The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-11-29

to take to the Minersville road at midnight, the others to follow along parallel lines hourly until daybreak? ?"
 s'Those are certainly JOhnston's or ders, Colonel Denslow. I distinctly heard them from his own lips"
 ''But nothing whatever has reached me, and we should naturally be third in line to follow McDermott, from our present position"
 Beyond doubt the orders to move are already at your headquarters. An orderly may be tearing down the road even now to recall you to camp. Your regiment is stationed to the left just beyond the creek, is it not?''
 "Yes," and the speaker, tall, slen- der, yet broad shouldered man, rose impatiently to his feet and gazed off in the direction indicated. '"The Tenth Georgia cavalry, Coulter's brigade. 1 had no expectation of so hurried a movement. The Yankees are safely across the river entrenching, and all reports reaching us looked like a weeks reorganization and then di- rect attack on their position. What is Johnston up to?"
 "A flank movement in force, before they can complete their entrench- ments. He believes our army in fight ing mood, encouraged by victory and in far better condition than that of the enemy. He proposes to strike sud denly on their right flank and crumple them up. He will leave all his camp fires burning, both tonight and tomor- row night, so as to deceive the federal scouts, fling his troops swiftly across the river before dawn Wednesday and make the attack at daybreak. He ex- poets to be in their camp before they are aware he has changed position. The success of the movement depends entirely on the promptness of the di- vision commanders and the condition of the roads Our cavalry scouts re- port the plan perfectly feasible" z
 Colonel Denslow paced nervously back and forth across the broad veran- da, the red glow of his cigar lighting up his face and revealing a closely trimmed crop of gray beard.
 'This sudden arrangement leaves me in rather a bad predicament." he con- fessed at last, pausing suddenly. ''YOu know, of course, what you are here for tonight, Mordaunt, althought I have not explained all the details; it is to marry my only daughter, Jean. to Lieutenant Calvert Dunn. The pres ent condition of the country, and the danger involved in leaving young girl here alone and unprotected. has hur- ried our arrangements and prevented any formality. But Dunn has been detailed on Johnston's staff. and the Lord only knows where he may be I. ow, If all you say is true. According Ito our plans he ought to have been here an hour ago, but no doubt he is I.ding with orders and utterly unable the delay. And what, under these cir cumstances, can or my son do? Any minute an orderly may come dashing down the west road. That will mean we must depart at once and leave Jean Denslow here alone, absolutely alone, with only an old negro and his wife on the place. Here alone, defenseless, .n the track of beaten army! By heaven, I would risk my commission rather than desert her to such a fate" i Then the softer voice of the chaplain asked:
 "But what particular difference at this time would her marriage to Dunn make"
 "He inkenued to take her immediate tv t,s xrvif r4osx, to Fairview. It is not very far away, yet so situated as to be out of the track of both armies, in an isolated valley among the hills. His father and sister are there. They would have ridden the distance tonight, and by tomorrow morning she would be in perfect safety
 But why not have your son ride with her to this haven of refuge? Lieutenant Dunn's people would re- ceive and protect your daughter, even If the marriage had not already taken place."
 The younger man, seemingly little more than stripling, was on his feet now also.
 COuio OO IL, ldtucI, u0 tACldlIuc0 eagerly. "Jean rides as we'll as any man, and l could be back in Miners vile in forty eight hours. Shall go"
 eff necessary, yes. George; but we will wait here until the last possible moment in the hope that Dunn may appear. My heart is set on the con- summation of this marriage, chaplain; it has been the cherished plan of our families ever since the birth of Calvert and Jean, not only because it will unite us all more closely, who have been neighbors more than a hundred years, but because our plantations touch each other and will form one magnificent property after the war. Jean, regret to say, has been the one obstacle in the way heretofore-she is somewhat headstrong and filled with girliSh notions-but she has at last consented to do as we wish. and am actually afraid to permit her any op- POrtunity for reconsideration
 was a soldier, and had become pos sessed of an important military secret, which every sense of my duty to my cause compelled me to bear to Rose crans if possible. The slightest delay might prove disastrous; yet how was l to accomplish the work in time to be of value? I was we'll within the Con-