Under Fire: A Tale of the Shenandoah Valley — page 65: what you’re looking at

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

58 FACE TO FACE ONCE MORE. ‘(This is sheer nonsense, young woman. I have my duty to perform. I must and will carry out my orders at all hazards.”’ As he spoke, a single horseman dashed down the road, and drew up beside the gate. He quickly dismounted, entered the garden, and caine up to the spot where the belligerent girl stood covering Lieutenant Snyder. “Hullo! What’s this?’’? exclaimed the new-comer, authoritatively. He was a man of eight- and-twenty years, tall and sunburned. Handsome, too, with a light, drooping mustache. His uniform of army blue was faded and covered with a fine dust. His slouch hat was cocked rakishly over one ear. And he sported the shoulder straps of a captain in the cavalry service. ‘‘Ha, Captain Chetwood!”’ said the lieutenant, saluting his superior. ‘‘I am having a bit of trouble with this foolish girl. You know, my orders—to burn and destroy all forage that we suspect may. be at the service of theenemy. Here, you perceive, we have met with some opposition.’? Royal Chetwood, for it was he, glanced at the tanned countenance of the brave defender of ner uncle’s property. She had started, and her face suffused with color on hearing the name of the man once so dear to her. And now it was his turn to show that this sudden and unexpected meeting with the girl he had never forgotten or ceased to love was a great surprise. They had not met, or heard from each other, since the evening they had parted in the hotel at Rich- mond, more than four years before. OVou were about to fire the barn, lieutenant? 2 hee said, recovering his eet Reeesin by a Strong effort. ey was,”? Gomicbooks.co