The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-06-28
YES" answered B.nhan; land I shall

Yes" answered Benhazn; land 1 shall
be glad to see something of the country
more than can be seen from the river. I
mean"
AS his companion spoke the Major opened
tho door Of his room. When Benham entered
! an atmosphere heavy with stale tobacco
,, smoke greeted him, and he could hardly
restrain a gasp when he realized that he
beheld the dissertation OF a shrine. 1t had
been a girls room, as the remnants Of
dainty hangings. the muslin draped dressing
table and bed. the curtained bookstand and
the delicacy of the chairs and table wit
messed. But, alas. the sacrilegei Benham
saw that the hangings, now dusty and
dirty. had caught fire and been partly torn
down; several chairs were totally disabled
by masculine misuse. and sticky rings from
the bottoms of glasses defiled the top Of the
dressing table.
Pretty place to lodge a bachelor like
me, en- Benham?" said the Major. First
thing I did was to set that sham mosquito
netting over the bed afire when I was en-
joying a nocturnal smoke, and the whole
camp crowded in here to put II out. Wish
they'd done as we'll by me. You mustn't
take a chair without careful inspection OF
the soundness of Its legs"
THE fair owner will never recognize her
room. should she ever come back" COM
mented Benham.
Poor grill She must have left In the
deuce of a hurry. Sec here" And the Major
opened the closet door, disclosing a pa
thetic display OF feminine apparel. evidently
collected for fight. but abandoned at the
last moment. Benham stopped and took
from the heap a small bronze slipper. To
him there was pathos in these girlish be-
longings, exposed to the thoughtless view
OF aliens. He quietly slipped the shoe into
a pocket Of his blouse, and though he long
sat an apparently absorbed listener to the
Majors yarns, he was wondering il the
owner Of the confiscated shoe was as dainty
as its size promised
That afternoon Captain, Crane told Ben
ham to take the whaleboat and depart on
no less prosaic quest than the location OF
a sand bf,nk. The good Captain felt that his
reputation in the service depended upon the
properly holystoned condition OF the
Naenad's deck and the sand used for this
cleanly office was nearly gone. Benham
felt a little Ill used. but that did not temper
the feat. so he was much pleased when, aft
er a row of six miles. he discovered Just
such n white bank as the Captain had seen
in his minds eye. Setting the men at work
filling the sandbags, Benham wandered
idly down an inviting path. allured by Its
promise OF shade. and followed 1t into the
wood shcrt distance.
Suddenly he was startled by the sound OF
4 mans voice. He instantly drew his re-
volver and slowly advanced, hiding from
the speaker by a tsngle Of vines. The
path opened opt into wood road. across
which trio of untidy. ruffianly Union
soldiers made barrier with their clasped
hands TO detain a tall. slender young wom-
an. whose dark eyes sparkled with tndig-
nation as she confronted her tormenters
with a dignity that betokened her good
breeding. In spite of her coarse gown. Ill
fitting and shabby. Benham felt that she
was independent of things external to prove
herself an ar:stocrat Of the South.
Where are yer goin. my pretty maidr'
one OF the three demPlded.
An more to the D Int, what has yer got
in that air basket?" asked another.
Yer needn't be akin SO perlite." sneered
the third. "YouI,et these sniyellin' rebs
live like lords: gut this yer's contraband
stuff and shan't git no further
IT'S nothing but loaf of white bread
and bottle IF wine for my sick father"
said the girl. sstifing her anger in the hope
of saving Der treasure. Please let me
pass"
Not so fast said the first speaker. with
an nsoie9ee of tone and look that warned
senham Ct the necessity for speedy inter-