Under Fire: A Tale of the Shenandoah Valley — page 107: what you’re looking at

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

100 7 AT THE POINT OF THE SWORD. “My uncle would die sooner than renounce allegi- ance to the Confederacy,’’ cried Bertha, the indig- nant color staining her cheeks. At this moment Mr. Clymore appeared on the scene, and Bertha fled back to the parlor. The Confederate colonel grasped the farmer warmly - by the hand; then, after the first greetings were over, began questioning him regarding his guest. “Ves, we have a Yankee under our roof who was wounded in the fight on Fisher’s Hill. I did not want the fellow here, neither did my wife, but Bertha and the captain pleaded so hard——’’ ‘The captain?’ Trafton interrupted. © ‘‘Captain Chetwood.”’ A dark look overspread the Confederate colonel’s face at mention of that name. It seemed that this odious Union captain was pop- ping up on all occasions to annoy him especially. ‘So Captain Chetwood and Bertha united their ap- | _peals,’’ growled the colonel. ‘‘I would like very much to look upon this prisoner who has carried everybody as by storm. Will you permit it, Mr. Clymore?’” ‘*Certainly,’’ answered the obliging farmer, never once suspecting what a row he was about to create under his own roof. | The doughty colonel followed Mr. Clymore up the stairs, and soon they entered the room above, occu- pied by the wounded Virginia ranger. Moses Bluff sat in an old-fashioned rocker, near a low window that overlooked the back yard. He had not seen the troopers ride up; but had heard their voices, and knew that a party of soldiers had halted at the farm-house. The moment the farmer and his companion crossed the threshold of his room, ‘‘J.oyal Mose’’ looked about and fixed his eyes on Colonel ‘Trafton. Half-way across the floor the colonel halted, a look of surprise, of infernal j Joy on his face. diy pei ~-* €omicbooks.cc