, and Ro-
sale Chiffon, without seeiaing to look. saw
IL in the flush of his anxious face and came
to him instanter.
You will be having sever again. Mr..
Benton" said She. and tho cool, white hand
that at first had arranged. the bandages OF
his head and arm. or tested his pulses with.
out a sign of hesitancy. seemed now ca
falter and shrink. as thoagh Il had TO be
forced to an unwilling task. II stung Ben
ton sore, for, manlike, ~ could read only
one Interpretation. How different had she
been with Ladue. when, for three days. he
was feverish and headache. Why, she had
bathed his hot forehead time and agaiu
within an hour, and sn; oothed back his
rumpIed hair. and she could hardly have
treated her own brother more affectionate-
ly. Once-Fred could almost swear to tt
Paul had seized and ki4sed her pretty
hand, a thing that. were he to attempt
his Instinct told him IL would be furiously
resented. and not entirely. because he wat
a Yankee. With shame snd contrition did
Benton admit to himself that he was nov
not sorry to see Paul 60, yet would
he not give to recall him?
For several days after Ills capture IL had
been Benton's belief thas Paul was con.
cealed in the room Rosaiie declared hers
at the Henry house-the room sacred e
her stricken brother-ano not until aftei
their coming to Charlottesville was he un.
deceived. There. one afternoon the weel
before he went away, the young Confeder
ate was moved TO refer TO the matter
mainly by seeing that IL was a subject Of
which Benton fought shy.
"I had been with Miss Chiffon and poo1
Jack some hours that morning." said he
for the guard never came In the front
part Of the house, but she had ordered me
to go and get some sleep In the afternoon
it having been fully determined that ]
should make the attempt TO escape thai
night. Lying there in a sort OF cat nap
toward 5 o'clock 1 heard the soldiers speal
your name and could not resist the longing
to see you. Then when you turned back !
knew you had come to search and hat
plenty of time TO fatten out between the
joists and pull my section OF the floor ove
me. You stamped on my nose with You
spurred boot heel. Fred. and I nevca
WINGED"
So that ghost was laid, at least as far az
Rosalie was concerned. But how about the
other-the far more significant and now
mysterious freak of clothing herself IL
Paul's uniform and slipping through the
darkness Of night to the stone house? Foi
whose zake-for what purpose-had she Sc
carefully disguised, yet recklessly exposed
herself? Not even her father had been told
as yet. de had so confded TO Benton only
a day or two after Paul's departure. and
now. with her growing shyness. aversion
or whatever 1t might be toward him. little
likelihood was there. thought Benton, Of
his learning the secret from her lips, and
that, too, when he was beginning to fee
that he must know.
Every day of late, for hours. he could
pace up and down the pretty. homeliks
garden. listening to the low chatter In the
arbor, the tinkle of guitar, the soft bub-
bling laughter or the murmur OF reading
aloud when Jacks girls"-Rosaiie's APP
proved-were there. What comical little
ceremonies had there been in the success
sive presentation Of their Yankee captiva
to these, their Virginia neighbors. o.
course. the story of all his kindness to the
doctor had been told-otherwise his pres
ence would have been insupportabie. But
some one had said ne was very handsome
very silent, very interesting. and that ne
couldn't keep his big blue eyes OF Rosaiia
and so there was much curiosity mingline
with the stately little curtseys each II
turn accorded him. Hour after hour. az
they watched. they could see that his eyes
we're ever following Resale. coming and
going, for she had assumed all house
keeping cares OF late. and was forever busy
lbout the homestead. Yet. as the evening
shadows grew long and the sun began to
sink, she was sure to appear with PONG
and Peter to bear the lieutenant. stretched
and all, 10 his bedroom, and at the same
time Prisoner Benton was hidden to return
TO his delightful cell overlooking the gar.
den and giving him views Of the ~neighbor.
hood denied him when below stairs.
And this April evening as. obediently. he
returned TO his quarters and sat at the
window awaiting the doctors coming 70
look at his arm before tea time. his eyes
were attracted by the sight OF a certain
broad-brimmeo drab felt hat that he had
noted more than once before that day, pass
ing along the fence at the side OF the house
where the hedge was so thick and high
hat, only at the gateway, now nearly
boarded UP, could IL be seen from the arboi
Il all. Now, from the commanding heigh.
II the chamber window. Fred Benton saw
distinctly not only the hat, but much Of
he form and some Of the face beneath Ii,
md face and form were those OF a young
and slender girl. Even while he was won
iering why a young lady should be patrol.
ing that side street so close TO the garden
wall, she lifted up her eyes-tilting back
the hat-and looked full at the captive
Yankee. then stopped short. glanced hasti-
~ about her, took from the bosom OF her
gown a little white note, held IL high that
ne should see IL. turned and walked back