Jasper County Democrat, Volume 15, Number 77, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 December 1912 — My Lady of the North THE LOVE STORY OF A GKAY JACKET [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

My Lady of the North

THE LOVE STORY OF A GKAY JACKET

by RANDALL PARRISH

"WHBIt WILDERNESS WAS KINO " Ithufafions brArthurTWilUajnjoiv

, OBBo»aarjDrAQMCQaaffscQri Jr. rrsrnjmzrjriir znt/p^

*YNo*>a*B. . CHAPTER L—The story opens hi • tent of the Confederate army at a critical ?*■*• of the Civil War Gen. Lee imparts to Captain Wayne a secret measaee to upon tho delivery fi < f depend great issues. AccomJ? y Ser K etLn t Craig, an old army *5. OU J> Wayne starts out on bis dangerous mission. n.—The two messengers make a wild ride, dodging squads of soliplers, almost lose their bearings and finally are within the lines of the enemy, havi' n f penetrated the cordon of pickets unmolested. i CHAPTER lll.—Encountering a small party of soldiers in the darkness, Wayne Is taken for a federal officer who came [to keep an appointment, is accepted as jus representative, and a young lady on horseback Is given In his charge. CHAPTER IV.—The female companion I®? the two southern scouts Is a northern ifitri, who, when she becomes aware of their army affiliations, slashes Wayne with fcut BXI,I a ttempts to escape CHAPTER V.—One of the horses giving out, Wayne orders Craig to get through with the dispatches to LongBtreet. He and My Lady of, the North are left alone near a reeky gorge. CHAPTER VT.—The Confederate officer and the Union girl thread the mazes of [the woods. He discovers a lonely hut, ?ind entering it In the dark a huge masiff attacks him. The girl shoots the brute gust In time. CHAPTER Vll.—The owner of the hut, •ne Jed Bungay, appears and he and his Wife give the captain a welcome. Suddenly a party of horsemen are observed •coming down the road. CHAPTER Vlll.—They are led by a man claiming to be Red Lowrie, who prders Mrs. Bungay to give them food, •nd her husband to act as a guide. The Woman discovers the man to be a disguised Impostor, attacks the Intruder and there Is a general melee. CHAPTER IX.—The disguised leader proves to be Major Brennan, a Federal officer whom the Union girl recognizes. He orders the arrest of Wayne as a spy. The girl protests and says she will appeal to General Sheridan. CHAPTER X.—Wayne held prisoner In a copse, sees files of Confederates pass the road at a distance and knows that Craig has delivered the message. captive Is brought before General Sheridan who refuses to ■et him free unless he reveals the secret message. CHAPTER Xll.—Captain Wayne Is led to understand that the woman he admires Is Edith Brennan, wife of the Federal officer, who hates him. He Is given the choice of revealing the Lee message or tor being shot as a spy. CHAPTER Xlll.—Wayne hi' rescued from his prison by Jed Bungay. One of them must get a quick report through the lines to General Lee and Jed starts on the mission. CHAPTER XlV.—Finding the garb of an absent officer of the Union artillery, Wayne, penetrates to the ballroom, where a social army function Is in progress, and pretends to be Col. Curran of Ohio. CHAPTER XV.—The disguised scout la Introduced to a Miss Miner. She knows the Curran family and Wayne barely escapes being unmasked. Edith Brennan appears on the scene. CHAPTER XVl.—Mrs. Brennan recognizes Wayne. She having been led to belleere that he had been sent away, learns of the treachery of MaJ. Brennan and aays she will save him. CHAPTER XVH.—Mrs. Brennan secures a pass through the Inner lines and goes part way with Wayne when they •re suddenly confronted by Brennan. CHAPTER XVlll.—Brennan attempts to shoot Wayne, but the latter throws his enemy to the ground senseless. CHAPTER XIX.— Bidding My Lady of the North adieu, Wayne starts alone on h wild dash tor liberty. Encountering • man in a lieutenant's uniform, he compels him to accompany him. CHAPTER XX.—His companion turns out to be Jed Bungay In disguise. They blear the Union lines and face towards the Confederate camp. CHAPTER XXl.—Captain Wayne and the. faithful Jed reach the Lee camp in Safety and are sent away to accompany reinforcements to General Early. CHAPTER XXll.—Wayne and his regiment are sent to save the Confederate •rmy In the battle of Shenandoah. Here • solid wall of blue overwhelms them and the regiment Is lost. CHAPTER XXlll.—Wayne is wounded and taken to the field hospital, where he (i visited by Edith Brennan, who Is kind and gracious. CHAPTER XXIV.—The wounded Confederates have a hard night ride as they •re returned to camp, vVayne among them. ■ CHAPTER XXV.—Wayne learns that Major Brennan has scattered the falsehood that he is a coward and refused to Seet him to wipe out an Insult to Edith rennan.

CHAPTER XXVI. The Scouting Detail. This premeditated insult, which Brennan evidently dispatched broadcast in hope that through some unknown channel it might reach me, changed my entire relationship with the man. I have never felt that Brennan was at heart a bad man; he was hard, stern, revengeful, yet I have no doubt i under different circumstances I might even have valued him highly as a comrade or a friend. There is no demon like Jealousy; and his early distrust of me, fostered by that mad disease had apparently warped his entire nature. Yet not even for love could I consent to leave my honor undefended, and after those hateful words there could be no rest for me until our differences were settled by the stern arbitrament of the naked hlade. All prudence to the winds, no opportunity of meeting him should now to be cast aside. The coming day was barely gray in the east when I was awakened by a heavy pounding upon the door, a smart-looking orderly stood without. "Captain Wayne?” he asked. _ "That is my name. What have you,

my manr “Compliments of Colonel Maitland, chief of staff, sir,” he said, handing me a folded paper. “Dear Wayne:” the private note read, “Believing you would be glad to have the detail I have just arranged to send you at once upon some active service. Please report at these quarters immediately, fully equipped for the field.” Glad! It was the very medicine I most needed, and within twenty minutes of my receipt of this communication I was with Mainland, thanking him warmly for his thoughfulness. “Not another word, Wayne,” he insisted. “It is not much, a mere scouting detail over neutral territory, and will prove dull enough. I only hope it may help to divert your mind a trifle. Now listen —you are to proceed with twenty mounted men or the escort west as far as the foot-hills, and are expected to note carefully three things: First, the condition of forage for the sustenance of a wagon train; second, what forces of Federal troops L if any, are along the Honeywell; and third, the gathering of all information obtainable as to the reported consolidation of guerillas for purposes of plunder between the lines. II time suffice, you might cross over into the yalley of the Cowskin and learn the condition of forage there as well. A guide will accompany your party, and you are to avoid contact with the enemy as far as possible. Your men carry five days’ rations. You understand fully?”

“I do, sir; I presume I am to start at once?” “Your squad, under command of Sergeant Ebers, is already waiting outside.” “Are you all ready, sergeant?” I asked of. the rather heavy-weight German who stood fronting me, his broad, red face as impassive as though carved from stone.

“Ve vos, captain." “Where is the guide?” “Dot is him, mit der mule, ain’t it?” he answered, pointing with one huge hand down the road. “Very well, we will pick him up then as we go.” I cared so little as to whether or not he accompanied us at all, that we had advanced some distance before the thought of him again occurred to me. I knew the gentry fairly well, and had experienced in the past so many evidences of their stupidity, if not actual disloyalty, as to prefer my own knowledge of the country to theirs. My thought, indeed, for several miles was not at all with the little party of troopers jogging steadily at my heels, nor, in truth, was it greatly concerned with the fate of the expedition. That was but service routine, and I rode forward carelessly enough, never dreaming that every hour of progress was hearing me toward the most important adventure of my life. It was the German sergeant who recalled me to the responsibilities of command. “Captain,” he exclaimed apologetically, riding up to my side and wiping his round, perspiring face with great energy, “ve are riding too hard, ain’t ve? Mein Gott, but der horses will give out ontirely, already.” “Is that so?” 1 asked in surprise at his words. A single swift glance around convinced me he was correct, for the mounts were exceedingly soft, and already looked nearly played out from our sharp pace. “Very well, we will halt here.” With a sigh of relief he drew back, and as he did so my eyes fell for the first time upon the guide. As I live, it was Jed Bungay, and when I stared at him In sudden amazement he broke into a broad grin. “Dura if I didn’t begin ter think as how ye’d gone an’ clar fergot me, Cap.” “Not a bit of it; Jed,” and I rode up to him and extended my hand. “But how came you here? Are you the guide?”

“Sure thing, cap; know this , yere kintry like a buk. ‘Jaded horsemen from the west, at evening to the castle pressed.’ By gum, you put Beelzebub an’ me through a blamed hard jolt of it so fur.” “Beelzebub?” “Ye bet, ther mule; I reckon as how Fe ain’t gone an’ fergot him, hev ye?” “Bungay, what has become of Mtu Ha?” The little man’s eyes suddenly filled with tears. "I jist don’t know, cap,” he answered mournfully. “Whin I got' hum ther ol’ cabin hed bin plum burnt down, nary stick o’ it left, by gum! an’ Mariar she wuz clean gone. Hain’t seed neither hide ner hair o’ her since, thet’s a fac’. An’ I sorter drifted back ter you uns ’cause I didn’t hev nowhar else ter go.” “Did you hunt for her among the old plantations along the valley ?” I asked, deeply touched by his evident feeling. “She very likely sought refuge in some of those houses.” He looked at me in surprise. “1 reckon, cap, as how ye don’t know much ’bout whut’s a goin’ on in ther Valiev fer ther las’ few months.” he

said soberly, rubbing down his mule aa he spoke. “Tell ye what, thar jiat haln’t no plantation houses left thar now, thet’s a fac’, leastwise not northo’ ther lines we uns sorter hoi’ onto ylt. Sheridan he played hell with his cavalry raids, an’ whut the blue-bellies left ther durned guerillas an’ bushwhackers wiped up es clean es a slate. Dura If a crow wudn't starve ter death In ther valley now. Why, cap, (hem thar deserters an’ sich truck is organized now till they’re mighty nigh an army, an’ they don’t skeer fer nuthin’ les’ ner a reg’ment. I see more ner a hundred an’ fifty in one bunch up on ther White Briar two week ago, an’ they’re worse ner a parcel er pirates. I reckon as how they got Mariar, but I’ll bet she giv ’em a hot ol’ time afore she done quit.” Rumors of this state of affairs to the north and west of our defending lines had already reached me—indeed, the verification had formed part of my Instructions; biu Bungay’s homely yet graphic description made the situation appear terribly real, and my thought went instantly forth to those I knew who might even then be exposed to this great and unexpected danger. The very conception of Edith Brennan in such hands as these was agony. I felt I could never rest until assured of her safety, and since my order granted me full authority to prolong my journey, I might ascertain whether or not she yet remained within the valley. f“Jed," I asked, my mind finally settled, “do you know the old Minor plantation?”

“Ol’ Jedge Minor’s place? Sure; it’s up on ther south branch of ther Cowskin.” “Have those fellows got down that far yet?” “Wal, I reckon not, but dura if I know fer sure, cap.” “How long would it take us to reach there?” “ ’Bout two days, I reckon.”

I turned and looked at my men in some perplexity. They were scattered along the edge of the road, and only one group had taken the precaution to build a fire. The sergeant lay flat up/bn his back on a grassy knoll. “Ebers,” I said sternly. He arose ponderous, and ca&e forward with a decidedly halting gait. “Vos I sent for?” he asked. "Yes,"‘ i I said; “I want you to have the men get their supper at once* as we shall be obliged to ride a good portion of the night. Get the men to their supper. We shall go on in an hour.” How often since have I smiled at the expression upon his solemn round face as he turned ruefully away! (To he continued)