Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1905-06-29
CHAPTER XII.
QUEEN RosALIE.

QUEEN RosALIE.
For ten minutes after reading that
strange missive Benton stood absorbed
in deep, painful thought. The alter
native presented was q trying one.
from what DR.. Chiffon had said in the
.ourse of the evenings conference the
xospect Of long imprisonment seemed
,ssured. Lounsberry was a man Of
influence, evenSa power, at Richmond,
ind he could be relied on to exert it
against Benton because-"because,"
raid the doctor, as he was r~earranging
he bandages On Benton's arm, "he is
10 longer kindly disposed toward MY
household, suh," and Fred reasoned
hat Rosalie could, if she would, give
-urther and more explicit information.
II have been fearing this for several
lays, suh,'' said Chiffon. Several of
my patients, who are loyal Virginians
and fully in accord with the stand Of
their state, sub, have nevertheless been
loyal in their friendship to me. They
believe in fair play. They honor a
chivalric enemy, and 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 Maj. Louns-
berry practically confirmed the truth
that is-the truth of those referring
to him, to-day. But | 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
4 kindly voice and the gentle hand
seemed to tremble, Il would give
almost anything l own toto stop
your being sent to Libby. sub, but, |
see no way-I see no way"
And soon thereafter, leaving Pomp to
assist his soldier patient, the doctor
had withdrawn to his study on the
ground floor, promising to be with him
again about five.
1t was just after II o'clock by
Benton's watch as he reused himself
from the spell of anxious thought and
looked about him. There was signifi-
N in Pomp's disappearance. 1t was
evident that the %youngster had been
carefully coached to point out the
lightning rod as the best means to
leave the house unseen, unheard. That
Benton was confidently expected to
make the attempt was obvious.
Peering from his window Benton
saw. or fancied he saw, the dim
light as of a 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 were they? Surely
not his venerable host and helper-for
DR.. Chiffon could not lend himself to
any scheme for the escape of the
prisoner without breaking faith with
Ae1eonfederate 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 Resale! She had
shown such deep adherence of the plot
to speed his going that, even after
her impulsive outbreak early in the
evening, he could not but feel it 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 it was easy to ex.
plain. The negroes, as a rule, were
glad to help the "Lincum soldiers
and, where they were hesitant, a bride
oon settled the matter. Then Pomp's
suggestion Of the lightning rod wa
still further proof that outsiders, moi
Chiltons, were at the bottom of thu
plan, for, did the household favor 1t
they would never have sent a one
armed man swinging into space wher
the back stairs and the back door wert
unguarded, and guards or sentries O.
any kind there had been none, 81
sacred was the word Of a Chiffon. No
as he still pondered over the question
the hands of his watch crept to half
past II, and q horse, somewhere ou
in what appeared to be a lane or ale.
behind the barn, Weighed impatiently
and, surely as he could hear the ticl
Of his watch, the beating of his owl
heart, Benton caught the sound Of
low, gruff voice almost directly under
meath his window, and then the dull
sudden tramp Of hoofs on rain-soake'
sod. Then-then there were two horse
or two parties-one in the dark lane
one here almost at his feet.
Lose not a moment" said the not
he had crumpled in his hand, yet her
had he lost 20 in childish h~esitancy
Again he read the clearly pencile'
lines. Again he recalled Rosalie's ca
gerness to see the previous note, an
her contemptuous confidence as to it
authorship. "Burn this, too" said tn
second missive; and, in honor, wa
he not bound to shield n who 50 ca
gerly, unselfshly sought to aid or res
cue him? Yet Resale wished to SEE
and-good God, how he longed ono
more to see her and satisfy himsel
that she would approve, condone, for
give il he seized this chance Of es
cape!--to satisfy himself, moreover
that she no longer held him as sh
had--in rank disfavor, that possibly
possibly But that thought wa
madness!
And then, though his door stood
trife ajar and he had been LISTENING
listening for any sound that would te
Of her presence near him--that b
might, even at SO late an hour, hav
one word with her; though not tn
whisper Of a football had reached h
ears, something, light as down an