The Press., 1914-02-11
Convinced A Wife Proved the Perfidy of Her Husbands
 Friend
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By EDITH V. ROSS

During that period in America when
 the colonies were struggling for their independence. when the Swamp Fox"
 as General Francis Marion was called,
 was contesting the possession of South
 Carolina with Colonel Tarleton, com
 mander of British cavalry force,
 something like that led by the Confed- crate Colonel Mosby during the war be-
 tween the states. there lived in Berke-
 ley county of that colony one Edward | Athol and his wife.
 Athol, though he had not been long ! in America, was not, as might have
 been expected of a newcomer from England, a Tory. He was disposed to
 be neutral in his sympathies. He had
 married the daughter of one who had
 been born in America. and his bride
 was in sympathy with the cOlonists. but since her husband took sides with
 neither she desired to live peacefully on their plantation without being dis
 turbed by the kings men or those of the Continental congress.
 This required tact. for one day along
 would come riders wearing the blue and the buff and the next those wear ing the red. Both sides expected sym pathy if not aid from the people of the country they traversed and were in clined to be severe with those from whom they did not get 1t. This placed the Athols in an unpleasant position, for if they treated both sides as friends they would please neither. But Mrs. Athol was equal to the occasion, being a woman of rare diplomatic ability.
 There was man living on neigh boring plantation whom she feared. He was a bachelor, and his sympathies were with the redcOats. He and Ed ward AthoI were bosom friends, and Mrs. Athol feared that the Tory might get her husband into trouble. One day she said to AthOl:
 Edward. wish you would be care full of what you say to Henry Pinckton. You know he is Tory and may at any time consider it his duty to sacrifice his friend to his king"
 That is just like a wOman," replied the husband. Your sex cannot rely on each others friendship; consequent ly you do not realize that men will be true to each other.'
 Had Athol known what his wife knew he would have realized the in justice of this thrust. PincktOn had been a suitor for her hand while AthOl was courting her. Moreover, wom- ans perceptive faculties are, when un- influenced, more delicate than mans. The wife knew instinctively that Pinck- ton had never forgiven her husband for succeeding where he had himself failed. Moreover, she was not sure but that the unsuccessful lover would be glad of an opportunity to get rid of his friend, hoping that if she were free he might persuade her to marry him.
 One day some British troopers camp sd in the vicinity of the Athol planta- tion. PincktOn went to the commander and told him that there was a man in the neighborhood who was furnishing information of the movements of the British troops to General Marion. The commander asked if the man could be taken with documents on him to prove that he was a spy. Pinckton said that he would keep a watch on the rebels movements, and if he found an OppOr- tunity to capture him carrying infor- nation he would let the officer know.
 Pinckton went away and concocted plan to entrap AthOl. He wrote AthOl a forged letter from man in Charles ton asking AthOl to meet him in that town immediately since he had i'm pOrtant news for him. Pinckton went to see Athol just as he was setting out ID his journey and pretended to be much surprised at his going. Athol bid his wife goodby, and the two men rode away together. Mrs. Athol had noticed that Pinckton acted strangely. When AthOl had said that he doubted f the trip were worth while Pinckton urged him to go. With wOman's quick insight for danger to one she loves. Mrs. Athol suspected that her hus- bands pretended friend had laid plan to get him out of the way. The two men were to ride together on the road to Charleston till they came to the branch road leading to Pinckton's plan tation when they would part, Pinckton going home and AthOl continuing his Journey.
 Mrs. AthoI saddled a horse and fol- lowed them, intending to Overtake her husband after he had left Pinckton and persuade him to give up his jour uey She kept at a distance behind them. and when they were about to part she saw Pinckton drop little behind her husband and drop some thing into his coat pocket. This con drmed her in her opinion that some wrong was intended. Nevertheless she could not at once follow her hus- band without running the risk of be ing seen by Pinckton. who left the charleston road at an angle. Having WLited till he had passed into wood. she started again. She was nearing Ier husband when she saw some red coats spring from thicket beside the road and make him a prisoner
 Without wasting any time the sol diers took Athol to the British camp. Mrs. Athol followed and saw her hus- band led within the British lines. then reined in to think what she had better do. She had heard a man say thaS very morning that there was a troop oh 0ohliHentdi CdNdIFy dL nCtle town not far from her home, and she re- solved to ride there in the hope of | anding them and inducing them to at- | tack the British force and possibly | rescue her husband.
 Athol. having been taken before the | officer commanding the British troops. was searched. and a bit of paper crumpled into a hard ball was taken from his pocket. It was opened and found 10 be a statement of the British forces in South Carolina. It was of course more of a surprise to Athol than the British officer, who had been informed by Pinckton that if he would conceal his men on the Charleston rnad thnt dnu h., rrrn,,Ia l,., li1..i-- .