Martinsburg statesman-democrat. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1906-1921, 1912-01-26
CHAPTER xxxIII.


rendered extremely conspicuous by
the blue of his uniform, led the rush
of his soldiers as they came tumbling
CALAMITY into the hall,
up there, mem" he cried, catch
ing sight of me. and pointing. Get
that Johnny with the girl"
AS they sprang eagerly forward over
the dead bodies littering the floor at
the foot of the stairs, Brennan scram.
bled unsteadily to his feet. and halted
them with imperious gesture
Leave him alonel" he command
ed. "That is the commander of the
Confederate detachment who came to
our aid The guerillas have fed down
the hallway, and are most of them
outside by now. Wayne" he turned
and glanced up at us, his face instant
ly darkening at the tableau, kindly
assist the ladies to descend; We must
get them out of this shambles."
He lifted them one by one and with
ceremonies politeness across the
CHASTITY pile of dead and wounded men.
Escort them to the library" he
pucSGotCAt az ACoAN0tNAf AtN~ AO~-~-
will probably be found clear"
i was somewhat surprised that Bren-
nan should not have come personally
to the aid of his wife, but as he ig-
nored her presence utterly, at once
offered her my arm, and silently led
the way to the room designated, the
others following as best they might
The apartment was unoccupied, exhib-
iting no signs of the late struggle, and
| found comfortable resting places for
all. Miss Minor was yet sobbing soft
ly, her face hidden upon her moth
er's shoulder, and / felt constrained
to speak with her.
Il shall go at once" | said kindly,
ito ascertain all can regarding Lieu
tenant Cation, and will bring you
word"
She thanked me with a glance Of
her dark eyes clouded with tears, but
as l turned hastily away to execute
this errand, Mrs. Brennan laid re-
straining hand upon my arm.
Captain Wayne" she said with
much seriousness, you are very un-
selfish, but you must not go until
your own wounds have been attended
to; they may be far more serious
than you apprehend."
AS l gazed at her, surprised by the
anxiety she SO openly displayed,
CHANGED to behold myself reflected
within large mirror directly across
the room. One glance was sufficient
to convince me her words were fully
justified My remains of uniform lit
orally chung to me In rags, my bare
shoulder looked confused mass Of
battered flesh, my hair was matted,
and my face blackened by powder
stains and streaked with blood.
Il certainly do appear disreputable
enough" l admitted; but ! can as
sure you It Is nothing sufficiently Sc
rious to require Immediate attention"
As I stepped without and closed the
door behind me, was at once start
led by the rapid firing of shot from
the rear Of the house, and the next
moment encountered the young, red
faced oficer hurrying along the hall
way at the head squad of Federal
cavalrymen. Recognizing me in the
gloom Of the passage he paused sud-
denly.
Il owe you belated apology. Cap
TAIN" he exclaimed cordially, for hav-
ing mistaken you for one Of those mis-
creants. but really your appearance
was mot nattering."
Having viewed myself since within
q mirror" replied, II am prepared to
acknowledge the mistake most nat
ural one. However. am grateful to
be out Of the scrape, and can scarcely
md fault with my Fescuers. Five min
utss more would have witnessed the
end"
I'VE rode hard" he said, "and were
In saddle within fifteen minutes after
the arrival of your courier. You evil
dently made hard tight Of It; the
house bears testimony to a terrible
struggle. We are rejoiced to learn
that Lieutenant Cation was merely
stunned; we believed him dead at
first, and lie is far too fine fellow
to go in that way"
ho 10 truly HfinB, lnens cx
claimed, greatly relieved. Miss MI
nor, to whom he is engaged, is sor-
rowing over his possible fate in the IL
brary yonder. Could not two of your
men assist him to her? She would
do more to hasten his recovery than
any one"
Certainly" was the instant re-
Spouse. 'Haines. you and Mcdonald
get the officer out Of the front room;
carry him In there where the ladies'
are, and then rejoin us."
left, remembering then my own
need. By using the back stairway ]
avoided unpleasant contact with the
traces Of conflict yet visible at the
front of the house. and finally discov-
cred bathroom which afforded facili-
ties for cleansing my flesh wounds
and making my general appearance
more presentable. found | could do
little to improve the condition OF my