The Press., 1915-04-14

fant a message to so unreliable a mes senger Madge. ill an adjoining room. heard every word that was said.
 That night Madge was missing, also a horse from the stable Madge had taken the horse for the purpose of overtaking Cassidy and to make sure that the message was delivered with the utmost expedition.
 The next day at noon Cassidy reach ed the encampment of the command and on feeling in his belt for the mes- sage from the president to give to Major Barton discovered that he had lost it. He had reached d settlement the night before. where he had spent much time carOuSing, and had lost the dispatch. Barton learned from him that the envelope bore the mark of the president of the United States and surmised that it contained either a pardon for Stevenson or a refusal to pardon him.
 The major was in a quandary He was without a message, Stevenson was to be executed, and even if d par don had been granted there was hard ly time to send word to stop it. Bar ton had been ill the army during a period when red tape was much in vogue, and the situation quite upset him. Though a human life was at stake, he had no order to interfere. To give an order in the name of the commander ill chief of the army and navy of the United States was more than he dared assume. He debated so long as to what course to pursue that it would be impossible to send mes- senger to stop the execution even if he were willing to take the responsibility for doing so.
 Madge ConOver, starting after mid night without guide, missed the road. was obliged to retrace her steps for quite long distance and did not reach the settlement where Cassidy had stop ped till the next afternoon, Then she learned that he had been there and had gone on rather the worse for his amusement during his stay. Madge remounted her horse and was gallop- ing onward when she saw before her an oblong paper lying beside the road. Something moved her to get down and pick it up. She did so and. turning it over. saw on the left hand corner the printed words 'From the President of the United States
 A message from the president. though not addressed to her. was not a matter of reverence so long as Jim Stevenson's life was at stake. Her loving heart was not tied up with red tape. She tore the envelope to shreds to get at the contents and, unfolding the letter with trembling hands. read that the president had granted par don to Private James Stevenson, -th infantry, United States army.
 Madge was at one angle of a trian- gle, Major Barton at another and the condemned man at another. The short est leg was to Barton. But Stevenson was to die the next morning at sun rise, and. though by that much respect ed book. the army regulate she should have delivered the document through the major, she knew that by doing so she would fail to save her lover. It was 6 o'clock in the even- ing. Fort G. was some forty miles from her. Mounting, she turned her horse in that direction
 At daybreak-it came early-the gar rison of Fort G. began preparations for putting Private Stevenson out of sus pense. Just before sunrise he was marched out through the gate on to the open plain, blindfolded, his hands tied behind him and firing squad drawn up before him. The attention of the officer of the day who had charge of the execution was called to mounted figure galloping across the plain. AS if drew nearer it held aloft something white. The officer directed the ser geant in command of the men to bring them to a rest"
 "It's a woman," muttered the officer to himself.
 The figure grew larger as it ap- preached, and when but short dis tance from the fort it was plain thai it held aloft paper. She pulled up i'll front of the officer, handed it to him. tottered, and he caught her in his arms as she fell from her horse.
 Thus was the lie or PrlVaIe James Stevenson saved by a bit of red tape cutting on the part of woman. Had the army routine prevailed. had she been delayed ten minutes more than she had been, he would have been rid Iled with bullets. Unbound and his eyes uncovered, he saw lying on the turf near him the inanimate figure of Madge Conover.
 "A pardonw exclaimed the officer of the day. holding a paper toward the culprit.
 Stevenson paid no attention to the paper. but took Madge up in his arms. and when she revived she saw her lover looking down upon her