The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1911-11-23
CHAPT ER x.
A Woman's Tenderness

A Womans Tenderness
Youth is never largely given to re.
Election, which is the gift Of years
and although my life had in measure
rendered me more thoughtful than
might have proven under ordinary
conditions. yet 1t Is to be frankly con
fessed. by one desirous OF writing
merely the truth. that 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.
thought somewhat deeply over the sit
uation and those peculiar circum.
stances leading up to 1t.
Under other conditions might have
felt tempted to enter into converse.
ton with my guards, who, as | now
perceived. were far from being the
rough banditti 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,
If any. In the one thing | most de-
sired to know. and even II they could.
a sense Of delicacy would have caused
me to hesitate In asking those per-
sonal questions that burned upon my
lips. My deep and abiding respect for
this woman whom | had 80 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 revolted at such a 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 vas
and as a soldier | realized all its
dangers,--I gave 1t but little considera.
ton. Usually quick OF wit. fertile in
expedients, ever ready to take ad.
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 we'll as the thorough
manner In which / was bound. rend.
cred any such attempt the merest
madness. Realizing this. with the
fatalism OF veteran resigned myself
in all patience to what must be.
Then 1t was that other thoughts
came surging upon me In a series OF
heterogeneous, 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
ner-.which could not in the least
reconcile with that thought. Her ex.
IRENE youthfulness made me feel II
improbable. and the impression re.
mained with Tue that she intended to
make some explanation OF her words,
when the coming Of Bungay inter
rupted us. How they might be ex.
piained could not imagine; | merely
struggled against accepting what [
longed 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 gooC 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?
II 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
! ms interest which 7 now confessed Il
myself | was feeling toward her who
! inspired them. 1t may be fashionable
nowadays to sneer at love. yet certain
II Is. tho rare personality OF thii
| Edith Brennan had reached and In
fluenced me In those few hours W,
had been thrown together as that o
no other woman had ever done Pos
sibly this was so because the ionl
years In camp and field had kept IN,
isolated from all cultured and refine,
womanhood. This may, indeed hav'
caused re 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, o
! know not. am content to Civ,
intense feeling. and there In the roa'
that day, standing bareheaded In tn
sun, ! was clearly conscious Of bu
one changeless fact, that | loved Edit
Brennan with every throb OF m
heart. and that there was enmity. bill
ter and unforgiying. between me an
/, thu man within who bore her namt
! Whatevey be might be to her RI