Evening Star Newspaper, July 8, 1923, Page 70

THE SUNDAY STAR. WASHINGTON, 4 D. C, JULY 8, 1923—PART 5. & L7 Felisi of the South Seas - : - < | Learns of the People Whe . ; B LAY | Go There From Other Lands o RAL/ ‘OCK. I HE yacht, a graceful thing of | Oh, the mangoes.” she added, proffer- | “Youw'd better run along naw.” she “Why have T had no breakfast—or [ing dinghy, and set out for the reef.) found himself watching a minue / slender spars and glinting |ing Parks' stxpence. warned. “I'm going to fetch Bunny 3 lunch?” After all, it was only about half &peh, striped like & zebra, that dar: white enamel, rounded the | Felist refused it bluntly out and he's rather fleree sometimes. s “We have strict instructions that|mile long, and Stella must be some-|ed out from a coral cranny and hieadland and dropped anchor| “You no. want 'em mangoes.’ she | But Bunny proved unusually tract- | on no account are you to be disturbed, | where on it. > llovered 1iks a! marine Buttarny i a cable's length from shore. All affirmed. able that morning. He turned as his sir” The dinghy salled like a witch.|the translucent water. A squid 4 J.uana, comprising sixty souls of “You seem to know more about me| wife enfered with a vaguely apolo- “Yes. that's so,” mused Strode.|There was a sunset to dream of—|(rafled by. But this was pre respective age, sex and volubllity, 2| than I do myself,” said Mrs. Strode; | getic smile. “Then do You mind telling me” he|Pearl-gray islands of cloud floating In| posterous! A prank? How could ths: medley of nondescript dogs and| “what makes you think T don’t want| “Ah, ves. of course.” he murmured added with whimsical pathos, “how I|amethyst. The evening breeze was a|pe? Stella was down there some chickens, several plgs. and a tethered | the mangoes?” and proceeded to change his dressing ever chance to get anything to eat at |00l caress—but there was no sign of | where — somehow. A amanent 4 Turtle or two, was awakened from its| “Me hear you." gown for a duck Jacket. “Of course.”, a7 Stella. This was absurd! He shout-|jeaped to Strode's mind that causes (ustomary torpor to witness the! “Oh, you heard me. did you? T “Mrs. Strode fetches you, sir.” ed lustlly as he salled, and presently | pig unruly heart to stand still. Wha “ing spectacle. Never had Luana|expect you hear a good deal that| “Oh." Strode appeared to ponder|from afar came a small, answering|jr « + + Absurd’ She would be the been treated to anything half as|you're not supposed to.” over the matter. “Well, supposing|Y: His heart leaped to it In thelfirgt (o laugh at his fears aft thrilling! Luana, that is. with the| ©“Me hear plenty.” admitted Felisi| something's Tetched to me this time|Most ridiculous manner. What ailed| erward Bat what If theee = exception of Felisi. pon-committally. by way of a change, Parks—cold,[Pim? He did not know: he did not}were no afterward . . . If ever She stood apart from her flustered| “If you're not the quain ik eilnd care; he had found Stella. e peilie| e, slatal "downlitks. 4 and clucking relatives, silent, watch- | laughed Mrs. Strode. “Yes, sir." She was lying beside a rock pool|fool ©On the instant hi A ful. apparently unimpressed. though | take the money, won't you' Parks withdrew, and on rousing the | WIth Parks, “young native person,”|was aflood with ghastly possibi Iz a certain tensity in her mien gave| Felisi shook her head. 'r cook from his habitual and audible|3nd Waved a greeting as he came|He could not support them. . the lie to her pose of indifference. You no want ‘em mangoes. me nej siesta to receive instructions, touched | $tumbling over the coral toward|Three minutes, he would swear! Th Probably Felist would have accorded | Want ‘em money,” she explained his forehead significantly. The cook| them thing was impossible . . ., ah' @ fivst glimpse of any of the world's|lucidly. . 2 " Beartily concurred. v ly dear John." she exclaimed,| , ,p.dow appeared in the pooi great capitals precisely the same| Tsee” mused Mrs. Strode. “Parks,” | To the accompaniment of cold| What has happened. Ship on fire?"|4eon qown, then shot to the surface weed of outward appreciation she|She added, turning to the steward who chicken Strode communed with him-| It Was hardly the reception he had| i o o meteor, resolving itselt int. now bestowed on Strode’s yacht. had again materfalized, “your good self. So he was “fetched,” was he?|®xXPected. He sat down rather ab-|, yjcex head that turned on Strode And why should it be.otherwise, [ money has been spurned. I think I Somehow the word met with his dis-|TUPtY. and tried to regain his breath. | i . yiaring, terrified eves. It was the even in the fifteen-year-old daughter |€0ld ¥ou we were not at Port Said approval. Rather ignominious, wasn't| S0mehow he felt out of it, a lament-|,0¢ivo girl—alone. The fact smote of an obscure chief in the South Pa-|or Colombo.” A it? How long had it been going on,|&P!¥ Bross and mundane figure Duf-|girode with the force of a physical cific Islands? If you had moved in| “Ves. madam. Luncheon has been he wondered. Nice sort 6f occupa-|flE there on a rock in the presence|yi . For a moment he crouched civilized eircles for a space; if, that|Served twenty minutes, madam.” re- tion for Stella, too. By the way, what|°f this sylph-like person who was!ipare, stunned into impotence; then is. vou had dispensed imitation pink | cited Parks, studiously avoiding had she been doing with herself for |NIS Wife. It was in keeping with all | \iiniut word or look, plunged int coral on the wharyes of Suva to every | Fellsi’s childitke gaze. the past few days—or was it weeks?|the rest on this day of strange ex-|in. poor ’ pussenger with & heart between San| I8 Mr. Strode down yet?” He had no distinct recollection of her :’"l;"c“h mfin He seomed do heloid} a dive it was a poor perform- Franeisco and Sydney. and observed| “NOt yet, madam presence, yet. yes. he seemed to re- |17 for the first time. ance, Felisi decided, and it soon be- the ways of the white man as had| “He has been.told—as well as the member her at meals, the same gra-| “NO. NOthing” he defended lamely,| 2705 75 F et Cod. B0 K SO0% D, Felisi of Luana, you would know that | 80ng?” . clous figure at the end of his table, “)f_:_; 2o 3"’"’:‘“"‘ gtisitime Switi, e10ier, For this Feiscn 1EAooL the display of vulgar curiosity fs| “Ves, madam. silent, unobtrusive, yet conveying a SIS/ eoofion) Men B ronn Witk R an s sonsbinatIe ke o Tge detrimental to dignli Mrs. Strode sighed subtle air of sympathy for a dream-[J2nCInE eyes. “What have we to do| teT B TICRRRCORIRE (S 18 8O “Very " . er ; with time?" She took Fellsi's hands : You would know, alse, that the cor- Very: well.” sho satd. 11 come |"' moods and abstractions. Curi- nCBeEE. “Parh ey °| before his eyes opened. But the most Tect thing to do is to saunter in|directly. ous{that shie should go away likej " MOFR POPEAPS YOU Qida'C KDOW| . masidf thing to Fellsl was the at Ieisurely fashlon #s far as the palm| But she did not i (hat, withont & word ‘Awgravating [V5 o0 TEF OO Rome walt. DoolblciiGila or. the, Lonaly Lady. Wit groves, only breaking into a run 1 suppose some day vou'll have a too, considering that at that particu- Koo n, we are about to show Bunny's head in her lap, and when Nhen they obscure you from the|husband.” she,sald, turning to her lar moment he rather needed ner. |0 = i it was apparent that he had suf public gaze. Thereafter, it is permis- | Kuest ) Some one to talk to about one's work, el ‘;“c‘:‘“l‘;” 8l l"‘"'_;‘:" he | fered nothing more than the thoroug! aible to race beachward with hair ana| Felisi nooded with every appearance you know. Necessary sometimes, or S SRS A0le. ¢ T'P" ! shaking-up that he needed, sh. " s of delight at*the prospect. one became atrophied. Today of all|P!es expanded in ever-widering cir- ~ ;i ’ sulu streaming In vour wake, xmd| o A . . : B S .| turned on Felisi like a tigress * load your canoe with the first man- y're mot af) Jike that, you SSmsSng) fony a0 lune et Ay bRl B S ah .t . “Go away, you hateful child!” she goes and mummy apples to hand as a| KNOW.” warned Mrs. Strode, with a nearly three. Wouldn't she be in a - ;l ;“ ‘0 sn" aps half a min-| o o o Nalid excuse for prying into other| Whimsical half-smile “But I ex- stew when she learned that he had|U'e: Which to Strode seemed more| ™ |, Felisi went. ¢ 5 ik pect you manage them differently gone without his breakfast and|l!ike half an hour, he went to the| Sgy.e qiq 1¢ all mean? Padal Deople’s affairs. In any case, that is|Pect e = sdge of the Dool nd looked diwn. an? Paddling what Pellst aid. . e There was nothingonothing but g |70™¢ I the canoe, she tried to un What it must be to have all the| “Husband all right,” defended Felisi | e e nothing—nothing bUt 2| ravel the mystery. The Lonely Lady money in the world, and therefore all | 8toutly. N hour later Strode was pacing |pa o 4 ged with sway-| ;.9 “wondered what he would 3 S atiee ™ AAlS Aire BtRAET A e St G in €|ing weed. Stella had always been i e the happindss! That Is what she tried| SOmEtimes Sald ars Strode. ' 3 the deck v concealed Im- | roq 1cns where water was concerned, | 3° Very well, she (Felisi). to imagine, squatting in the canoe|Elint of miachief, never very far IT WAS THE NATIVE GIRL_ALONE. FOR A MOMENT STRODE CROUCHED THERE, STUNNED; |pelenc® e wao not used o being |pe remembered. All the same, ne|Did (4ken the trouble to show her wmong her wares and staring wide- | WAL came into her s, : THEN, WITHOUT A WORD OR LOOK, HE PLUNGED INTO THE POOL. [Patked of anything, and in the pres-| yisneq she wouldn't do this sort of | U7, t¢ *MPle expedient of depositing eved at the beautiful lady who stood ¥ s ? ent Instance he was aware of an in-|yning 1¢ was disturbing and he dis. | 1°7 D S3fety on the far side of a alone at the yacht's after rail look- | SUSBested suddenly. e I s AR ordinate and unaccountable desire to| iy eq being disturbed [l igasine xchway andireturning it ing out over the water. To own a Thtr- was apparently nothing in|he added with emphasis. though Again!" she cried. ! | To “vhe reef, I belleve, sir, on a|get eyes on his wife. i 3 note results, Were they not satis- Btig saiete ot whits andigeld, and] lte Pelist pratarced. L | aPropos of nothing tangible. Put best of sll she loved the quiet | picnic.” A tiernoni ten Aeev iRl by, the duit R factory? Was there ever any under- o dritting over the world to every| _ You come along here” said Mrs.| Mrs. Strode xtood looking out | places, unfathwmable rock pools, im-| “Alone? . placable Parks, proved a dreary af- |standing the ways of this strange &0 ¢ & 2 5 ©r Ty | Strode, leading the way over the|tirough an open port. mune from the busy surf, and beset| “With u young native person, sir." | fair, and by 5 o'clock impatience had MINUTE must have passed and | PECPle? s 1:"]’1':;:’;“0'; e T dea| ocoanut mattng of the deck. “and| “You meedn't hurry.” she said.|with coral islets, archways and| Strode looked about him -with an|given way to a senseless but mone- a minute was a long time. 1t| Felisi of Luana was afraid not. And , "“ the ‘et of. the) aav¥:and teortag] 2P these funny little stairs, and round | “We're oniv half an hour l“,?g' aves. Here it las. po:snlhl- 10| expression of vague bewilderment. | theless acute anxiety. He might go|coufdl not be good. He must put his|in the case of Lonely Ladies, she e here, and across this bridge, and at| “Ah, I'm sorry. my dear. Mr. | plunge into an unknown world and.| .apq, Parks.” {and meet her. It would be a pleas- | foot down Strode a | resolved never again to try. fish traps. and exacting relatives re- |, "o "7, e huteh where | Strode crossed to a cabinet wash- | with Felisi's, hand tight clasped in | “Yes, sir. | S5t siiegntes, e cailed for tivs sail lm = ode dropped to s i 4 guiring (ohedfence and suvport: Felistf yl, iyey | stana ut I'm just beginning (0| hers. explore it mysterious laby- | : sail- | hin knces at the edge of the pool and | (Copyright. 1023.) sighed. S | see daylight—just beginning. We're | rinths as long as breath would last. | And curiously enough Mrs. Strode ¢ a now in the Lau group and if the for- Then came the respite, prone at the | b ° chanced to' sigh at much the same| Felisl beheld & white deck house,| = ... " 1o ;my theorws proved—|water's edge. looking down Into the en ar S ttac On ashl moment as she leant over the vacht's|replete with highly varnished doors| = 0 0. 4o repeated, vigorously be-[cool green depths with their sway- . n Ol I OO rail watching an out-rigger canoe|2nd Slittering brass portholes. | spattering the carpet with soapsuds. | ing weed and ratbow-tinted fish: and its diminutive bronze occupant| “Vou see” continued Mrs. Strode.| .oy no end to this thing—no|e\why pian and strive and plan again, S . vising and falling on the gentle| e i right away from everyone here, lena. ».o o L While sll fhings easthly pallt ace 1 — lne ears A O Fr swell. What it must be to have noth- | 204 that is what Bunny likes.” e s o e mat it M |t Goiliat Jast will Fou attatn? m u y ing. and therefore happiness! To live| All the time o | Strode had suffered it for a consid-| Come down and end It all" in an earthly paradise and a suly,| “VETY mearly.” said Mrs. Strode | orgpi, period, tried to resign her-[ oot T T ew con- 7o know nothing of the fetish of f;‘l'“‘“"";:'»‘;"im,_c" and see what you| ge ¢o it undrl llaflod To o B T e ) 'u"‘i”,”:,‘"“:uh:":l:: f:":;‘:’l:'“’“'"f;: (Felist stood on tiptoe fo Deer more than an early boredom. follow- [but of & sudden the lonely 1ady had) ort tOr) of the tlrrlng attle. v YOU| through one of the portholes, a pro- o At o ore = SRR o ) love. even though he be your hus- | TARER ORC PO RS BO TS 50"1":‘"5‘;31 B o rraguiher® | "*I wonder.” she mused. still star- JBY STEPHEN F. TILLMA fore. While marching the men were | was promptly given McCook and all |either side of the fort, and the lattes band. - of an adept. Within wers bookS.| ;o of that type. She had made the | "8 downward with a strange nxny_, IESENT-day residents along ®nveloped in a suffocating cloud of | available troops were concentrated in were held in r ve behind the fc P St ey o i fuot of Geat el Ehe Wia made 60] S0l oy ¢ neTwonid Ao o 15 = Georgia avenue feel safe in |dust and many of them fell by the the rifie trenches on either side of - © fort Such was the trend of Mrs. Strode’s | ing three walls of the room from cauce she loved him. o o o0¢ Ana Felisi wondered too. It was a their homes. No dreams of W&y from exhaustion. The progress| Fort De Russy. Some of the veteran * o ok % coniestncss anb1iatar rrleaiEy G . weakness of hers hlsd-l'klfll marauders spoil thetr | W& much impeded, but, undaunted, reserves were moved across Rock BOUT noon il i 2 sildtakable) SLETAIY Erom | Ba wands. ; %o x rest. But ffty-nine vears ago the |Farly pushed on as rapidly as pos- |creck from the Ist to the 20 Brigade A Ere e Sucoesting dry two urms upheld, a mango in the BOUT 2 oclock that day John |11th of this month it was difterent. f'Jll--. hoping to get into the fortifi- and the picket lines were strength- folosiie e o ok toslead the : Pl ielen g B e of a gif.|It Will be recalled that it was on |cations around the city before they ened as much as possible from the | bkl er by telegraph: ‘Maj hand of each. and a sihall, ; trode became aware ¢ July 11, 1864, that Gen. Early of the |could be manned. But when he ar.| Rockville pike fo fth street (i | G€n. Gillmore, U. §. Vols. with a por comingl over tiie. water.: “You: want ference —a vaguely disturbing ele-|o o 0 000 ‘Army made his famous |Fived in sight of Fort Stevens he dis- | Marble of the 151st Ohlo Natidnal UO" Of the 18th Army Corps fs as im mango. lady _ ! ment. it you will—in his usually pre- | [0 (UG T TN The confilet | covered that the works were feebly |GUaTd was sent to command the |%iEned to command the line from Good gracious.” exclaimed Mrs. | | occupled existence took place at Fort Stevens, in Bright. | Earrisoned [troops and line at Fort De Rusey,|FOFt Lincoln to Fort Totten Erig Btrode, “the child speaks Ensnnh.! The hutch was hot: but it was not| .4 i was here that President| He immediatély ordered one of his Which was then regarded as the|Gen. M. C. Meigs, QM. general. to Ry she called, “come alongside! that. He tried 10 ignore the annoy-1 incoln stood on the rampart while |leaders to bring a division into line | Weakest portion of the line attacked | °Mmand the line from Fort Totten ' Parks, have you any money,” | atice. but falled. He thrust it froM .,y ang shell fell around him. It &S rapidly as possible and to throw [On account of the broken topography |'© Fort De Russy. Brig. Gen. M. D A steward, who seemed to have ap- | him. but it returned with maddening ) was here that Early was repulsed. | ut skirmishers and move into the and shelter afforded by stumps. Fire | Hardin, U. S. Vols., to command th peared noiselessly from nowhere, | persistence. Finally he turned| \ljugion has often been made to this | Works if possible. . But before this| Was opened from the heavy guns in |line from Fort De Russy to Fort Sum fumbled In his pocket among the| abruptly in the swivel chair. crossed|atack. Some retrospect of the |could be done the Confederates saw | the fort, with the apparent effect of |Mer, inclusive. The 6th Corps, unde sad remains of last night's poker. | the room, and stood looking in be-|avents which precede it is necessary |® cloud of dust in the rear of the | checking the enemy’'s advance In large | COmmand of Maj. Gen. Wright. (o he and with some diffidence produced jmused fashion through one of theffor a full understanding of this epi- WOrks off toward Washington. Pres- bodies. held in reserve, and the entire line sixpence. { ports. de of the war between the states. ently a column of Federals filed into k% % and troops to be commanded by Maj “If you'll pardon me, madam.” he| A cloud of gannets flecked the in-i Sengitiveness for the safety of the works. They came in on both Gen, Alexander McD. McCook." [ warned in a note of deferential con- | | tense blue of the sky. dropping now | Washington influenced every impor- | Sides. Skirmishers were thrown out SHORT time before noon Capt | A POrtion of the 6th Corps had fidence, “the fruit brought horf in the | land again like stones upon their jtant movement of troops in the Vir- 7 front and a heavy artillery fire was A Berry. who commanded one of the | '30Y Deen piaced on the line, a hum-boats is 'igh as to price. and not pre The sea. slashed by the white!ginia theater of war. When, in March | *P¢ned on Early from a number ‘of troops of the Sth lllinols Cavalry,|'"Stéad of holding the corps in re 2o e véited iont” | ribbon of the barrier reef. rose and|of 1962, it was proposed to change the Datteries. This defeated the hopes of | (iPE B0 (18 B0 IS CRVMI: |eorve it was necessary to give it e said Mrs. Strode “vou're not at Port Said or Colombo | now. vou know, Parks. Besides, 1 don’t want the fruit." Exactly what it was Mrs. Strode 10 want was hard to determine, =0 Parks retired gracefully. For some time she leant over the rail looking down into an upturned elfin face. and noting the perfect teeth, the vel | xkin, the brown wistful eye: andl uhove all the wealth of blue-black hair—assimilating, in short, all those qualities in Felisi of Luana that helped so materially In the sale of imitation pink coral—or mangoes. ou dear!” she cried suddenly »(‘ome aboard at once.” And Felisi came Somewhere. and about an hour later, it struck two bells, and th mellow boom of & gong followed,soon afterward announcing lunch aboard the Ajax, Lut Mrs. Strode was other- Wise engaged. To be exact, she wa undergoing a cougse of instruction in making cigarettes of dried banana leaf and finding it absorbing. Some- how. this quaint little creature out of the world’s end had taken hold of Mrs. Strode. Listening to its glib jargon, watghing its deft. uncon- clously graceful movements, and trying to plumb the admixture of, crass ignorance and subtle wisdom | that appeared to constitute its mind, Zave this lonely woman keener pleas- onsense,” | | ! ' | He looked kind. ! various samples of the genus turaga ure than she had experienced for muny a day. 1 “ ¢ * * aud you must take me‘ out to the reel,” she told Felisi;; just us two In the canoe, and show | me how to do things—spear fish, nuul stay under water ‘two minutes.” | * o ok ok 3 Felisj appeared unimpressed. “You no spear fish,” she retorted. survey- ing her luxurious surroundings as! though in some manner they might! he held responsible for their owner's inability to do anything. “You no &tay under water one minute. “Indeed”’ Mrs. Strode was piqued. 1t took her back to the days—not so far distant—when, as the only sister of four unruly brothers, she had . meldom been proof agains “the dar F“we'll see,” she added, with a touch ©f asperity. “There may be more in {,2ne than meets the eye—do you un- " wlerstand?” ’ Felisl nodded gravely, a method #of response she had found effective favhen not understanding in the least. “Then that's settled.” said the #beautiful lady. “You come alongside with the anoe early tomorrow morning. and we'll make a day of It, you and I, A CANOE SHOT OUT FROM THE AJAX'S LEE AND HEADED FOR THE BARRIER REEF. to ceiling. Along the fourth| ran a bench littered with stones, lumps of coral and Inexplicable in- struments, and under the skylight at a desk equally littered with papers sat a large blond man in a dressing gown writing assiduously. Felisi had studied floor and this one appeared well up to standard. But—— She returned to Mrs. Strode for further enlighten- ment. “Bunny all right” she announced, by way of encouragement “I'm glad you ke him,” sald Mrs. Strode. “And you Mrs. Strode pursued her looked out over the sea. “As much as 1 see of him," she confessed. “You see she went on in explanatory vein, “he is really a great man and came all this way to find out things about the world— your world. You think it beautitul and pleasant to live in, and that's enocugh for you—ard me, but it isn't enough for him. He likes to find out why it's beautiful and pléas- ant. what it's made of and who lived in it before we did. Then he goes into the hutch and puts it all into a book.” Felisi listened enthralled. The beautiful lady was surpassing her- selt—but nothing that she sald dis- guised or clouded for one instant the main issue, which to the philosopher of Luana was as clear as day—the beautiful lady was also a lonely lady. “Too much ‘utch,” she commiser= ated solemmly. Whereat Mrs. Strode was con- aumed with silent laughter and| hustied her toward the companion. lips &nd oL = HIS . complete, almost fanatical, subjugation to an idea was a disease, she had decided during her long seif-communings—as much a disease as any other. but less sus- ceptible to treatment in that the pa- tient was unaware of No one would have been more sur- prised or distressed than John Strode had he guessed that he was causing his wife one moment's un- happine: yet she lived In the knowledge that she was no more to this man of her choice than if she had never been. The - following morning a canoe shot from the Ajax's lee and headed for the barrfer. reef. To, Mrs. Strode. paddling joyfully in the hows. clad in a boys' bathing suit, the world was young that morn- ing and full of promise. Why was it ever necessary to do anything else than speed over blue water, with spindrift lashing the face and the deep-toned roar of surf filling the universe and drowning all care like an oplate? This was life, she told herself exultantly, the rest a pitiable pretense. Into the very heart of the green- bellied cdmbers it seemed they were heading, until the laughing child of nature at the steering paddle swerved the canoe, as by a iniracle, into & narrow pass, and through it to the open sea. Here, without pause, it turned in its qwn length and, lifting to the swell of deep waters, bore down upon the reef. There wi & momentary check, a soaring as through space, zna the cance, borne on a cascade of foam, shot to rest on the still waters of the lagoon. Mrs, Strode had leapt Luana reef. its presence. | The eternal sun shone down. Strode turned from the port wikh a frown of baffled annoyance. | Then, one by one. sluggishly. the | small realities of life began to filter | into his consciousness. He glanced at | 1 | fell, as though breathing in its sleep. | his watch. It had stopped—because he had forgotten to wind it. He was ! hungry. Why? Perhaps he had had | nothing to eat. What about break- fast and lunch? It must be after noon. Curious! He grunted, flung open the door of the hutch, and went on deck. His train of thought had been de- railed by hunger: that was what had happened to John Strode. But he was aware only of the accident’s curious effect upon himself. It seemed, as he wandered over the vacht, that he had just returned from a long journey. Everything was familiar, yet strange- i1y new; and something was lacking: he felt it. but his mind refused to sup- ply the deficiency. In the saloon he mixed himself a stiff brandy and soda. “Befuddled!” he muttered angrily. “Must have been at it longer than I though Suddenly he caught sight of his face in a mirror, and went nearer to ex- lamine it more closely. There were shadows under the eyes that empha- sized thelr already unnatural bril- liance; the cheeks were hollow and the beard disgracefully unkempt. Strode stretched his clenched fists above his head until his joints cracked with the unaccustomed tension, and as he did so caught reflected in the glass a glimpse of the far corner of the saloon behind him—a standard lamp with a rose shade, a guitar standing propped against it, and an empty armchair. . * kX ¥ HE little picture conveyed nothing to Strode beyond the same ag: gravating impression of incomplete- ness. He turned and crossed the sa- loon. Lying on the arm of the chair was one of his own socks, a darning needle caught in the'wool. He picked it up and examined it Wechanically, then dropped it with a short laugh, for it had told Nim what was lacking aboard the AjAx, and to think it had not occurred to him before was really rather amusing. H® rang the bell. “Parks,” he demanded of the startled fadividual who appeared in the door- way, “Where is Mrs. Strode?” “Mra. Strode left early, sit.” “Did she leave any message?” “No, sir.” 3 “But—have you no idea where she has gone?” . S {lines of operations after Johnson's | defeat and retreat from Manassas to jthe peninsula between the James and : York rivers. a council of corps com- | manders. 1o whom %he plans had {been submitted, laid down certain {conditions as indispensable. One of | these was that the force to be left to {cover Washington should be such as { would give the people of the city an en- [nrt feeling of security for their safety ifrom the menace of the enemy Not { contented with the general statement, | it was made more explicit by the addendum “that | right bank of the Potomac fully gar- |risoned and those of the left bank {oceupied. a covering force in front }of the Virginia line of 25000 men to 40,000 men. with the forts of the | | THE the Confederacy of getting possession of the works by surprise and it be- came necessary to reconnoiter. * % x o* officials at Washington (Gen. Grant had entertained in vain the hope that Hunter's force would make its appearance in time to divert the Confederate force in its advance on toward the city. But after cross- and | | picket line | not being able to grapple with ing the mountains, the most expedi- | tious route for that officer was to strike the Ohio canal and, ascending by water to Parkersburg. take the Baltimore and Ohio railroad. Low water in the Ohio and breaks in the road delayed him and he was hors de | combat throughout all of the events | described. Hence it became necessary Later this was ralsed to find otlier troops to oppose Early. Maj. Gen. Alexander McD. McCook When Gen. Pope took the field upon | of the United States volunteers, hav- the Rappahannock in July, large portion of the troops sérving in the defense of Washington were added to his command. Quite a few of these were the so-called “three- month men,” meaning that they had enlisted for three months' service only. Official records for that period show that the 1st and 2d District of Columbia Volunteers were considered more or less the backbone of the de- fenses here. / * ¥ ok ok ‘Valbi; marching toward Washing- ton Early met Gen. Wallace near Frederick. Wallace's forces were in- adequate to offer protracted re- sistanice. However, he gave battle, and though suffering defeat detained Early twenty-four hours and thus gave time for the arrival in Wash- ington of two divisions of the 6th Corps under command of Gen. H. G. ‘Wright and also of a portion ‘of the 19th Corps. I The following day, July 10, Early resumed his march and bivouacked near Rockville. His cavalry had a brisk encounter at that place with a detachment of Col. Lowell's cavalry. The latter, after making a stand of more than a hour and until the enemy brought his artillery Into action, re- treated ‘rapidly to his infantry picket line, which was about two miles from Tenallytown. At daylight of the fol- lowing day Early’s army started to move. McCausland, moving on the Georgetown pike, and the infantry, preceded by Imboden's cavalry, turned to the left at Rockville so as to reach the Seventh street pike, which ryns by Silver Spring into Washington. The previous day had been very warm and the roads were exceedingly dusty, for there had been no rain for sevpral weeks. The heat during the night had been very oppressive. Little or no rest was allowed the men. This day was hotter than the one he- would suffice,” | command a reserve camp which was located at or near Piney Branch creek about midway between this city and Fort Stevens, proceeded with Col. B. S. Alexander of the Corps of En- gineers on Sunday afternoon to make a hasty examination of the ground for the camp and of the fortification’s in its immediate front. A small force reported to him near Piney Branch creek during the night. It consisted of the 2d District of Columibia Vol- unteers, Sth Regiment of Veteran Re- smerve Corps and artlllery. Learning early ‘Monday morning how weakly the lines in front were manned, he moved the troops which had reported to him up to the rifle trenches on either side of Fort Stevens and sent out a small skirmish line. During the morning several additional regi- ments of veteran reserves and several detachments of dismounted cavalrymen reported to him and were posted in the trenches. When the first news of the ap- proach of the enemy toward the city. was recelved on Sunday morning. July 10, Gen. Hardin, who then com- manded the defenses of Washington north of the Potomac, was directed to proceed to Tenleytown to take spe- cial charge of the position of the lines between Rock creek and the Potomac and to make the headquar- ters of his division at that place. Upon reaching Fort Reno, the head- quarters of the 1st Brigade, near Tenleytown, & little before midnight, he found that Col. J. M. Warnér of the 1st Vermont Artillery, who com- manded the brigade, had made the best possible disposition of the forces at his command. It was about 11 o'clock of the morn- ing of the 11th that the signal officer at Fort Reno observed clouds of dust and Army wagons moving from the direction of Rockville toward Blair's farm, on the T¥h street road. Notice 1862, & |Ing been assigned by Gen. Halleck to | i | Cook. him that the enemy was moving with artillery, cavalry and infantry from Rockville and that they were headed In the direction of Silver Spring. About noon a strong line of the enemy's skirmishers came into sight. They advanced on Fort Stevens, where McCook was in command. The in front of the position the enemy, was directed to retire slowly, contesting their ground. As the pickets retired the guns from Forts Stevens, Slocum and De Russy opened fire. By firing rapidly, they ~succeeded in checking the further advance of the Confederates, who tHen took cover and kept up a galling fire upon the gunners. About thig time there was great uneasiness along the line of fortifications. The forces distributed in them, though considerable in number, were not of such a character as to inspire per- fect confidence in their competency to resist an assault. Upon the arrival of dismounted men of the 2d Division Cavalry Corps, Army of the Potomac, more than 600 strong, confidence was restored in the hearts of the defenders 10 a certain degree. The new sol- diers advanced at 0 o'clock in the afternoon and drove the enemy back about a thousand yards. The firing was kept up along the plcket lines from the Rockville pike to the front of Fort Slocum until after dark. About 3 o'clock Mal. Gen. H. G. Wright of the volunteers, who commanded the 6th Corps, re- ported at the fort. He was followed within the shour by his troops. That night a force of more than $00 sol- diers from this battle-tried corps was placed on the line. During Sunday evening Brig. Gen. M. C. Meigs of the Quartermaster Corps had reported with more than 2,000 quartermaster employes to Mc- During the world war Camp Meigs, located out on Florida avenue, was named in his memory. Upon offi- clal records appear the following ref- erence to Gen, Meigs: “Much credit is due this officer. In 1863 a brigade of quartermaster’'s men employed in the city had been organized and drilled by him. This had, however, during his absence on the Chattanooga cam- paign, been disbanded. With the ap- proval of the Secretary of War of that time, Meigs had at the last mo- ment reorganized this brigade in twenty-four hours’ time, and on Sun- day (14th) reported for duty. That night it was ordered to join McCook's command and was placed on the lines from Fort Slocum to Fort Totten.” The following day Col. Rice, with 2,800 convalescents and artillerymen, also reported to McCook., The first were then placed in rifle pits on leading part in what followed. The enemy. after retiring his skirmishers on Monday, still held on the follow i several important points e were the houses owned by « Mr. Rives and Mrs. Lay and othe From these points the Unfon Armn was ann v much. A brigade of the 6th Corps commanded by Brig Gen. Frank Wheaton attacked the enem line at 6 o'clock the even ing, and after a sharp contest. In Which the enemy threw in one or two fresh brigades. gained the desired points. This was done only after a loss of 280 men who were eithe killed or wounded. During the ensu ing night the Confederates withdrew in the direction of Conrad's ferrv It will be recalled that while these exciting events were transpiring Lit coln, with the Secretaries of War and State, accompanied by many officiais of high positions, were to be seen a' Fort Stevens and Reno, intensely in- terested in the scene before them The rapid marching which had broken down a number of the Con federates, who were either barefooi4, ed or weakened by previous exposures and who had been left in the valley and directed to be collected at vari ous points. had reduced his infantrv to about 8,000 rifiemen. One of his men had reported that the works on the Georgetown pike were too strong ly fortified for him to assault. He could not move to either the right or left without being discovered from a signal tower on the top of the So! diers' Home, which overlooked ths country, and the Union forces would have been able to move in his works to meet Early. Early received word from Gen Bradley Johnson, who was near Bal- timore, that two corps had arrived from Grant’s army, and that his whole army was no doubt in motion This news caused Early to delay his attack until he could examine the worke again, and as soon as it was 1ight enough to see he rode to the front and found the parapets lined with troops. He had, therefore, re- luctantly to give up all hopes of cap- turing Washington after he had ar- rived in sight of the dome of the Capitol and had given the Union offi- clals here a terrible fright. The average reader of this wiil be caused to wonder not why Early failed to take the city, but why he had the audacity to approach the city as he did with the small force at his command. It has been said by some that Early delayed longer than he should have in the valley. But every moment was put to use, and he made the attack as soon could complete his organisation -