Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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TJfe LOVE STORY *f A GRAY JACKET By Randall Parrish II II cAutfcorV ''wlaWiukMuWu 1kg" Ii II ILLUSTRATIONS BY II II Ay rHUK & WILLIAMSON C*9frtrte. ?T A C. M<C MM A C Inks ? JSjOuom'i iua Lmte "Tbst Tank' has seen fit to charge me with being a spy; and as I was foolish I ;ough to Insult Oeneral Sher? idan last night, my fate Is probably ?ceded." This somewhat complex statement seemed to he too much for Jed to grasp promptly. "Gosh, ys don't nay!" he muttered ?Then, durn It, I'm In luck, fer all they've got agin me Is pot shootln' at a nigger soger up In ther mountings; ea ther ?in t much, cause I didn't hit ther durned cuia' Jed was carefully covering every Inch of exposed wall with hla little shrewd, glinting eyes "Alu't much show ter work out o' yere, Is tbar. Cap?" ha saked at last reflectively; "leastwise I don't see none, 'less them thar dark corners hes got holes In 'em." "The wall Is entirely solid " "So 1 sorter reckoned. But If ye'U crawl through yere Inter my boodour, thar's a place whar I reckon ther tew of us tcrgether [nought make a try fer It. It's too durn high up fer me ter git at alone. I reckon, Cap, If ye cud manage ter git out o' yere ternlght. an' take some news ter Lee thet I've picked up, he'd 'bout make both of ua aiueralB." "News for Lee?" I exclaimed, star? ing eagerly at him through the now darkened room "Do you mean It? What new a?" "Thought maybe thet wud wake ye up," he chuckled. "This yere's gospel truth: 8hertdan hes started hla In? fantry on a kail Irdg march fer Mln ersvilte. Ther first division left et * tar won't bo nary Yank loaf In' on ther valley by noon tcrtnorro'A e," he added rapid? ly, his eyes daocmg wildly with sup? pressed excitement,?"Hancock la a sslngln' of his corps srest ter meet 'em thsr. an' I reckon, as how thar 11 be hell fer sartln up ther Shecandoah In less ner s week." "But how do you know all this?" I questioned Incredulously, as the whole scene sod Its dread possibilities un? rolled before my mental vision. "Ther nlfger 1 held up bed a de? spatch fer HelnUelman over on th?.*r left, an' then Marlar she sortet pumped a young fule staff officer fer ther rest o' it," he replied promptly. "Oh, It'a s sure go, Cap, an' I reckon at bow maybe Lee's whole army hangs on one of ua glttln' out o' yere ter sight That he meant every word he spoke 1 felt convinced, and his enthusiasm was coLtagious. My blood leaped within rte at thla call to action; all lethargy fled, and with It every dead? ening thought of her who had so sud denly woven about me the meshes of her power. False or true, maid, wife, or widow, my duty as a soldier to my commander and the army to which I belonged, blotted out all else. Kven as this new rush of determination swept over me. above us there sounded clearly the dashing music of a military band In the strains of a Btrauss's waits, and we could dis? tinguish the muffled shuffling of many feet on the oaken floo.* overhead. Galon's chance remark about the great ball to be given that evening by offi? cers of the headquarters staff recur? red to my memory. "That dancing up there will holp us, Jed." I said quickly, my mind now actlvs to grasp every detail. "You say there Is a chance for escape from your cell? Then give me your hand, and help me to crawl through that hole It was s narrow squeeze for a man of my alae. yet I crept through with? out greet difficulty, sad found myself la the dense darkness of a room which, as 1 Judged hastily from feel? ing about me. was similar In shape and extent to the one In which I had been confined Bungay, however, per tu It ted roe little time for exploration. Orasplng me fl'inly by the arm and fteltng his way along the wall, he groped across to the other side There's a mighty big stone chlmblv comes down yere. Cap." he whispered "An' ther openln' ter take out soot an' ashes la up thar. Jlst blow ther fluer. it's s sheet-Iron pan, I reckon, ther way It feels; an' It must be thar they put a nigger In t?r clean ther chlmbly whin It gits stuffed up I could gtt up thsr alone, but I couldn't do no work, but thet fhar pan 0 ISjhl ter cum out all right Dew ye think ye cud haw4 get up. Cap? I'm purty durn heavy " I smiled In the darkness at the HV tie fellow's egotism and llf'itiK htm ss I might a <hiid. seised him lightly npou my shoulder Me llmgglai a moment to steady himself SSjatJMM the wall, snd then I could feel him tug ging eagerly nt something *hh-h ap peared to yluld slowly to his gffofti Ab he worked, a dense shower of dust and soot caused me to close my eyes. "She's a comin' all right," he said, cheerfully, puffing with his exertions, "but 1 reckon as how this chimbly ain't bin cleaned out since ther war begun. Hold up yer right han\ Cap, an' git a blame good grip on her, fer she's almighty full, anil wanter go down sorter easy like " I did as he suggested, bracing my? self to meet his movements, as he ?lood straining on my shoulders, and In another moment I had succeeded In lowering the large sheet-Iron pan silently to the floor. "Room 'nough yere fer two men ter oncet," chuckled my companion, in rare delight " 'The chief in silence strode before.' Yere goes." His weight left my shoulders; there was a slight scramble, another shower of dirt, then the sound of his voice once more. "Lift up yer han's, Cap; dig in yer toes on ther stones, an' we'll begin our vl'ge." He grasped my wrists with a strength which I had no conception the little fellow possessed There was a moment's breathless struggle, and I squirmed through the opening, and lay panting on the flat slabs which composed the foot of the great funnel. To afford me more room Hungay had gone up a little, finding foot lodgment upon the uneven stones of which the chimney was constructed. For a mo? ment we rested thus motionless, both breathing heavily and listening to the music and shuffling of feet now almost upon a level with our heads. The noise, which was strong and "Jed Bungay, as I Live!" continuous, rendered discovery from any misstep highly improbable, and as delay was dangerous neither of ub was disposed to linger long. "Be ye all ready, Cap?" questioned Bungay, bending his head down. "Fer if ye be, I'm a goin' up." "All right," I answered, struggling to my knees In the narrow space; "only take It slow, Jed. I'm a trifle bigger man than you, and this is rather close quarters." "Wal, yes, maybe a matter of a poun' er two," he retorted, and the next moment I could hear him scraping his way upward, feeling for foothold upon the irregular layers of stone. 1 followed, pressing my knees firmly against the rough wall, and trusting more to my hands than feet for se curlty against falling. There was evidently a fireplace of some kind on the first floor, with a considerable opening leading from it Into the chim? ney we were scaling, for as Jed slow-, ly passed, I could perceive a sudden gleam cf light streaming across his face from the glare of the lamps with? in. He glanced anxiously that wuy(| but did not pause In his steudy climb1 upward A moment later I came opposite that same beam of radiance, and cautiously peered down the sloped opening that led to the disused fire place. AU I could perceive was a pair of legs, evidently those of a cav airy officer, judging from the broad yellow stripe down the seam of the light-blue trousers, and the high boot ornamented with rowel spurs. He stood leaning carelessly against the mantel, talking with some one Just beyond the range of my vision. At that moment the music ceased suddenly, and afraid to proceed until it should strike up again, I braced myself securely on a projecting Btoue and bent my head over the orifice un? til I could catch a portion of the con vernation being carried on by my un const Ions neighbors. "No," said the cavalryman, gruffly, and apparently In r 'ply to some prevl oub question, "the fellow was most devilish obstinate; wouldn't tell the first thing; even a threat of treat? ing him as a spy and hanging him outright proved of no avail Hut Sheridan's theory is that Lee has or? dered Longstreet to hit our rear, while he makes a direct attack in front. That's why the 'old man' pro poses to get in his work first, and we march at daylight to form con? nection with Hancock. Hy Jove, Chesley. but that woman In black over there with Follansbee is the handsom? est picture I've seen south of the line. Mark how her eyes sparkle, and how prettily the light gleams in her hair. Who Ih she. do you chance to know?" "Yes." Ms pad 'he other, languidly, "met her at breakfast, headquarters, this Horning Deuced pretty and all that, mighty good st\le too, but taken, old man She a llrennun'n " What' got Major Hronnan'.'" in ? ur prlse. "Why, lie's always posed as ? bachelor among our follows. " MJ)Oa't know anything about that, dear boy Indifferently, but the lady came in with bin yesterday, v\as in trodtiegd to the crowd of 111 ai Mrs Rrennan ami he ealled bar Kdltti Dvuc ed ub tf name, KdilU As ID? i ? I nan has shown such poor taste as to be absent to night, 1 am inclined to give a little of my time to his lady. Far and away the prettiest thing here. Well, so long, Somers; see you In the morning. I'm going to give the fair Edith a whirl." The cavalry legs shifted their posi? tion; the b;>iid icsumed its functions, and in the renewed activity and noise 1 began again the toilsome climb, my mind now a bewildered chaos between my plain duty to Lee and my nearly uncontrollable desire to meet once more the woman who was dancing In the room below. The little mountaineer, as active as a cat, and not especially hampered by lack of room in which to work, was well above me by this time. The chimney, acting as a tube, brought down to me from time to time the slight noise of his climbing, varied by an occasional exclamation or com? ment, but 1 cculd perceive no other evidence of his presence. Above, all was as black as the grave. "Holy smoke!" he ejaculated, prob? ably unaware that he was giving utter? ance to his thoughia. "That was a sharp rock! Dum if thar's a inch o' skin left on my knee. Ough. stop thet! who's got hold o* my fut?" "Hush your racket, you little fool," I said angrily. "Do you want the whole Yankee army to trap us here like rats? I cannot get up this chim? ney any further; It Is growing too small to permit my body to pass." "lb thet so, Cap?" he asked anxious? ly. "Whut be ye goln' ter dew 'bout it?" 1 made no answer for a moment; I was groping about in the darkness of our narrow quarters to see if I could , determine exactly where we were. "How high is this house, Jed, do you know?" "Three stories an' attic." "How far up are we?" " 'Bout balfway 'long thor third story, I reckon; must be jist b'low whar ye are thet I stuck my fut down an openln'. Reckon't was 'noth er fireplace, like thet one on ther first flure." I lowered myself silently, and felt along the stones until I located the opening, and roughly measured its dimensions. "I shall have to risk crawling out here, Jed," I said finally, "for I shall surely stick fast if 1 go up another ten teet. Do you suppose you can squeeze through to the top?" "I reckon 1 kin," he returned calm? ly. "But hadn't we better stick ter* getber, Cap?" "No," 1 anowered firmly. "You go on, and one of us must get through to Lee. Don't mind me at all; get down from the roof as best you can. If I am caught it will be all the more important that you should succeed." "'T is done?'I thank thee, Roderick, for the word; It nerves my heart, it steels my sword.' " Even as he spoke I could hear him creeping steadily upward. It soon be? came evident that his progress was growing slower, more difficult Then all sounds above me ceased, and I knew he must have attained the roof in safety. CHAPTER XIV. I Became a Colonel of Artillery. My own situation at this moment was too critical, too full of peril and uncertainty, to afford opportunity for moralizing over Bungay's chances of escape. Onty one possibility lay be fOri me?there remained no choice, no necessity for planning, it was pure luck which pries open most doors of life, and it was upon luck alone I must rely now. I have often won I Saw No Other Signs of Human Oc? cupancy. dered since how 1 ever succeeded in squeezing my body through that nar? row opening into the empty fireplace without at leaBt kuocking over some? thing during the dllhcult passage But 1 did manage, working my way down slowly, creeping inch by inch like a snake, carefully testing each object I touched in the darkness for fear of Its proving loose, until I finally lay Stretched at full length upon what was evidently, from its feeling, a carpet of unusually fine texture. The room proved to be an Inner one and unllgbted, a bedchamber, as I soon determined, for my outstretched hands encountered the posts of a bed. Then a slight gust of air partially swept aside a hanging curtain, which rustled like silk, and I caught a brief glimpse of the adjacent parlor It was likewise unlllumlned, but the door loading Into the front hall stood ajar, and through that opening there poured a stream of radiance, together with the incessant hum of many voices in animated conversation, the deep blare of the hand, with the ceaseless movement of dancing feet Satisfying myself by ?ouse of touch i that the bed was unoccupied, for I was far too experienced a soldier to leave an enemy in my rear, 1 crept cautiously forward to the intercepting curtain, and drawing it *?lce took careful survey of the outer apartment It was a large and handsomely fur? nished room, a polished mahogany writing-table littered with papers oc? cupying a prominent position against the farther wall. A swivel chair stood beside it, and across Itg back hung what appeared to be a suit of clothing. I saw no other signs of hu? man occupancy. Convinced that the apartment waa deserted, and discovering no different means of egress, I crossed the room on tiptoe, and peered cautiously out Into the hall. It was not a pleasing pros? pect to one in my predicament. The lower portion, judging from the In? cessant hum of voices, was filled with people, who were either unable to find place within the crowded ball? room, or else preferred greater retire? ment for conversation. Even the wide stairway had been partially pre? empted, a young lieutenant, as I judged from his shoulder-straps, sit? ting just beneath the landing, whis? pered eagerly into the attentive ear of a pronounced blonde who shared the broad carpeted step with him. (TO BE CONTINUED.) BENT THUMB TO GOVERNOR. Please Condemns Action of Mob at I i <t in pt on When Negro's Finger Cornea to Him. The Record. Governor Bleasa was the unappre clatlve recipient yesterday of the thumb of Richard 1 Henry Austin that cocked the Shotgun which killed Fred H. Bdenfleld, near Allendale, on April1 HO. The thumb waa in a glass vial and was preserved in alcohol. The chief executive hud his negro porter inter the grim relic of the murder. The governor was unstinted in his condemnation of the action of the morbid mob at Hampton which cut' parts of Austin's dead body to pre? serve as souvenirs of an auspicious occasion. He said he could not un- ( derptand why white men should be j so morbid as to want to save parts of a dead body. GOES OVER LOOKOUT MOUN? TAIN. Johnny Green Does Great Feat In Curtis Biplane. Chattanooga, Tenn., May '10.?One of the features of the closing day of the Confederate Reunion was the llight over Lookout Mountain by Johnny Green in his Curtiss biplane, the first successful flight over the mountain ever made. Several other aviators have attempted the feat, but failed on account of treacherous wind currents encountered. Green rose to a height of 6,900 feet, seven hundred feet above any of his previous records. He was In the air forty-one minutes. He encountered in the llight over the mountain and Moccasin Bend NTalley! a wind of thirty miles' velocity. SOCIAL CLUBS Mt'ST PAY TO RUN. Chester Demands 2 Per cent of Gross Earnings and $.">,noo Bond. Chester. May ?The city coun? cil, at a special meeting this morn? ing, passed an ordinance requiring the managers of social clubs, keeping intoxicants in storage, to pay over to the city yearly SI per cent of the gross receipts of the clubs and furnish a hon 1 of $6,000, with three reputable securities, same to be approved by the mayor. Notice of the new ordinance was served on the three local clubs this af? ternoon. PELLAGRA DUE TO BAD WATER. Roman Doctors Claim to Have Dis? covered cause of Dread Disease. Rome, May II.?Pellagra, the mys? terious deadly disease prevalent in semitroplcal climates, which has baffled medical authorities for near? ly two hundred years, is caused by in fected water, according to Profs Scala and Alessandrt, of the institute of Hygiene, in Rome. The scourge has long been ascribed to the consump? tion of bad coin, but according to the professors announcement they have found that, in the districts of Italy, where the disease is most prevalent, the watm- is infected with Hint stone in collodal solution. The professors declare that theory of maize ptomaine is altogether groundless. They are endeavoring to Induce the authorities to proceed with a thorough examination of all the wa? ters of the infected districts and rid Italy of a plague which claims fitt> t hotisand i uses annually. The professors have found that the infected water may easily he made safe t * ? i drinking purposes by putting Into it a quantity of carbonated chalk. In the United states, a commission whose work has been made possible by a gift ol $15,000 from Col. Itobert m Thompson, of New York, und John II McKadden, ol Philadelphia, has been :it work for over a year in u study nt the cases nl pellagra in the South ? in stub h The commission's Until re porl is \et to he issm d. party ham: NAHHOW escape. F. A. Jenkins uinl Son, Thomas, in Launch When Fngine Kxpiode?? Little Hoy Badly Burnt but Will Recover. The State. As a party of five were or. (heir way yesterdav afternoon up the Congnreo river to the government locks, the gasoline engine of the launch, in which they were riding, exploded, painfully but not seriously burning several of the passengers. The party consisted of ('apt. Frost of the gov? ernment service, E. A. Jenkins and his little boy, Thomas Jenkins, Dr. J. P. Ott and W. D. Ott. The little boy was the most seriously burned, but it was stated last night that his injuries were not considered serious. The party had been asked to ride I up to the government locks. They were just off Granby landing when the engine had trouble and when it was cranked again it exploded. Life pre? servers from the City of Columbia, which was docked at the landing, were thrown to the ocupants of the launch and they swam to the bank. The accident occurred about 5.30 o'clock. BANKS TO PAY INTEREST. Only Seven Surrendered Federal Funds at McAdoo's Order. Washington. June 1.?Secretary Mc Adoo tonight announced the distribu? tion by States of the additional $10, 000,000 of federal funds which the treasury department will deposit in the national banks. His statement also discussed the manner in which the banks had received the recent order that 2 per cent interest yearly be charged on all government de? posits. Of the 559 active depository banks on May 1, when the secretary issued his interest order, Mr. McAdoo said only seven have declined to pay the interest charg and ceased to be gov? ernment depositaries, surrendering their federal funds to the treasury The $10,000,000 and this surrendered amount, aggregating $11,581,500 has been apportioned in various amounts among 607 national banks in 475 cities and towns in the 4 8 States and the District of Columbia. The seven banks unwillng to pay interest, the secretary said, were: "The National City bank, the Na? tional Bank of Commerce and the Chemical National bank of New York city; the National Bank of Commerce of New London, Conn.; the Merchants National bank of Savannah, Ga.; the First National bank of Buffalo, Wyo.; and the Seaboard National bank of San Francisco. "Various banks in different sections of the country, in expressing their willingness to pay the interest charge," said Mr. McAdoo, "strongly commended the wisdom and fairness j of the administration's new policy in in.posing the charge, although it nec? essarily reduced their profit. In I some applications for a share of the additional $10,000,000, hanks, es? pecially the largest ones in Boston and Chicago, requested a million dol? lar:-, or more of the deposits." OAT CHOP A BIG one, Clarendon Fanners Arc Delighted at Success With (.ruin. Manning, June 3.?The harvesting of the oat crop in Clarendon county has now been in progress for several days and the farmers generally take pardonable pride in relating their suc? cess with this particular crop, espe? cially the fall sown oats. Or* man who sowed in December remarked the other day that he had been farming la good many years but never raised better oats than he has this year. Several who sowed vetch along with their oats are delighted with the suc? cess of the combination. With pea vine hay following the oats and a good crop of corn this county will be to a large extent independent in the matter of stock feed. Crops Damaged at Harviti. Harvln, June 2.?Much damage has been done to over ripe oats, corn and the cotton just up by recent storms. The corn and oat crop, however. Is very good ami with a late fall, the cotton crop will not he more than 10 tit 15 per cent from a normal crop. Notwithstanding the New York Jour? nal of Commerce places the condition on the -9th at .'i.t> per cent better than a year BgO, those who have trav? eled over the South know this is er? roneous. Miss Eunice McFaddln is visiting her brother ami sisters in Columbia, l \fl1 Senat?- street. Miss Lillian rhnlora Brogdon is vis? iting relatives in Bumter. Mis. Kate Hat \ in and her sister. Miss Anna Marvin, will leave next week to spend the summer in Sa* Inda. N. C. The ("bester plan of forcing social clubs to divide profits on the sale id whiske) with tin- city, mav not he ex actly legal, hut wh mid b? profitable to the ? ity. I .. . . _ _ CIVIL SERVICE SCORED. Efficiency Experte Re|>ort Thut Dis? tributing Appointments Among State? Hai laaproved Ber?" Washington, May 30.?In a report sent to the senate today hy President Wilson the Economy and Efficiency Commission severely arraigned the operation of the United SLites Civil Servic e law.?, declaring that the effort to distribute appointments propor? tionately among the different States had greatly reduced the efficiency of Federal employes and cost the Govern? ment a great amount in the quality of its professional labor. The report was sent in response to Senator Overman s resolution passed last Monday. After an exhaustive in? quiry into the rating of employes of all departments of the Government the efficiency experts was greatly hampered by the fact that applicants for positions who attained marks but little over 70 in their examinations have been appointed to the Federal service when eligible persons were on the rolls of other States, with marks over 90. The commission recommended that the attempt to give each State its share of Federal jobs at Washington be greatly modified; that a mark of 85 be set as the standard by which the first choice of applicants be made; and that all with marks over 85 be first selected notwithstanding the fact that certain States may still lack their share of Federal employes. The commlslon also recommended that the Government give a mileagp allowance to Persons appointed from outside of Washington, so as to put civil service applicants from all States on an equality. The effort to apportion employes among the States, the commission re? ported, does not take into consider? ation the fact that each State has also a large number of Federal employes within Its own borders. WOMEN TALK SEX HYGIENE. Would Have Law Requiring Bride -room- to Produce Health Certifi? cate. Washington, June 2.?3ex hygiene and the enactment of a law compell? ing prospective 'bridegrooms In the nation's capital to procure H eeetwl* cate of health before n cense could be obtained, jects for discussion today ing of prominent society welfare workers. The meeting waa held in the home of Mrs. John Hays Hammond. While it was apparent the women were agreed on the compulsory pro? duction of the health certificate by the bridegroom, there was a difference of opinion as to the method of issu? ing such ? certificate. One group fa? vored the establishment of a medical board in connection with the health department, while others would leave the matter to any reputable physician. BULGARIAN CABINET RESIGNS. Dr. Dancff, Peace Delegate, Will Re? construct Cabinet. London, June 3.?News of the res? ignation of the Bulgarian cabinet was received in London late tonight. If true it is likely to serve the ends of peace. Dr. Daneff, the Bulgarian peace delegate, on his arrival at Sofia, is expected to reconstruct the cabinet. Probably his hasty summons home yesterday was for that purpose, for the fall of the Gueyehoff cabinet was not unexpected. It was thought that the new ministry would consist of a coalition representing all parties. The agreement for the establish? ment of a neutral zone between the Greeks and the Bulgarians at Saloniki removes the tinder which was likely at any moment to cause a conflagra? tion. The neutral line is a purely provisional one and is not intended to Influence the future delimination of the frontiers. Premiers of the four Balkan States expert to meet first at some Balkan town, and if they fail to reach an agreement will adjourn to St. Peters? burg. Greece ami Turkey are still dead? locked regarding the renewul of ante? bellum treaties. NEW YORK YARD GOOD. Daniels Would Increase Its Capaclty for Work. Washington. June 3.?Secretary Daniels today declared he had been impressed with the possibilities ol the New York navy yard. He said he was convinced that provisloa should be made for the construction of another great building slip with the necessary cranes and erecting shops so that at least two battleships of the tirst order might be under con? struction at the same tune That, he thinks, ?an be done without enlarg? ing the limits of the yard. The secretary also Intends to rec? ommend a substantial increase in ?he plant ot the Norfolk navv v ard SO as* to put it in condition for the con? struction ot ttrst ordei battleehlpa.