Under Fire: A Tale of the Shenandoah Valley — page 68: what you’re looking at

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

FACE ‘TO FACE ONCE MORE, 61 ‘Iam afraid, Bertha, I no longer occupy a place in your thoughts. x ‘‘T must decline to Seatite your curiosity on such a subject, sir,’’ she said, with grave dignity. ‘“True love can never die,’’ he ventured. “Tt can sometimes despise,’’ she said. ‘‘Am I to understand from that that you regard me with such a feeling, Bertha??? ‘Ido not admit your right to catchise me, Captain Chetwood. If I have ceased to regard you in the light of a—a=—once dear friend, the fault lies with you, sir.”’ ‘““VYou have learned to hate me, then ?”’ “No, not that. I respect, I esteem you as—a man; I repudiate you as a soldier.”’ ‘‘T-am sorry.’? : “Vou have chosen your path—why shelter yourself behind vain regrets? Had you worn the gray, my heart would have followed you in every field— proud of its idol. But now——”’’ ‘Well?’ he said, interrogatively. ‘Vou have ceased to interest me.’’ Their eyes met, and his drooped under the shock of her words. ‘‘T have never forgotten you,’’ he said, slowly. ‘“‘I never wish to. I tried to believe that you still re- tained a kindly thought in which I figured. Well’’— a tear glistened on his eyelash—‘‘the dream 1s over— at last.’’ She did not reply, and it was plain to be seen that she was agitated in spite of herselt. “T must go,’? he said; ‘‘already I have lingered too long. I may be cut off at any moment, for Mos- by’s men are swarming the. neighborhood. You will say good-by—for the last time.’ Mechanically she held out her hand. ‘He seized it and pressed it to his lips. “God bless you, Bertha! may you meet some one Gomicbooks (E(0) m