Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-01-10
CHAPTER x.
A Woman's Tenderness

Youth is never largely given to reflection,
which is the gift of years; and although
my life had in a measure rendered me
more Thoughtful than / might have proven
under ordinary conditions, yet it is to be
frankly confessed, by one DESTROYS OF
writing merely the truth, that generally
acted more upon impulse than reason. AS
l stood forth in the sunlight of that lonely
mountain road my hands securely bound
behind my back, the end of the rope held
by one of my captors, while his fellow
leaned lazily uponT~hiS gun and watched
US, thought somewhat deeply over the
situation and those peculiar circumstances
leading I'D to it.
Under other conditions might have felt
tempted to enter into conversation with
my guards, who. as l now perceived, were
far from being the rough bandlttl l had at
first imagined. Judging from their faces and
language they were intelligent enough young
fellows, such as l had often found In the
ranks of the federal army. But reahzeo
they could aid me little. If any, in the one
thing 1 most desired to know, and even II
they could. sense of delicacy would nave
caused me to hesitate in asking those per-
soEal questions that burned upon my lips
My deep and abiding respect for this wo-
man whom / had so strangely met and
with whom I had attained some degree or
intimacy, would never permit of my dis
cussing her. even indirectly, with private
soldiers behind the back of their officer
Every sense of honor revolted at such
thought Not through any curiosity of
, mine. however justified by the depth of my
own feeling, should she be made the sub
ject of idle gossip about the camp fire.
For, in truth, at this time. unhappy as
my own situation undeniably was-and as
a soldier, I realized all its dangers-I gave
it but little consideration. Usually quick of
wit, fertile in expedients, ever ready to
take advantage of each opportunity, 1 had
taken stock of all my surroundings, yet
discovered nowhere the slightest opening
for The vigilance of the Qnard
well as the thorough manner in which l
was bound, rendered any such attempt the
merest madness. Realizing this, with the
fatalism of veteran l resigned myself in
all patience to what must be.
Then it was that other thoughts came
surging upon me in a series of interroga-
tories, which no knowledge l. possessed
could possibly answer Who was this
proud, womanly woman who called herself
Edith Brennan? She had been at some
pains to inform me that she was married,
yet there was that about her-her bearing,
her manner-which | could not in the least
reconcile with that thought. Her extreme
youthfulness made me feel it improbable
and the impression remained with me that
she intended to make some explanation of
her words when the coming of Bungay in
terrupted U.S. How they might be explain
ed could not imagine; merely struggled
against accepting what l longed to believe
untrue. And this man? this federal major,
bearing the same name, whom she called
Frank, who was he? What manner of re-
lationship existed between them? In their
meeting and short intercourse / had noted
several things which told me much-that
she feared. respected, valued him, and that
he was not only swayed by, but intensely
jealous of any rival in, her good opinion.
Yet their unexpected meeting was scarcely
that of husband and wife. Was he the
one she sought in her night ride from one
federal camp to another? If so, was he
brother, friend or husband? What was the
bond of union existing between these two?
Every word spoken made me fear the last
must be the true solution.
Such were some of the queries I silently
struggled with, and they were rendered
more acute by that deepening interest
which I now confessed to myself I was
feeling toward her who inspired them. 1t
may be fashionable nowadays to sneer at
love, yet certain 1t is, the rare personality
of this Edith Brennan had reached and
influenced me in those few hours we had
been thrown together as that of no other
woman had ever done. Possibly this was
SO because the long years in camp and
field had kept me isolated from all Gull
tured and refined womanhood. This may,
indeed, have caused me to be peculiarly
susceptible to the beauty and purity of
this one. l know not; am content to give.
facts. and leave philosophy to others My
life has ever been one of action, of intense
feeling; and there in the road that day
standing bareheaded in the sun, I was
clearly conscious of but one changeless fact
that l loved Edith Brennan with every
throb of my heart, and that there was
enmity, bitter and unforgivfng, between
me and the man within who bore her name
Whatever he might be to her 1 rejoced to
know that he hated me with all the I'M
reasoning hatred of jealousy. 1 had read
it in his eyes, in his words, in his manner;
and the memory of its open manifestation
caused me to smile. as I hoped for an
hour when we should meet alone and face
to face. How she regarded him 1 was I'M
able as yet to tell, but his love for her was
plainly apparent in every glance and word.
AS 1 was thus thinking. half In despair
and half in hope, the two came out from
the house together; and it pleased me to
note how Immediately her eyes sought for
me, and how she lifted her hand to shade
them from the glare of the sun, SO that
she might see more clearly. Her COM
panion appeared to ignore my presence ut
terly, and gazed anxiously up and down
the road as though searching for some
thing.
Peters," he asked sharply of the fellow
on guard, where are Sergeant Steele and
the rest of the squad?'
The soldier addressed saluted in a man.
ner that convinced me he was of the regu-
lar service.
'They are resting out of the sun in that
clump of bushes down the hill, SIR
Brennan glanced in the direction in
dicated.
Very WELL" he said. "Take your pris-
oner down there, and tell the sergeant to
press on at once toward the lower road
We shall follow you, and the lady will ride
MS Morse
The man turned, and with peremptory
gesture ordered me forward AS I drew
closer to where the two waited beside the
open door, 1 lifted my head proudly, de-
termined that neither should perceive how
deeply felt the humiliation of my position.
AS thus passed them, my eyes fixed upon
the shining road ahead, my ears caught a
word or two of indignant expostulation
from her lips.
But Frank, it is positively shameful in
this SUM-
He laughed lightly, yet his answer came
to me in all clearness OF utterance.
believed he wished me to over
hear the words. "Oh it will only prove Of
benefit to his brains if by rare chance
he possesses any.
I glanced aside, and saw her turn in
stantly and face him, her eyes afame with
indignation. Then I will!
AS she spoke, her voice fairly trembling
with intense feeling, she stepped back
ward out of sight into the house.
Another instant and she reappeared,
sweeping past him without so much as a
word. and bearing in her hand my old
campaign hat came directly up to us.
Sentry she said in her old imperious
manner, II desire to place this hat on the
head of your prisoner"
The fellow glanced uneasily over his
shoulder at the seemingly unconscious Of
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