The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, August 16, 1903, Page 8

T was long after midnight when a girl rse galloped Into a n the Tiinois side of pe« a landing cross the river: she she told the sentry, dge Fagg, the Pro- t one; but this was & ouldn’t they cross her antern, perhaps to see was as sweet as her e. He saw that ndifferent light, from parted red her eyes were ; and perhaps e come harder could ensely sky-blue es were. sut as i was the s tted bis orders and hammered on a nearbv door to T his officer. The officer came forth, half dressed and humored, for he had been sleeping s y & e early morning air was miss, but we can't do it. Tt mes, end we orders Get a bave strict t a permit. o sentry. - “T'll e Then she rode k thro ement and disap- fl bed ° the girl orse and was making her er. Here were the “bot- and soon she had to dismour ead her horse through the heavy ber. What was she going to do? She e So at well-known sympath trouble. been er tellow college-mate awoke The g Bright, a & ned the U of his compan fon forces was =a and Cassandra, girl's company once ind jealousy Judge Fagg, released Richey was unf being wit t yet proved Richey's Marshal arrest of Mi his old Southern &irl playmate before he marched away to fight against the st bars. Here aptain Bright had followed him with t e charge and had ar- d take would give on the morrow and sk not 2t sundown. Cassandra hed near ted et the fe ¥ cold-biooded plot. But her weakness lasted but a short time, r she realize something must be one, and done 2 e, iIf Richey was to be saved. She co 114 think of nothing ex- €0 to Judge Fagg and get a re- e, for the Judge knew Richey and leased him before, and Bright and s men being Miss re were 8 wder the jurisdiction of Provost Marshal P & wooded b made up to s ss the river. It was e w but Union or re s de that she would sav 4 ssible to do so. e rea e ri e u o al drift- & g 14 swim to e . they must get to the * t est r the horse wa amore e stopped and ing habit, which oved ering the wood: 1 the horse down and blanketed Ther waited for day- st it seemed to be coming. lightened, until she uish cbjects. The time had ner skirts around her hem securely. She rse’s mouth of the bit, and taking the usu- 10 skirt of her r on e she ndscape on the horse, She heard the t over the river, mpering along the shore as though trying to warn her; and she knew, as she 1at a desperate chance she was taking. If the river were a mile and a hal? wide it would be a long swim to that central sandbar. And who could tell what sort of a ho e had? He might prove anything but a swimmer. Well, she must ris here was no other way, and Richey must be saved. I gh now for her to make ough the farther shore was still scarcely distinguishable and a ay upon the water. She ed the horse's meck him down the crumbling He tock to the water at breast high it seemed to fi 1 He eniffed at it, stopped, and then with a loud snort began to back. The girl's heart sank—he was go- Ing to fail her. But she patted him soft- ly egain, telling him that he must go, and the animal seemed to understand, for after dipping his nose into the stream as if to assure him that it was only stuff he drank every day, he suddenly ged forward and was soon swimming. what a swim for horse and rider! hasy half-light of that early morn- e great flood of the mighty Missis- seemed like some wide, moving sca. sandbar, somewhere out in the middle ste of waters, could not be seen ght. What if t had llec wasn't there? What if she eam and so missed a hundred ough the girl's mind as y to the horn of the sad the cold water against limbs and listening to ing exhalation and the brief, sk he horse’s breath. p! And £ ] in the dim to her and it others washing the arp swim low in the water, eyes and cars and nostriis horse was holding himsel! at the water hardly touched And how splen wooded sh ceding and as looking ahead this of the saddle. she could . plainly each moment the rugged b and hills of Missouri side. But the water was fear cold and the fresh w of the river through. Would they make must make it! She called be- to horse as he stopped ng for a few moments and drift- the T and the noble a th understanding the dire ming strongly were well out in the stream t me—the increased for t the c ent told her that. But where was the dbar? Was. th a sandbar? If they had led. Ob, 2lmost laughed in bitter mirth; for what 1ld she do 1f the She was ow o going back bor Richey in the river Let 7 be shot? Never! t she knew that moment that never had been a sandbar river was a thousand s W The horse was drifting again and the st er, sharper intake of his breath t that he was beg - was the sandbar? At last she made it out—a g ow on th of the level Thank God! too. She moved the reins gently against the horse’s neck and he turned toward it. It seemed an hour before he st the sand, but at last he did and stood panting on the little island. waste waters. they were well above it, uck It grew lighter an there in horse to lighter as she sat wet saddle, waiting for the his wind and recover his strength. e wished that she could r lease the animal of her welght, but the cold water had numbed her so t she was afrald to get off. But she felt e that he wouid carry her over nc * for it was not so far to the other side. As she looked across she could see the scattered houses of Missouri—and her at the mere sight Over there, back of those is, was Judge Fagg and the heart rose hopefully f her goal eased, and looking down o saw that the ferryboat g out from the Illinois side and was crossing on its first morning trip. The people on the ferry had evi seen her, for she caught the of something white, and heard a halloo. But she watched them a grim smile, and stroked the horse’s head proudly and lovingly. A few moments later she Judged the horse ready, and once more rode.him into the water. The horse swam even better than be- ifting fewer times, as though he more faint with confidence m his strength But as they gradually neared the other side a new fear came to the girl's mind. They couid not reach the town landing, but must land farther downm; and far- ther down the bluffs seemed to rise THE SUNDAY CALL. right out of the water. But the ferry peo- ple had spread the news that a woman was swimming the river an dalready sev- eral men and soldiers were running alons the bank. As the horse brought her grad- ually nearer the girl saw that these peo- ple understood her danger, and were call- ing to her to keep up stream as much as posaible. Then came the real battle with the river! The current was swifter, the horse was tiring and the inexorable bluffs were menacing grimly. -~ Must they fail after all? Must they lose just at the door- way of the goal? For a little while it seemed S0 to both rider and watchers; and then the horse seemed to realize him- relf that the supreme moment had ar- rived, and he swam fiercely. Five minutes later a soldier caught him by the bridle, and the horse, pawing heroically, galned a footing on the rocky bank! It was a Unlon captain who unbuckled the surcingle and lifted Cassandra from the saddle. But her Southern heart had time to rebel, even when he chafed her cold hands and looked into her brave blue eyes with tremendous admiration. Nor did she refuse his arm up the steep hore, for her legs were cramped and stiff, and her skirts, now let down again, were heavy with water/and dragged stub- bornly or disd was no time to show scorn e day was advancing, and she must see Judge Fagg as soon as p¢ sible. She cut in sharply on the captain’s queries as to why she had made that des- perate swim across the river, telling him that she had Judge Fagg, and The captain was captains had need Th n; t iness with ed. P important g whera he li ve young ma those day decl to be en less beau Perhaps had Cassandra b ful' he might have tarried with more questic ; but the flash of those blue eyes told him that quick work counted here. He got a horse for her, he lifted her b vy to e saddle, and with an im- nlsive pressure of her hand, gave her the brief directions “Straight through a half mile—big white gates—to left.” And she went! he gray-haired, grim-faced provost- marshal listened to Cassandra’s story with grav e “Dave Ric! Why, T know his folks they're Union. . I released him before because of that, Why is he under arrest— as he turned rebel?” The girl flushed at the and her eyes flashed. word ‘‘rebel,” Judge rebel!. But I And then she told him story—of the broken engagement with Captain Bright, his -mad jealousy of Fagg; he is not—-a of it.” entire am, and proud the 1 how the U ion trumped-up charge. rapldly. B appeared at the ferry, and 3.2 had a permit to cross—and * reprieve—was pinned under her bodice. horse be supplied her on the other side. that brave Southern heart of yours will ca in time,” he sald as he bade her good-by. is wrong, but God bless its brave women. 1t was the morning of that tragic day, April 15, army, Bright had followed him with a And before she had entirely done the Judge was writing “And I ¥ David Richey: Richey :r\m@ up merely to tell her good-by before he joined and had how ‘Within the hour Cassandraand the Judge this time t another he girl paper—the The Judge gave her an escort, also, and directed that a good I know you there “The South petter of us, my girl—we are not all Brights: That boy is worthy of us, and I shall hear proud things ® voth of vou when this war Is ended2” Then, much 1865, Try to think Richey from to the TUnion Captain’s envy, he kissed her cheek as the ferry started. when Colonel David Richey walked slowly down one of the little streets of Rock- port, Illinois. Lee and Johnson had surrendered—the fearful war had final- ly come to an end. Coionel Rich- ey had been with the iron-souled Grant, but had not been able to stay with him until the heroic tenacity of the man had conquered over the almost {insur- mountable difficulties of that long cam- paign and he had seen the brave Lee lay down his arms. For Ric had been wounded and was just recovering when peace was declared. As he walked down the street that morning he thought of the last time he had been in this little town, and he wondered if he would be able to find Cassandra Manly, and if she was still the flery Southerner she was even when she swam the Mississippi and brought his reprieve. What a brave deed that had been! Had she loved him with all her heart she could not have dared more for him. But now that the war was over— now that there was no South and no North, but only one great country, even- tually to be united by the very blcod shed tn the strugele of separation: now that Mason and D ~ and ¢ pass 2 . a w to wi she and her mothe walked slowly t Cassandra was st n he opened the little gate. S him, in spite of the had befailen him, and ward with a look n that told its own story brance. And just as he bent e a man ran up the str calling news excitedly. Seeing the colouel's form, the man ca “Lincoln s deac died this morning!” “My God!"” exclaimed Ric felt a heavy welght aga looking down, realized was sobbing bitterly. The girl of the South the great heart of Linc taught its lesson of love! him, and, Cassandra that had been tamed; n bad already «BILLY,” THE BLOCKADE RUNNER. By Barry Paine. T WAS close and sultry; no breath of air stirred the pines, and the mullein- stalks beside the roadway were drooped flat to earth. Even the drone of the locusts seemed faint and dis- pirited, and the occasional cry of a bl Jay in the woods was far more in the na- ture of a protest than anything else. All Nature seemed oblivious to strife. Even Lieutenant Thomas Morley Gray, as he sat smoking very methodically—as he did all things—upon the top rider of a rickety rall fence beside the roadway, ap- peared as utterly iznorant that two great armies in blue and gray were doggedly facing each other in serried ranks not more than three miles away, notwith- standing that he himself wore a uniform jor belied his name—a unif little the worse for hard ser- A huge pine shaded his perch, but for all Gray was perspiring and evident- iv il at ease. Ever few minutes he looked at watch, and every time'he \/UDEED T DOWI -] B 10 - TUE. RIVER™ (2] aid Ao he / e grunted disgust- edly and uttered an expletive under his breath. ft had required pluck to get through hestile lines—for what? \When an_hour had passed—a long, during which he had al- himself with his hat and 2 »mbat with the mosqui- toes, which G. pite the smoke, had de- clared hostil sray put on his hat with a determined air and slid down from the fence. As he did so he saw a cloud of dust moving along the roadway in his direction. Then out of the dust-cloud emerged a yellow dog, trotting along heavily with tongue lolling from his mouth. At the sight of the man the dog gave vent to a series of joyful barks; he came the remaining distance in long bounds, and when he reached the man he stood before him, his tail in violent motion. ald Gray, stooping to pat the t. “good old Billy. What— he broke off suddenly in sur- prise, for tied to the dog's collar was a violet envelope of small dimensions and the superscription on it was his own rame. Gray snatched the envelope and tore it open. “Dear old Tommy,” he read. “Humph he interpolated, *“T these ‘dear old Tommies'—trouble.” again turned to the note. “I can’t read Chaucer beneath the big dragging héur, ternately fan waged unea know He erncon becausd Mr. Bennetty he is walte pine tree with you this aft I'm going Excuse has I shall it ing for me now ntlets here ar Now don't b you ‘Tommy you soom, HELEN." y surveyed the cloudless sky foR several tumuituous moments. “Now, Wwo he began The sentence died in an inane gurgle, while Gray's face grew .wrathfully red and great beads of perspiration stood on his forehead. Then he tore a leaf from his notebook, hastily scrawled a few word and tied it to Billy’s collar, other note had r d arose, ar lown t When th ted down t rnly, “Home, Bil- hand road a 1y. fter he had watched the ted to the dust 4 the other road t k to his ’ e fim H= f n on. Ur rable to Billy rea laine ymin stricken mosc soul of delighted a e to go 'throug Inquisition again for the sake reward of a similar note, t you are riding with t dévotion, I town. THOMAS The next aft s getting his v attack of ame trott eatened “Your latest eutd o burst duly received Billy, Mr. Tome . Green-Eyes. Pran on't subject your< f to heat and mos< quitoes on my account, e “HELEN. Billy carried note for | making would have them in obliged to sit in watch Hel foppish ¢ i find Billy ar t it With to gzet them came into his t “I'm in ter to-morrow jealous.™ he made ou nison, sitting on tk ttage, saw sedately across about his r sitk flag v breeze. P T « was an envelope add “My dear Helen.” she read, and laughed softly; “I received but the merest frag ments of ye note, for Billy tried con clusions with buil terrier .with disas. trous results. vertheless enough + mained to_give me considerable enlight enment. Billy's appearan F oy reaches you—if he got Dt ther difficuities on the result of my poor at ~% mind. We'd T o possible and spend our honeymoon befo your ‘rebs’ get me . fore And Lieutenant Thomas Morley Gray. who strode up the gravel moment, beheld Billy strugg embrace of & Young woman. furiously as she saw him st walk at that ling from the who blusheq anding there.