The Aberdeen weekly. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1878-1933, 1919-01-24

That's lie,' he repeated
1T is no lie Colonel Howard You
told the whole story to Captain Y J
lace in the hospital tent Never mind
/ how know. 1 know"
You damned. dirty spyi'' said the
old Colonel.
/ "A confession" answered Kellerman
! bIandIy your words were strong
! ones, Colonel Howard. Deny them if
you can. You said. "A thousand years
/ Of hell wouldn't atone for that crime
! You said it was calculated, cold
/ blooded deliberation.' You said, The
case against Hampton was absolutely
/ proven. He was to have been hanged
as soon as we captured Santiago. He
was born rotten. He sold his country
/ to pay his gambling debts And you
called him by the worst name one man
can call another. That was why you
! tried TO persuade Mark Wallace not to
adopt Hampton's child. Like father,
like daughter"
/ He swung round upon Eleanor, and
for the first time seemed to lose his
Self-control
That's who you are y he cried. THE
]
in the war department with Colonel
Howard and me. man without honor,
entangled with wretched woman spy.
! who sold our secrets. And that man
| your adopted father, whom you love
and revere. spied on him in turn.
watched him, read his letters, went
/ through his pockets, shared him,
| trapped him. brought him to his de-
serts-and adopted you
Eleanor staggered toward the Colo
mel, her arms raised impioringly, and
cried in a choking voice:
Say it's untrue, Only say that it's
untrueH
Its a damned lie" said the Colonel !;
in his voice
Tell me the truth -
ITS true, then-it's more or less
true" said Howard YEARLY.
ITS not true! - shouted Mark Ere.
member, Colonel, the mans face had
been practically blown away. How do
we know that it was Hampton who
was with the child? II might have
been another. We don't know for sure
and we can't know. I've never believed
it. 1 wouldn't ever dare TO let myself
believe it,
you found his papers, said Keller
man.
Nobody answered him. Eleanor went
up to Mark and raised her white face
to his. Tell me what you think, Cap
tain Mark" she pleaded.
And once more Mark was mute. She
read his face as if by inches. She
turned toward Kellerman. "Now will
you go?" she asked.
Kellerman saluted her with mock
formality. ''Pu 60" he said "but he's
spent his chance. a spy's daughter
and 4 spy's-"
The ambulance bearers appeared at
the entrance TO the recess. They bore
a stretcher. Propped up in it, swathed
in a bloody clout of bandages, was
Hartley.
There he is :" he cried, pointing his
hand in triumph. 81 knew he'd come
this way. He's here, sirl' he cried to
some one outside the Orifice.
The stretcher bearers set down their
burden on a ledge of the wall. Into
the little place strobe the General.
His appearance there exercised a
paralyzing effect upon them all. Kel-
herman was the first to recover his self
possession. He saluted stifily.
''This man. ne said. pointing to
Mark. els the prisoner who was TO have
been executed this morning"
The General, without a word. strobe
toward Mark and clasped him by the
hand.
Kellerman gulped and moved toward
the entrance for the last time. The
General turned.
Halt, sir! :" he commanded. Colonel
Howard. viii you have the goodness to
go to the man on the-why. l beg your
pardon. Colonel Not badly hurt?'
Nothing much. sir" answered the
Colonel, attempting to make the pas
sage.
The General gave him his arm and
assisted him, and, when he stood still,
placed one arm about him to steady
him.
do you recognize that man?" he
asked
The Colonel stiffened; Kellerman
fell back against the wall.
''As I'm a living man." cried Colo
mel Howard, Its Hampton -