Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1905-01-13
nave simply banished therfather
and daughter. both"
CHAPTER XVI.
.'STONEWALL" IN AMBuSH


old man. The city filed up fast with
wounded. Every house was a hospital.
and then, when by his devotion and
professional skill, the good doctor
might soon have rehabi1itated himself.
he was taken i'll. When he was well
enough, or at least so pronounced, to
move at all, the crisis at the capital
was over. Mcclellan was gone. The
seat of war had shifted to the north.
Jack, exchanged and released, was
again in saddle, and, how it was ar
ranged Fred never heard until long
after, father and daughter had been
sent to Newport News with the wound
ed and exchanged, and thence had gone
to the roof of the doctors devoted sis
ter in Washington. Once again had
the great-hearted president sent for
the generals aide-de-camp. and this
time bade him go, meet the Chiltons
and see them safely to their destina-
ton.
But that meeting had not made our
Badger boy too happy. The doctor
was aging fast and apparently break
ing. ROSalie was stern and strange.
Squire Benton, with Elinor, as he had
long planned, fastened on to Washing
ton when notified by wire that Fred
had weeks leave from the front,
and F'red's earnest, yet almost humble
plea that he should be allowed to bring
his father to see DR.. Chilton-his sis
ter to see her-Rosalie had almost
CURLY refused Then she had fairly
stunned him by saying, eff you really
wish to do me a favor, Mr.. Benton,
there is one man I'd like to meet. and
that is-Maj. Lounsberry." Benton
should have known by the flash in her
eye, the fury in her tone that for no
sweet assurance did she so desire to
see that distinguished Virginian, now
every moment expectant of exchange.
But in Benton's helpless, hopeless love,
he was consumed with unreasoning
| jealousy. Yet it was through his plan
! ming, after all, that they met-the blue
eyed sister who, so surely had read
| her brothers secret-the dark-eyed,
| chaf1ng, f1tful, tuning Virginia beauty
who so surely held it. Washington
was torrid and unwholesome; and
| just before Fred hurried back to the
| division he had brief conference with
| his father The Chiltons would surely
| need money, said he, and as surely
refuse it if rendered by them. Neither
| the doctor nor Rosalie began to know
until long months thereafter that the
ample means so readily supplied by the
| doctors widowed sister came from that
| hard-headed, hard-fisted western law
| yer, whose next move was to Cape
May with Elinor: and there were they
still recuperating at the Atlantic sea-
board, the fathers already friends, the
daughters still ION guard" at the very
moment when Jack Chiffon, scouting
| with the advance of Fitzhugh Lees
brigade, and Paul Ladue, riding the
dim picket lines Of Ewells grim vet
Grams, and Fred Benton, here at Buck
| lands, closing in with that strong,
disciplined division, were dreaming
not ten miles apart Of what the NOR
row might bring forth.
Not until the shadows grew long
across the stubble fields that lovely Au-
gust evening came the first fierce Crap
pie of that devoted brigade. March
ing at dawn through Buckland's, they
found the pike toward Gainesville
crowded with Sigel's trains and team
sters through which they slowly forced
a Way. for. far in the eastward dis
lance little SNOWFALL puffs, bursting
sudden into view above the treetops
then drifting into vapOrous nothing
told the shells were flying fast ahead
while similar, heecy cloudlets aga1ns
: the dark background of the Bull RuI
range told equally of other hght1ni
to their left and rear. The corps com
mander, with his one division, diVe'
into the winding wood roads towar'
Manassas until brought up standing
after two o. m. by disconcerhng new
, from Pope-that the hare had no
waited for the bag, that sw1ft-foote
Jackson had given them the slip, an
: wasn't where they looked for him
e all. In point of fact, having no caval
{ ~ to do his looking for him, Pop
Q didn't know where Jackson was.
1t is three hours later when, biddin
= his biggest division obey its new OF
d ders. lust received, Mcdowell, ride
II away to find his chieftain Pope an
- show him the field. Thereby he lose
: Pope, loses touch with his divisions
: loses all chance of usefulness IN ID
/ battle that is to close the day-posel
e in fact, himself, for he cannot find n
e way to his own command over ID
II field he knew SO well the year befor
: even when signalled by the guidin
e thunder OF the heaviest cannonad
the sullen crashing OF the hrecest Vo
;. leying, those tangled woods have eve
heard. At ave or whereabouts come
stan ofacer from Pope with these a.
founding t1dings: Jackson is locate
= Jackson has dared to cross Bull Ru
and march in the teeth of the comm
;. corps Of the Army Of the Potoma
q Reno and KearnyS have followed b
II rear guard-Hilfs light division