The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1911-11-23
CHAPTER x.
n Woman,s- Tenderness

4 Woman's Tenderness
Youth is never largely given to re-
flection, which is the gift of years;
ard although my life had il measure
rendered me more thoughtful than |
might have proven under ordinary
conditions, yet 1t is to be frankly con-
tossed, by one deslrous of writing
merely the truth, that generally
acted more upon impulse than reason.
AS | stood forth in the sunlight of
that lonely mountain road, nay hands
securely bound behind my back, the
end of 1.-THE rope held by one Of my
oaptors, while his fellow leaned lazily
upon his gun and watched us. /
thought somewhat deeply over the sit
dation and those peculiar circum-
stances leading up to it,
Under other conditions might have
felt tempted to enter into converse
ton with -n1y-gu aFds. who, as | now
perceived, were far from being the
rough banditti | had at first imagined.
Judging frM9E pel fJfaass iand language
they were intelligent enough young
Fellows such as | had often found in
the ranks of the Federal army. But
Isrealized they could aid me little,
IL any, in the one thing l most de-
sired to know, and even if they could,
q sense Of delicacy ,wdula. have. caused
me to hesitate in asking those per
sSnal questions that burned upon my
fps. My deep and abiding respect for
this woman whom had so strangely
met, and with whom / had attained
some degree of intimacy. would never
permit of my discussing her, even in
directly, with private soldiers behind
the back of their officer. Every sense
of honor revolteds at such thought
Not through any curiosity of mine,
however justified by the depth Of my
own feeling, should she be made the
subject of idle gossip about the camp
fire.
For. In truth, at this time, unhappy
as my own situation undeniably was
and as a soldier / realized all its
dangers,-I gave it but little copsidera-
ton. Usually quick of wit, fertile in
expedients, ever. ready. to take adj
vantage of each opportunity, had
taken stock of all my surroundings,
yet discovered nowhere the slightest
opening for escape. The vigilance of
the guard, as well as the thorough
manner in which was bound, srend-
cred any such attempt the merest
madness. Realizing this, with the
fatalism of veteran / resigned myself.
in all patience to what must be. /.
Then it was that other thoughts
came surging upon nae in series of
interrogatories. which no knowledge I
possessed could possibly answer. Who
was this proud. woinanly woman who
called herself Edith Brennan? She
had been at some pains to inform me
that she was married. yet there was
that abort 'l1er-fer Bearing, her man
nep-Mhich. T.coufd mot In sthe least
reconcile with that thought Her ex-
IRENE youthfulness made me. feel it
improbable, and the impression re-
NAMED with me thatssEe INTENDED to
make some explanation of her words,
when the coming of Bungay inter-
rupted us. How they might be ex-
planned could not imagine; merely.
struggled against accepting what /
Ionged to- believe untrue. And this
man? this Federal major, bearing the
same name, whom she called Frank.
who was he? What manner of rela-
tionship 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 hus-
band? 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
silently struggled with, and they were
rendered more acute by that Deepen
ing interest which T. now, confessed to
myself / was feeling toward her who
inspired them. It may be fashionable
nowadays to sheer, at love, yet certain
it is, the rare personality of this
Edith Brennan had reached and In
fluenced me in those few hours we
had been thrown together as that of
no other woman had ever done. Pos
sibly this was so because the long
years in camp and field had kept me
isolated from all cultured and. refined
womanhood. This may, indeed. have
caused rle to be peculiarly susceptible
to the beauty and purity of this, one.
facts. and leave philosophy to others.
MY life has. ever been one of action. Of
know not; ! am content to give
intense feeling; and there in the road
that day, standing bareheaded in. the
sun. was clearly conscious. Of but
one changeless fact, that I loved Edith
Brennan with every throb of my
hearts and that there was enmity, bit
ter and unforgiving.- between me and
tho man within who bore. her name.
WhatexsFe he might be- to- her ]. re-