Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-06-07

the river yet or Lew Wallace comes up.
OF course l don't know what's happened
with US: but | can't risk anything on ac-
count of that. I've one good hand yet and
my revolver. So when he comes back | m
going to warn him and you'll can't muir
der even a spy-and then I'm going TO
shoot. Do you understand, Billings he
said.
Il don't remember what l said al first,
but 1t wasn't long, l remember, before
lost my temper. | remember. anyway,
that l made it clear that. even if our man
was a spy, | couldn't see him shot, and
that if he was going to be so nasty and
particular about his duty / should have
TO be- too. | believe | tried to make him
agree to pair off as they do in Congress
and parliament by not taking sides about
the matter if | wouldn't. But he said that
that wouldn't keep the spy from getting
back 10 Beauregard. and at the end of the
hour we were just where We started-eX
ceDt that | was angrier every minute and
he was cooler. YET. no matter how angry
got, l couldn't help but admire the nerve
of the man with only one good hand and
wounded in other places so he couldn't
move, yet warning me he was going TO
fight us both If he had to.
Eve had said about all there was TO be
said and had waited about ten minutes
more in an awfully still. strained silence
when Willoughby seemed TO make out our
man coming from the Union lines.
Billings he called loudly. and YOU
spy there. | give you fair warning. I'm
going to shoot.
He waited a minute. and ! thought
that at the last, he wasn't going 10 do
it. when his revolver rang out. The bull
let went so close that at first I forgot
that he wasn't shooting at me, but over
my head at the other man, He ignored
me entirely even when ! covered him with
my gun and told him to throw dowr his
pistol He must have known from the
way l spoke and from what ! had said
before that | meant to back that IN; but
ne only laughed queer!y and prepared 10
shoot again | Cnuldnt-l couldn't let him
do H. for in spite of the warning. tire
other man didn't seem 70 realize what
was happening; and he was so near that
IL would have been murder If | had let
Willoughhy fire again. But. boys, the
old graduate strained forward tense!y,
II reckon-I reckon il was murder. any
how but | knoW-I have 'ried to be sure
that only shot TO knock the gun from
his hands"
From below. as the drawn muscles of
the old Harvard man relaxed and h sank
gratefully back into the deep cushions -
the big chair from the Wide eNpanSe he
meath the window came the light rustic.
the merry hum and laugh Of the moving
crowds Half an hour before il had been
the living. present thing; but now. as the
two bows on either side Of the old man
gazed down. it was all strange, foreign
and homogeneous.
.And-and that is ALL" thay said.
'Yes-all. except that the third man was
NOT the snv He was A Union ambulance
doctor and went to Willoughhy first. But
Wiloughby made him com" 10 me- He
said he was done for and that Il They
carried me away" the old graduate sub
stituted desperately. 4 never saw him
again or even knew where he was
buried"
He sat quite still then and the two
juniors beside him. Then Burton arose.
and. standing at the window. looked down.
II was almost O'Clock and the crowd.
augmented by the graduates who had
been fortunate enough to attend the COM