Randall Parrish

“ Perhaps she moved; perhaps it was all imagination, but I thought I heard a noise, and wheeled partly around, my eyes for an instant deserting old Cowan's face. It was his once chance, and he took it. I sensed the spring, even as Noreen's cry of warning broke the silence, but not in time to escape the grip of the old man's iron fingers. His body crashed against me with such force that I staggered and fell; one hand closed like a vise on my throat, the other gripped the stock of my revolver, crushing my fingers lifeless. I struck against the edge of the table, struggling vainly to keep my feet. ”

“ Her eyes remained on the page of the book. I think I would have withdrawn without a word, but, at that instant, a draft from the open door flickered her light, and she glanced about seeking the cause. I caught the startled expression in her eyes as she first perceived my shadow; the book fell to the floor, her hand gripping the pistol, even as she arose hastily to her feet. The light was on her face, and I knew her to be Noreen Harwood. "Who are you? Why are you here?" she asked tersely, a tremor in the voice, but no shrinking in those eyes that looked straight at me. ”

“ A gripping hand ripped my shirt open, clutching for the throat, and I jabbed carbine barrel into the bearded face. Yet we could not hold; could not stand against that torrent—there were not enough of us. Inch by inch they won through the door; we could kill, but not stop them, and they hurled us back, stumbling over the dead, clambering across overturned benches, but unable to stem the increasing tide. We were all together now—Harwood, Wharton, O'Hare—the sole handful left, and we made a fight of it, the best we could. ”

“ Some dim consciousness told me she was held prisoner between the table and wall, the revolver on the floor beyond her reach. I had no time to think, to do aught but fight desperately. He had my throat in a grip like iron, and my fingers were twined in his hair. But my left arm was free, and I drove my fist again and again into his face in short jabs that brought blood. The fellow possessed no skill, but the wiry strength of a tiger. I found his eyes with my fist, and dazed, his hands released their grip, and I broke loose, my throat livid from his finger marks. ”

“ Whatever the real object may be some among them have not hesitated at murder for its attainment—they will not spare you. The question is not do you wish to marry me; but do you trust me more than you do Anse Cowan? Do you hear them breaking down those doors at the front of the house? There, by the sound, someone is already in the room next to this. Listen! it will be a form only—I am not conceited enough to believe you desire me for your husband. But you know who I am; you have confidence in my honor, and I offer you this opportunity to escape from that brute. ”

“ We would be safer where we were, quietly hidden away in this cleft of the rocks. Finally Fox crept forth again to make another round of the pickets, to assure himself they were alert, and I lay down in a little hollow, and rolled up in my blanket. Above me I could see but one star peering through a rift of cloud, and, except for the heavy breathing of the men, and their restless turning, there was scarcely a sound. Even the wind had ceased to rattle the dead leaves. The very silence seemed a pledge of safety, and, before the Captain returned, I had fallen asleep. ”

“ I bent down, and touched it with my hand; it was the body of a man. The whole truth came to me in a flash—there had been a quarrel, a murder, unpremeditated probably, and the assassin had escaped. But which of the two was the victim? An instant I stood there, staring about in the dark, bewildered and uncertain. Then I grasped the lamp from the table in the other room, and returned holding the light in my hands. The form of Major Harwood lay extended on the floor, lifeless, his skull crushed by an ugly blow. ”

“ Then the dawn broke, the black gloom fading into gray, the clouds of fog in the deep valley below us rising slowly until the rays of the rising sun lifted them to the mountain tops, reddening the mist into grotesque beauty, and revealing the green glades beneath. It was a wild, desolate scene, and we paused on the edge of what seemed a sheer precipice to gaze. Even Nichols stopped, and looked down, pointing to the ridge of rock along which the barely perceptible trail ran. ”

“ BEFORE LIEUTENANT RAYMOND
THE headlong rush stopped in startled amazement at sight of us, and I stood there staring at them, unable to speak, my revolver lowered. In that instant of pause, an officer thrust the men aside and faced me, sword in hand.
"What does this mean, sir? Who are you?" he questioned, sweeping his glance over my uniform, and then beyond me at the two others.
"I would ask the same question," I returned, not yet assured as to who I confronted, and suspecting some trick. "We believed ourselves attacked by guerrillas. Are you soldiers?" ”

“ Resentment would die out in her heart, and a kindlier feeling creep in. And then—there was yet a chance! While there was life there was hope, and I was soldier enough, and sufficiently reckless, to accept of any opportunity. There might occur a relaxation in the vigilance of the guard, some delay at Lewisburg, possibly a forwarding of me to headquarters at Charleston—some sudden, unexpected opening through which I could squeeze. I was ready enough to try, however desperate the occasion; and, if such a chance did serve, the end might not come merely with escape. ”

“ I confess I have learned to like you, my boy."
"And I you, Captain Fox," I responded earnestly, feeling deeply his friendliness. "My experiences of war have not made me bitter, and I know there are real men on both sides. I am simply doing my duty, as you are doing yours, and there is no enmity between us. And," in spite of every effort at control my voice faltered, "you will tell Miss Harwood how much her message of kindness meant to me." ”

“ But a brighter glow of light streamed from a room beyond, and Taylor, evidently acquainted with the house, walked directly forward, around the bulge of the stairs, and stepped within the open door. Determined to miss nothing, I was so close behind, that my quick eyes caught what I believed to be a swift signal of warning to the man within. This, however, was an impression born from my own suspicion, rather than any real movement, for Taylor took but a single step across the threshold, and stopped, leaning on his gun. Behind him, standing in the open door, I had full glimpse of the interior. ”

“ I knew when Harwood fell, and was trampled under foot; I heard O'Hare scream; I saw the hated face of Anse Cowan in the ruck and leaped for him, but who my mad blow struck I could not tell. Some rush, some quick pressure of bodies, hurled me side-wise, caught me in a vise; I tripped over a dead man, staggered to my feet again. I got footing on the pulpit platform, and held it for an instant, my gun-barrel crashing into the mass of faces below. ”

“ The minister rose to his feet, a tall, ungainly figure, his solemn face as expressionless as before, but a smouldering resentment was in his deep-set eyes. He possessed the look of a fanatic, one who would hesitate at nothing to gain his end. To me he was even repulsive in his narrow bigotry.
"No, it was not your father," he said almost coarsely, "but it is a part of my mission to bring to you, young woman, the news of your father's death."
"Death? My father dead?" she stepped back from him, her hands pressed against her eyes. ”

“ The wind had arisen, and swept down the funnel in which I lay, with an icy breath against which my single blanket afforded no protection. I must get back against the rock, wherever I could find shelter. Gripping the blanket in one hand, I crept quietly up the gully, possibly a distance of fifty feet before encountering the rock wall. I felt my way blindly, and groped about until I discovered a few tufts of grass on which to lie down, but these proved so scant as to yield little comfort, and I tossed about, every bone aching, unable to lose consciousness. ”

“ She laughed, as though amused at her own frankness of speech.
"There, I have told you all my story, without even waiting to hear yours. 'Tis a woman's way, if her impulse be sufficiently strong."
"You mean faith in the other party?"
"Of course; one cannot be conventional in wartimes, and there is no one here to properly introduce us, even if that formality was desired. So I must accept you on trust."
"My uniform alone should be sufficient guarantee."
She laughed; her eyes sparkling. ”

“ His face was gray with terror, and I dare not look aside at the silent girl—only I vaguely realized that the hand held in mine trembled, and once, when she had to speak, the two words uttered were almost a sob.
Never surely was there a stranger marriage in all the world. The dying embers of the stable fire shot red gleams of flame over us through the unshaded windows, giving to Nichols a ghastly look, and glowing on the steel barrel of the revolver I held poised at his head. ”

“ War had already taught me to look upon death by violence with a certain callousness. I had walked over battle fields, strewn with corpses, almost unmoved. But this was murder, foul and treacherous—the victim a man whom as a boy I had been taught to respect and revere. The shying of my horse at the gate alone caused me to note the black something lying against the post. At first I deemed it a mere shadow, but the animal would not respond even to the spur, and I dismounted better to ascertain the cause of his fright. ”

“ I answered, endeavoring to speak naturally, "and better able to accept any opportunity for escape which may offer."
"Yes?" The slight rising inflection stung me. What did her actions mean? Why should she so suddenly assume that tone with me? The sooner I knew the better.
"I beg your pardon, Miss Harwood," I said quietly, "but I fail to understand why you should speak to me in this manner. You have shown confidence, trust, in my former efforts to serve you, and I am just as eager now to be of service." ”

“ The silence continued, and I began to cautiously steal passage down the carpeted stairs, crouching well back against the side-wall. Little by little I was able to peer in through the open door—the chairs were vacant; there was no one there. The gleam of the lamp revealed a deserted room, the table still littered with dishes. What had become then of Harwood and Taylor? Could they have gone to bed already? Surely I must have heard them if they had climbed the stairs. ”

“ It was considerably after the noon hour before I came upon the first sign of human life—an old logging road. Weed overgrown, and evidently long abandoned, it was nevertheless a most welcome discovery, and I limped on between its ruts, animated by new hope. The weather had turned colder, and there were whirling flakes of snow in the air. The direction I traveled compelled me to face the storm, and the wind whipped my face cruelly. ”

“ It was like a deserted hamlet, few houses appearing inhabited, and the shop windows boarded up. Occasionally a face peered at us cautiously through closed windows, and a man, tramping across the square, paused to stare curiously in our direction; but these were the only signs of life visible. Over a stone building—possibly the post-office—flapped a small Confederate flag, ragged and disreputable. Taylor, glancing neither to right or left, apparently indifferent to all this desolation, rode straight down the main street, and turned onto a pike road, leading to the left. ”

“ We could baffle pursuit, but if once we came into contact with those irregulars of the mountains—merciless, irresponsible—no one could predict the result. And every mile of the way we must now traverse lay directly through their country—a region bare, inhospitable, open to all the nameless horror of civil war, where men fought like wolves, and woman suspected every stranger. I glanced aside at the girl, riding so silently at my side, but she was a mere shadow in that darkness. ”

“ The passage was so narrow and rough that caution was impossible in that darkness; we must venture, and trust to luck. So we pushed our way through to the top of the rise, and came suddenly to an open space, where a dozen acres had been cleared, the stumps of trees still standing in a field of weeds. I would have plunged straight ahead had not Noreen halted me with a low cry of warning while we were yet hidden within the wood shadow.
"There is a man over yonder," she said in a breathless whisper. "Ay, more—see! They come toward us." ”

“ The grumbling and cursing soon ceased, however, and those not on duty slept fitfully. I made the round of the sentries with Fox, slipping and stumbling over the rough way, through the darkness, until we again found refuge beside the spring. The night was black and still. We could hear the restless movements of the horses, the mournful cry of some wild bird. The captain was but a dim shadow barely outlined in the gloom. ”

“ The girl stood over me, white-faced, her eyes wide open with horror, the remnant of the teapot in her hand. Suddenly her hands covered her eyes, the fragment of crockery falling noisily to the floor.
"I—I struck him," she sobbed, unnerved. "I—I have killed him!"
"No such good luck," I answered, recovering myself, and grasping her hands, so that I could look into her eyes. "The man is not dead—only stunned by the blow. He will be conscious in a minute. Do not become frightened; you did right, and we have no time to lose. You have a horse somewhere?" ”

“ Think of the days and nights of travel, of hiding and exposure, before I can hope to attain the safety of the Confederate lines; and there is no need of such a sacrifice—you will be perfectly safe here."
"How will I be safe here?" she asked indignantly. "Do you suppose they will spare me, merely because I am a woman? This has not been done in secret; there are too many who know my part in your escape to ever keep the truth hidden. Colonel Pickney will have to make his report, and shield himself from blame. ”

“ Here we skirted the edge of the steep hill, finding difficult passage over rocks, and amid tangled underbrush, seeking the trail whose exact location I could but dimly recall; yet the very lay of the land was a guide, and my eyes, anxiously searching the sharp ascent ahead, finally discerned the dark mouth of the cave, the discovery of which led to our turning sharply to the left. ”