Beadle's Dime Library No. 247 — page 17: what you’re looking at

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

— Ee J — — said as how I were to keep clos’t to ye, so ve moutn’t come to harm.” ‘Ob, is that it?’ responded Clara, more affably. ‘*In that case 1 beg your pardon, my man, You can come clcser, What’s your names ‘*My name, miss?” The question stumped him a moment, but he remembered in time to answer with a salute: ‘Jackson Gardner, miss, hunner and fust Texas,” Clara started slightly and sa‘d: ‘**Come closer, so I can see your face.” The young man did as be was requested, and had the pleasure of being inspected by as keen a pair of eyes as ever looked out of a girl’s head, and a handsome pair withal. Clara Peyton looked at bim as if she had never been used to looking at any but her infe- riors, and when she had concluded her inspec- tion she said deliberately: ‘*'You’re not one of our men, What’s the ure of telling me a story like that?’ Julian was startled, more so than the girl, though he could see, from something in ber man- ner and the wide, open stare of her eyes, that she was frightened, and trying to hide it from him. ‘‘How do you know [’m not one of your men?” he asked, st fm his accent. ‘‘ Becauss I know Jackson Gardner,” she an- sored, scanning bim still more closely. ‘* Be- si les, you don’t talk like one of our men at all, Who are you, anyway?” Julian smiled and took off bis hat. “Young lady,” he said, ‘‘ you're right. Iam ove of the men you have been taught to hate— a Yankee—and I come from New York last, though I was born in Boston.” The face of his fair enemy was a study while he spoke. At first she turned deadly pale, and seemed frightened to death; then flushed deeply as she said in a low voice: “You! A Yankee! How did you get in?” ‘‘T came in in my boat, as 1 shall go out,” was the quiet reply. Clara shook her head, ‘* No, you can’t,” she said. ‘‘ You can’t pass the lines without the word, and [’'m not going to give it to you, because it’s my duty to take you prisoner.” Julian could not resist a smile. ‘‘[ am your prisoner already, Miss Peyton.” ‘How do you know my name?” she asked, starting back amazed. ‘*| know that, and a good deal more,” said Julian, smiling in the same encouraging way to banish her fears, ‘I can pass your lines when- ever I please, for | have the word for the night but I don’t want to doit, I told you before, am your prisoner, captive to your eyes. Do with me what you will.” The girl was very red in the moonlight, now, and it was with a little nervous laugh she said: ‘Youre very willing to surrender, but you don’t know what we do with our prisoners.’ ‘*T don’t know and I don’t care,” said the oung man, quite intoxicated with bis position. y, r ? ‘You can make me your slaye, and I'll serve you cheerfully.” ‘‘ But are you really a Yankee?” asked Clara, eurionsly. ‘* You don’t look like one,” ‘How do you suppose Yankees look?” asked —EE ——— he. ‘*Oh, I don’t know. I’ve heard they were all coarse, ungentlemanly creatures, with big feet and hatchet-faces and—you don’t look like a Yankee.” Julian laughed; he couldn’t help it. Thank you for the compliment. I’ve not got a hatchet-face or big feet.” ‘But bow did you get out of New York?’ the girl went on. ‘‘I thought our men were all round it, Is the siege raised?” Julian hesitated, He hardly knew what to say. Here was a young creature as innocent as a baby, who had been brought up in a state of delusion from which it might not be easy to wake her, Moreover, her father, whoever he was, had been the means of deceiving ber, with some pious notion no doubt; and Julian did uot like to expose a parent to a child. So be answered evasively: “Ob, I managed to get out. How man have you in your post here, Miss Peyton? The young lady laughed at him. **Now I do believe you’re a Yankee. They always ask impertinent Sane, I’m told.” ‘‘ Who told you, Miss Peyton?’ ‘‘ My father, sir, commander of the district,” she answered proudly. ‘I suppose all of you Yankees have beard of General Beverly Pey- ton, Commander of the Southern Military Dis- trict. He has made you Yankees run many a men time, as We all tremble at the sound of his name, Miss Peyton, as the Saracens trembled at that of the Great Richard of the Lion Heart,” said Julian gravely. “But let a ask you one question: How would you like to see the North—New York or Boston for instance?” Clara looked at him wistfull *“T shall never see them, Pm afraid,” she Alligator Ike. said, ‘Ob, how I wish sometimes that this dreadful war were over! Here it seems as if I had never known, since I began to know any- wp ee peace was, I’m weary to death of it all.’ ‘* And suppose I told you,” said Julian, slow- ly, and watching her all the time, “ that it was over, and had been over eighteen or twenty years,” The young lady looked at him 4 mar ‘*T shouldn’t believe you, sir, father has told me never to believe what the Yankees say.” y Your father is not com limentary to the poor Yankees,” returned Julian. ‘‘I’m sorry you’re so prejudiced, Miss Peyton, but I must submit. Whatare you going to do with me now?’ **'Take you in and give you up to the guards,” said the lady, decidedly. ** And what will the guards do with me?’ ‘*?’m sure I don’t know. Kill you, I sup- pose.” ‘**Do you want to seo me killed?” ** Why, no.” “Then why will you give meup to the guard?” ‘* Because you give yourself up to me. must do my duty you know,” ‘* But you hbaven’t got any duties,” said Julian, with asmile, ‘‘ Ladies have no military duties, Their only business is to look and be as charm- ing as possible.” ‘Then why do you surrender to me?’ she asked. ** Because I want to see if you have a wo- man’s heart, or if you hate a Yankee so much that you would willingly give up one to death,” said Julian, softly. ‘*See, Miss Peyton, here I am, all alone in the midst of your people, but I’ve never done you any barm, bave I?” ‘* No,” said she, reluctantly. ‘‘I don’t want to hurt you, but you ought to have kept away. All we want is to be let alone.” ** Very well, then,” said Julian, readily, ‘‘If that’s the case, why don’t you tell me to go away and which way to go? Ill leave you alone.” Clara brightened up instantly. ‘**T never thought of that,” she said, frankly. **‘Of course you can go away till the war’s over. After that I shall be glad to see you.” “Will you really be glad to see me when the weeks over, as you call it?” asked Julian, earn- estly. Somehow or other the canoes had drifted to- gether during the collcquy, aud the two people sat side by side in such a position that they could look into each other’s eyes, and Julian saw that the girl’s eyes sunk under his own, ‘*’m sure,” she murmured, ‘‘I don’t see why [shouldn’t, if there’s peace, The chaplain has told me that we are all Americans, and that when the war is over we ought to love each other just as we did before it.” Julian softly glided his hand under hers and asked her gently: ‘**Miss Peyton, do you think I’m a very wicked Yankee for daring to love a Soutbern lady before the war is over?” She flushed scarlet and drew away her hand, murmuring confusedly. ‘*|—-[—what do you mean? stand you, sir.” ‘*T mean,” said Julian, ‘that I never saw you before this evening, but that I loved you from the first moment I heard your voice at the window singing the ‘Bonny Blue Flag,’ and that had I not heard and seen you, I might still have been an enemy to your father. Now, ylease hear me, and believe what I tell on ou have been living in a dream all your life. There is no war. It ended before you were born in the capture ef General Lee and all bis army.” Oh!” interrupted Clara with her eyes like saucers, ‘‘What do you mean by telling me such a great, big, wicked untruth as that? Are you not ashamed? General Lee was never captured. He took Philadelphia last year.” Julian felt puzzled, “Whatam I[ todo with vou?’ hesaid, despair- ingly. ‘* You’ve been shut up here and don’t know what has been going on inthe world. You ask your father when he comes home if itis not true General Lee surrendered his whole army at Appomattox Court House in April, 1865. See what he says. He'll know that you have seen what he calls a Yankee. I don’t know what be intends by keeping up such a farce down in this corner of the land, but if ever he is found out, his army of nine men, Major Buckbee and all, will vanish like so much smoke I can assure you.” The girl listened to him like one in a dream, and then drew a long sigh saying: ‘Oh dear, what am I to believe? Go away for Heaven’s sake, Mr, —” ‘“*My name is Julian Grey,” returned the young man bowing. “I will noe trouble you any more, Miss Peyton. I can hardly believe my own senses to-night. It seems likea dream to me to find such a place as this.” ** And it’s like a dream to me to see a stran- ger,” said Clara sineaty. ** You're the first I've ones seen in all my life, except Captain Rut- edge. I don’t under- A quick spasm of jealousy animated Julian in a moment as he asked: ** And who’s Captain Rutledge?” ‘* An old officer who sometimes comes to see us. He never wears a uniform, and he tells me that he has to come in by running the block- ade,” said Clara, innocently. ‘He lives in Fernandina, I believe,” ** And does he come often?’ asked Julian, not knowing what to make of this news. ** Why, yes, and he always goes back with a cargo to France,” said Clara, “A cargo to France?’ echoed Julian, ‘* Why, yes, didn’t you know? Oh, I forgot, I’m talking just as if you were one of our own men,” said Clara, with a nervous sort of laugh, ‘* Yes, | mean when the Stonewall goes,” Julian was about to answer, when somethin induced him to turn bis head to look behin him, and he saw a boat, not very far off, moy- ing toward him stealthily. No sooner did he see it than instinct told him to seize his rifle and hail: “Boat ahoy! Halt! who goes there ?” CHAPTER XXII, FOUND OUT. JULIAN saw that the boat coming toward bim was em than his own canoe, pulled four oars and had a man steering. It stopped rowing in answer to his hail, and the answer came back: ‘Grand Rounds!” ** It’s Ned,” whispered Clara in Julian’s ear; ‘Jet me answer him.” Then aloud she called out: **Is that you, Ned? Why don’t you call out the word like a man?’ There was a smothered laugh from the men in the boat, and the voice of Ned answered, with considerable asperity: ‘* What are you doing out bere, putting us to all this trouble and disarranging the lines? Who’s that in the canoe by you?” “A friend of wine—none of your affair,” re- torted the girl flippantly. ‘' You keep off, or I'll tell bim to shoot at you, Ned,” Ned seemed to be exceedingly disgusted, for his dignity was bart by the treatment of his sis- ter, but be made shift to answer: ‘Very well, Miss Clara, when the general comes home J shall inform him of your capers.” Then turning to bis men he said: “Give way; it’s all right,” The boat swept on, and Julian seized Clara’s hend and began to murmur all sorts of thanks to her for not having given bim up to death, Sbe smiled and seemed not ill-pleased at the earnest manner of the hand.ome youth, and asked bim: “Well, what are you going to do now, Mr, Grey? Here you are, in the midst of our men, and how are you going to get out?” ‘**1 don’t know,” he answered, ‘unless you will show me the way. I leave my life in your hands, Miss Peyton.’ ‘* Which way did you come in?” she asked, ‘Out yonder from the east, through the open- ing in the cedar bush into the Everglade.” Jara looked ot hagg “That way? Why, you must have passed the special guard my father placed there.” ‘I did, without bis hearing or seeing me.” ‘But you cannot go back that way. ** Why not?” ‘** Because they putrol there twice a day, and you’re sure to run into some of the boats,” ‘*Then which way am I to go?” Clara turned and pointed to the black smoke, They were close enough to it now to perceive that it came from the cone of a small yoleanic hillock that resembled a mole-bill. ** Yonder,” said Clara, ‘is the signal-station.” * The signal-station,” he said, vaguely. “Yes. That isthe place they signal to the coast when a storm comes on,” ‘* How do they do it?” ‘*] don’t know exactly. They throw down something or other that makes it puff out thick and black—the smoke, I mean. But if you get out, you'll have to go that way. They will take you for one of our own men, and you may meet the Stonewall coming up.” “The Stonewall? What is the Stonewall?” “Our vessel,” said Clara, rather proudly; ‘the Stonewall Jackson. She comes up here for her cargo and runsoff to France.” ** And suppose I meet her, what then?” ‘*Why, you can pretend you're one of our men, and they won’t know you, for her peo only come in now and then,” said Clara, readily, * Why, I can make out an order, for that mat- ter, and put father’s name toit. They’ll never know the difference,” ‘**And do you mean to say you would do this for me, a stranger?” asked Julian, earnestly, Clara hesitated a moment, and gave a little nervous laugh as she said: “T know it’s very wicked. If Ned found it out he’d be furious, but I don’t know how it is. Somehow I don’t feel as if you were an enemy De in to be killed, and 1 want to save your ife. Julian pressed her hand, saying earnestly: ‘* Miss Peyton, you’re an angel! and you don't’ know it, an angel of goodness. I canis here in JOO (eo) mire a4