Oxford Democrat., 1903-09-29
When ~~~~g By
3 BEAUMONT
Rode His ; KENNEDY
} Raid oo~~$ y
7 IE tore Off the spray Of blossoms
IL he had held out of her path
and shredded the delicate pet
Goemisht. 1905. BY Sara Bssssoat ksaaeh
sCsOsCsC0sSsOsOsCsCsI
ais inpatiently.

and shredded the delicate pet.
ais impatiently.
'Hark you, Dulcine! 'Tis with Low,
ers as with birds-One in the hand is
worth two in the bush"
THAT depends, should say, on their
quality" she said, laughing.
(Which means that you like not my
quality?"
which means rather that like you
not as lover"
He threw the raveled flower into the
dust Of the road and stamped upon 1t
with his heel "Well, it's take me or
have no lover at all, for before tomOr-
rows sun comes up Robert Crenshaw
will be dead or u prisoner in the hands
of the British"
She paled and took step nearer him,
then caught herself up with sharp
turn. Mayhap here was something of
moment to learn. In those stirring
war times little information often led
to so much.
Robert Crenshaw is not the only lad
who comes my way
NO, but he is the only one for whom
you have so much welcome. The rest
of us get short shrift. But just you
wait until tomorrow and see how your
lover in the bush fares"
"'Tis long time to wait" she said
warily; perhaps with your prophetic
eye you can pierce the intervening
hours and the twenty miles Of space
and tell ne about it. Or have you sud
denly gone blind in your prophets
eye:"
She was trembling with eagerness for
his answer. but she must keep him off
his guard if she would learn the mean
ing of his dread hint: therefore she
laughed mockingly as she stretched up
her own hand for bit Of the bios
somed bush beside her.
He came quite close to her. Jealousy
and anger making him blind to her sub
terfuge.
~ mean that Tarleton rides a raid
tonight along the Laur2ns road" he
said Garkly. Then. seeing b. tn vailcr
of her face how much of his secret he
had betrayed. he added hastily. with a
forced smile. AT least that is what |
think see: but. then. my prophetic eye
may be aSluint."
The blood was pounding at her wrists
and temples. but still she laughed care
leSSly.
"Aletl.inks it is sadly asquint. You
are but telling me bu@aboo story as
though were ciiild TO be scared. IT'S
not kind of you to try to friehten me
causeleSsly."
YES. It's bat bugaboo story" he
said, anxious to recall the Information
he had unguartedly let slip. but she
knew the truth had come first.
They were standing at the gate OF hel
fathers lawn. His horse cliamped at
its bit just outside. and hers whinnied
softly as it pulled at the bride in her
land. for she had been on her way to
Il neighbor's when she met the young
man. They were an i'll matched pair,
for she was 1.-THE and straight and
GOOD TO look MJon, while he was small
and thin. with a look Of premature age
in his face heightened by deep burn
scar across his cheek. But there was
that about his mouth that every WON
IN should be glad to find in her nus
band n latent tenderness Of nature, q
line which indicated capacity fol-
great self sacrifice.
He talked on eagerly Of his love for
her. of his long suit before the coming
OF Robert Crenshaw. but she scarcely
heard him. The words ''rarleton rides
a raid tonight" beat to and fro through
her brain like weaver's shuttle. fash
ioning its own dread sequel. She was
quivering to be alone. to take in the
whole dread meaning Of his disclosure,
but she smiled and answered him Willie
he fingered until the big gold OF ophii
sun seemed resting on the top rail OF
the fence across the rice field. Then a.
last he mounted and rode away.
He. Peter La Brun, was Il Tory; she'
Dulcine Langston, was n Wing OF the
most inflammable kind. and the spark
of hint he had dropped famed to a
white heat in her imagination. Twen-
ty miles away. in the Laurens district.
Marion and his men lay In fancied Sc
curity after that series Of sallies and
escapes which had startled the country
like the coming and going OF an appa'
rition. In that dauntless band was
Robert Crenshaw. And Tarleton, the
cruel. the infiexible. was on their trail!
SHE knew what that meant ana shuu-
dered in the golden glow Of the sunset
as though she had stepped into sud-
den swirl of snow. And then. with an
anger because he had
brought the evil news, she suddenly
hated little Peter La Brun riding away
yonder into the radiance Of the dying
day.
But with a quick indrawing Of the
breath she remembered the peril that
menaced not only Robert Crenshaw,
but the whole Of the patriotic band
that followed Marion's bugle call. The
blow would fall tomorrow at day dawn.
and there was none to carry warn
ing, for every man and every boy OF
the neighborhood was away with Ma
rIon himself in that Ill fatcd camp or
else with Lee ut Charleston. This raid
of Tarleton's meant the swift and ut
ter destruction of the continental cause
I'm the Carolina districts. All. If there
were only some one whom she might
send! But there was no one. and the
mainstay of the Carolinas, the hope OF
the patriots, must go down under the
sword of the invaders. Death would
hold high carnival tomorrow: all-ev-
erything-would he lost. Pitiful God.
If there was any one to go,
Then suddenly her eyes fell on her
horse, ready bridled and saddled, at
craze not q dozen feet away. The slight
figure grew rigid for moment, the
eyes darkened, hardened with sud
den purpose, then slowly lost their gilt
tor of resolution as they turned toward
AbOrtiOn Prevented