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My Lady of the North TJfe LOVE STORY <tf A GRAY JACKET By Randall Parrish c A-ah..t ff ILLUSTRATIONS ?Y ARTHUR a WILLIAMSON ft* k. C. u-? i iff S I?. SSSMMf*! H?1L UsSo* CHAPTER I. A Dlspstch for LongetreeL It was a bars, plain Interior?toe low table at which he set sn unplaced board, his seat a box. made softer by a folded blanket. His only compan? ions were two aides, itsndlnf silent beeide the closed entrance, anxious to anticipate bis slightest need. Ho will abide In my memory for* over as I saw blm then?although we were destined to moot often sfter wards?thst old gre/ hc?o, wtose mas? terly strstogy held st bay for no long those mighty forces hurled on our con? stantly .binning lines of defense. To mo P*e alstory of wer h*s never con? tained bis equal, an?! while I lire 1 shall lote sod rev re him ss I can lore and revert ,.o other man. "Oeneral Lao." said one of the aides, as I passed the single sentry snd drew aside the flap to step within, "this is (sptsln Wayne." He deliberately pushed away the mass of pspers which had been en? gaging him. and for sn embsrrasslng moment fixed upon me a glance that seemed lo read ma through and through. Then, with simple dignity, fsr more toppressive than I csn pic? ture It In Vords. he arose slowly and oatended als hsnd. "Captali Wayne." be said gravely, yet retaining bis grasp, snd with his eyea full uyn* mine, "you sre a much younger men han I expected to see. yet I have selected you upon the spe? cial recommendation of your brlgsde' commander for services of the utmost Importance. I certainly do not hold your youth to be against your sue cess, but I feel unwilling to order you to the performance of this duty, which, besides being beyond the regu? lar requirements of the service. In verves omsusi r'sks " f^yWltnont .laqulnna Its nai i e " 1 ?aid. has+wja/'t free'.y offer myself a ve4ur'A**r for any set vice which ma) be reo either b/ the army or yourself " The kindly fsce brightened instant? ly, almost Into a smile, snd a new look of confidence awept Into the keen gray eyea. "I felt, e' en aa I spoke." he ssld, with a dlgulaed courtesy 1 have never marked la any one else, "that I must be doing wrong to question the will? ingness of sn offlcer of your regiment, Captain Warne, to make personsl sac rifle* From our first day of battle until now the south has never once called upon them in rain. You are from the renke. I believer "I was a corporal at Manassas." "Ah' theo you have woo your grade by bard service. You take with you one man" "Bergeant Crslg of my troop, sir, a good soldier, who knows the country well" He lowered his eyes to the numer? ous pspers littering the tsble, and then, leaning over, traced lightly with a colored pencil a line across an out? spread map. "You spesk of his knowing the coun try well; sre you aware, then, of your dost loa t Ion"" ' I merely Inferred from what Col? onel Carter ssld thst It wss your de sire to reestablish communication with Oeneral Longa? reet " 'That Is true; but do you know fwbere Longstreet Is?" "Only that we of the line suppose blm to be somewhere went of the mountain*, sir It Is camp gossip thst his present base of supplies Is at Jainersvllle." "Your conjecture is partly correct, although I have more reason to be i lleve that the hesd of his column has reached Hear Fork, or eld by tomor? row morning. Kindly step this way. Captain Wayne, and make cote of the blue Maes 1 hare trsced serous this map. Here, you will observe. Is Ml eersvllle. directly beyond the high ridge You will ootice that the Fed? eral Hoes extend north and south di? rectly between us, with their heavier bodies of Infsntry along the Wharton pike, snd so disposed as to shut off sll communtrat loo betweeo us and our left wing Now. the message I must get Info Longs'reefs hsoda Is Impera? tive; Indeed, I will say to you. the very esfety of this srmy depends up on Its reschlng him before his ad vsnce nssses Hear Fork. There re mains therefore, no time for anv long detoor. the messenger who besrs It must tske his life in his hands snd ride straight westward through the very lines of the enemy " He spoke these words rapidly, esrnsstly. then suddenlv he lifted his eyes to mine, and said flrmly "I am perfectly frank with vou Are you the minv I felt (he bot blood leap Into my fsre hut I met his stern *?7e without flinching ' If I live General l*e I ?hall meet bis advance st Hear Koik bj inj break "God guide you; l believe you will." His words seemed uttered uncon? sciously. He turned slightly, and glanced toward the door. "Major Holmes, will you kindly hand me the draft of that dispatch?" He took the paper from the out? stretched hand of the aide, read it over alow'.y and with great care, wrote a word of explanation upon the margin, and then extended It to me. "Commit that to memory, word by word, to your memory; we must run no possible risk of Its ever falling Into the enemy'a hands." 1 I can see it now, that coarse yellow pap*r?the clear, upright penmanahlp, the worda here and there misused and corrected, the sentence acratched out. the honvy underlining of a command, and his own strangely delicate signa? ture at the bottom. "Headquarter!, Army Northern Vir? ginia, "In the field, near Custer House, Sept. 23, 2 P. M. "Lieutenant General Longstreet, "Commanding Left Wing. "Sir: You will advance your entire force by the Connelton and Sheffield pikes, so as to reach Castle Rock with your full Infantry command by day break. September 26th. Let this su? persede all other orders. I propose to attack In force in the neighborhood of 8atlor'a ford, and ahall expect you to advance promptly at the first sound of our artillery. It is absolutely eaaen tlal that we form prompt connection of forcea, and to accomplish thh re? sult will require a quick, persistent at? tack upon your part. You are hereby ordered to throw your troops forward without reserve, permitting them to be halted by no obstacle, until they come into actual touch with my col? umns. The success or failure of my plana will depend utterly upon your strict observance of these orders, "R. E LEE, "General Commanding." I handed back the paper, and lifted my hand in salute. "You have memorized it?" "Word for word, sir." "Repeat It to me." He held the psper before him as I did so, and at the close lifted his eyes again to my face. "Very good," he said, quietly. "Now let there be no mistake; repeat It over to your companion as you proceed un? til he has memorized it. and one of you must live long enough to reach Longstreet. I advise you to take the Langley road?It Is the most pro "You Are a Much Younger Man Than I Expected to 8ee.M tected. and not try to pass beyond the old Coulter plantation until after dark, or you will run the risk of be? ing observed by the enemy's pickets. Beyond this I must leave all to your own discretion." He paused, and I still lingered, thinking he might have something more to add. "Are you one of the Waynes of Chariottesville?" he asked gravely. "Colonel Richard Wayne was my father, air." "Ah. indeed! I remember him well;" and his face lit up with a most tender smile. "We were together in Mexico. A Virginia gentleman of the old school. He Is dead, I believe?" "He was killed, nir, the first year of the war." "I remember; it was at Antletam. And your mother? If my memory is not at fault she was a Pierpont?" "She Is p',w in Richmond, sir, aud the old plan'atlop in but a ruin." "War is indeed sad." he said slow? ly; "and I often feel that our southern women are compelled to hear the brunt of it. What heroines they have proven! History records no equal to the dally sacrifices I have witnessed in the past three rears God grant It may bo soon en led." Then, as if suddenly moved by the Impulse of tho moment, bo aga'n ex? tended his hand "Well, lad." he said kindly, the same grave smile lighting his face, "our country needs ua. We muat not wsate time h??re In converaatlon I am very glad t-, have been permitted to m#??t the son of my old friend, and truat. you will rorrembsr mo to your mother. Hut now goodhy. captain, and may he in whoae hand we all are, guide and guard you I know that a Wayne of Virginia will always do his duty." Bareheaded and with proudly ewolV Ing heart I backed out of the tent as 1 might have left the throne room of an emperor, but a* 1 grasped the reins and awung up lato the saddle, I bo came conach'ua that he had followed ine Cralg flung up hla hand In quick, soldierly salute, and then, with a aln gle rapid at ride, the general atood at his borao'a head ' Sergeant." be said - and I waa atruck by the Inclfttve military tone I of bU voico, ho UJlTeront Hutu tbo sou tleness shown within?"I am Informed that you are Intimately acquainted with the roads to the westward." "Every bridlepath, sir, either by night or day." "Then possibly you can Inform me whether the Big Hickory Is fordable at Deer Gap." "Not for infantry at high water, sir; but there ia another ford two miles north where It is never over waist deep." "That would be at Brlxton's mill?" "No, sir; tho other way." Lee smiled, and rested his hand al? most caressingly on the trooper's knee. "You are a valuable man for us to rlak on such a ride," he said kindly. "But I desire you to understand, ser? geant, how deeply I value tho service you are about to render, and that I shall never permit it to be forgotten or go unrewarded. And now, good? night, sergeant; goodnight, Captain. Wayne." [ As we turned Into the main road, riding slowly, I glanced backward. The general was yet standing there in front of his tent, gazing after us, the rayti oi the westering sun gleam? ing on his gray hair. CHAPTER II. The Night Ride. By five o'clock we were safe at Col cheater, and while our horses reaied and refreshed themselvea on some j confiscated grain, the two of us lay lazily back on a grassy knoll, well within the shadow of a ruined wall, and watched the round, red sun drop slowly down behind those western billa we had to climb. As early as we deemed it safe to \ venture, we were again in saddle, rid'ng now straight to the westward, alor.g the smooth-beaten pike, until | we caught sigh* of the black shadow of Colton church, in our front; then we awerved to the left, and still mov- j ing rapidly but with considerable care for the horses, headed directly across the more broken country toward the foot hills. It proved to be a hard, toil? some climb up those long, steep slopes rising before us; for we were extremely careful now to keep well away from every known routo of travel, and our horses, although so- j lected from among the best mounts of i the cavalry brigade, had.gfready been thoroughly winded by tnelr smart trot ?9 tho valley. An hour of this work passed. Whether or not we were yet within the enemy's lines was largely conjec? ture, for no human eye could pierce ' the enveloping gloom, and no sound, either of warning or encouragement, reached us as we strained our ears. The sergeant rode slightly in advanoe as we toiled up the higher terrace, for our sola dependence as to dire, tlon and distance was upon his men ory, and even that could scarcely serve for much on such a night a this. I traced his passage upward a be st I might, and pressed close after him, guided not so much by sight as by sound?the occasional rolling of a loorened stone, the rustling of leaves as he touched a bush in passage, the faint clinking of his sabre, and the heavy breathing of his horse?until at last his long, slender figure rose suf? ficiently above the dark hill surface to be faintly silhouetted In deeper shadow against the dim reflection of the upper sky. Almost colncldently with this my horse ranged up beside his, where he bad drawn rein In evi? dent perplexity. "What la it, Dan?" I questioned cau? tiously; for all I could feel reasonably assured of just then was that behind any rock or tree in our front there might be crouching a Federal picket. "It's nothln*. Cap." he answered quietly, turning his face toward me aa he spoke. "I'm Just tryln' ter 'mem? ber some landmark yereabout ter guide from. Blamed if ever I see such a dark night; It's like beln' Inside a pocket, sir, an' 1 reckon as how It must be nigh onter ten year since I run loose in this yere country as a kid. Thet thar cut off we took a while back has sort o' confused me; that's a fac', and I dop't just know whar I am; but I reckon as how the main ridge road we're a huntln' after ought er run somewhar out yonder." He pointed forward into the night "Very well; hand me your rein, and see what you can discover out there on foot Sitting here Isn't apt to mend matters, and wo surely cannot afford to cripple our horses among those rocks." The sergeant, a gaunt, tireless mountaineer, slipped silently from his saddle, swung his light cavalry car? bine from his back to the hoitow of hla arm. and In another moment was loat to sight in the darknesa. A snake could not have slipped away more stealthily. I heard a stone rattle un? der bis foot, a half-suppressed oath, and then the night had completely swallowed him. How utterly alone I seemed: how intensely, painfully still everything waa! The alienee felt almost like a weight, so greatly It oppressed me. Even the accustomed voices of nature were huahed, aa if war, with ita un? speakable cruelty, had cast a spell over all things animate and inanimate It was weird, uncanny. With every nerve atralned. I leaned forward acroaa the pommel of my aaddle, lla tenlng for the allghteat sound out In that black void My bead burned and throbbed as with fever, and I felt that strange unnatural atlllneas as though It hud l>cen a physical thing; surely othera bealdea ua were upon thin blii top! KW I knew well tny every sol? dier instinct told me that somewhere out In that Impenetrable myatery were blatlog the camp Urea of an enemy. Vigilant e>?s ware peering every? where lu search or such aa vse iiow far away they might lurk I could not even conjecture ? perhaps merely around 6ome projecting wall of rock, ?and we might even now be within the range of fheir ready rifles. I could hear the quickened throbbing Of ray heart, and my hand fell heavily on a pistol butt in nervous expect? ancy. The soft night wind, heavy with pine odors, began suddenly to play amid the leaves of a low tree beside me, and the pleasant rustling mingled like strains of music with the slow breathing of the horses. I recall it now as one of the loneliest moments of my life, one of those almost un? accountable conditions of mind and body when it seemed to me that the thin, f.inewy fingers of an inexorable fato were closing down with a pres? sure which no strength of man might resist. I was worn with fatigue in the saddle, but did not dream of sleep; my mind, in a firm endeavor to cast aside the uncanny influences of the hour, recalled in swift pano? rama those three years of civil strife which had run their course since I, a slender, white-faced lad, had stolen forth into the moonlight from the por? tals of the old home, to ride away into the northward where the throbbing drums called me. So deeply had my every thought become merged in these musings that Craig, slipping si? lently as a ghosU from out the engulf? ing darkness, laid hand upon my brldle-reln before I became aware of tils approach. "I got 'er all right now, Cap," he an? nounced quietly, peering up into my face. "We uns are not more nor a hundred yards ter the right of the road, but I reckon you'll find ther way a bit rough." He led both horses forward, mov? ing slowly and with that silent cau? tion so characteristic of his class. With scarcely the scraping of a hoof on the flinty rocks we came forth in safety upon the defined, hard-beaten track. "The south Is over yonder Ur the left," he whispered, as he swung up I into saddle, "an* the trend of the road is mighty nigh due west." "But in which direction does their main camp He, sergeant?'* "Dura it; thet's Just what I can't! quite figure out. sir?whether we uns be to ther north or south of ther white church. Then, somehow or oth er, It seems like to me as If this yere road lay a. bit too close ter the edge of ther plateaus ter ever be the main pike what the Feds marched over. I reckon from ther direction it run? that maybe it might be a branch like, or a wood-road leadln' Inter the other. If thet's the way it is, then them fellers we uns Is tryln* ter dodge ought ter be down yonder ter the left aoraewhar." 5 gas< . iguely out Into the black vcrvuy to which be pointed. I wo should chance to run up kgatnat ^ne of their picket posts wo . soon be enlightened," I re? turned, urging my horse carefully for? ward. "But we shall have to take the chances, for it would not prove healthy for cither of us to be caught here by daylight." Not daring to venture on any gait faster than a walk along this unknown and Ul-deflned mountain trail, wo slow? ly and cautiously worked our way forward for more than an hour, meet? ing with no human obstacle to our progress, yet feeling that each step forward was surrounded by imminent peril. That wo were now well within the guarded lines of the enemy we were both assured, al? though where or how we had succeed? ed in penetrating the cordon of picket posts unobserved wo could only con lecture. I CHAPTER III. An Unwelcome Quest. This was the sort of work I had long ago learned to love; it warmed the blood, this constant certainty of imminent peril, this intense probabil? ity that any moment might bring a' flash of flame into our very faces. Each step we took was now a stern, grim play with Fate, where the stakes were life and death. I felt my pulses throb as I rode steadily forward, fair? ly thrusting the darkness aside, my teeth hard set, my left hand heavily on a revolver butt How, In such a situation, the nerves tingle and the heart bounds to each strange sight and sound! Halt! ? what was that? Pooh! no more than the deeper shadow of a sharply pro? jecting rock, around which we pick careful way, our horses crowding against each other la the narrow space. And that? Nothing but the faint moan of the night wind amid the dead limbs of a tree. Ah! mark that sudden flash of light! The hand that closes Iron-like upon the loosened rein opens again, for it was merely a star silently falling from out the black depths of the sky. Then both of us halt at once, and peer anxiously forward. The figure standing direct? ly in the center of our path, can it be a sentry at last? A cautious step for? ward, a low laugh from the sergeant, and we circle the gaunt, blackened stump, as silent ourselves as the night about us. but with fiercely beat? ing, expectant hearts. But hark! Surely that was no com? mon sound, born of that drear loneli? ness! No cavalryman can mistake the I Jingle of accoutrements or the dull ihud of horse s hoofs. The road hero must have curved sharply, for they wer?- n I ready so dose upon us that, almost simultaneously with the sound, wn could distinguish the deeper shadow of s small compact body of horsemen direct!) in our front. To left oi us ihere lose, sheer and black, the precipitous rock: to right we might not even guess what yawning voi?l. It was either wit of sword play MOW. I know not how It may be with others in. euch emergencies, but with me it always happens that tho sense of fear departs with the presence of actual danger. Before the grewsome fancies of Imagination I may quake and burn like r.ny maiden alone upon a city ?treet at night, until each separate nerve becomes a very demon of men? tal agony; but when the real and known once fairly confronts me. and there is work to do. I grow instantly cool to think, resolute to act, and tlnd a rare joy In it. It was so now, and, revolver in hand but hidden beneath my holBter flap, I leaned over and touched Craig's arm. "Keep quiet," I whispered sternly. 'T>et them challenge first, and no firing except on my order." Almost with the words there came the sharp hall: "Halt* Who comes thereV I drew the cape of my riding jacket Moser, so as better to muffle the sound of my voice. "Friends, of course; who would you expect to meet on this road?" Fortune seemed with me in the chance answer, for he who had hailed exclaimed: "Oh! is that you, Brennan?" There was no time now for hesl Laylng Firm Hand Upon Her Horse's Bit, Led Forth to Where I Wsited. plunge ahead, accepting the chances. I ventured It. "No; Brennan couldn't come. I am here in his place." "Indeed! Who are you?** "Major Wilke." There was a moment's painful pause, in which I could bear my ; heart throb. "Wilkie," repeated the voice, doubt I fully. "There is no officer of that! name In the Forty-third." "Well, there chances to be such an ofBcer on the staff," I retorted, permit I ting a trace of anger to appear In my ' tone, "and I am the man." "What the devil la the difference, j Hale, just what his name is?" boomed I a deeper voice back In the group. "We 1 are not getting up a directory of the j Sixth corps. Of course he's the man I Brennan sent, and that la all we've got to look after." "Oh, all right, certainly, major," re? turned the first speaker, hastily. "But the night is so cussed black I sup? posed we must be at least a mile this aide of where we were to meet. How? ever, we ha\e the lady here for you, all righ', and she Is anxious enough to get on." The lady! Heavens! What odd turn of fortune's wheel was this? The lady. I heard Craig's smothered chuckle, but before I had sufficiently regained control over my own feel? ings to venture upon a suitable reply, the entire party had drawn forward, tho leader pressing so close to my side that I felt safer with my face well shaded. "Where Is your escort, major?" be asked, and the gruffness of his tone put me instantly on defense, j "Just behind us," I returned, with affected carelessness, and determined pow to play out the game, lady or no lady. I wa?j extremely sorry for her, but the cause outweighed her comfort "Tho sergeant and I rode out ahead when we heard you coming. Where is the lady?" He glanced around at the group huddled behind him. "Third on the left* "All right, then. Nothing else. I believe;" for I was eager to get away. "Sergeant, Just ride In there and lead out her horse. Wo will have to he moving, gentlemen, for it la a rough road and a dark night." "Beastly," assented the other, heart? ily. (TO BE CONTINUED.) SCHEDULES Southern Railway?Premlor Carrier Of I lie South. N. B.?Schedule figures published as Information only and ate not guar? anteed. Effective September 16th, 1912. Departure from Sumter: (Except Sunday): No. 140?6.30 A. M. for Columbia, < Charleston and way stations. No. 14 2?3.50 P. If. for Columbia, Charleston and way stations. Arrival: (Except Sunday.): No. 141 ? 10.15 A. M. from Char? leston, Columbia and way stations. No. 1 4 3?5.35 P. If. from Cbarlea I ton, Columbia and way stations. W. H, Caffey, l>. P. A. Charleston. W. F?. MeOee, A. O. P. A. Columl ia. s c. FOUND A PRIATF.S TTtOVE. ._ Strange (lows that Led to Burled Treasure on Florida island. The treasure cache of a priate ehi*?f has been discovered on the Florida ??oast by ES. C. Cole, a Chicago manu? facturer, Large chunks of gold and silver plate and jewelry have been re? covered. It is Mr. Cole's hope that fabulous sums will be unearthed. A story similar to Poe's "Gold Bug" is told in a letter from Mr. Cole to his family. Discovery of a "boarding pike" with strange charts and figures traced in the iron which had almost been obliterated by the rust began the hunt. It was while Mr. Cole was selecting a site for his new summer home on an Island near Miami, Fla, that he picked up the rusty pike. Mr. Cole rubbed the rust from the pike and laid it away to add to his collection of relics. Several days la? ter he made a close examination of the pike and discovered what appear? ed to be a chart traced in the iron. Much like Edgar Allen Poe In his stories, Mr. Cole studied for days the tracing through a magnifying glass. It wa*: alter he had studied the myste? rious pike until late one night that he walked out to the island. For the first time he noted the shape of a boarding pike. lie rushed back to his hotel. The broad line running from the heel of the pike to a small dent in the centre, he decided, was the line to a buried treasure, and the pike rep? resented his island. It was easy to de? cipher the figures which he concluded to indicate how far a line was to be drawn from the water's edge. He made that measurement and stretched a line. Then he called his friends and they began to dig. When they reached a depth of 6 feet their spades strucR hard. They washed the sand and dirt from the hard objects and found lumps of gold. They feverishly unearthed many large j chunks of gold and silver. Mr- Cole will make a systematic search of the island, as he believes treasure is bur? led there. The large nuggets of gold and sli? ver had been melted and then bat? tered Into squares. An assay of one chunk proved to be of pure gold. ????? fg Value of the Stalk Cutter. I find a good heavy nine-bladed , stalk cutter a great piece of ma ! chinery- I use my cutter in the fall for cutting both cer> stalks in preparing wheat and oats. I can ! six inches and they rot than to plow them unt . and then are broadcasted more evenly , over the land. The cotter does nice work in the cotton field in the spring where oats have been sowed in the open furrow in the fall before the cotton was all gathered. In cutting stalks, they should be dry to get the best reftrrfsja In cut? ting up your corn stalks, you leave a lot of vegetable matter in a quick decaying form upon your land. Tou can work your corn land in cotton without being bothered with the stalks; while if your stalks were not cut, on land where corn is planted 18 inches in the drill as I do. it would be next to impossible to tend it well. I bring my cutter to the shed at night, and I have an old stick broom. and brush all dirt snd trash from ? the machine, and oil and grease all working parts. I take notice every I morning to see that all nuts are properly tight before taking to the field. One man and pair of mules can cut six acres of 3 1-2 foot cotton rows, or ten acres of five-foot corn row? per day of ten hours. I claim that a stalk cutter Is a great labor-saver as well as a land enricher, because of the manner in which it leaves the corn and cotton - stalks.?O. C. Donnan. in the Pro? gressive Farmer. Why let your dog scratch himself to death when Osteen's Mange Cure will Quickly effect a complete cure. Go to Siberfs Drug Store or Hearon's Pharmacy and get a bottle. Pr?ce 50 cents.?Advt. ? HO I ? 4 It seems to us that Dr. Osiers re? mark to Yale students to "take no thought of the future" was entirely ! superfluous advice.?Philadelphia ln ! qulrer. Keep the fleas o?T of your dog and you will prevent It from having mange. Osteen's Mange Cure will keep the fleas away. Ask dog owners j who have used it. Price SO cents a bottle at Blbert'a Drug Store or Hear on s Pharmacy.?Advt. Tallest Soldier In Prtnee* Among the new oonscripa of France is Antolne Cros who measures more than six feet six Inches. He baa aot yet attained bis full height. When ha began his military service ba was asksd In what branch of the army he wanted to serve "in the aviation corps," he replied proudly. "Why?* waa asked. "Because I an not sub? ject to dlsiiness sod then I am ac l customed to tee things from above."