The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1912-11-22

Don't move. We wiz go back aud
meet him"
] held my horse steady, although he
made an effort to follow. Voices came
back 10 me through the darkness
Grants loud enough to be- clearly
heard.
What, is this you, Claire!" he
laughed sruiny. "By all the gods,
thought 1t must be Eric, / never ex.
peeted to find you logged out In this
style, BY Jove. | wish it was day.
light"
Whatever she replied must have
sobered the fellow.
Everything | say you take wrongly
OF course it's all right, for the eoun,
try Is full of stragglers out of both
armies. Lord. | don't care what you
wear. as long as It suits YOU. My
business? Oh, / explained all that to
your putty-faced ~servant-Saint Anne!
that fellow! But I'll review the mat,
ter again. I'm drumming up Illnton's
deserters, but now Eve net you I'm
tempted to so along with you as far as
Elmhurst."
BECOME a deseFter yourself?"
"Oh, no. o i at least only Temporal
riiy, There will ba plenty Of fighting
yet in the Jerseys. Clinton's whipped
all right. and is going to have a time
getting away to the ships. In my
Judgment there will be richer picking
for a Jerseyman right here at home,
than with the army in New York"
There was a moments silence, then
the girl asked. a shade OF horror in
her voice:
Surely, you cannot mean to ally
yourself with guerillas, Captain Grant?
With-with Fagin?"
The man laughed, but mlrthIessly,
That would be horrible, wouldn't
1t? Well, personally / fail TO see why
Fagin is any more OF a scOundrel than
some Of these other fellows in gilt
epaulets. However, I'VE not come to
that point yet. The fact Is | nave a
private affair to attend to before /
leave this neighborhood, Can you
guess what it Isl"
81? Certainly not"
We'll. you will know shortly-the
ambulance Ia coming"
| rode my horse slowly forward,
keeping at the edge Of the road, until
assured a sufficient distance separated
us. Then | gave the FESTIVE animal
a sharp touch OF the spur, sending him
swiftly forward. My escort would have
a mile or two the start, yet that was
nothing. My thoughts were not with
them, or with my military duty, bat
reverted to the little company around
the wounded man, The bearing OF
the dispatch to Arnold was mere rou.
tine, involving only steady riding, but
the relations existing between Jlaire,
Grant, and Eric Mortimer were full
OF mystery. There were connecting
links | could not understand; no doubt
had the girl been permitted to con
clude her story ! might fit 1t tof tn,
er, but as 1t was | was left cropping In
the darkness. Yet my mind tena.
ciously held to its original theory as
to Eric's strange disappearance-he
had been betrayed by Grant. and was
being held prisoner. But where? BY
whom? And for what purpose?
| pondered on this problem as my
horse ploughed forward through the
dust, my eyes unconsCiously scanning
the dark road. Grant could not have
known that Colonel Mortimer was be-
ing taken home. His meeting with the
ambulance party was altogether an &C.
cident. Yet l had no faith the man
was out seeking British straggIers, for
had he been dispatched on such a mis-.
sion he would have had at least a
squad of soldiers with him. Then what?
The probability was that he was eth
err riding to Elmhurst, or to some rem
devious with Fagin. Some plan had
been interrupted by Clinton's sudden
march, by the British defeat at Mon
mouth, and Grant was risking his
commission, Drawing the charge Of de-
s~ertion, for some private purpose.
This might be love of Claire, revenge
upon Eric, or possibly both combined.
The latter would seem most probable.
He would use Eric In some way to
threaten the sister. to compel her to
sacrifice herself, She was Of a nature
to do this, as was already abundantly
proved by her assumption Of male
attire to save Eric's reputation. My
own responsibility doomed large as |
reached this conclusion, and remem-
bered her appeal for help, She, also,
must suspect the truth, and had turned
to me as the only one capable Of un-
raVeling the mystery. She trusted me, |
loved me. | now belioved-and, under
God, | would prove worthy Of her faith.
Riding ahead, boot to boot with
Conroy, / thought out a plan for ac-
ton, and finally, in the gray Of the
morning, told him enough Of the story
to rouse his interest. Just before
sunrise we passed %Elmhurst, the great
white mansion appearing silent and
deserted There was no hating. al
though we turned in the saddle to
look, and my eyes swept over the
troopers trotting behind us.
Regulars" | asked, nodding back
across my shoulder. :