Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-01-18
CHAPTER XVIII.
The Reputation of a Woman.

Already, believing me merely some private
| soldier straying out of bounds with a wo-
| man of the camp as companion, he had
thrown himself from the saddle to investi-
| gate. Whatever was to be done must be
accomplished quickly, or 1t would prove all
| too late. To think was TO act Stepping in
stantly in front of the shrinking girl and
| facing him, said sternly:
| II do not know who you may chance to
be, sir, nor greatly care, yet your words and
| actions imply an insult to this lady which
| am little disposed to overlook. For your in
| formation permit me to state 1 am Colonel
! Curran, 9th Ohio Light Artillery, and am
| not accustomed to being halted on the road
| by every drunken fool who sports uni
| FORM
He stopped short in complete surprise.
| staring at me through the darkness, and
| doubted not perfectly able to distin-
| guish the CLINT of buttons and CLEAN OF
braid.
| "Your pardon SIR he calculated at last
II mistook you for some runaway soldier:
| But l failed to catch your words; how did
| you name yourself?'
Colonel Curran of Major General Hal
| lecks staff"
1.-The hell you are! Curran had full
| gray beard a month ago.
He took a step forward. and before l
| could recover from the first numbing shock
of surprise was peering intently into my
| face.
| On itr' he cried, Juggling viciously at
a revolver in his belt, II know that face!
You are the measly Johnny Reb brought
| in day before yesterday.
1 could mark the flash Of the stars on
| the blue steel of his pistol barrel, and
knew from the eager ring Of his voice he
| exulted in the hope that would give him
! excuse to fire. Yet l thought In that mo-
ment of but one thing-the woman who had
| compromised her name to help me to attain
| freedom I would have died thousand
deaths if it might only be with my hands
| III bar cfn 11nk
| even as / braced my body for the leap,
| gazing straight into that deadly BARREL
| there came a quick fiutter Of drapery at my
| side, and she, pressing me firmly BACKWARD
| faced him without word.
The mans extended arm dropped to ms
| side as though pierced by bullet, and
he took one step backward, shrinking as IL
| his startled eyes beheld ghost.
| Edith" he cried, as though doubling his
own vision, and the ring of agony in MS
voice was almost piteous. Edith! MY
| God! You here, at midnight, alone with
! this man?'
| However the words, the tone, the ges-
| ture may have stung her. her face remain
ed proudly calm, her voice cold and clear
| swered her eyes never once leaving ms
face. "And may | ask what reason you
can have to object?"
Reason" His voice had grown hoarse
| with passion and surprise. MY God, how
| can you ask? How can you even face me!
| Why do you not sink down IN snamef
Alone here'-he looked about him into the
| darkness-"at such an hour, in company
| with a rebel a sneaking, cowardly spy, al
| ready condemned to be shot. By heaven!
| he shall never live to boast of it!'
| He flung up his revolver barrel 10 prove
the truth Of his threat but she stepped d.
| rectly between us, and shielded me with
| her form.
sPut down your pistol" she ordered cold
| ~. Il assure You my reputaion ls IN no
| immediate danger unless you shoot me, and
| your bullet shall certainly find my heart
| before it ever reaches Captain Wayne"
| '.Truly, you must indeed love him." he
So close to me was she standing that l
| could feel her form tremble at this insult.
| yet her voice remained emotionless
"Your uncalled-for words shame me- not
| my actions. In being here with Captain
Wayne tonight I am merely paying sim
| ple debt of honor-a double debt, indeed,
considering that he was condemned to death
by your lie, while you deceived me by an
other"
"Dd he tell you that?''
HE did not. Like the true gentleman
he has ever shown himself to be, he en-
deayored to disguise the facts, to withhold
from me all knowledge of your dastardly
action. know 1t by the infamous sentence
pronounced against him and by your false
hood to me-
"Edith you mistake" he urged anxious
north
She drew deep breath. as though she
could scarcely grasp the full audacaty OF
his pretense to ignorance.
you appeared to be fully informed but
now as to his death sentence"
Eyes, heard of it while away and in
tended telling you as soon as reached our
quarters"
1 could feel the scorn of his miserable de-
ception as 1t curled her lip and her figure
seemed to straighten between us.
Then" she said slowly, you Will doubt
less agree that 1 have done no more than
was right, and will therefore permit him
this chance of escape from SO unmerited
fate; for you know as well as do that ne
has been wrongly condemned.
He stepped forward with a half-smoth-
cred oath, and rested one hand heavily upon
her shoulder
IAN exceedingly nice trap" he said, with
a grim laugh, "a most ingenious snare; yet
hardly one 1 am likely to be caught In. l
am not quite SO green, my lady. what!
let that fellow go? become the laughing
stock of you and your Johnny Reb lover?
I rather guess not, madam. Damn him!
I will hang him now higher than Hannah,
just to show Queen Esther that 1t can DO
DONE Out of the way, madam!
Rendered desperate by her slight resist
ance and his own jealous hatred, he thrust
the woman aside so rudely that she fell
forward upon one knee HIS reVoiVer was
vet in his right hand, cleaning In the star
light but before he could raise or fire 1t
had grasped the steel barrel firmly, and the
! hammer came down noselessly upon the
flesh of my thumb. The next instant we
gle for the mastery. He was the heavier,
stronger man! I the younger and quicker.
From the first every effort on both sides
was put forth solely to gain command of
the weapon-his to fire, mine to prevent, for
I knew well at the sound of the discharge
there would come rush of bluecoats to his
rescue. My first fierce onset had put him on
the defensive, but as we tugged and strain
ed his superiority in weight began to tell,
and slowly he bore me backward, desper-
ately contesting every inch / was thus
compelled to yield.
We struggled voiceless, neither having
breath for useless speech, and each real
izing that the end would probably mean
death either to the one or the other. Only
our heavy breathing, the quick shutting of
feet on the stony road, and an occasional
rending of cloth, evinced the desperation
in which we strove Once, as we turned
partially in the struggle, I caught passing
glimpse of the woman standing helpless, her
face buried in her hands, and the sight
yielded me new strength and determination.
For her sake I must win! Even as this
thought came. my burly antagonist pressed
me backward until all the weight of my
body rested upon my right leg. Then there
occurred to me like flash a wrestler's trick
taught me years before by an old negro on
my fathers plantation. Instantly appear
ed to yield to the force against which