Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1912-02-23
CHAPTER x.
A Woman's Tenderness

LleCLlOu, WHICH ID Luo 6hI VI ySoio'
and although my life had In a measure
rendered me more thoughtful han |
might have proven under ordinary
conditions. yet 1t is to be frankly con-
fessed. by one deslrous OF writing
merely the truth. that l 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 M of my
captors. while his fellow leaned lazily
upon his u and watched us.
thought somewhat deeply yer the sit
uation and those peculiar circum-
stances leading up to 1t.
Under other conditions ] might have
felt tempted to enter into
ton with my guards. who. as ! now
perceived, we're far from being the
rough banditti l 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
II any, in the one thing l most de-
sired to know, and wen if 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 so strangely
met, and with whom l 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, at this time. unhappy
~ my situation undeniably was,-
and as q soldier l realized all its
dangers.-I gave It but little %considera-
ton. Usually quick of wit, fertile in
ex~pedients, ever ready to lake ad-
vantage of each opportunity, l had
taken stock Of all my surroundings,
yet discovered nowhere the slightest
opening for escape. The vigilance of
the guard. as well as the thorough
manner In which l was bound. rend-
cred any such attempt the merest
madness. Realizing this, with the
fatalism Of a veteran I resigned myself
In all patience to what must be.
Then 1t was that other thoughts
came surging upon me in a series of
interrogatories, which no knowledge !
possessed could possibly answer. Who
xp,n khto maud Vynyn or1v uylo
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 l could not In the least
reconcile with that thought. Her ex
treme youthfulness made me feel II
improbable, and the impression re.
manned 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: I 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 themf In
their meeting and short intercourse
l had noted several things which told
mo much-that she feared. respected
valued him, and that he was not only
swayed by. but intensely Jealous Of
any rival IN, her good opinion. Ye|
their. unexpected meeting vas scarcel,
that OF husband and wife. Was hs
the one she sought In her night ride
from one Federal camp to another
II 30, was he brother. friend. Or hus
bandf What was the bond OF unio,
existing between these two! Ever,
word spoken made me fear the las
must be the true solution.
Such were some Of the queries
silently struggled with, and they wer,
rendered more acute by that deepen
ing interest which J now confessed t,
myself l was feeling toward her wht
inspired them. It may be fashionable
nowadays to sheer at love, yet certain
It is, the 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 lon,
years In camp ana field had kept mi
isolated from all cultured and refine,
Womanhood. This may, indeed. hav'
caused rae to be peculiarly susceptible
to the beauty aud purity Of this one
facts. and leave philosophy to others
NJ lie has ever been Of action. Q
/ know not; am content to CIV
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