Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1905-02-18

days, sub, said Chiffon. Several of
my patients. who ara loyal Virginians
and fully in accord with the stand OF
their state. sub. have nevertheless been
loyal in their friend hip to me- They
believe in fair play. They honor a
chivalric enemy, anc they know how
you protected and aided me- From
three or four sources. therefore. these
warnings came. and and other stories
that ] prefer not TO mention. | re-
fused to believe all until Mai. Louns-
berry practically confirmed the truth
that is-the truth of those referring
to him, to-day. Bat I shall write to
Longstreet tonight, sub, and to Jeb
Stuart and to Gen. Lee They will
have influence with the president. Mr.
Benton, and meanwhile" here both the
kindly voice and the gentle hand
seemed to tremble. IL would give
almost anything wn TOTO stop
your being sent to l. bby, sub. but. /
see no way-I see no way"
And soon thereafter leaving Pomp to
assist his soldier PCT tent. the doctor
had withdrawn 10 his study on the
ground floor, promisir to be with hilu
again about hye
1t was just after II O'Clock by
Benton watch as he reused himself
from the spell of ANXIOUS thought and
looked about him. There was signifi-
canoe in Pomp's disappearance. 1t was
evident that the youngster had been
carefully coached to point ont the
lightning rod as the best means TO
leave the house unseen unheard. That
benton was confidently expected to
make the attempt was obvious. Other
wise Pomp would have remained to
help him off with his boots and uni
form. Even to his wa purse. spurs
and boots not an item his personal
equipment had been 1 en- by his can
tors' His sword hao been stricken
from his hand during the melee at the
stone house and his revolver was gone
but that was all. A year later every
thing would have become legitimate
spoils of war
Peering from his window Benton
saw, or fancied he saw. the dim
light as of lantern fitting about
the barn. Evidently they were
even then waiting for him. Evil
IDENTIFY he was expected to lose not a
moment" Yet who wer9 they? Surely
not his venerable host I'd helper-for
Dr. Chiffon could not lend himself to
any scheme for the escape of the
prisoner without breaking faith with
the confederate government. Surely
not Jack. his wounded son, for court
martial and dismissal in disgrace would
follow even circumstantial evidence
that he had aided or suggested the
escape. Surely not Rosalie! She had
shown such deep abhorrehce of the plot
to speed his going that. even after
her impulsive outbreak early in the
evening, he could not but feel Il would
be treachery TO her and to those she
held dear, were he now to make the at
tempt. Notwithstanding the fact that
transfer to Libby stared him in the
face.
Pomp's completely IL was easy to ex-
plain. The negroes, az a rule. were
glad TO help the "S.iacum soldiers. y
and, where they Were ',eestauy. a bribe
soon settled the matter. Then Pomp's
suggestion of the lightning rod was
still further proof that outsiders. not
Chiltons, were at the bottom of the
plan, for, did the household favor it..
they would never have sent one
armed man swinging into space when
the back stairs and the back door were
unguarded, and guards or sentries of
any kind there had been none. so
sacred was the word of a Chiffon. No;
as he still pondered over the question.
the hands of his watch crept TO half
past IL, and a horse, somewhere out
in what appeared TO be a lane or alley
behind the barn, neighed impatiently;
and, surely as he could. hear the tick
OF his watch, the beating of his own
heart, Benton caught the sound of a
low, gruff voice almost directly under
meath his window, and then the dull
sudden tramp of hoofs on rain-soaked
sod. Then-then there were two horses
or two parties-one in the dark lane.
one here almost at his feet.
Lose not a moment" said the note
he had crumpled in his hand. yet here
had he lost 90 in childish hesitancy.
Again he read the clearly penciled
lines. Again he recalled Rosalie's ca
gerness to see the previous note, and
her contemptuous confidence as to it's
authorship. Burn this, too said the
second missive; and, in honor, was
he not bound to shield one who so ca
gerly, unselfishly sought to aid or res
cue him? Yet Rosalie wished to see,
and-good God, how he longed once
more to see her and satisfy himself
that she would approve, condone, for
give if he seized this chance of es-
cape!-to satisfy himself, moreover,
that she no longer held him as she
had-in rank disfavor, that possibly
possibly But that thought was
madness!
And then, though his door stood \
trifie ajar and he had been listening,
listening for any sound that would tell
of her presence near him-that he
might, even at so late an hour, have
one word with her; though not the
whisper of football had reached his
ears, something, light as down and
barely audible even to him, was softly,
stealthily tapping on the panel.
Marvelling, he tiptoed to the door,
and little scrap of paper waved before
his eyes. Not a finger was visible He