Rural Retreat times. [volume] (Rural Retreat, Va.) 1892-1918, 1912-01-05
CHAPTER XIII.
A STRANGE WAY OUT,

Cation came in once more about the
middle of the afternoon, bringing me
some blankets; but he had no news,
and his boyish face was picture of
pathos as he wrung my hand good
bye. Sheridan he said, had gone
down the lines, and both Brennan and
himself were under orders to follow In
another hour What instructions, If
any, had been left regarding my case
he could not say, but he feared the
worst from the unusual secrecy. Sher-
loan expected to return to his head
quarters that same evening, as the
officers Of his staff were to give a
| grand ball.
| felt no inclination to partake of
the rude supper left me, and just be-
| fore dark l was lying upon the bench
idly wondering If that was to prove
the last vestige of daylight l should
ever behold in this world, when. with
out slightest warning, the heavy iron
grating in the wall directly above me
fell suddenly, striking the edge of the
bench, and clattered noisily to the
floor. The fall was so unexpected, and
my escape from injury SO narrow, that
lay almost stunned, staring up help
lessly at the dark hole thus left bare.
AS gazed, a face framed itself in
this narrow opening. and two wary
eyes peered cautiously down at me.
There was no mistakir- that counte-
nance oven in the fast waning light,
and instantly sat up with an ex-
clamation of surprise.
Jed Bungay, as l live!"
The puzzled face broke into grin
of delight
Holy smoke Cap he calculated.
with deep sigh Of relief, sis tibet you.
suah? | wus so burned skeered I'd
made a mess O. 1t wtin tibet thar iron
drappeI tibet ! near died. Whut be
they a goin' ter dew with ye?"
Il have every reason to believe 1t is
their purpose to shoot rue at day
break tomorrow"
Shoot ?-Hell!" He stared at me as
| if he had just heard his own death
sentence pronounced. and his little
| peaked face looked CHASTITY in the dim
light. Shoot We? GooG Lord. Cap,
whut fer? Ye amt done nothin' as
| knows on, 'cept ter scrap bit with
tibet blasted Yank, an sure thet's no
shootin matter, er else I'd bin q
goner long ago."
THAT 'Yank' has seen fit to charge
me with being spy, and as was
foolish enough to insult General Sher-
idan last night. my fate is probably
scaled"
This somewhat complex statement
seemed to be. too much for Jed to
grasp promptly.
Gosh, ye don't say!" he muttered.
Then. durn it, I'm in luck, fer all
they've got agin me is pot-shootin' at
niger soger up Ii Their mountings;
en- tibet amt much. cause didn't hit
Their burned cuss.'
Jed was carefully covering every
inch of exposed wall with his little
shrewd, glinting eyes.
Amt much show ter work out O.
yere. is thar, Cap?" he asked at last
reflectively; "leastwise don't see
none. less them thar dark corners hes
got holes in EN-"
THE wall is entirely solid
so | sorter reckoned. But if yen
crawl through yere inter my boodour,
thar's place whar | reckon Their
tew of us tergether mought make
try fer it. It's too durn high up fer
me ter git at alone | reckon, esp,
if We cud manage ter git out O. yere
ternight, an take some news ter Lee
tibet I've picked up, he'd bout make
both of us ginerals."
News for Lee?" | exclaimed. star
ing eagerly at him through the now
darkened room do you mean it?
What news?"
Thought maybe tibet wud wake We
up" he chuckled. "This yere's gospel
truth: Sheridan hes started his in
fantry on half-circle march fer Min
ersville. Their first division left ct
three o'clock, an thar won't be nary
Yank loafin on Their valley by noon
Tomorrow. An more" he added rapid
ly. his eyes dancing wildly with sup
pressed excitement,-"H Hancock is
S .ingin' of his corps west ter meet
EN- tha., an | reckon, as how thar'H
be hell fer sartin up Their Shenandoah
in less ner a week"
But how do you knew all this?"
questioned incredulously, as the whole
scene and it's dread possibilities I'M
rolled before my mental vision.
"Ther niger ! held up he'd a de-
| sratch fer Heintzelman over on Their
| left. an then Marian she sorter
| pumped a young fuie staff officer fer
| Their rest O. it." he replied promptly
"Oh, it's sure go, Cap. an reckon
a. how maybe Lees whole army hangs
on one of US gittin out o yere ter
night"
tTo BE coNTINUED0