Under Fire: A Tale of the Shenandoah Valley — page 102: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THE WOUNDED SOLDIER. | 95 that the enmity existing between these two would lead to most unpleasant consequences should they come face to face.’’ | ‘‘You amaze me.”? ‘IT rely on you, Bertha, if you would prevent actual bloodshed, keep them apart. Do not let the colonel see this man.’’ ‘Well, this 1s very strange,’’ she said, ‘‘but I will - do as you say.”’ ‘‘Again I thank you from my heart.’? ‘Did you see anything of the colonel in the late battle?’ ‘No. I fancy from what I know of the man, that ~ he would not care to risk his personal safety much in © such stirring scenes as we had of late.”’ ‘Do you mean to insinuate that Colonel Trafton 1s a coward, sir???’ She saoke hotly now, much to the captain’s sur- prise. ‘Well, perhaps that would be the plainest terms I could apply toa man whose actions I have unfortu- nately had occasion to discover in their worst aspect. ”’ ‘Vou insult me, Captain Chetwood!”’ There was no mistaking her indignant attitude now. “Tnsult you, Bertha? I hope not.”’ ‘But you do, sir, when you apply such an epithet to ‘Colonel Trafton. ” “T beg your pardon, but I was not aware you en- tertained such a strong interest in that person,” said Royal, more than ever astonished. Open, sir, I must inforin you that Colonel. Traf- ton 1s my ‘intended husband. ”2 If a shell had exploded in the room at that mo- ment, the gallant Union officer could not have been more ‘startled. He was fairly thunderstruck. ‘“Vou—you, Bertha, engaged to that (e(0) ml’ comicbooks.