The evening world. Newspaper, November 27, 1915, Page 11

——4 Woprright, the Frank A. Munsey Company.) SYNOPSIS OF PRECEDING CHAPTERS, Sessions (who tella the story) ls a Yanks a See ae at Meet ar HE J ial belle, who inthe f 5 muna ‘manners, After a ‘cine woldler he ia ae ey CHAPTER XIyV. (Continued) When Love Was King. ‘WAS no longer “Roger Ses- alons, country yokel.” In reward for certain petty exploits of mine in the East Boston skirmish and for a rough knowledge of tactics that I had picked up while drilling with the Wilbraham train-band in the old days I was now “Captain Seasions, of the Massachu- setts Infantry Militia.” ‘The pay was—nothing. The sword ‘and uniform I myself had bought. My command consisted of seventy- two backwoodsmen and farmers clad io mes and armed with old- fasb! ned muskets and fowling- pieces. I bad been kept busily at work dur- ing the past two months. Not once ‘all that time had I found enough hours to ride to Lexington, ‘where Marjory Winthrop still abode ‘with the Revere family. ‘The Continental army's mail ser- ‘vice was inefficient in those days. And, since leaving Marjory at the door of the Revere cottage, I bad not beard from nor of her. Yet, through all my military duties, I could never quite lose the memory ‘of the girl. I loved her. I know that now; but, as I thought it over In cold ood, and considered her position and the attentions that had ever been whowered upon her by bearers of the proudest names in all the Colonies, I frew to understand that I could be hothing to her. I was a rough son of the soll, She & dainty little aristocrat. As L moved to and fro among my busily toiling men, giving an order here, suggesting an improvement there, my mind kept wandering back to her with @ persistency that half angered me. A burly figure came toward ma. In the growing half-ttght I recognized the bald head and keen, heavy- browed eyes of Gen. Putnam—"Old Put,” as we affectionately called him “Captain Sessions,” he called, as he Ps t sight of me, a dozen new of hay have come, They are at 1M rear, beside the hospital tent. Take thirty of your men, and have the Ray brought forward to this redoubt. There is a gap here that a whole squadron could charge through,” As I passed the long, tattered awn- ing, rigged upon hop-poles, and called, by courtesy, a hospital-tent, I eed in. By the light of tallow- ips five or six women were busy ar- ranging mattress cots, scraping lint, and kindling a fire whereby to heat . In a far corner Dr. Joseph ‘Warren and a young surgeon were looking over a case of surgical in- struments. The workers in the close tent must heve felt the heat more than did we who were in the open, Indeed, as I was about to move away, one of the women cre Fe her task of rolling and came to the tent door for @ breath of fresher air. farjory!" I oried, incredulous, had stepped out from the tent. An odd sort of constraint seemed to Grip us both. I could not understand “Mor overcome—it. Then—— “Tell me about yourself!” she de- manded. ‘You are wearing a cap- tain’s uniform, I heard you had been promoted. I was so glad.” am a captain,” I sald. “The i is alight, the pay nothing, the hard. Yet I am not in need of ny great honor and I do not fear hard work. As for pay, my father died a month agone. I suppose I am ‘what most provincials wotld call rich." little,”” commented, “It do I answered bitterly. ‘1 would part with every shilling of it if I could get in exchange such man- Nera and such birth and such person- ality as ehould make me the sort of man I want to be. man you want to be?” sbe echoed. “I don't understand,” “It is hard to explain. But here ia an instance. Two months have passed since I saw you. Yet, when I meet you again, I am loutish and stupid, I can find naught to say, Were I such @ man as Pitcairn or Howe or Perc; I should be able to tell you—to teil peak as if that counted “To tell you how your memory has before me every minute since we parted. How it has ever come Between me and my duties. To teil you how I dreamed of meeting you again and of all the graceful, clever speeches I planned to make when we should meet—and all of which I ha now clean forgot. To tell you that though I know you look on me as a equntry boor, yet. 1" “Stop!” sho cried. ‘ou have no right to say such things, I''— “IT know full well I have not, muttered, crushed by what I deemed her-svorn at my presumption. ‘I for- got myself and the difference in our stations, I crave pardon for"—— “Why will you forever misunder- stand me?” she broke in. “I meant nothing like that, and you should know it! “But you sald"— “But 1 sald—or meant to say—that you have no right to assume that I look on you as a ‘country hoor.’ You are a gallant man, @ true patriot and a true friend.” “No!” I retorted, carried away by the heart whose whisperings I had so long and so vainly sought to smother. “Tam as bold—as hopelessly bold—as the beggar lad, in the fairy tale, who Wooed the Princess, Once I would have given my life to hear you deign to oat] me ‘friend." Now I know Tf was at heart a hypocrite when I longed for that. For, when a man loves— when he loves with all his heart and soul and mind-when love is his whole existence and when one woman ai his entire world and crowds out else—' he offer of ‘friendship’ then the offs P ‘the gift of a heavy bar, of gold to's drowning man,” ee ee a A Romance of Love and of Our Country’s Fight for Freedom Portier iii] SS gets Dari Mie t She made no answer, “After what I have sald,” I ended bitterly, “you will not want to see me again. And I will never have the courage to seek you out, Our paths henceforth lie in far different ways. But, when you ha’ forgotten your resentment at my audacity, it may not anger you to know that I shall always be the better, the happier for this wondrous love of mine. You have been kind to mo past all my deserts. And I have repaid you by thrusting my unwelcome love tale upon you, a few hours I shall be at death grips with my country's enemies, I shall not regret losing a life that"—— “No! No!" she cried brokenly. “You must not spe of that! And you must guard yourself to-day as never befor If you fall, I" “Quarters!” bellowed Putnam's voice from below, And our bugles took up the com- mand. From every side officers and men were rushing pell mell to the trenches. From one of the warships in the bay boomed @ signal gun. It ‘was answered from Boston. turned for a last look at Marjory. Her great eyes were alight with miraculous glow that fairly dazed me Then, with wildly pulsing heart and brain in a whirl, I dashed down the slope to my post of duty. CHAPTER XV, Before the Storm, From auch rascals as these may we fear a rebuff? Let fy, pireane with the hot, leaden 1} ILEARLY to us through the ( sultry, scorching noonday alr came the words of the quaint old British grenadier song that marching redcoat regi- ments bad sung in every land from China to the colonies. And from a company of round cheeked farm boys behind a corner of the hay redoubt was roared In answer a fragment of our newest camp ditty: For, oh, we're marching on Quebect The drums they are a-beating; Americay has won the day, The British .ve retreatin:{ Yankee Doodle, keep it up! Yankee. ‘Silence in the rank: red-haired colonel. “D'y 1s a singing school? Look to your primings, and rest your lazy bodies while you can!" ‘This was the spirit on both sides at the opening of the Battle of Buoker Hill, Song, laughter, irritable 1e- proof. Her, auch things, in moments of stress, are quite as indicative of tremendous exeltement as are blanched lips, drawa features and trembling limbs. Apparent gayety, at times of that sort, is a form of ‘in- toxication. Yet it serves to keep up men's hearts. At early dawn the “watch” on the harbor warships had discovered our presence on Breed’s Hill. Quickly the news had reached Boston. From sunrise and for hours thereafter sounded the roll of drums, the blare of trumpets, the faint thud of rhyth- mic marching feet. Then the long line of red had flowed down the narrow river streets and to the water's edge, where barge after barge, loaded to the gunwale, plied across to the Charlestown shore, bear- ing the redcoata to our side of the stream, Infantry, cavalry, artillery—men, horses, cannon—had all morning been ferried across in a ceaseless line Hourly the British army on the plain below Breed’s Hill had swelled in numbers, until some five thousand regulars were massed for the attack, ‘Through my field glass I studied the serrie] ranks, ia era Tn the vanguard T could see Sir Will- fam Howe, dandified, bored, dressed na though for a ball. His scarlet, gold- laced coat, his feathered chapeau, his snowy-frilled shirt, white satin bres 5 white silk stockings, and gold-buckled shoes—all bespoke man of fashion on his y to a revel rather than a grim warrior facing possible death, Pigott too I made out, and Lord Percy, and many another of the gal- lant fops who had worshipped at Mar- jory Winthrop's shrini On our side our simple preparations were already complete. All that re- mained to us was to lle behind our rude barriers. And this, you will be- eve me, is the hardest part of any battle—or of any other struggle in this mortal life of ours. Our unkempt, half-uniformed, 1l!- armed rabble was a pitiful contrast to our spruce, well-drilled veteran foes plain below. From the very first the wiseacres had claimed that no undisciplined force of provincials could hope to hold thelr own agal the flower of England's army. And now the croaking prophecy bade fair to be- come all too true. ‘We were barely twenty-five hundred men and boys all told. The British were full double our number. They had boundl munition, Our aup- ply of powder and ball was wofully inadequate. They were seasoned war- riors, Three-fourths of us had never smelied powder in conflict, These, then, were the odds against which we were to strive in this, the first battle on whose outcome hung the fate of America, The heat ‘ras terrific, The broiling June sun beat mercilessly down upoa we lay there One or two men over with sunstroke and were carried to the rear, Women and little boys passed back and forth along the lines, bearing pails of “sugar water” and cocoanut- gourd cups, Putnam and Warren and Prescott were everywhere, encouraging, coun- selling, inspecting. By their orders our guns were loaded, not only with full charge of powder and the cus: tomary single large bullet, but each was charged with from three to nine buckshot as well. A rough, odd load, but op “—" -—~ld scatter death at clo «ange with murderous efficiency. All morning the British had been forming and reforming, Drop-shots from the warships had now and then reached us. But the red hot sun haa passed the meridian before the bugles founded the elgnal for the actual at- ¢ Every hill and house-top for miles. was black with spectators, At last came the order to charge, The red lines moved forward with stately tread toward the hill-foot, Howe and Pigott led the columna in erson, At the Hill's first rise, some two jundred yards below us, Howe balted BuT | DON'T HER... WHAT Soe: SHE LOOK Like You CAN'T MISS HER SHE IS THE UGLIEST WOMAN Yyou EVER SAW. SHE HAS | € Lu WITH GOLD AND A pte ON HER LEFT CHEEK Sear Har STYLE 9 his column, precedes 4 storm, words to hig men reached us dis- In the hush that ever fallen officers sprawling everywhere. There were not enough left to rally the soldiers, vainglorious advance of British regulars, marching confidently destruction of a farmer-foe, to shrink from another Dall left to each gun. If they attack @gain we must fall back.” “Ball back!" I echoed forgetting even such slack milita: etiquette as we provincials were wont to maintain toward our superior offi- , after twice beating them down the hill?” “It 1s enough to make a man want to die!" he groaned. unds of ammunition we could driv ack @ third charg But with only one? victory was in our grasp. A victory that neither England nor America~ no, not the whole world—would ever have forgot.” For the third time, up the hill they his blood-stained, torn finery, still imped along in front. d fire as before, and ever crept onward, Aa wo rose, at fifty yard: our last volley at them, musketry from Ines transversely, another column up the hill from that « side and had caught us in a murder- ous crossfire. Our single round of ammunition was discharged In the faces of the oncom- Far from down in their throat. ere growling flercely that old marching song of the grenad From such rascals as these may we fear a more we held ‘until they were within fifty yards of erans of China and of the Con- tinent wars!” he cried, pointing care- lessly back over his shoulder at us, “unless we can drive those farmers from the hill we can’t stay longer in scramble to safety, Down the hill fled the troops, their ally screaming to em with the flat of their swords, to stay the hopeless few officers frant “With four more ley from behind our de The scarlet column halted ne offiers were here, where, urging on their men, his hat struck off by a ball, ran for- But | ask no man to do more than fellow where 1 lead.” 8 we did the I could see Howe, In the very midst bead pot eech till the a obbed ° speech @ air throbbed with thelr oe vee carrying i Then facing about Howe shouted an order Like @ vast scarlet wave, the regulars surged up head of his men, alight with ex- uliain Howe, 1 rumbled “Old along our waiting “Red clothes don’t make great Hold your fire till you see the whites of their eyes, You sharpshoot- ers, pick off the officers, the shoulder-straps, ‘The man who pulls trig- ger before the word comes will be drummed out of camp for a coward and @ traitor. A walking regular ain't half so hard to hit as a running deer.” Up the hill the warships spite of his struggles, by the ava- lanche of flying soldiers, At the hill-foot the hail of bullets, Ta omnes ware red line straightened, stiffened, finally able to stay the panle which had threatened to sweep its victims clear into the bay before it could be florid, tired faci withstood our fire and ment, ran Sir W were returning it with galling effect. for the belts and for the of- roared Old Put. “My best horse to the sharpshooter 1 doubt if the British were more surprised at their repulse than were We had just clashed with the foremost troops of Europe. sanguine among us had scarce ex- pected to Withstanc. their first onrush, drive them helter- ) Us seemed nothing less than miraculous, And, in that moment, was born In men's hearts the calm belief that one day or another we should wholly ¢on- quer these red “bugaboos” that for #0 many years had been thrust before our eyes aS @ menace and @ whip to ed haired militia colonel, less than one Up to thirty yards: of the barrier the regu- hundred feet Jars had come. ag ablaze from the burned powder and the smoldering loading-wads, “Fire!” came the order, And again we rose as one man and the contents loaded guns into the centre of that From the dense powder line of red were holding That we should Aim steady! of men. fell, moved the Sitish. the fire grew Ata distance of barely one hundred yards from our hay fence Howe gave @ quick, barking com- sir empty guns in the faces of the Some of the militia madly clawed up stones from ground at our feet and buried them at the advancing colu ‘Then the redcoats fire defenseless ranks. And we fell back. Leaving the rough barriers we had so carefully bullt and a0 doggedly de- fended, we tumbled backward in re- treat, We were as helpless now against our foos as any pedceful farmer might find himself against a fully-armed oncoming foe. The British their ground and returning our fire, At close quarters we discharged a second and a third fusillade, cow us. Suddenly came a cry of anguish from a Charlestown man in the cen- tre of my own company, He was on his feet, pointing In dumb exettement to the far right. The British, in revenge for their had fired Charlestown, A chivalric reprisal! A murmur of fury, almost of de- spair, ran down our Ine, town man was in the patriot mand, Instantly his men deployed in as pretty a manoeuvre as any | ever saw y, and with changed for- toward us in a series of long, wide-spread single files, they opened fire, ‘And still we made no move, gave no sign of resistance, The British might charging a body of invisible, sound- less ghosts. It was a silence and eus- pense calculated to shake the strong- est veteran's nerves, thing unknown before in all the an- nals of warfare. Howe shook off feeling of dread that had well nigh mastered him, “Forward!” he yelled to his men. 4 full at our Yet our strained ears could detect no return of our volley. majestically, And a hoarse cheer of triumph Pry To the whole line of our breastworks. Down the hill they were stumbling, staggering, running; As before, their officers were striving in vain to check the panic rout. T caught one gilmpse of Howe, amid the tossing, plunging forms. His white breeches and stockings were dyed as red as his scarlet coat by the Ude of death through which he bad waded, Oh, It was @ bitter, black moment. by that fearful charged by the British from in front, our men fell by the hundred. during that pitiful sustained our chief losses of the en- y: Dr. Joseph Warren left his work among the women and sprang upon @ rampart; his stalwart, graceful body vibrant, his fac “My brothers utterly beaten it was some- he cried, his voice teat that we carrying, trumpet-like, to the furthest fortifleations, ‘have burned your homes behind you. Nothing is left for you now but to go forward—ever for- ward—untll victory crowns you! You have seized this ground The bugles of the British crashed in upon his ringing speech, “Quartera!” called our officers, And once more, steady, we turned to the grim game the momentary confines of Over our breastworks swarmed the We were at their mercy, Kut tt was @ day of miracles, seized our defenses, Howe a sharp order, The bugles sound- away now—hurled itself bodily at our entrenchments. ‘A rasping shout of command from Putnam shattéred our stillness, hundred voices took up the ery. ‘Then pandemontum broke loose! CHAPTER XVI, The Battle of Bunker Hill. The British slain lay in windrows as high as our own defenses. At the hill’s foot th less quickly, this anks reformed one clouded our glee. arren lay dead across breastworks, believe our senses gun in hand, destroyed us utterly then nd there with scarce the loss of one f his own men Yet, he had ordered @ halt, and was letting us get t his brave soul! id known a truer man, a purer CHAPTER XVII. The Last Volley. P the slope the British were tolling. They were no cow- ards, these stiff, machine ike men in red. Putnam alone showed no exultation earthworks, From @ quick every barrier, rose one solid is of motley humanity. They sprang word of command, as a single man, “Fire!” was our officers’ ery, And the line of ill-sorted muskets belched forth into a sheet of yellow flame. We fired at point-blank range It was slaughter. t sight of their comrades falling by the score on every hand, the Brit- ish regulara turned and rushed pell- mell, in crazy confusion, down the hill, Anywhere and everywhore they to escape from rifle fire of ours, Hore is where their brave officers should have stood ready to brace the demoralized shattered remains 0: encourage the fugitives to press the in our victory with one of the powder-guards, turned to me. What ammunition has your com- Q Sessions?” he asked, ely one round to the man,” “T have already orderly galloped up the slope rein beside him, compliments, loudly announced the rider, he wishes to know the meaning He desires that you a at once and” to take this hill," “Lhave taken sorrowfully replied. sent back for more, but"—- Hut there ts no more!" he snapped, retorted TLowe ster There my duty ends. advance a step. A strange man. have heard him cursed as and a butcher. every American's ance be a soft spot for this same ‘ute gambler and tricky, reck- For at that moment ho 2,000 helpless foes in his unawares and routine of att ck, that waa no reason Scayco a single round of powder and A gallant man. lelelnlelolololofetoiotolet: When a Man Can't Disappear, and Yet—D That Is One of the Mysteries i “THE WHITE ALLEY”: BY CAROLYN WELLS Yet, in my heart that scathing And Clinton had comm whether from a mere some promptings of humanity or fair play or recognition of brave, unfor- s—Gen. Sir William Bo that remembered whim or from But here, too, was.the result of "Old Put'a” shrewd ordera to our #harp- It Is the Strangest and Most Interesting Detective Story of the Year CNet biebbirbb rhb rrreri $onee! to hia credit when patriots revile his memory! Seeking to withdraw my own com- ny with as slight lose as might be, found myself cut off by two British troopers. “Surrender, you rebel eur!" catled a high pitched voice in my ear, I wheeled to confront Capt. Waytt, His sneering words and his laugh of contempt were more than my over- taxed nerves could endure. Sword in hand, I sprang at him, Caution and self-preservation were thrown to the winds, I yearned only to kill ere I should be killed, Dully I realized that If, for ever so Drief a space, | should allow him to take the aggressive in the fight, nis superior skill must at once enable him to pass my clumsy guard. So [drove at him with all my power and speed, Our blades clashed and grated and whined, their sweeping parries making shining arcs of light about us, Once my point reached his nd a stain of scarlet began ad upon his ruffled shirt boxom. Then, as he sought to lunge, and as I smote down bia blow with full foree, the blade of his rapier snapped cl in twain, Its fraj 8 tinkled to the ground, And something swished through the alr, just behind me, 1 felt a staggering shock on the left shoulder that well-nigh crushed me to earth. 1 found myself face to face with tl British soldier who had stolen Mar. Jory Winthrop’ later fought, there in the twilight of Milk Street. He was one of the two redcoata who had cut me off, It was a blow from the butt of his clubbed musket, aimed at my head from behind, that had smitten my shoulder #o sorely, Still with that wild Berserk rage upon me, L launched inyself, sword in hand, at bis throat, As I jumped, ho struck, Down through the air whizzed the fron-bound musket butt. £ recked nothing in my blind rage of Its crash- ing descent, All my strength and fury were con- centrated upon the effort to reach him with my out-thrast sword before the end should come Deep into his brawny throat—yes, and through it—it the point of my blade. So much | saw. Then I noted a whole battery of Maming tonguea— @ carnical of whirling lights, The earth and sky danced dizgily about mie, and night cam After a million ages I slowly rose to the surface from a@ deep, deep plunge into unfathomable waters, The roaring of the depths were still in my ears. My head throbbed abominably, And I was very tired. Very sleepy. There had once been a battle some- where—on some hill—and | had seen itor heard of it. People were still ai with talking of it, 1 could hear thy increasing distinctness, The talk did not interest me one atom. The sound of voices vi oly annoyed me. So I lay, with closed eyes, and hoped the speakers would «wo away. But they did not. The more fully my senses drifted back to the more audibly each word be- Ame, Some one, whose voice I knew for Howe's, asked a question, [could not catoh its drift, But it was add: to somebody whom he called "Ma- jor.” And the latter replied: “Yes, sir, its a rough esti: e, but fairly exuct, 1 think. I've just gone over the first list handed me. Out of five thousand men, our loss ts about one thousand and fifty-one. The reb- els, L understand, mustered twenty- five hundred strong. In killed and wounded, they have lost a bare four hundred and fifty, Of course, later count may show"—— May show that His Majesty's best till more heavily in a bat- roe half their number of suis? observed Howe. “It raw provin is quite possibl », no, sir!" protested the major, nt not that, And even if our avy, sull ‘twas a complete and glorious victory for His Majesty's arma, “Marely ‘complete and glorious, assented Howe dryly, “We charge twice, Our men are sent scrambling to safety like scared rabbi hen, because their ammunition is exhaust- 1, our rebel friends withdraw from the slaughter, Scrape me raw, but ‘twas indeed @ ‘glorious victory!’ And two more such ‘victories’ will drive His Majesty's forces and His Majes- ty’s sovereignty.” 1 opened my eyes, and feebly looked around me. | lay where | had fallen, Not ten paces away, jauntily sw! ing one foot, Sir Willlam Howe was seated on the disabled caisson of a cannon, ‘Tne level sunset light streamed over him. He was glancing at a sheaf of papers, Two or three members of hig staf were grouped about him. Evidently the General had paused on hilltop and had chosen th spot whence to issue orders for, the removal of the British dead, “and where he might rv his first re- ports of the losses and other details of the battle, I closed my eyes, dizay with pain And now that IT was slowly coming back to my full sepses, and the pain and the roaring grew less, L beeaine aware of a soft sobbing from some- win ar by. I knew the volce, Tt was Marjory Winthrop’s. And { knew then that [ was deliriou 1 be me aware nlso that some one whing my throbbing head with 1, infinitely refreshing Nqutd. head was not upon the , but that it rested in somebody's lap. Soft ‘fingers were those that away the matte yellow my. forehead, Not the a of my ¢ touch gave me a sweet p of utter happines ‘o content was Eto le thus, strength life slowly flowing back to my battered self, that 1 resented it when Howe, who had evidently laid agide his papers for the moment, fell into talk with ono of the officers In the personal staff around him “Account for tt at headquarters ?* ne responded, ip answer a - ton. “Eh ghalifot try to, Since when have | Aelgned to ‘account’ to any one for anything? At ow —a8 1 went ‘word to Clinton=ony orders were toh. the nilt, and I took it If he wanted thé lids shot down in @ bat- tue, why did not he come and do It himself? If | was to be trusted with the peril of taking the hill, then they ‘ LETE NOVEL fan, and whom I hed * must trust my conduct after the top, There will be ioe ee women weeping this i it my swelling the death roll.” ‘War is war,” observed utes aide philosophically. “Ay,” returned Howe, “and women are women. And war and woes shou! as far apart as heaven earth, But fate is forever akin them together, Look yonder, forex- ample! See that strapping, yellow- hoired dead rebel Captain lying there? And that poor, weeping country wench in her hideous brown homesp: and apron? See how tenderly a} head on her knees and head. She has done King Yet, because t kh have slain her lover, wrecked, Poor soul.” T heard him move across the nar- row strip of ground towar’ ua, it bis words had set me thinking. The sobs—the brown dress and apron— the white hands— I Opened my eyes wide and half started up. Above me looked down a face di: in Its pity, haggard and tear- In ite grief. “Marjory!" You live! You live!” she panted. My good woman,” said Howe gen- la an Abe ee to a stop beside us, ‘ou must no he there aught T can fo’ ee 6 looked up tnvoluntartl; touched her shoulder, “is “Mistress Marjory Winthrop! By gasped. that's wonderful!” he . “He Is alive!” she cried, acarce reo- anizing him, but eager to tell her ondrous news to words some one. le is “It—tt was for love of this rebel,” asked Howe, curious yet henitating. ‘for love of this rebel that you / home and father and friends and—and loyalty—and vanished from the sight of ux who loved you, and whose stay in Boston your presence #0 bright~ spent For love of—him—you did all love of him I would t teat ee i ne = ply; addin: ously once more: “And*he vent tea . Pod name, Yankeo? Howe asked “Roger Sessions," 1 wean in ee made answer, "4 @ cried In genuine “IT heard tell of you I wear Boston. You are the rich farmer who had not the sense to go home to his farm, but muat run his neck into the foose! Bo be it! Since you. chosen the noose, the cuolce tm own, You are our LD Marjory, with a little ery of fright- ened protest, caught my head to her breast. “It ta cruel!” she flashed. “It tn bruta wig ° noose It shall be.” He beckoned an aide and gave hurried, whispered order. The alde saluted, sprang on a horse, and gal loped off, “Luckily,” went on Howe, “a pro- vost marshal'’s guard and an im- promptu ha in-are easily found at a time and place lke this. Marjory had left me, Now she flung herself on her knees before the Gen- eral, But he caught her up, selsing both her hands, before she could voice her passionate appeal, and courteously raised her to her feet.” “It 1s not meet that you or any other woman should kneel before a man like me, Mistress Winthrop!” he sald in quick reproof. “Nor would prayers move me. My duty ts plain.” No, no! she cried, “I implore you"— “Marjory,” T panted, getting to my fest and lurching toward her, “you shall not humble your sweet self for my sake! I am a soldier, I took a soldier's chances, If Great Britain hangs prisoners of war, then T shall go to my Maker Iike a brave man and a true American, Oh, sweetheart, you must not weep #o for m Cannot you see that your love has made me too happy to filnch even at the noose” But she sobbed blindly, uncontrol- lably, “Sir,” T said, passing an arm about her shaken little body and turning to Howe, “this lady suffers on my ac- count, Ag T take it, torture of women is not included even In a British ex- ecution, May T beg you to spare her by having me taken to my fate - out further suspense or walting’ “Your ‘fate,’ young man,” he eald, smiling, “ls being brought to you. Here!" Tle broke off as a travelling coast ¢rawn by two stout horses lumberes up the slope and came to @ halt > front of us. The alde rode beside tt. “You seem too weak as yet to walk far,” sald Howe. “So, for Mis- tress Winthrop's sake, T have strained a point and sent for a conveyance to carry you, After the execution she Is free to convey your body in whithersoever she will.” He strode to the'coach door and opened It “Deuce take It!" he exclaimed tn loud astonishment, “the executioner himself ts Inside! No need to carry you te your doom, You can best meet it here and now. Stand up and face it ike a man.” I drew myself to my full height, my arm atill encircling Matjory's slender waist, Her head was buried on my breast “Executioner!” ordered Howe to the Aintly seen f ach forth! Make rea Out of the vehicle,.on. to. the grass before us, stepped a tall man clad in black garments of semi-military out. In his hand he bore some smal? ob- fect. Marjory glanced up at his ap- pre Howe and his staff behind him stood Ike statues. To your fell work, Sir Execution- er! commanded the General grimly. The man in black bowed slightly .to Willian Then, turning again tunon the trembling Marjory «and my- welt he 1 wide the object-he bad hidden in his hand Tt was a book, Gtancing, at its he Intoned after the sonorous y of British army chaplains: Dearty beloved, we are gathered be- nether here. in the sight of God and in the face of this comnaey, to foimeto- this man and this woman in trimonyst ! ‘a waa “noose” whereof spoken? “ Heaven andall the stare! “Twas the marriage service the chaplain was reading! Pa And to Marjory Winthrop. and met ¢THE END, - ‘