The Huttig news., 1915-10-30
SYNOPSIS.

CHAPTER 1-Confederate serpesn wyatt or the Staunton artillery is sent as a spy to his native county on the Greer Briar by General Jackson.
 CHAPTER II-Wyatt meets moun- taineer named Jem Taylor with whon he fioes to house beyond Hot Springs.
 CHAPTER III-In the house Wyatt and Taylor meet Major Harwood, father of Noreen and an old neighbor of Wvatt who is sent to bed while the two other men talk. Wyatt becomes suspicious and hnds that Taylor has murdered Harwood and escaped.
 CHAPTER IV-wyatt changes to the U. B. caValrH uniform he has with him. ana ad,sesy riaes away Tn the night. running into whom he identifies himself as Lieufenant Raymond, Third U. S. cavalry by means Of papers with which he has been pro vided. Captain Fox finds Harwood's body and follows Taylor's trail
 CHAPTER V-Fox and Wyatt believe Taylor to be old Ned Cowan. The de- tachment Is ambushed. Wyatt escapes to the Green Briar country and goes to liar woods apparently deserted home.
 CHAPTER vI-wyatt finds Noreen Harwoed alone in her home. She does not recognize him. and he introduces him sell as Lieutenant Raymond.
 CHAPTER vII-Parson Nichols comes to the house and tells Noreen of her fa- ther's death.
 CHAPTER vIII-Wyatt forces parson Nichols to confess that he haa been sept in advance of Anse Cowan, who proposes to marry Noreen at once, and so quiet title to the land In dispute between the cowans and Noreen's dead father
 CHAPTER Ix-Anse Cowan and hi. gang arrive and find the preacher bound in closet. Wyatt and Noreen have con cealed themselves in inc af
 CHAPTER X[The Cowan gang ran sacks the house but falls to find the hid- den couple. Wyatt tells Noreen who he Is CHAPTER xI-wyatt and Noreen re- turn to the second floor and await the next move of the gang forcing the preacher to silence.
 CHAPTER xTT-Unabie to escape while the gang Is on the first floor and around the house. Wyatt proposes to marry Noreen to protect her from Cowan She accepts and Wyatt forces the preacher to marry them.
 CHAPTER xITI-Cowan's gang Is drfv- en off by Federal troops, one of whose officers is the real Lieutenant Raymond Wyatt is trapped, though Noreen attempts 10 defend him.
 It Is indeed odd how the human mind works, and now this new discov cry completely eclipsed every other consideration. The thought of possible escape, of any means of defense, never occurred to me. All my memory re tained was that last glimpse of her slender figure at the window and the silhouette of her ayerted face. What was her thought of me? In the mo ment of her first surprise she had sprung to my defense, but as soon as she could consider the conditions, her whole nature would turn against me even now the feeling of disgust had come. She had turned coldly away hating the very sight of me-starine out of the window until I should dis appear, dreading lest I prove cur enough to boast of our relationship We'll, the lady need not fear that. My fate would be swiftly and surely settled-a drumhead court-martial al Lewisburg, verdict of guilty, and 8 firing squad at dawn. No one need ever know, for the preachers lips could be easily closed And perhaps Lieutenant Raymond-Bah! my teeth clenched angrily at thought of him and I tramped on down the stairs to the gruff order of the sergeant.
 There were three other prise ners sallow-faced, roughly dressed noun taineers, one wounded in the arm. but I was kept separated from them with special guard. Within ten minutes the entire command was in saddle and moving slowly northward. The lieu tenant rode in my rear for the first mile, watchful and suspicious. Noreen was riding in advance of the column between the two captains. A gray, circular cape concealed her slender form, but could observe the frequent turning of her head as she appar. ently conversed vivaciously with her attentive escorts. Her show of utter, heartless indifference hurt and blinded me actually believed the girl was glad of my capture; that she rejoiced at the knowledge that within few hours she would be freed from all the consequences of our rash act. It was the reaction which had given her such high spirits, the exhilarating sense of escape, relief so profound as to cause her to even forget her fathers death. This was the concep' ton which took possession of me, ob- literating every other possibility.
 At first the thought served to numb my faculties, and I rode forward with lowered head, all interest in life dead within me- Then pride came to the rescue, and strengthened up in the saddle. She was my wife-that slen- der, laughing girl! Of course l would never claim her; no word would ever pass my lips to bring her pain and humiliation. No one would ever know excepting us two. But if did speak she could not deny. and she must real ize why had kept silent, why l had even gone down to death with closed lips.
 And then-there was yet chance. While there was life there was hope. and was soldier enough, and suffl- ciently reckless, to accept of any op-
 -llN