The sun., 1903-02-15
AN INTERLUDE
n IN WAR TIME.
Adventure of the Girl Who Cauz zht =
Soy and " as Herself Caught IN Turn.
copvnem, 1908. BY Lou, Joseph Vance.

a fierce drumming. which stiued the homely.
noises OF the night
| The girl stirred uneasly in her sleep and
| sighed then suddenly found herself erect
| In her bed, tensely awake ard paipitant
with alarm. The familiar darkness OF her
| room seemed AZ protecting b,ilwark' but
| from beyond-from far in the north. she
| judged-came with increasing Intensity that
heavy hammering upon the pike.
! She arose quickly. struggling with
! vague fear. and made her way to the win
| dow. there to lean far out, listening with a
| uuckening heart. vainly straining her eyes
| against the dense blackness Of the night.
| Out Of the volume of sound ieaped
| sharply the clatter Of the leader. the pur-
sued, driving madly down the slight decline
| TO the creek, the resonant booming as he
crossed the bridge; clatter again as he
| breasted the rise.
As he neared the house there seemed to
| be a momentary cessation of this sound,
| wherein that Of the pursuers rang with
| terrifying prominence-but only for the
| fraction OF an instant. when once more the
hoofbeats Of the fugitive took up the domi-
nant note of the unequal duet. soon, how
ever TO yield to the rushing roar Of those
who followed. An invisible whirlwind
swept past. a very nightmare Of creaking
leather, clanking swords. oaths and flying
hoofs. and faded rapidly into the distance.
| For awhile she remained at the window.
| ouiescent. but definitely troubled because
| of what the incident might portend What
| could il mean, she asked herself, but the
| coming of war-that war which hitherto
| had seemed so remote. so almost unreal
| at times?
And if not. why then had the perennial
! peace of the valley farms been broken by
! this hideous clamor by night, this flight OF
fear from the lust of blood?
II war was to come. what should be the
fate Of her invalid father and herself? 1t
could not surge about them. she knew. and
| leave them unharmed.
A fash of vivid light ilumined the land
| scape; then came crash upon rolling crash
| of thunder. and the rain in torrents. She
! crept barefoot over the COOL wide hall TO
! the door of her fathers room, where she
] crouched for an hour or more, listening for
! his stertorous breathing till at length the
| storm had spent itself and her fears we're
| Tiled: he had not walked. And 80 TO her
bed and the swift. tranquil sleep of youth.
She was reused by the singing Of bugles
| ard the stir Of drums. From her window.
as far as the eye could see. the valley
| swarmed with bluecoated soldiery, regi-
ment after regiment. pouring in at the
| base of Round Mountain in the mort h, press
ing steadily toward the Gap in the south.
The earth vibrated o the tramp Of many
| feet in time to fifcs and drums. And there!
| and thereon every hand wavered and
| tapped. rusty, blood-staine and battle
| rent, the flags OF her country.
| Presently veteran regiment swung
down the pike and deboucled into the
| field opposite. making way for q detach-
ment of cavalry, which passed at a rapid
trot. The men broke ranks; one CT two
I Immediately crossed to the house. A
dozen followed; in a trice half the regiment
1 pressed about the kitchen door and the
| well curb.
She dressed hastily and descended to
the kitchen, where she found highly
excited negro cook vigorously repellng
the humorously amorous advances of a
tattered scamp-a sergeant by his stripes.
&C. long now. yo' white man, she shrilled.
"Ah amt got no ordehs. All done tole
Lyo'. Dinah d do mos anythin' foh uh
Union sodger. but che amt got omission
Gwuffum heah. ah tells yo'!'
-Aw. but Dinah. dear the man
begged. Then he fell back. removing
his cap and bowling as the girl entered.
Excuse me, Miss
But the girl interrupted him.
| -Dinah. cook everything you can. Make
coffee--have 'Lige bring up hams from the
smoke house. and
Deed, Missy Betty, Dinah will. Oh
thank de"
You're most kind, Miss said the SER
geant.
aKind!- she echoed. -What-why, you
poor boy. you look half starved!'
The man smiled he was at least ten years
her senior.
we are" he confessed; "a night march
sharpens up appetites fearfully. We can
only thank you now. but I'll see that you
are paid"
Indeed. you must do nothing of tho
sort. This is the least we can do"
negro boy tugged at her sleeve.
Missy Betty. Massa wants yo'.'
When she reentered the kitchen il was
deserted but for Dinah. The last soldier
was disappearing around the corner of
the house, both hands full, munching as
he ran to rejoin his command,
-Dinah. I think you'd better tell 'Lige
to ride over for the doctor"
-Iawsy, Missy, he amt wuss?"
NO, l don't think he is worse. He is
excited and irritable; he worries about
Fred, you know. He blamcs me for letting
him GO Poor father"
Poor III Missy
Suddenly her eyes dimmed and she fed
from the servants sympathy. She stood
irresolu,e in the hallway until presently
sanctuary offered and she went to it
| pladly-a sacred place. ever inviolate from
sunlight; quiet. cool. fragrant with pot
pourri. II had been her mo, hers room.
Painting, she sank upon the bed. The
stinRinx pain OF her fathers injus, ice.
love and pity for him. fears for his safety,
for his life, even, in the impending struggle
which trembled in the air; these stirred
her.
Her mind turned to her absent brot her,
the well-beloved black sheep Of the family.
| A runaway to the wars. She had known
that he was going and had kept silence
had deemed Il but right that he should 60.
For this she was so blamed. As IL she
did not care, AZ if. since his departure. her
life had not been one constant prayer for
hia safety,
By degrees she came TO the relief of tears
| and went conyulsyelv: then In an inst n MT