The Washington times., 1911-06-13
CHAPTER XIV.
The Intercepted Letter

~ F those who knew the redoubt-
able Colonel Bledsoe's calling,
few knew where he lodged.
And of those who saw him at
his lodgings few or none knew what
his calling was.
the gaunt, grizzle-haired man striding
from the house in his rusty suit of
black. But when he turned the corner
he vanished quite out Of their existence
They seldom saw him return, for he al
most always came IN late at night. His
goings and comings were very irregular
Often he would be absent for days
and weeks. and sometimes would sleep
for twenty hours at stretch, snoring
like furnace. A fat little widow across
the street said that the disagreeable old
wretch must be a professional gambler
for gamblers always wore black clothes
and stayed out till all hours of the
night.
Oddly enough, this mystery about
Colonel Bledsoe came from no effort Of
his at concealment. He had no speclal
desire to hide the fact that he was In
charge Of the Confederate Secret Serv-
ice. But he was by nature singularly
taCiturn. and totar' without intimates.
Incorruptible, clean-souled. brave, OF ex-
alted principles and great mental pow
ers, nevertheless the austere old man
was probably the loneliest being IN
Richmond.
AS he was poor and wholly dependent
on his salary, his lodging was IN .
rather mean boarding house near me me
room was a small one. second floor
front, scantily furnished. He took his
meals elsewhere-in fact, anywhere.
And on the rare occasions that ne spent
an evening at home, he shut himself III
his room, so that his fellow-lodgers were
aware of his presence only from near
ing him at his prayers. which. for haf
an hour before retiring, ne lnVaraDiS
The evening of Tuesday. January IL,
was one of those infrequent umes Wheh
he sought his room. He was thor-
oughly worn out from a long ana dan
6uest OF various Information. for they
used him like q beast of burden on the
States affairs. apparently unconsclous
that he. too, might know fatigueLand
Colonel Bledsoe was OLD, muGn Inain.tnd oldet
So this evening he sought his cheerless
apartment for a brief relaxation; and
lighted his candle. Wood was LAID IN
small sheet-iron stove. ready lot ignlts
ing. He touched a match to II, ana
after a while the place grew warmer.
When the chill was of the ROOM ne
removed his coat, collar, ana cuns, ana
drew off his boots, using the BACK rung
down before the stove on one chair put
his big feet in their blue yarn SOCKS on
another, took out his plug tobacco ana
pocket Bible, chewed of large Qulo'
and began to read Isaiah.
Such was Colonel Bledsoe's conceptlon
of supreme terrestrial comfort. He had
never experienced anything inner, ana as
he pried open the stove door TO expec-
torate into the flames, he muttered a
brief expression of gratitude Tor MS
manifold blessings:
Under the wavering light of the can
die he drew down his shaggy brows and
frowned over the small print, which was
difficult to see, but he continued TO
read. with occasional pious exclama-
tions, until half-past o'clock: There
sIImed another half hour, much to the
ANNOYANCE Of the lodger above, who
stamped and dropped heavy articles on
the floor. Shortly after o'clock Colonel
Rledsoe was in bed. his candle eXun.
gufshed. his fire dying out. and himself
It was past l o'clock when he was
awakened by the iron clank Of soil
tary horse moving at walk, not on the
cobhlestones of the gutter. Horses and
mules had been so extensively reduisi-
toned throughout the South that any
one who was observed riding in Rich
mond was believed almost necessarily
TO he connected with the army. So when
Colonel Bledsoe heard the noise OF q
horseman approaching he inferred II
was a soldier, and when he perceived
that the horse was being slowly guided
soldier was looking for some particular
house.
(Continuntion of This Story Will Be
Found I'm Tomorrow's Issue