GhoDED HI5T
A TALE or CIVIL STRIFE it
RANDALL PARRISH >t
•USTPATIONS &-C.D RHODES
COPYft/CfIT
AC./ICCLUtfC it CO. I
SYNOPSIS.
CHAPTER I—Confederate Serpeent ,
Wyatt of the Staunton artillery is sent
ua a spy to his native county on the Green
Briar by General Jackson.
CHAPTER II—Wyatt meets a moun
taineer named Jem Taylor, with whom he
rides to a house beyond Hot Springs.
CHAPTER III—In the house Wyatt and
Taylor meet Major Harwood, father of
Norten and an old neighbor of Wyatt,
‘who Is sent to bed while the two dthei
men talk. Wyatt becomes suspicious, and
linds that Taylor has murdered Harwood
upd escaped.
CHAPTER IV—Wyatt changes to the
V. S. cavalrf uniform he has with him
gnd rides away In the night, running into
£ detachment of Federal cavalry, to
jvhom he identifies himself as Lieutenant
Raymond. Third U. S. cavalry, by means
of papers with which he has been pro
vided. Captain Fox finds Harwood's body
land follows Taylor's trail.
CHAPTER V—Fox and Wyatt believe
raylor to be old Ned Cowan. The de
tachment is ambushed. Wyatt escapes to
the Green Briar country and goes to Har
wood's apparently deserted home.
CHAPTER VI—Wyatt finds Noreen
Harwood alone In her home. She does
not recognize him. and he Introduces him
self as Lieutenant Raymond.
The minister rose to his feet, a tall,
ungainly figure, his solemn face as ex
pressionless as before, but a smolder
ing resentment was in his deep-set
eyes. He possessed the look of a
I fanatic, one who would hesitate at
[nothing to gain his eno. To me he
jwas 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,
i the news of your father's death.”
"Death? My father dead?" she
stepped back from him. her hands
pressed against her eyes. Obeying the
lirst instinct of protection, I stopped
to support her as she seemed about to
fall. “That cannot be! You lie! I
know you lie! You were never bis
friend. You come here to tell me that
to frighten me; to compel me to do
something wrong."
The man exhibited no trace of emo
tion, no evidence of regret, his voice
the same hard, metallic sound.
"I expected this outburst," he con
tinued unmoved. "Indeed, it is no
more than natural. But 1 harbor no
resentment, and in this hour freely for
give all. 'He that taketh the sword,
shall perish by the sword,' and my
words are true.”
“But I saw him four days ago.”
"On his way east to Hot Springs,
with an escort of soldiers. It was
there he was killed, together with his
servunt. A messenger brought the
news.”
“A soldier? One of Captain Fox's
men?”
A sardonic smile flickered an in
stant on the preacher’s thin lips.
"No, but equally reliable; one of
Ned Cowan’s mountaineers. Captain
Fox is a prisoner, wounded, and his
men mostly dead "
A moment she rested .unknowingly
against my arm, her face covered with
her hands. There was that in the
man's words and manner which con
vinced her that he spoke the truth.
The face she finally lifted was white
and drawn. The girl had changed to
a woman. She stood erect, alone, one
hand grasping the back of a chair.
“You say my father is dead—killed."
she said, in steady, clear voice. "But
be that one or the other, you never
came here tonight, through this storm,
to bring me such a message alone.
Who sent you. Parson Nichols? What
deviltry is on foot?"
"My dear young lady,” he began
smoothly, spreading his hands depre
catingly. “Be charitable, and just. 1 ;
realize that in the lirst shock of thus
suddenly learning of your father s de
mise, you naturally speak harshly.
With me the past is forgotten, blotted
out, covered with the mantle of Chris
tian charity. I felt it my duty to break ;
to you this sad news in all possible
tenderness.”
"And you had no other object?”
“Certainly not; what other could I :
possibly have had?”
The man lied, and I knew it; the
suave, soft tones of his voice irritated
me. The girl stood motionless, silent,
her breath coming in sobs. Then sne
turned her head slightly, and her eyes
met. mine. The piteous appeal in their
depths was all I needed. With a grim
feeling of delight, I took a step for
ward, and the muzzle of my revelver
touched his breast.
"Now, Mister Trencherman,” I said
shortly, "well have done with this
play-acting. Not a move!”
M-At
CHAPTER VIII.
The Jaws of the Trap.
If eyes alone possessed the power to
kill, Ins would nave done the deed, but
the tace with which I confronted hitn
was sufficiently grim to make him real
ize the danger of a movement. He
gave back a step, but my revolver
pressed his side.
“Don't try anything with me, Nich
ols,'- I said sternly, “you are either go
In*; to talk, or die. I’ll give you one
(liance, and one only. I despise your
kind, and will kill you with pleasure.
Now answer me—who told you ot
-uitjor Harwood's death?”
“I have said already; the messagf
was brought to Lewisburg by one ol
Ned Cowan’s men.”
’Yes, so you did; but you never re
ceived it at Lewisburg. Oh, yes, 1
know' something myself. The fact is
you never came here tonight from
Lewisburg. Now are you ready to talk
to me? Oh! you are! Very well, who
sent you—Cowan?”
1 ran my gun muzzle hard into his
ribs, and he nodded sullenly, his lips
irawn back in a snarl. All the soft
palaver had vanished, and he had be
come a cowed brute.
"I thought so; you belong yourself
to the Cowan gang?”
if!
J
The Muzzle of My Revolver Touched
His Chest.
"Not—not in their deeds of blood
and violence,” he protested "The
calls of my church compel me to min
ister to my scattered flock—”
"Never mind that kind of palaver,
Nichols. Now what did he send you
for?"
I waited my eyes on his. 1 could
not see the girl, and dare not avert :
my gaze for so much as an instant j
The man wet his lips, as if they were j
parched, and 1 could perceive the uerv- j
ous movement ot his throat.
‘‘I—1 don't know.”
"Don't know what?—this is my last
call!”
"I don’t know whether he is coming,
or not,” he, blurted out reluctantly
“He was hurt in the fight.”
“And if he cannot come himself he (
means to send others. What for? i
What does he want of the girl?’
My hammer clicked, and the man [
cringing hack, read the stern mean
ing of my face. A terrible suspicion
surged over me, and 1 was ready to
kill He knew his life hung by a hair.
“To—to marry her," the words bare
ly audible. "Not old Ned—his son,
Anse ”
I heard the startled exclamation of
the girl behind me.
"Anse Cowan!” she cried, her voice
full of undisguised horror. “Marry me
to that low brute. Did he ever imagine
l wouid consent, ever even look at
him?”
I touched her with my hand in re
straint, the revolver still at the preach
er's heart. The whole foul plot lay
exposed in my mind.
“There was no intention ofeasking
your consent, Miss Harwood,” I said,
satisfied that she should know all, and
face the truth. "There is a reason for
this desperate act which I do not
wholly fathom, but it has to do with
the property here, and the feud be
tween Cowan and your father. If
Major Harwood be dead, as this man
reports, you are the sole heir, and old
Ned has conceived the idea of marry
ing you by force to his son. He has
learned you are here alone, and unpro
tected, and in 'this creature of his—
this canting preacher—he has found a
fit tool ready at hand to do his dirty
work. Is that it, Nichols?”
He muttered something inaudible.
"Answer, you black-hearted cur; you
have confessed too much to hide any
thing now. How many are coming
With Anse Cowan?”
“Maybe a half dozen of the boys. I
don't know; they were talking about
it when 1 left, and thought it was go
ing to be a great lark?’
"Well, it is; you are finding that out
already. When were they to be here?”
I shook him to loosen his lagging
tongue.
"They were to ride out an hour after
I did.”
I threw the wretch back into the
chair before the tire, but held him still
cowering before the point of my re
volver. The dog had told us all he
knew, and there was a snarl to his
thin lips, drawn back and exposing his
yellow teeth, showing that his only
thought now was revenge. Any mo
ment that gang of ruilians might ap
pear and I was helpless there alone to
contend against them. I dared not I
move, dared not avert my gaze from 1
the preacher; there was hatred and
treachery in the depths of his eyes.
"Is there a lock on the parlor door
leading into the hall?’’ 1 asked.
“A bolt—yes.”
"Please close and bolt it, and then
come back here.”
I heard her turn and cross the room;
caught the sound as she shot the bolt,
and her light step again on the floor.
"Now, something to tie this man
with. We must be quick—the table
cloth will do! Sweep that clutter of
dishes on to the floor Good! Now
cut me the cord from that picture.”
1 had no thought of glancing about;
I can scarcely conceive even now that
1 did, yet my eyes must-have wan
dered an instant, for Nichols had the
wrist of my pistol hand in his grip,
and the revolver went spinning across
the floor. There was a moment ot
fierce, breathless struggle. The fellow
possessed no skill, but the wiry
strength of a tiger. I found his eyes
with my fist, and dazed, his hands re
leased their grip, and 1 broke loose,
my throat livid from his finger marks.
The flap of a gray skirt touched my
face, and a blow fell—the man went
limp under me, his head upheld by the
angle of the wall. I struggled to my
knees, still staring at him, uncertain
as to what had actually occurred,
struggling for breath. The girl stood
over me, white-faced, her eyes wide
open witn horror, the remnant of the
teapot in her hand. Suddenly her
hands covered ner eyes, the fragment
of crockery falling noisily to the floor
“I—I struck nim,” she sobbed, un
nerved. "I—I have killed him!”
“No such good luck,” I answered,
recovering myself, and grasping her
hands, so that t could look into her
eyes. "The man is not dead—only
stunned by the blow. He will be con
scious in a minute. Do not become
frightened; you did right, and we have
no time to lose. You have a iiorse
somewhere?”
She hesitated, her hands still held
in mine unconsciously.
“Y’ou—you mean I am to ride for
Lewisburg—and—and you ?”
“Oh, I must do the best I can on
foot. We'll keep together as long as
possible Go, and liurry. Get a w rap,
and your revolver. ’
She slipped out of the room, and up
the stairs, her light steps making no
sound on the soft carpet. 1 bent over
Nichols, and as 1 touched him he
stirred, and opened his eyes, staring
up into my face
“Don’t hit me!” he whined “I’m no
friend of Anse Cowan.”
"So you’ve Uad enough! Then take
orders from me.”
I gathered In the picture cord tlie
girl had dropped on the floor. His
wrists were btg and knotted, and I
drew the cord tight enough to make
the fellow wince, despite his groans
and pretense at severe suffering.
“Go up the stairs," 1 commanded
sternly, “and keep close to the v ail.
Oh, you can walk all right, my friend,
and I advise you tu do as 1 say—you
see this gun?"
The scowl on his face was malignant,
and his eyes glowed like coals, but he
moved on ahead of me across the hall,
arid up the carpeted steps. The lamp
hold high above my head in one hand,
sent a stream of light through the
black shadows, and revealed his every
movement. At the head of the stairs j
the girl suddenly appeared, her face |
showing white in the glow of the lamp. ;
A brown cape, fastened closely at the
throat, enveloped her figure, and a cap
was drawn down over her hair.
"What is it?" she questioned swiftly.
“Is there any room up here window
less, and with a door that can be
locked?"
She glanced about, uncertain.
"Why—oh, yes! there is a large
closet off my room."
“Turn to the right, Nichols; into
thBt room, where the light is burning.
Oh, yes, you will! Kindly open the
closet door, Miss Harwood. Don't
stand growling there. Get in, 1 say!” !
He was so slow, that I thrust him
I Could Feel the Trembling of Her
Body.
roughly through the opening, and
closed and locked the door. The girl
had placed the lamp on a table, and,
as I turned, her eyes met mine.
“Suppose they—they fail to come?"
she questioned. “He could not get
out; he might die in there."
"Little danger of their not coming.
Anyhow 1 prefer risking that fellow's
life rather than yours. Is he really a
preacher?”
"Yes; he has a church at the Cross
roads. 1 heard him preach at a camp
meeting. He was here before when
Tom’s wife died, and conducted the
funeral.”
"Tom? One of the servants?”
"Yes, my father s body servant. He
accompanied him to the army.” The
tears rushed to her eyes, dimming
them, and her hand touched my sleeve.
“Oh, lieutenant, do you really suppose
he has been killed?”
“We can only hope,” I answered,
catching my breath quickly. "Nichols
may have told that for' a purpose—a
desire to make you feel helpless and
alone. But we cannot stand here and
talk. You know the way and can guide
us in the dark, can you not? It will
be safer not to leave the lamp burn
ing.”
'1 blew the light out without waiting
for an answer, and took her hand in
mine.
“Now you must lead.” I said softly.
“We will go down the uuck stairs."
We slipped out into the :lall to
gether, her clasp on my fingers warm
and confident, and 1 closed the door
of the room behind us. My hand en
countered the baluster rail, and she
had taken a single step downward,
when we heard a voice below, and the
crash of what was probably the stock
of a rifle on the outer door. A second
blow fell, followed by the sound of
splintering wood. The voice came
sharper, clearer; 1 could distinguish
the words.
“Now, once more, Kelly! There’s
nothing to he afraid of, man. Break it
a foot lower down, so 1 can reach the
key Where is Anse? Do you know,
Jake?”
"He an’ Bill are 'round front,” some
fellow answered hoarsely. “Thar’s a
busted winder thar. Yer saw that
light up stairs didn't yer?”
“Sure—the gurl’s yer# all right, but
it don't look as if the preacher wus. 1
reckon he got afeerd, an wus waitin’
fer us ter show up furst. Here, you,
Kelly giv’ me aholt on thet club.”
She shrank back against me, with a
little startled cry, and 1 held her close.
We were in the trap, caught between
fhe closing jaws.
CHAPTER !X.
What We Overheard.
I could feel the trembling of her
body, and for an instant my brain
seemed to reel with dizziness. The
danger confronting us was not so
much mine as hers These men were
not soldiers but desperadoes, the scum
of the hills, and they had come actu
ated by one object only—the posses
sion of Major Harwood's daughter
What the real purpose of the Cowans
might be 1 could not even Conjecture, j
but this night raid was, beyond all
doubt, a part of that same foul plot
which had involved the cowardly mur
der of the father. That had been the
work of the elder Cowan, and now had
com« the turn of the son. Here was
the culmination of the feud between
the two families the blood-anger which
had smoldered for years, filially to find
fit expression in this outrage under
the guise of war. With the major
d 'ad, and his only child married to
Anse Cowan—whether by force, or
otherwise—the account would be
closed. Once legally this villain’s wife
all her inheritance would be in his
control. Death, even, was far prefer
able to falling alive into their bands.
1 felt instinctively that it would be
her choice. She had uttered no sound,
no cry after that first startled excla
mation. Suddenly her hands grasped
mine in which I gripped the revolver.
“Do not shoot—not yet!” she whis
pered. the sound of her words barely
audible. “Wait; there is one chance
still that we may deceive them."
“A way leading out? You mean a
secret passage?”
“No, but a spot where we might
hide, and be overlooked. I am sure
none of these men know this house;
Anse Cowan has never been inside of
it. and most of the ruffians with him
are from beyond the mountains. If
they do not find us here when they
search, they will believe we have es
caped.”
"They will discover the preacher,” I
protested, yet with a taint throb of
hope. “He v. ill be heard from pres
ently. and they will learn the truth
from him.”
“All he knows—yes; but that is not
much. He cannot be sure that we have
not had time in which to get safely
away.”
She drew me back, and I yielded to
the grasp of her hand. The darkness
was intense, but she moved swiftly
and surely, as though knowing inti
mately every Inch of the way; her fin
gers touching mine were warm and
firm, no longer trembling. The door
in front crashed, and an oath rumbled
upward; to the rear a light flashed, its
reflection reddening the stair. Aided
by its distant flicker we raced back
down the upper hall to where it nar
rowed. A ladder stood there leading
upward to a small scuttle above. In
stantly my mind grasped her plan—!,
the attic! If we could attain the attic'
unseen, drawing the ladder up after us
and lowering the cover over the hole,
our presence in the house might re
main unsuspected.
“I see what you mean,” I said swift,
ly. “Go up first. Miss Noreen hurry."
She crept through the narrow scut
tlehoie, her supple, slender body find
ing easy passage. With two blows of
my boot I loosened the supixirfs, free
ing them from the floor, and mounted
recklessly. Already men were on the
stairs, the gleam of an approaching
light reflecting along the side-walls.
There was light flooring above, and
sufficient space in which to move free
ly, although I could see nothing, not
even the breathless girl at my side.
Together we grasped the upper rungs,
and drew up the ladder, sliding it in
behind us on the floor. The Beuttle
HUMAN VOICE IS TRANSMITTED
FROM ATLANTIC SEABOARD
TO HONOLULU.
A DISTANCE OF 4.G30 MILES
Ter arable Demonstration of Ameri
can Teiegraph ^/Telephone Com
pany Engineer* Regarded as
Marvelous Triumph of
Science.
Wireless telephony from the Atlan
tic seaboard to Hawaii—a distance of
4.60U milen—is an accomplished fact. !
By the special wireless telephone de
ve'opments which have been made by
the engineers of the American Tele
graph and Telephone Company and of
the Western Electric Company speech
was transmitted September 29th from
Washington to a wireless station in
Honolulu. If anything further was
needed to show the wonderful capac- '
ity of these new discoveries by the
engineers of the Bell System, thl6 last
triumph coming but a few hours after
Mr. Vail, president of the company,
had talked by wireless from Washing
ton to Mr. Carty, its chief engineer,
located at. Mure Island near San Fran
cisco, Cal., is conclusive.
That trans-Atlantic wireless tele
phone communication is assured as
soon as the disturbed condition in
Europe will permit qf tests from this
country is obvious when it is remem
bered that all scientists agree on the
fact that it is more difficult to send
wireless telephone communications
across land than across water. This
wonderful wireless telephone message
from Washington to Hawaii had to
pass over the entire United States—a
distance of 2,Bi>0 miles—before it en
countered the more simple wireless
Conditions which exist over large
todies of water.
For the purpose of this test the
fi nding was done from the navy wire
less station at Arlington, jU3t outside
of Washington, I). C. The message
was received by a small wireless ap
paratus at the United States naval
station, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
Wireless telephony has been the
goal of the American Telephone it |
Telegraph. Company ever since it suc
ceeded in establishing the transconti
nental communication by wire last
January. Prior to sending the wire
less telephone message to Hawaii,
President. Theo. N. Vail, of the Amer
ican Telephone & Telegraph Com
pany, seated .at his desk at IB Dey
street, New York, talked into a Bell
telephone instrument and his voice
carried by wire tc the radio station of
the navy department at Arlington, D.
0., and from there through the air to
the radio station at Mare Island, Cal.,
where it was heard by John T. Carty,
chief engineer of the American Tele
phone & Telegraph Company, and
others.
The following statement was made
by Mr. Vail after tne successful de
monstration of wireless telephony be
tween 'Washington, 1). t\. and Hawaii;
“I do not think that I can better
exprers my views in tegard to wireless
telephony than to quote the telegram
which 1 have Just son* to Mr. Carty,
the chief engineer of this company:
‘CArty: I want ts congratulate
you on yesttiday's climax in the way
of achievements, the greatest in *n
lereommunioation that (he world has
ever seen.
“‘To you and the wonderful staff
created by you. the world owes a
debt.
“ ‘To throw your voice directly wl‘1
out the aid of w-ires from Washington
to Hawaii, nearly 5,000 mjjps. a great
er distance from New York to Paris,
Berlin, Vienna or Petrograd and great
er than that between Seattle and
lokio and Yokohoma, was wonderful,
hut to send the recognized voice part
way over wire and part through the
air w'fta still more wonderful and was
the demonstration of the chiefest use
that will probably attach to the wire
less as amplifying and supplementing,
not substituting, the wire system and
bring into conversational communica
tion ships, islands and places which
cannot otherwise be reached. Your
work has indeed brought us one long
step nearer our “ideal” a “Universal
System."
"As you will spp from this, it is
oio-:r that wireless will never substl
lute or supplnnt the wire systems but
will groatlv amplify «i»ni and extend
their usefulness. If is humanitarian
rather than commercial, hut it is use
fill in that it makes conversation pns
Fiblp bpiwoon plarps and between
places and moving objects, and be
tween moving objects that could not
lie connected bv wire. As with the
wireless telegraph. It probnblv never
"HI bp dependable enough except as j
outlined above."
V. S Hethell. Senior Vice Prpsi- |
dent of the A. T. & T. Company, who
also talked over the wireless tele
phone and was present when Mr. Yni!
tailed, made the following statement:
"ThU romantic incident this talkng
by wireless acioss Uie contiueal-—
mean* another epoch In the develo.
rnent of (he art of transmitting latt-.i
lisence by electric ‘telephone me*
sages.’ The talking was very sati:
fiw'torv, words and sentences utters:
from New York were repeated ba< !
from San Francisco with absolute ac
curacy and even my voice was recoy
nized immediately when 1 spoke into
the transmitter. Another wonderful
achievement is to be credited to th'
Bell organization, and for the second
time within a year its engineers ha' c
presented this country with a ma
velous triumph of science and ma;
nificent aid to civilization, commerc
and society. The exhaustive st.udi*
of our engineers concerning the mo
ter of wireless telephony have givei
clear indications of both lu possibili
ties and its limitations.
"The possibilities of wireless tc
lephony, great as they are, will l
mainly in (he direction of exiendin;
the use of the wire system, and it
greatest utility will probably alway
be as auxiliary, tributary and supple
mentary to the older system. For
emergency and special use the new
invention offers thrilling suggestions,
and its practical and economic value
should not be underestimated, bu
much of this is in its connection with
the wire systems. Its great vaiu
will be to supplement and extend th<
telephone service wire system In
those situations where.it is imporsi
ble to string wires, and its use over
wide expanses of water, desert, etc.
opens up attractive fields to th<
imagination, especially when some
way is found to ovecome the well
known disturbances which interfere
so much with all wireless oommuniea
tions, whether telephone or telegraph."
J. J. Carty, chief engineer, when
asked what he thought would be the
limit of this new system of his com
pany, stated that he had no doubt
whatever that when the necessary ap
paratus is installed it will be possi
ble to talk from New York to Toklo,
Japan, using the transcontinental line
from New York to San Francisco and
wireless.
The U. S. Navy Department’s for
mal announcement follows:
"Secretary Daniels Is pleased to an
notince the successful outcome of ex
perlments which have been carried on
for the last few months by the Amer
lean Telephone ft Telegraph Com
pany in co-operation with the radio
stations under Jurisdiction of the
Navy Department, by which long-dis
tance telephony has been possible.
"The use of such long-distance wire
less telephone communication in
naval or military operations Is still In
an undeveloped state, but It is under
stood valuable use can be made of
this wonderful demonstration, but,
aside from such considerations, the
department and Its officials may well
feel proud that they have been inter
ested co-operators in the first prac
tical development of this latest march
In the wonderful science of radio com
munication.”
Sought to Appeaee Her.
They were giving a big dinner end
the coachman had come in to help
wait at the table. Several persons had
suffered from hla lack of experience,
and in serving peas be approached a
very deaf old lady ar.d inquired:
"Peas, mum?''
No answer.
"Peas, mum?” (louder).
The old lady saw that someone was
speaking to her, and she lifted her
ear-trumpet to the questioner. 'The
coachman, seeing the large end of the
tpumpet directed toward him. thought
thuslv:
“It must be a new way o' fakin'
'em, but 1 s'pose she like ’em thai
way.''
And down went the peas.
Reason Enough.
"P.een on your vacation ret?"
"No, the people next door haven't
n>s-i,*ned from theirs yet.”
“Well, what in the world does that
have to do with it?"
"Oh, nothing much, only they bor
rowed our trunk before they started
and sent for our golf sticks and ten
/its racquets afterward."
One More Wn Enough.
rrecewinus Offspring: Pa, may I
ask just one more question?
Patient Pater: Yes, my son. .Just
one more.
Precocious Offspring: Well, then,
pa, how is it that while the night falls
it’s the day that breaks?
Church Leader.
They say he’s an ardent member or
the church.’’
"Indeed he Is. When they have a
row. he’s always the leader of one
side or the other?"—Detroit Free
Press.
Envious.
"You say she (reals you like a <* v»?"’
"I don t say anything of the sort.
When I see how she treats that Bos
ton bull of hers I wish she would."—
Judge.
No Wonder.
Manager: The play went li^e a:
hreese.
BarVer: It ought to. after all that
draft? you got from me for it.
Their Object.
• The allies are after the Turks good!
and hard, aren’t thev*"
“Sure. They are trying to ring*
their Darda-knqlls."
Talented.
"Has your daughter any accomplish
ments?"
"No. but my son ran wiggle his.
•at a.”
The person you ran apare the e»«1
Mk It usually the oue around the niotC