The daily Alaskan., 1915-04-26
siuded to send it to his commanding

! uLuCt EhhlN to Apil t'' oOLiS 'hShL'
 miles distant, where his execution was
 to take place.
 Sergeant Conovcr knew of the dis
 tress his daughter was suffering at
 Stevcnson's misfortune md that she
 was in an agony of suspense as to word from Washington concerning 1 him. Fearing a disappointment, he ] did not tell her of the message from
 thc president. He had no one to send ilt by to Major Barton except private named Cassidy, a worthless creature,
 who had been left behind when the
 eypcdtiOn started. Mounting Cassidy on tine best horse the garrison afford cd, COnoycr gave him the message and
 told him to ride with it to Major Bar
 ron as fast as possible.
 During the night that Cassidy start
 rd the sergeant told his wife of the ar | rival of the message from the presi- |dcnt and his forwarding it to Major Barton by Private Cassidy. Mrs. Con- over, knowing that the execution of | CltA tllNuI " UN NNlA lul tl iANAA NNSSt scoldci him for intrusting so impor- tant message to so unreliable a mes
 scngcr. M0dge. in an adjoining room. heard every word that was said.
 That night MHdgc was missing, also u horse from the stable. Madge had taken thr horse for the purpose of OvcrtaEiug Cassidy and to make sure | that th, mrsSagc was delivered with
 the utmost expedition.
 The next day at noon Cassidy reach pd the rurampWrut of the command and on feeling rn his belt for the mes Sagc from the president to give to | Major Barton discovered that he had lost i, He had reached settlement the uiant before. where he had spent much time ruroU>ing, and had lost the diymlch. Barton learned from him that the cuy,'nra bore the mark of tho prnsiIru, uf rhc United States and suruj~cd lh@t i; contained either q pardon for Stevenson or refusal to par&ou him
 The mnior waS iu a quandary. He wa~ without message. Stevenson was to he executed, and even if par don had hrnm granted there was hard Iy tiur ip Snud word to stop it. Bar ion hrI urru in the army during a nrrind when rcd tape was much in vo-u2. and the situation quite upset him Though U human life was at stake. he had no order to interfere. To give am order in the name of the commander in chief of the army and navy of the United States was more than he dared assume He debated so lor4 aS tn what course to pursue that
 it would be impossible 10 send a mes scngcr to stop the execution even if he
 were willing tO take the responsibility for doing su
 MadIc Conoyer, starting after mid
 night without q guide, missed the road. was obliged to rctrace her steps for quite a 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. Madgc rrulumtrI her horse and was gallOp- ing onward when she saw before her au ob'on- paper lying beside the road. Sumrtu"- moved hrr to get down and pick it up. She diG so and, turning it over. saw on the left hand corner the printed words Prom the President of the United States.
 A message from the president, though not addressed to her, was not
 matter of reverence so long as Jim
 StcycuSous life was Gt stake. Her
 loving heart was not tied up with red tape. She tore the envelope to shrPds
 tu get at the contents and, unfolding the letter with trembling hands, read that the president had granted a par don tO Private James Stevenson, tn infantry. United States army.
 Mad@c was at one angle of trian-
 glr. Major Barton at another and the condemned man Ht another. The short est leg was to Parton. But Stevenson
 was tn die the next morning at sun risr. and. though by that much respect
 cd hook. the army regulations, she should have delivered the document through the major. she knew that by
 doing so she would fail to save her lover. IL was o'clock in the even- ing. Fort C. was some forty miles from her Mounting. she turned her horse
 in that direction.
 M dHybrcak--it came ear!y-thc gar riSuu or Fort C. began preparations for putting Private Stevenson out of sus pCuSc. Just before sunrise he was marched out through the gate on to the open plain. bllndfolded. his hands tied ! behind him and a firing squad drawn uD before him, The attention of the officer of the day who had charge of
 the execution was called to mounted figure galloptng across the plain. As it
 drew nearer it held alOft something
 white. The officer directed the ser gcant in command of tic men to bring them to a rest"
 Its q woman" muttcred the officer