The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1911-01-19

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lines and attacked guards much lar
ger than his force. His only mistake
| has been that he is not soldier In
/ the army. Consider that these boys
are full of zeal. They have not stop.
ped to think that they should make
war in a certain fashion. They love
/ a life of freedom and dread the re.
straint of the military service"
That's the kind for soldiers" add
| ed Coleman, "once they are trained"
"When you surprised us tonight
what do you suppose | was doing? I
was trying to persuade Carroll to take
his men into the regular Confederate
service. Ever since he has been a
partisan leader | have feared this re-
suit. When last saw him l resolve ed
that when he came again l would not
cease my efforts with him till l had
secured his consent Had you been an
hour later | would have gained it be-
fore you arrived"
The girls able pleading for her lover
and his men. whom she never failed to
include with him, had its effect on the
captain. The strain on his heart was
greater than the strain had been on
his nerves on any field of battle. He
wished that he were the general, that
he might grant this girls request, that
he might spare the lives of these boys,
some of whom were barely sixteen.
many of whom were not twenty-one,
and none but a few years past their
majority. Doubtless many of them
were loved by some girl. A case of
boys and girls on the one hand and
grim death on the other!
After the girls last words, seeing
that Coleman was thinking. Dolly re-
Trained from speaking. 1t was a pic.
ture-the young man in blue; a girl
whose lovers life hung in the balance,
watching intently to catch a word of
hope from the enemy. Finally Cole
man rose:
"Sit here" he said, land write your
request, REINFORCED with your argu-
ment, and | win send it with my re-
port to the general"
With the light of newborn hope
In her eye Dolly obeyed, What she
wrote was not expressed as the cap
tains repOrt-indeed, it formed a
marked contrast with that report-but
there was plenty of reason for the re-
quest, and Dollys heart was in her
argument. 1t needed nothing to send
1t to the heart of the man it was in
tended for, iuasmuch as it was that of
a young girl asking for her lovers life.
When she had finished it she arose
and handed it to the captain, who.
without reading it. placed it in an en-
velope and, taking it outside, gave it
to one of his men. with orders to take
it to the general and bring an answer.
1t was fifteen miles to camp, and the
greater part Of the day must be con-
sumed before a reply could be re-
ceived Captain Coleman could form
no opinion of what the answer would
be, except that it would be either an
order to shoot every man he had cap
tured at once or that the boon was
granted He knew that the general
was a kind hearted man, but he did
not know whether he would consider
himself at liberty to spare what the
law Of war condemned or if he saw
justice in Dolly Peyton's request
whether he would consider that the
interests of the Union cause and the
army defending it demanded the death
of the partisans.
Dolly Peyton remained during the
day in care of her mother and others
of the family. Coleman, understanding
the agony Of suspense she suffered,
went to Bates and told him that he
was permitted to go to his betrothed.
Bates thanked him, went to Dolly, but
remained only a short while. The
strain was great, and she was better
able to bear it with her mother.
AS the afternoon wore on Dolly, who
was becoming uncomfortable, broke
away and went to a window, where
she could see bit of road several
miles distant. \ cayalryman was
coming leisurely. He was a machine
to carry orders or be shot as the case
demanded without knowledge, except
that he was doing what was expected
of him. Coleman, hearing Dolly wildly
calling on the messenger to Come, for
heavens sake come; | shall die"'
mounted his horse and rode out to get
the dispatch.
when the captain on his return gal.
Hoped up to the house Dolly stood on
the balcony, her lover beside her, her
eyes wild with suspense. He waved
the paper over his head to signal life"
instead Of death" and Dolly fell limp
into the hands of the man whose life
was all the world to her. Then Cole
man ordered the captives to be brought
up before the house, and he read aloud
the generals order:
The request of Miss Dolly Payton that
her lover and his men be not executed as
guerrlllas on condition that they fight no
moro against the United States except as
regularly commissioned or enlisted men in
the Confederate armies is granted.
Several Of the men thus reprievec
tainted; a number staggered as II
drunk; the rest broke into a wild cheer.
Later the partisans, having been
paroed, went in a body to thank the
girl who had turned a certain death
into life, Then they scattered, most
of them going to their homes.
The Sting of Bee.
An eastern fable tells of potentate
who demanded that there should be
brought to him the stings of a thou