The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1911-11-16

any, nhu DcSn lelt IebhTuiuB my Vdoc
he could not say but he feared the
worst from the unusual secrecy. Sher-
| idan expected to return to his head
quarters that same evening, as the
officers OF his staff we're to give
grand ball
felt no inclination to pertake of
the rudS supper left me, and just be-
fore dark was lying upon the bench
idly wondering II that was to prove
the last vestige Of daylight l should
ever behold in this world, when, with
out slightest warning, the heavy iron
grating in the wall directly above me
fell suddenly, striking the edge Of the
bench, and clattered noisily to the
floor. The fall was so unexpected, and
my escape from injury so narrow, that
/ lay almost stunned, staring up help
lessly at the dark hole thus left bare.
AS gazed, a face framed itself in
this narrow opening, and two wary
eyes peered cautiously down at me.
There was no mistaking that counte-
nance even in the fast waning light,
and | instantly sat up with an ex-
clamation of surprise.
"Jed Bungay, as / livel"
The puzzled face broke into a grin
of delight.
holy smoke, Cap" he calculated,
with a deep sigh of relief, "is thet you,
suah? l wus so burned skeered I'd
made a mess o. 1t whin thet thar iron
drapped thet l near died. Whut be
they a goin' ter dew with ye?"
81 have every reason to believe It is
their purpose to shoot me at day
break tomorrow"
Shoot ?-Hell!" He stared at me as
II he had just heard his own death
sentence pronounced, and his little
peaked face looked CHASTITY in the dim
light Shoot ye? Good Lord Cap,
whut fe-? Ye amt done nothin' as
I knows on, 'cept ter scrap a bit with
thet blasted Yank, an sure thet's no
shootin matter, er else I'd a bin a
goner long ago"
That 'Yank' has seen fit to charge
me with being a spy; and as | was
foolish enough to insult General Sher-
idan last night, my fate is probably
sealed"
This somewhat complex statement
seemed to be too much for Jed to
grasp promptly.
Gosh, ye don't say!" he muttered.
"Then, durn II, I'm in luck, fer all
they've got agin me is pot.shootin' at
niger soger up in ther mountings;
en- thet amt much, cause / didn't hit
ther burned cuss.
Jed was carefully covering every
inch of exposed wall with his little
shrewd. glinting eyes.
"Ain't much show ter work out O.
yere. is thar, Cap?" he asked at last
reflectively; "leastwise l don't see
none, less them thar dark corners hes
got holes in EN-"
The wall is entirely solid"
$50 | sorter reckoned But II yell
crawl through yere inter my boodour,
thar's a place whar | reckon ther
tew of us tergether mought make a
try fer it. It's too durn high up fer
me- ter git at alone. | reckon, Cap,
II We cud manage ter git out o. yere
ternight an take some news ter Lee
thet I've picked up, he'd bout make
both of us ginerals."
News for Lee?" | exclaimed, star
ing eagerly at him through the now
darkened room. do you mean It?
What news?" s---. - ...,.
Thought maybe thet wud wake ye
up" he chucked. This yeres gospel
truth: Sheridan hes started his In
fantry on half-circle march fer Min
ersville. Their first division left et
three o'clock. an thar won't be nary
Yank loafin' on ther valley by noon
termorrow. An more" he added rapid
ly, his eyes dancing wildly with sup
pressed excitement nt-"Hancock Is a
sTingin of his corps west ter meet
'em thar, an reckon, as how thar'l
be hell fer sartin up ther Shenandoah
in less ner a week"
But how do you know all this?"
questioned incredulously. as the whole
scene and It's dread possibilities un
rolled before my mental vision.
"Ther niger ! held up he'd a de
spatch fer Heintzelman over on thel
left, an then Mariar she sortel
pumped young fule staff officer fel
ther rest O. It," he replied promptly
"Oh, it's sure go, Cap, an reckon
az how maybe Lees whole army hangi
on one of us gittin' out O. yere ter
night"
, That he meant every word he spok,
/ felt convinced, and his enthusiasm
was contagious. My blood leapet
within me at this call to action; al
lethargy fled, and with 1t every dead
ening thought Of her who had so sud
, denly woven about me the meshes o
/, her power False or true, maid, wife
or widow my duty as a soldier to m.
: commander and the army to which
belonged, blotted out all else. Evel
, as this new rush Of determinatiol
swept over me, above us ther
sounded clearly the dashing music o
a military band in the strains of
Strauss waltz, and we could dis
tingush the muffled shuffling of man
feet on the oaken floo: overhead