The Washington times., 1911-05-26

4 ward along the narrow road at walk.
Indifferent to the suns pouring heat, he
kept his frock coat closely buttoned
about his lean frame. Now and then he
| squirted a thread of brown Juice be-
tween his teeth, but except for that
| glanced neither to right nor left.
Up that same road. the previous sum-
mer, McClellan's grand army had crept
| to within sight of the spires OF Rich
| moTid whence II reeled down the Chick
| ahohniny in the furious seven days bat
| tie and sullenly abandoned to inglorious
memory the prize it might have grasp
| ed. A slow wind made dubious MUIR
muir in the ragged thickets of scrub-pine
and oak, and flock Of crows set up
scoiding chatter on neighboring hill,
as Colonel Bledsoe passed beneath. He
seemed to watch only his own elongat-
ed shadow that fitted before him.
He came at length to weedy fence
corner, where stood a broken caisson
abandoned in the Federal retreat. Here
he dismounted, tied his mare TO
himself with carefully parted coat,
tails, and drawing. from his pocket "a
much-thumbed Bible, opened II al tne
Psalms and began to read.
his lips moved, silently mouthing the
word. Now an then he spoke a pas
sage aloud in deep, solemn tone:
There are many workers OF inquiry
! fallen" he exclaimed once. RAISING me me
head and gazing around at the grassy
trenches with gloomy exultauon; hSS niS
are cast down and shall not be able
| to rise-shall not be able to rise;
Despite his reading, however, ne was
not entirely unobservant of sights ana
sounds. When the crows on the mn
flew up with a loud cawing, he watcheo
steadily until he ascertained that thelr
the shallow graves Again, when an
object mover across rift OF unper
| far to the north, he laid aside his olpIe;
| took out a small brass telescope anu
iTNov
object was a man, mounted on olack
horse, and travelling westward by an
unfrequented lane, he put away the IN
strument and resumed his reading.
Ten minutes he remained thus, seated
on the broken caisson. Then from the
pines ahead broke a solitary horseman
who came on at smart trot ana kicked
up a dense column Of dust behind MIN.
weatherbeaten semi-uniform, riding
| sweaty sorrel horse that showed the Ell,
| fects of squirting. Colonel Bledsoe stood
up, put his Bible in his pocket ana
busted the tails OF MS plack SoaC
On reaching the rendezvous. the new
conner refined in his horse, gave Bied-
soc a careless salute. and dismountea'
He was broad-shouldered, but stocky,
with a prompt, bold look on MS SUM
burnt face His age might have been
You are six and one quarter. min
utes late, Lieutenant letter, colby oD-
served Bledsoe, consulting a plain Sill
The other gave a stolid nod of assent.
Had to stop and examine man up
the road" said he.
Where are your men?
Quarter mile this side OF PARSLEY
mill, in a ravine in the timber
Thirty, counting Sergeant Dunlop
and myself"
Just so. What WORD from 1unstdh
/
NO luck. No spy passed through
there-nobody that could have filled the
description" -.
PRESCRIPTION? There was none. We
have been unable to learn anything OF
the man except that he served the tys
rant we'll as an officer of the Army OF
| the Potomac, and is between twenty
| five and thirty years OF age.
| well, no man came through rum
stalls last night that could have been
| this Captain Grigg.
| How do you know"
There was only two that didn't i've
close around. We took them two ana
put them through right smart S~earCn, ~
| but thev proved by leading citizens who
Captain Grigg may have come
through disguised as a negro"
"Niggers down there have mosty run
| off 20 the Yanks. We only ketched one,
and we scrubbed him. His color was
| sure enough genuine.
"He might have assumed the dress OF
a woman" said Bledsoe, whose voice
| took on additional harshness. our
| Washington informant warned us tnaI
! Grigg had proved himself most DAN
geroIs man, capable Of any disguise.
! letter answered rather sullenly:
There was only one woman tried TO
mass. She lives on farm nigh White
| House Two of my men knowed her.
Those two men that you searched
did either of them have rtng?'
Mary ring Nothing but bottle OF
gin. and that mighty nigh empty"
"Just So" Combing his gaunt fingers
! through his stiff gray whiskers and fix
| ing his cavernous eyes on the dust,
| Colonel Bledsoe remained silent for
! some time When he raised his head he
SPOKE aprubtly. Beyond Leary's house
! is a bride path which brings one out
! church You know the road?"
IT was born and raised around here?'
Gross and come up the lower road:
! Bring your men into the woods behind
! the tavern Dismount them there. Inn
| mediately after dark bring them quietly
through the brush behind the stable"
I The lieutenant ierked his horses mouth
from the wayside clover, and laid his
! hand on the pommel of the saddle. An
! ignorant man. but a good soldier, he had
| learned to obey orders without inquir-
! ing as to the Interior design.
wait" said his taciturn superior.
Pick three active men, send them
! ahead, and have them crawl up to the
straw stack in the yard about supper
time. Have them take off their shoes
and everything that rattles, for may
need them indoors"
| (ContIuuatiou of This Story VIII BE