Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1911-09-27
CHAPTER X
N Woman,a Tenderneaa

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Youth Is never largely given to re,
Election. which is the gift Of years;
land although my life had in measure
rendered me more thoughtful than I
might have proven under ordinary
conditions, yet It. Is to be frankly con-
tfes6sd. by one deslrous of writing
merely the truth, that I generally
acted more upon impulse than reason.
AS 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
upon his gun and watched us, I
thought somewhat deeply over the sit
luation and those peculiar circum-
stances leading up to it.
Under other conditions I might have
felt tempted to enter into converse
ton with my guards. who, as now
perceived, were far from being the
rough banditu had at first imagined.
Judging from their faces and language
they were intelligent enough young
fellows, such as had often found in
the ranks Of the Federal army. But
realized they could aid me little.
ff any. in the one thing most de-
sired to know, and even If they could.
= sense of delicacy would have caused
me TO hesitate In asking those per-
sonal questions that burned upon my
lips. Ny deep and abiding respect for
this woman whom I had 80 strangely
met, and with whom I 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 revolted 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, ct this time. unhappy
Jas my own situation undeniably was.-
and as q soldier I realized all it,
tdanesrs.-I gave It but little considera-
Ition. Usually quick Of wit fertile In
,expedisnts. ever ready to take I'D
vantage Of each opportunity. had
taken stock q all my surroundings,
yet discovered nowhere the slightest
opening for escape. The vigilance Of
the guard. as well az the thorough
manner in which was bound, rend-
lered any such attempt the merest
madness. Realixing this. with the
jfatalism Of . veteran I resigned myself
in all patience to what must be.
Then It was that other thoughts
came surging upon mo in series Of
linterrogatories, which no knowledge I
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 man
lner-which could not In the least
reconcile with that thought. Her ex.
ltreme youthfulness made mo feel 1t
improbable. and tho impression re-
Imaino6 with me that she 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 I
ilonged 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
Ithsdr meeting and short intercourse
Il had noted several thinsh which told
me much-tha she feared, respected.
valued him, and that he was not only
iswayed 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 ono she sought in her night ride
from one Federal camp to another?
IL %. was he brother, friend, or hus-
lbandf 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 deepen
ling interest which now confessed to
myself was feeling toward her who
inspired them. It may be fashionable
nowadays to sneer at love, yet certain
lie u. the rare personality Of this
EDITH Brennan had reached and in
|nuenced me in those few hours we
had been thrown together as that Of
mo other woman had ever done. Pos