ADVENTURES 
 m^REBEL 
 
THE UNIVERSITY OF 
 
 NORTH CAROLINA 
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 THE WILMER COLLECTION 
 
 OF CIVIL WAR NOVELS 
 
 PRESENTED BY 
 
 RICHARD H. WILMER, JR. 
 
Adventures of A Fair Rebel 
 
Digitized by tine Internet Arciiive 
 
 in 2010 witii funding from 
 
 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/adventuresoffairOOcrim 
 
"BELIEVE ME, YOU ARE SAFE," HE SAID. 
 
ADVENTURES OF 
 
 A FAIR REBEL. 
 
 BY 
 
 MATT CRIM. 
 
 CHARLES L. WEBSTER & CO. 
 
Copyright, 1891, 
 CHARLES L. WEBSTER & CO. 
 
 {All rig /its reserved.) 
 
 PRESS OF 
 
 Jenkins & McCowan, 
 
 NEW YORK. 
 
TO MY FRIEND, 
 
 illrs. (£1)05. ill. fjubncr, 
 
 WHO GAVE ME COUNSEL AND ENCOURAGEMENT 
 
 WHEN MOST NEEDED, THIS STORY IS 
 
 GRATEFULLY DEDICATED. 
 
 602792 
 
Adventures of A Fair Rebel. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 It was in the second year of the war that my 
 uncle, Charles Dillingham, decided to sell his 
 plantation in western North Carolina, and, 
 with his family and slaves, return to the old 
 homestead near Decatur, Georgia, a small town 
 a few miles below Atlanta. 
 
 There were only three of the Dillingham 
 heirs — my mother, Uncle Charles and Uncle 
 Reuben. On my mother's marriage her por- 
 tion of the property had been given to her, but 
 the two brothers lived together, even after Un- 
 cle Charles married a North Carolina girl. My 
 cousins, Alicia and Nell, were ten and five 
 years of age respectively when their mother 
 grew homesick for the wilds of her native 
 State, and pleaded to return. My parents were 
 
lO ADVENTURES OF 
 
 both dead, so I lived with my uncles. The 
 brothers divided their property, Uncle Charles 
 taking his portion in money and slaves, and we 
 journeyed to the old North State to live. 
 
 In a few years my aunt died, and we chil- 
 dren longed to go back to the old home in 
 Georgia, but it seemed hard for Uncle Charles 
 to move again. Every year he put it off, until 
 the war came on, and Uncle Reuben died, wife- 
 less and childless, leaving the homestead and 
 family slaves to his brother. Even then Uncle 
 Charles hesitated about returning, for he had 
 a vein of weakness in his fine character which 
 prevented him from ever being positive about 
 anything — even his business affairs. 
 
 After much thought and talk, and many ar- 
 guments from us, he decided to go. We palpi- 
 tated with delight, and could talk of nothing else. 
 The negroes were also wild with jo}' — for, in 
 the division, many had been separated from 
 those near and dear to them. In the " big 
 house " and in the cabins a note of preparation 
 was sounded. 
 
A FAIR REBEL. II 
 
 I had only two servants — an old man and his 
 wife. Uncle Ned had been my father's devoted 
 slave and body-servant, and Aunt Milly my 
 nurse and maid. They were my attendants — 
 my body-guard. They watched over me with 
 sleepless vigilance, served me with tenderest 
 love. Aunt Milly was a tall, strong woman, 
 with gentle manners and a rather uncertain 
 temper; Uncle Ned, lean, erect and dignified. 
 His black face had shriveled into a network of 
 wrinkles; his hair looked like white wool. He 
 had a great deal of family pride, and, I think, 
 secretly regarded himself as my true guardian. 
 What irrepressible joy those two old people 
 betrayed when they learned that we were 
 really going back ! 
 
 " Lawd, honey, has Mars Charles made up 
 his mind, sho' 'nough ? " cried Uncle Ned, when 
 I ran into the room where he was at work 
 cleaning and polishing my shoes, while Aunt 
 Milly sewed on my new gown. 
 
 " He has," I cried, capering about the room 
 in my excessive delight. 
 
12 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 Tears ran down Aunt Milly's face, and she 
 rocked to and fro with many ejaculations and 
 pious words. Uncle Ned took it more quietly. 
 
 " Dar ain't no country like Georgey," he 
 said, emphatically. 
 
 Uncle Charles wished to send my cousins 
 and me under a suitable escort around by rail, 
 while he traveled across the country and 
 through the mountains with the slaves; but 
 we were so anxious to go with him that .he 
 yielded to our importunities. 
 
 Alicia entertained a good many fears of the 
 journey, and indulged in dark forebodings. 
 She was a tall, very slender girl, of twenty- 
 four, one year older than I. She had long 
 arms, a long, delicate neck, and a long nose. 
 Her chin retreated slightly, and her complex- 
 ion was pale. She possessed no beauty, except 
 her fine brown hair and dark, soft, short-sight- 
 ed eyes. Her height and the deficiency in her 
 vision caused her to lean forward, until she 
 stooped habitually. She was a refined and 
 delicate creature, with a great deal of timidit\' 
 
A FAIR REBEL. I3 
 
 in her nature, and a world of sentiment hidden 
 under sedate manners. She had strength of 
 character in some ways, for Uncle Charles lean- 
 ed on her judgment, and I often thought that 
 he loved her more tenderly than he did Nell. 
 She was so gentle, sympathized with him so 
 understandingly, and had such patience with 
 his vacillating weakness. 
 
 Nell was eighteen, and one of the prettiest 
 girls in the country. She was a coquette, de- 
 voting a good deal of time to her curls and her 
 dress. She was spoiled, had scornful ways, 
 and people admired but did not always love 
 her. 
 
 The first thing that I did toward preparing 
 for the journey was to beg my uncle for a pis- 
 tol — for who could tell what adventures might, 
 or might not, befall us ? I enjoyed the pros- 
 pect of being waylaid by highwaymen, for I 
 had read Byron and Scott until my head was 
 full of romance. Southern girls before the war 
 were bred and brought up in an atmosphere of 
 chivalry and knight-errantry. My uncle laugh- 
 
14 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 ed at me, but I persisted in my entreaty for a 
 weapon. 
 
 " You would only shoot yourself," he said, 
 at last. 
 
 " Try me, and see ! " I cried, nettled at his 
 lack of faith in my courage and good sense. 
 
 " You would never dare to shoot at any one, 
 Rachel." 
 
 " If molested, I would. We may go into 
 great dangers on this journey, and it is well to 
 be prepared." 
 
 He gave me my way in the matter. 
 
 I can look back on that time and pity Uncle 
 Charles. With three young women to guide 
 and protect, his life must have been full of 
 harassing experiences. 
 
 That summer seemed very long to us, 
 though Uncle Charles grumbled at the short- 
 ness of time. Some of the crops were gathered; 
 some were sold in the field. Household furni- 
 ture had to be disposed of, and the things spe- 
 cially prized collected together and packed. 
 At the last moment my uncle decided that the 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 1$ 
 
 slaves bought in North Carohna must be sold 
 there. He did not care to again separate fam- 
 ilies. 
 
 It was on a clear, frosty September morning 
 that we started. Some of the negroes wept 
 loudly at the breaking asunder of new ties, 
 and we were near to tears as we parted from 
 friends and neighbors. Our white-covered 
 wagons, stored with tents, household treasures 
 and provisions, stretched out like a caravan 
 along the road. Nell and I were on horseback, 
 Alicia and her father in the carriage. There 
 were fifty negroes — men, women and children 
 — and all those who could, walked. The young 
 children and the feeble old people rode in the 
 wagons. 
 
 In the excitement of travel we soon lost that 
 first, keenest pang of regret for our friends. 
 Nell remained pensive for a few hours, think- 
 ing of her lovers, but I rallied her so cruelly 
 that she regained her usual spirits. I had left no 
 binding heart-interests to tear cords of love 
 asunder. Love I had not experienced, though 
 
I6 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 three-and-twenty and full of ardent sentiment 
 and feeling. I was not so handsome as my 
 cousin Nell, nor so plain as Alicia. My feat- 
 ures were irregular, my skin clear and smooth. 
 I had brilliant dark blue eyes and black hair. 
 I was regarded as an accomplished girl, and* 
 one above the average in intellect. I could 
 play on the piano, possessed a good contralto 
 voice, and had made myself familiar with all 
 the readable books in my uncle's library. I 
 had received two offers of marriage, but, be- 
 yond flattering my vanity, they had made no 
 impression on me. 
 
 That first day's travel passed without inci- 
 dent, and we camped on the bank of a creek 
 under the shadow of the mountains. Our tents 
 were pitched, and pine boughs were laid thick- 
 ly on the ground for the beds to rest upon. We 
 had supper between sunset and dark, and then 
 the negroes cooked their rations for the next 
 day. As the frosty night came on they gath- 
 ered closely about the camp-fires and sang 
 corn-field melodies, the mellow notes cominsj 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 17 
 
 back from the mountain-passes in a thousand 
 sweet echoes. 
 
 We slept that night with the pungent odors 
 of hemlock and spruce about ys, and the sound 
 of falling water in our ears. 
 
 The next day we journeyed through the 
 mountains, the scenery growing wilder and 
 wilder as we penetrated the defiles or toiled 
 over the foothills. My horse went lame about 
 midday in one of its forefeet, and several of 
 the negroes examined it without being able to 
 find the cause; then Uncle Ned carefully and 
 gravely looked at the hoof 
 
 " H'm ! Miss Rachel, honey, it looks mighty 
 like it's been conjured. If it was a stone, it 
 stands to reason we might see it." 
 
 " Chut ! " cried Uncle Charles, contemptu- 
 ously; " let me see what is the matter." 
 
 But he discovered no more than the negroes, 
 and I had to ride in the carriage, while the 
 poor horse was tied to the back of one of the 
 wagons, and limped along, apparently in much 
 pain. 
 
l8 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 The negroes looked on the animal with awe, 
 certain that it had been conjured; and though 
 Uncle Charles scolded them sharply, they were 
 not shaken in their superstitious belief. It cast 
 a slight gloom over them, and other misfortunes 
 were expected. 
 
 As the day declined the weather changed. 
 The wind blew from the south, and clouds 
 gathered threateningly. We went into camp 
 early, and deep trenches were dug out around 
 our tents. The prospect of a storm depressed 
 my uncle, and made the negroes anxious. It 
 was the wildest night any of us had ever been 
 abroad. Rain fell in torrents, and the wind 
 shrieked through the mountains like a hurri- 
 cane. Alicia, Nell and I occupied one tent. 
 We huddled down under the blankets and list- 
 ened to the roar of the tempest, pitying the 
 poor horses for having no shelter except the 
 dripping trees. Uncle Charles came to the 
 tent door. 
 
 " Girls, girls, are you comfortable.'' " he cried, 
 anxiously. 
 
A FAIR REBEL. IQ 
 
 We assured him that we were, and enjoying 
 the situation. 
 
 AHcia and Nell finally slept, but excitement 
 kept me awake. I rose, and, groping my way 
 to the tent door, unfastened a corner of the 
 canvas. A cold spray beat in my face; the 
 wind nearly took my breath away. Two of the 
 wagons were within range of my vision, and 
 under one of them a lighted lantern had been 
 hung. It swayed to and fro, casting a pale 
 glimmer on the ground. Beyond its feeble 
 glow the world was blotted out in a darkness 
 so intense that no human eye could penetrate 
 it. Uncle Charles passed by the tent with an- 
 other lantern. He was wrapped in an oil-cloth 
 coat reaching to the top of his high, coarse 
 boots. I softly called to him. He stopped, 
 bending slightly before the gale. 
 
 " Any danger ? " I inquired. 
 
 " Not unless the tents are blown away." 
 
 I listened, dismayed, and the situation as- 
 sumed a more serious aspect. It was one thing 
 to be housed, dry and warm, under thick can- 
 
20 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 vas — another to be exposed to the pitiless 
 fury of the storm. 
 
 " Do you think they %vill be blown away ? " 
 
 " I cannot tell," he said, grimly. " I was a 
 fool to allow you girls to take the hardships of 
 this trip. Go back to bed, and sleep. It will 
 be time enough for alarm when the tent-poles 
 give way." 
 
 "Why don't you lie down. Uncle Charles.^" 
 
 " I intend to, as soon as I look after the 
 horses." 
 
 Though wind and rain roared like a great 
 sea lashed to fury, and the earth seemed to 
 tremble sometimes beneath us, the tents with- 
 stood the tempest. 
 
 I fell asleep, but toward morning was wak- 
 ened by Nell. 
 
 " Mother of mercy ! what is the matter } " I 
 exclaimed, startled by the vigorous shaking 
 she gave me. 
 
 " There is a leak in the tent, Rachel. It is 
 dripping in my face ! 
 
 My own hair was moist, and when I threw 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 21 
 
 out my hand on the coverHd I found little 
 pools of water collecting in the quilted hol- 
 lows. The long and violent rain had soaked 
 the thick canvas until large drops were falling 
 on us from the inner side. From that time 
 until daylight we were kept busy dodging the 
 leaks. 
 
 It was a gray morning, with lowering clouds 
 above and a wet earth below. The charred 
 remnants of the camp-fires were floating about 
 in ponds of water, and it was useless to try to 
 kindle new ones. After a cold, hasty breakfast 
 the teams were harnessed to the wagons, and 
 we set out on a dreary day's travel. The coun- 
 try through which we passed was very sparsely 
 settled. A cabin, set in the midst of a clearing, 
 here and there, seemed the only habitation of 
 man. The roads were rough, and the streams 
 we had to cross were so swollen by the rains 
 that it was dangerous to ford them. We met 
 two or three mountaineers, but they were sus- 
 picious and shy, and would have little to say 
 to us. 
 
22 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 My poor Lightfoot continued to limp, and 
 by midday one of the draught horses was re- 
 ported lame. The negroes grew more and 
 more uneasy, and two or three malcontents 
 openly expressed dissatisfaction. Uncle Charles 
 could exercise great firmness when it came to 
 the control of his slaves. He rode all day in 
 the rain, alternately cheering and lecturing the 
 discontented ones. 
 
 " Brace up, boys, brace up ! Remember 
 that we are going home. What is a little rain .-* 
 I don't mind it." 
 
 I could see, now, that it would have been 
 much better for us to have gone the way he 
 wished. We added greatly to his responsibil- 
 ity and care. Alicia, who was a fragile crea- 
 ture, suffered from the dampness, and the cold, 
 unpalatable food, but Nell and I were both so 
 strong and healthy that we could eat dry corn- 
 bread — "corn-pone" — and find it good. We 
 passed the day singing and telling stories, and 
 watched from the carriage windows for scenes 
 of life along- the road. We could not tell how 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 23 
 
 high the mountains were above us, for their 
 summits were lost in clouds and mist. Occa- 
 sionally we caught glimpses of muddy water- 
 falls leaping and roaring down steep hillsides 
 into the ravines below. Before the day closed, 
 even I had lost all desire for excitement and 
 adventure. A shelter, however rude; a fire- 
 side, however humble, would have satisfied me. 
 
24 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 The short afternoon closed in very quickly. 
 First the distant ranges faded from our vision, 
 then out of the ravines and hollows black night 
 seemed to spring upon us. The rain still fell 
 steadily, and to go into camp with tents and 
 bedclothes all wet, and no hope of having a 
 fire, seemed utterly impossible. We pushed 
 on until we finally came upon one of the lonely 
 farm-houses, and my uncle decided to ask 
 shelter for us. The rude cabin, with its small 
 outhouses, stood on one side of the road, and a 
 blacksmith's shop on the other. Two men 
 were at work in it, and the ring of hammer and 
 anvil, the red glow of firelight filling the sooty 
 interior, thrilled us with a sense of companion- 
 ship and warmth. An old man came to the 
 door of the shop to parley with Uncle Charles, 
 and in spite of the deep clamorous barking of 
 dogs in the farm-vard, and the chatter of a 
 
A FAIR RP:BEL. 25 
 
 swarm of children peering at us from the door- 
 step, I overheard part of the conversation. 
 
 The old man stared out deliberately at the 
 wagons when my uncle requested a night's 
 lodging. 
 
 "Tears to me there's a good many of you." 
 
 "Take in the three ladies. I can sleep any- 
 where, and the negroes will remain in the 
 wagons." 
 
 " All them niggers yourn .'' " 
 
 " Yes," impatiently. 
 
 *' Secesh, air you .'' " 
 
 " Of course." 
 
 "Well, I ain't, but I don't know as that 
 would hinder us from takin' you in. Where 
 did you say you was from ? " 
 
 " North Carolina." 
 
 " An' you are goin' down near Atlanty ? " 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 " Had a brother livin' down somewhere in 
 them diggin's, but when they fust tuk to con- 
 scriptin' soldiers, he come back to the moun- 
 tains." 
 
26 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 " Can we stay ? " Uncle Charles inquired. . 
 
 " I'll go an' ax the old woman." 
 
 He went across the road to the house. " I 
 will pay handsomely for the lodging, and our 
 servants can cook supper for us," Uncle Charles 
 said eagerly, following him. 
 
 " Lord, man, we ain't a-hankerin' for money, 
 though I don't say it ain't a good thing to have 
 sometimes. If the wimmen fo'ks can stay 
 they'll be welcome." 
 
 At last we were invited to alight and go in. 
 Aunt Milly pressed up to the carriage as I 
 stepped out, her face expressive of affection 
 and sympathy. 
 
 " How is you feelin', honey ^ " 
 
 " Cramped and stiff, but otherwise all right," 
 I said cheerfully. " How are you .'* " 
 
 " Lawd, chile, dem rheumaticks is got me 
 dis time, sho. My ole j'ints feels lack dey 
 gwine to brake to pieces." 
 
 " Is you gwine to keep Miss Rachel standin' 
 in de rain all night, Milly, while you talk 
 about your j'ints ^ " Uncle Ned exclaimed. 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 2/ 
 
 pushing- her aside to hold an umbrella 
 over me. 
 
 She seized an armful of wraps, and followed 
 us to the house, and would not leave me until 
 she inspected the bed we were to sleep on that 
 night. 
 
 " It's better'n nuffin', dat's all I kin say," she 
 whispered with a sniff of contempt. 
 
 The house had originally been one large 
 room, but the back was finally cut off by a rude 
 partition; then one run through it, making two 
 small rooms. We learned that there were 
 eighteen in family, fifteen children of all sizes 
 and ages, the old man and his wife, and an 
 aged grandmother. 
 
 A huge fireplace- half filled one end of the 
 main room, and we gathered about it, the 
 warmth and light of the burning logs on the 
 hearth very grateful to us. The room was 
 scantily furnished. Two beds, a dining-table 
 and some chairs were the principal articles. 
 In a corner of the hearth were piled the cook- 
 ing utensils, and over the mantel hung strings 
 
28 ArA'ENTURES OF 
 
 of red pepper, seed okra still in the pod, and a 
 bundle of gourds. The toothless, shriveled 
 old grandmother sat in the chimney corner 
 smoking a cob pipe. She entered into conver- 
 sation with Alicia, and two rosy, dark-eyed 
 young women drew near to listen. Nell was 
 contented to nestle down by the fire and bask 
 in its warmth, but I \\'ent to the door again to 
 see what was going on outside. 
 
 The wagons had been drawn to the roadside, 
 and the tired horses, released from the shafts, 
 were munching their corn and fodder under a 
 shelter at the end of the blacksmith's shop. 
 The negroes had crowded into the shop, and 
 were cooking by the furnace fire, a thick fog of 
 steam rising from their moist clothes. House- 
 servants and field-hands were joining amiably 
 in getting up the repast, and I was glad to see 
 them cheerful once more. Espying me in the 
 doorway, vigilant Uncle Ned came over to see 
 if I wanted anything. 
 
 A happy thought struck me. 
 
 " Yes, I want one of those blacksmiths to 
 
A FAIR REBEL 
 
 29 
 
 examine Lightfoot's hoof. Perhaps there is 
 something wrong with his shoe." 
 
 He eyed me reproachfully. 
 
 " Now, Miss Rachel, honey, what's de use o' 
 dat.' Didn't we all look at dat creetur's foot, 
 even to Mars Chawles ? you ain't gwine to find 
 de cause o' dat limpin'; sho' es I live." 
 
 "You must do as I say, Uncle Ned," I re- 
 plied, firmly. 
 
 " To be shore, honey. I al'ays do dat." 
 
 •' So you're a Secesh, air you ? " our host said 
 to Uncle Charles, when they sat down by the 
 fire after supper. 
 
 " I am, as I think every man ought to be at 
 this time." 
 
 " Well, I don't know about that. To me the 
 Union is o' more importance than all the nig- 
 gers in creation." 
 
 "We are not fighting for the negroes, but 
 State rights." 
 
 " 'Mounts to the same thing, when it's sifted 
 down. Me an' my boys keep out'n the fray. 
 We can't fight for the Union, and we ain't goin' 
 
30 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 to fight agin it. Some in this part o' the coun- 
 try do fight for it in a sly way; that is, they're 
 apt to make trouble for the rebs who come 
 along." 
 
 My uncle's face expressed alarm. 
 
 " Do they make trouble for peaceable trav- 
 elers .'' " 
 
 "Sometimes they do, and sometimes they 
 don't." 
 
 Uncle Charles rose to his feet. 
 
 " This — this is serious." 
 
 "Set down. Mister Dillin'ham, set down, "said 
 the old man, calmly. "Long as you're under 
 my roof, you an' yours air in my keer, and I'd 
 like to see the man that 'ud dare dispute it." 
 His strong lower jaw, covered with thin, griz- 
 zly beard, set like iron, his light-colored eyes 
 glittered dangerously. I felt the trustworthi- 
 ness of his word, and I think Uncle Charles did, 
 too, for he sank back into his chair with a par- 
 tial sigh of relief. 
 
 Vague fears beset us; visions of hordes of 
 lawless men swooping down upon us swept to 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 3I 
 
 and fro through our minds. Alicia stole to her 
 father's side and sat down, and he took her 
 hand in his, and I nearly shrieked aloud when 
 one of the blacksmiths peered in at the door. 
 He was a small man with a sullen brow and 
 shifty eyes. 
 
 " Come in, Marcus, come in," said our host, 
 hospitably. 
 
 " I ain't got time this evenin'. I must be git- 
 tin' home." 
 
 " Got your wagon fixed .' " 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 " An' them tools ? " 
 
 " Yes, everything's done." 
 
 He disappeared. 
 
 Beasely was the name of our entertainers, 
 and early in the evening Mrs. Beasely pro- 
 posed to show us to one of the little rooms. 
 Just as we were retiring, Uncle Ned came to 
 the front door again. He looked exceedingly 
 sheepish, and kept his eyes cast down, w^hile 
 he said: 
 
 " I 'lowed I orter tell vou 'bout Lightfoot." 
 
32 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 "Yes?" 
 
 " Dey found a stone under his shoe." 
 
 "Aha! just as I supposed they would," I 
 cried, triumphantly. 
 
 " Mighty myster'ous, dough, how it got 
 dar," he muttered. 
 
 "Worked its way under, of course." 
 
 "It was put dar, honey — put dar by de 
 power o' dem dat serves de debbil, an' dar'U 
 be more trouble, too, 'fore we git out'n dese 
 mountings," he said, earnestly. 
 
 I tried to make very light of that last asser- 
 tion, but, remembering Mr. Beasely's words, 
 my heart failed me. 
 
 When I went into our room, Nell lay half 
 buried in the middle of the great feather-bed, 
 but Alicia sat on a wooden chest only partly 
 undressed. 
 
 "What do you think, Rachel.''" she whis- 
 pered. 
 
 " That I may have to use this after all," I re- 
 plied, drawing the pistol from my pocket with 
 an air of bravado. 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 33 
 
 Nell instantly disappeared under the cover 
 with a little cry of alarm. 
 
 "Put that thing up, Rachel; I don't want it 
 going off here. You will kill one of us yet. 
 What are you and Alicia whispering about .'' " 
 
 " Didn't you hear father and Mr. Beasely 
 talking ? " said Alicia. 
 
 " No, I didn't; I was asleep." 
 
 "Well, go to sleep again," I said, placing 
 the pistol on the floor under the bed. 
 
 " I will, if you and Alicia can stop talking. 
 Girls, it is perfectly heavenly to be on a real 
 bed again, and not a made-up affair with a leaky 
 tent over it." 
 
 We were very tired, and, in spite of our fears, 
 Alicia and I were soon asleep. It was near 
 twelve o'clock that I was awakened by Alicia 
 clutching my arm, and calling me. 
 
 "Rachel! Rachel!" 
 
 "Yes," I muttered, sleepily. 
 
 " I hear strange voices." 
 
 "Where .'' " I whispered, starting up in bed, 
 trembling with terror, but alert. 
 
 3 
 
34 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 "In the yard; listen!" 
 
 I sprang up, and crept softly over the bare 
 floor to the front of the room. There were great 
 airy chinks between the rough logs of the wall, 
 and kneeling down I peered through one of 
 them. The clouds had broken, for fleeting 
 gleams of moonlight shone on the yard. The 
 furnace-fire in the blacksmith's shop was still 
 lighted, and I could see some of the negro men, 
 the field-hands, sitting around it. Not far from 
 the corner of the house two white men were 
 standing, talking in such low tones that I could 
 not catch the drift of their conversation. In a 
 few minutes a third man came up with a large 
 jug in his hand, and they moved away across 
 the yard. But they had not advanced many 
 steps before Mr. Beasely met them. 
 
 " What have you got thar, Jeems ? " he de- 
 manded, sternly. 
 
 Sullen silence prevailed. 
 
 ' ' You mought as well tell me at once, for you'll 
 not take another step until you do, "and the moon- 
 light gleamed on the polished barrel of a gun. 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 35 
 
 " It's whiskey, pap." 
 
 " I 'lowed so. Takin' it to them niggers, 
 air you .-' " 
 
 "They begged us for it: they're ready to pay." 
 
 " That don't make no difference. Didn't I 
 tell you not to fetch a drop to anybody ? You'd 
 be a takin' them to the 'stillery, I reckon, if you 
 dared. Don't you know that stuff 'ud make 
 debils o' them ? I told their marster he and hisn 
 would be safe on this place, an' I mean to keep 
 my word. You'll never ketch your pap a nap- 
 pin' on duty, my son. Tote your whiskey back 
 whar it came from." 
 
 They protested, they pleaded and blustered, 
 but he could not be moved. 
 
 "Look a here, these people will git into 
 trouble enough 'fore they leave the mountins, 
 if they don't hurry, 'thout anything bein' done. 
 Don't act like fools, or you'll have them con- 
 scriptin' officers on your track agin." 
 
 " That's jest it," exclaimed one of the men; 
 "this fellow will be blabbin'." 
 
 " Hold your tongue. What does he know 
 
36 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 'bout any o' you bein' deserters ? an' them gals 
 has about as much sense as a week-old baby. 
 Clear out, an' don't let me see hair or hide o' 
 any o' you agin to-night, or I'm mighty feered 
 somebody '11 git hurt." 
 
 He played with his gun in a very suggestive 
 way, and they reluctantly left him master of 
 the situation. He retreated to the fence and 
 sat down. 
 
 " It 'ud take a small army to outdo pap when 
 he gits his head sot," one of the young men 
 muttered, as they disappeared around the 
 house. 
 
 I felt such admiration for, and gratitude to, 
 the old man, that I longed to rush out and tell 
 him. His courage and honesty inspired me 
 with such trust, that, after reassuring Alicia, 
 who lay trembling under the bedclothes, I lay 
 down and slept soundly until morning. 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 37 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Uncle Charles insisted on leaving several 
 bright gold pieces in Mr. Beasely's hand when 
 we departed next morning, and I bestowed 
 half my jewelry on the girls. It was a clear 
 day, and the brilliant sunshine dispelled my 
 fears. I would not tell my uncle what I had 
 overheard during the night, but urged him to 
 travel as rapidly as possible. Nell and I once 
 more took to the saddle, sometimes leading, 
 sometimes following, the caravan. 
 
 It was late in the afternoon that we fell some 
 distance behind, having stopped at a roadside 
 spring for a drink of water, and to gather a 
 handful of ferns, russet brown from the frost. 
 A day of unmolested travel made us careless, 
 and we lingered some time, robbing a Spanish 
 oak of its scarlet foliage, to decorate our horses 
 
38 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 with. Then we walked leisurely along the 
 road for a mile, before we mounted. 
 
 The sun was sinking below the western 
 peaks, and the silence of the shadowy woods 
 made us hasten on. 
 
 " What does that mean .''" Nell suddenly ex- 
 claimed, pointing her whip to a ridge ahead of us, 
 
 I looked, and grew pale, for on that ridge 
 the highway forked, one road leading to the 
 southwest, the other to the southeast. 
 
 " That is nothing; we can see them, of course, 
 from that vantage-ground," I cried, and urged 
 my tired Lightfoot into a gallop. We stopped 
 at the forks of the road and looked to the right 
 and the left, but not a glimpse of the caravan 
 appeared. We examined the roads. Marks 
 of recent travel appeared on both. The road 
 to the left curved round the base of a mountain, 
 and was quickly lost to view, but the one on 
 the right kept more to the open valley for miles, 
 its dull red surface appearing here and there 
 where it crossed a ridge. I was inclined to 
 take it, but Nell hesitated— held back. 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 39 
 
 " We cannot spend the night here ! " I cried, 
 between anger and despair. 
 
 " But if we take the wrong road ? " 
 
 "We must risk that. Come." 
 
 " Oh, if we only kneia," and she wrung her 
 hands distractedly. 
 
 "Look! look!" I screamed, excitedly, point- 
 ing to one of those remote ridges. A white 
 covered wagon was creeping slowly along the 
 bit of road in view. For a moment it seemed 
 to stand out on the crest of the hill, then van- 
 ished into the hollow beyond. We needed no 
 further proof, and with a mixture of laughter 
 and tears we dashed away fleet as the wind, in 
 pursuit of that team. On and on we rode, 
 until the valley was left behind, and we entered 
 a defile of the mountains again, where the 
 gloom of twilight reigned, without discovering 
 our friends. 
 
 " I don't like this, Rachel," said Nell, look- 
 ing fearfully around. 
 
 I didn't, either, but I had no intention of be- 
 traying my fears just yet. 
 
40 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 "We will catch up with them in a few 
 minutes," I said, hopefully. " You saw the 
 wagon, Nell." 
 
 "Yes, but what has become of it ?" 
 
 "They are driving fast to find a suitable 
 camping-ground." 
 
 The way grew wilder. Mountains rose 
 sharply on either side, broken here and there 
 by gorges so deep that we shuddered as we 
 plunged into them. We might have been in a 
 primeval wilderness for all the signs of human 
 life we could discover. The real twilight was 
 casting its gloom about us, the strip of sky seen 
 between the trees changing from blue to rose, 
 under the flush of evening. I looked at Nell. 
 Tears were streaming silently down her cheeks. 
 I could not trust my voice to utter a word of 
 consolation, knowing that if I did, I, too, would 
 break into weeping, and even in the midst of 
 my perplexity and terror the spectacle of two 
 young women riding along the road crying like 
 babies made me laugh hysterically. 
 
 We were passing through one of those terrible 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 4I 
 
 ravines, terrible to us because peopled with a 
 thousand imaginary dangers, when half a dozen 
 men rode out before us. Nell screamed aloud, 
 and I came near falling from my horse, so faint 
 with fright did I become. 
 
 "The advance guard, eh.-'" said one of the 
 men with a rude laugh. "Where are your 
 teams .'* " he demanded. 
 
 "That is what we would like to know," I 
 said in a trembling tone; and then I plucked up 
 courage to explain our situation. 
 
 " Who knows that she is tellin' the truth, 
 boys.''" said a gruff, hard-faced fellow, eying 
 me suspiciously. " Wimmcn air precious liars, 
 all of 'em." 
 
 " Indeed she tells the truth," sobbed my 
 cousin piteously. " We saw a wagon in the 
 distance and thought we were on the right road." 
 
 " Take 'em in hand, till we ketch up with the 
 old man. Plenty o' bridle-trails across the 
 country to the other road." 
 
 " How did you know — who told you we were 
 coming .'' " I stammered faintly. 
 
42 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 A cunning laugh greeted the question. 
 " News travels over this country fast, and 
 straight as a crow flies," said the rough com- 
 mander of the squad. " Come," he said, " we'll 
 do you no harm. We only want your money 
 and your niggers." 
 
 He laid his hand on Nell's bridle-rein, and 
 she screamed until a thousand weird echoes 
 answered from the mountains. " That's right," 
 cried the man grimly, "make yourself hoarse 
 yellin', if you want to. It's all you can do, and 
 I s'pose it's some comfort. It ain't no use, 
 though. There's not a soul to hear you that'll 
 come to your help." 
 
 His brutal frankness swept away our last 
 hope. The courage of desperation whetted my 
 tongue to sharp words : 
 
 " I did not know that honest soldiers made 
 war on women." 
 
 " Maybe we don't claim to be honest soldiers. 
 We don't belong to neither side. We're inde- 
 pendents, fightin' for ourselves." 
 
 Common robbers ! My heart sank within 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 43 
 
 me. They wheeled into a settlement road, forc- 
 ing us to bear them company. Oh, that ride ! 
 keen thrills of emotion dart through me now at 
 the memory of it. We rode through the woods, 
 darkness on every hand. Sometimes we passed 
 over the bed of a stream, then through thick 
 underbrush, cold wet leaves grazing our faces. 
 An icy vapor rose from the moist earth, my 
 hands ached with cold, my heart with dread. 
 Vague horrors oppressed me, as well as real 
 ones. In agony I thought of the dismay, the 
 utter distraction of Alicia and Uncle Charles, 
 the lamentations of the servants. I wondered 
 if I should ever again lay my head on Aunt 
 Milly's bosom. Tears burned my eyelids as I 
 recalled harsh words uttered to poor faithful old 
 Ned. I reproached myself, too, for desiring to 
 take the right-hand road; perhaps Nell would 
 have chosen the other, had I not been so over- 
 confident about the wagon, which proved to be 
 only a market wagon, I learned from one of 
 the men. Nell continued to weep, and I 
 pressed close to her. 
 
44 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 " I take all the blame," I said, in a choked 
 tone. " I saw you were inclined to the 
 other road, but I thought my judgment 
 best." 
 
 " We — we did wrong to stop so long at that 
 spring. Where are they taking us .'' " 
 
 " Into the bowels of the earth, apparently," 
 I whispered, as we descended into darkness so 
 intense, it seemed to smite our eyes with sud- 
 den blindness. It grew lighter again, and in a 
 few minutes we came out on a low ridge. We 
 crossed it riding single file, and the sound of 
 falling water penetrated the silence. It swelled 
 to a roar as we advanced, the forest grew 
 thinner, starlight prevaded the gloom with pale 
 radiance. The road shelved down again, and 
 before us rose a pile of buildings — an old saw- 
 mill with a pond behind it, and a water-wheel. 
 In the open ground before the mill a camp-fire 
 still burned low, its glowing coals half covered 
 with grey embers. Our captors halted, and we 
 were told to dismount. A young fellow offered 
 to assist Nell, but she sprang to the ground 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 45 
 
 with such a haughty refusal of his services, that 
 he fell back, abashed. 
 
 The fire was replenished with dry brush- 
 wood brought from the mill, and we sat on a 
 box near it. The men were not very rude nor 
 very talkative. They went about, for the most 
 part, grimly silent. They were rough, but not 
 really disrespectful to us. An old man came 
 out of the mill. 
 
 " Captain gone to bed .'' " inquired one of the 
 band, lighting a pipe. 
 
 " Yes, but he's gittin' up agin." 
 
 "How is he .'' " 
 
 " Mendin' very fast, now. What er you all 
 been up to .'' " staring hard at us out of a pair of 
 blinking, rheumy eyes. 
 
 " Tryin' to ketch a man who went t'other 
 road." 
 
 "What for.?" 
 
 " To git his money and set his niggers free." 
 
 " Whar did these young wimmen come 
 from .'' " 
 
 " They're part o' the old man's property. 
 
46 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 They lagged behind, and then tuk the wrong 
 road at the forks." 
 
 The old man rubbed his hands together, the 
 dry skin on them crackling as he did so, then 
 he turned and went back into the mill. My 
 dull eyes followed his bent figure, and I saw 
 the yellow flickering glow of a candle as he 
 opened the door. The creaking shutter closed 
 behind him, but in a few minutes it opened 
 again, and a far different figure appeared. My 
 heart thrilled with expectation, A\'ith — I know 
 not what feeling, when I recognized the blue 
 uniform of a Union soldier. The flame of the 
 camp-fire threw up the color in bold relief 
 against the dark building, and also the man 
 who wore it. He was young and had suffered 
 recent illness. His clothes hung loosely on 
 him, his face looked pinched and sunken. But 
 the fire of his eyes ! What surprise and indig- 
 nation it expressed ! He came straight to the 
 camp-fire, took off his cloth cap to Nell and me. 
 then turned to the men. 
 
 " What is the meaning of this story old Thur- 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 4/ 
 
 man has been telling me ? Is it true that you 
 have been planning to rob — rob some travelers ? 
 that these ladies were captured and brought 
 here by force ? " 
 
 " Nobody has harmed 'em, captain. I wouldn't 
 touch a hair o' their heads," said the leader, in a 
 sullen tone, his weather-beaten face turning red. 
 
 " I thought you were honest men." 
 
 " We've treated you well, sir." 
 
 " So you have, my friend. You took me in, 
 and nursed me through a desperate fever; you've 
 sheltered and fed me; won my gratitude, my 
 heart, with your kindness — and to find you 
 thieves and robbers ! " 
 
 He threw up his hand with such a gesture of 
 pain and contempt that it must have touched 
 every callous heart in the company. 
 
 " Fo'ks mustn't travel through this country 
 with a lot o' slaves, if they don't want to git in 
 trouble. We believe in freedom to all, we do." 
 
 " So do I, and it will come; it is coming. 
 Step back to the mill with me, and let us see if 
 we cannot settle this matter differently." 
 
48 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 They all rose and followed him reluctantly, 
 and we were left alone by the camp-fire. 
 
 "What do you suppose they intend to do 
 with us, Rachel ? " Nell whispered, clinging to 
 me. 
 
 "We are safe," I said, firmly. " He will pro- 
 tect us." 
 
 " How do you know ?" 
 
 " I cannot tell how I know it, but I do know 
 - it." 
 
 And he did. What arguments he used I knew 
 not then, but presently the men came out, 
 looking sullen, but ashamed and subdued. Two 
 of them mounted horses and rode away : the 
 others set about cooking supper. The soldier 
 came back to us. I read victory on his brow, 
 in his eyes — dominant, piercing eyes of dark 
 gray — and the smile on his lips. He stood bare- 
 headed before us — said: 
 
 " It has all been arranged. It will be best 
 for you to remain here. Two of the men have 
 gone to meet your friends, for they would nat- 
 urally turn back to search for you." 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 49 
 
 I looked up, and eye met eye for a moment, 
 and in that glance the last doubt perished. 
 
 " Believe me, you are safe," he said. 
 
 "I do believe it, sir," I replied, speaking to 
 him for the first time. 
 
 Nell and I both felt that we ought to thank 
 him, but he put aside our stammering speeches 
 with some quiet inquiry about the day. The 
 old man brought out a blanket, folded and 
 spread it on the ground, and the soldier threw 
 himself down on it, and I felt certain that he 
 intended to remain near us until we were once 
 more with our friends. He might be an enemy 
 to our country — he was a true friend to us. 
 
 I left it to Nell to give a full explanation of 
 our situation, and the causes leading to it. His 
 eager attention flattered her; a sparkle of ani- 
 mation kindled in her tear-stained eyes; a flush 
 rose to her young face. Her tumbled curls 
 gave only a picturesque touch to her beauty, 
 and a short, unworthy pang of envy smote my 
 heart. The soldier looked at her, and I at him. 
 
 At first my glances were rather furtive, but. 
 
50 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 as he seemed not to notice me, I grew bolder. 
 His face interested, fascinated me: force of char- 
 acter, power lay behind it. His features were 
 nobly cut, but his light hair and moustache 
 contrasted oddly with his brown skin. One 
 long, thin hand supported his head, and the 
 firelight played caressingly over him. The 
 rare glances he gave me seemed to pierce to 
 the depths of my heart, rousing mysterious 
 emotions. 
 
 I speculated on the probable mission bring- 
 ing him, an officer in the Union army, to this 
 remote region. Could he be a spy, penetrating 
 the enemy's country for secret information .'' 
 He wore his uniform boldly, but that he could 
 safely do in the mountains. 
 
 When Nell finished her story, he knew a 
 good deal about our family — where we had 
 lived, and where we were going. He uttered 
 an exclamation when she mentioned Decatur. 
 
 " Decatur, Georgia .'' " he asked, quickly, a 
 strange expression on his face. 
 
 " Do you know the place .'' " I inquired. 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 5I 
 
 " I — have been there," he said, and fell into 
 sudden silence, his eyes fixed on the ground. 
 
 The mountaineers had baked some hoecakes, 
 and broiled slices of bacon, and when we were 
 offered a share of it we gladly accepted, being 
 very hungry. As the night advanced we were 
 so overcome with weariness that we consented 
 to follow the old man Thurman into the mill, 
 where he made up a bunk for us. 
 
 " But what will you do ? " I said to the sol- 
 dier, lingering a moment when he rose to bid 
 us good-night. 
 
 " Remain here, Miss Douglas." 
 
 " Will it be safe to expose yourself to the 
 night-air after your illness ? " 
 
 He smiled, bending on me a look of mingled 
 gratitude and pleasure. 
 
 " Thank you for your interest. It is most 
 kind, but a soldier must be hardened to all 
 changes of the weather." 
 
 * * * * * 
 
 A flash of lights, the tones of a familiar voice 
 roused us. 
 
52 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 " Father ! " cried Nell. 
 
 I opened my eyes, and saw Uncle Charles 
 bending over us, tears of relief and joy trick- 
 ling down his bearded cheeks. 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 53 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 We did not part from the gallant soldier un- 
 til noon, next day, for he accompanied us back 
 to the camp and several miles on our journey, 
 as far, in fact, as it was safe for him to go in 
 that uniform. 
 
 Uncle Charles did not scold us for our care- 
 lessness — he was too thankful to get us back 
 again; but shame and self-reproach overcame 
 us as he told the grief and dismay when we 
 failed to appear after they went into camp. 
 Certain that we had taken the wrong road, he 
 and three trusty, stalwart negroes hastened 
 back to search for us, leaving the camp in 
 charge of Alicia and Uncle Ned. His gratitude 
 to the brave Union officer was unbounded, and 
 he longed to repay him in some way for his 
 care of us. 
 
 " I must at least have the pleasure of know- 
 
54 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 ing your name, and where you are from," he 
 said. 
 
 " Certainly, Mr. Dillingham; Arnold Lam- 
 bert, from New York." 
 
 I will pass over our return journey to the 
 camp, and the extravagant joy manifested on 
 our arrival. 
 
 " How many of those highwaymen did you 
 shoot, Rachel ? " Alicia inquired, between 
 laughter and tears, when she embraced me. 
 
 I had never so much as thought of my pistol. 
 
 I felt loth to part with Arnold Lambert when 
 he declared that he mv^t turn back again. No 
 man had ever before so interested me, or ap- 
 peared so heroic in my eyes. I knew nothing 
 about his life, his family ties, or the state of his 
 affections, whether bond or free. He preserved 
 a singular reticence about his own history or 
 affairs, but I knew him to be a gentleman, and 
 a strong, brave one. 
 
 Fearful that I should betray my feelings, I 
 held aloof, and he came last to me when bid- 
 ding us good-bye. Did my eyes betray me 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 55 
 
 when he took my hand ? his own kindled 
 warmly ; he pressed my trembling fingers 
 closely. 
 
 " I am so grateful — so grateful ! " I murmur- 
 ed; "and if we never meet again " 
 
 " But we shall, we must, meet again," he 
 said, quickly. 
 
 " Oh, do you think so ? But this war " 
 
 " If you stop near Decatur I shall see you — 
 very soon." 
 
 I had no time to question him. He was on 
 his horse in a moment, waved us a last fare- 
 well, and turned away. But the sadness of 
 parting had left me. He had said we would 
 meet again very soon. 
 
 The remainder of our journey passed without 
 incident worthy to be chronicled. We were 
 glad when the end drew near. We passed 
 through Atlanta early one afternoon, avoiding 
 the more public streets, and turned into the 
 Decatur road. It was only a few miles to the 
 village, and just beyond it home awaited us. 
 We hurried over those last miles as rapidly as 
 
56 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 the jaded horses could travel, and in a short 
 time were on the outskirts of the plantation. 
 Everybody felt more or less excited, but the 
 negroes were nearly beside themselves. The 
 news of our arrival had preceded us, and while 
 we were yet a full quarter of a mile away we 
 heard a murmur of human voices. At first it 
 was like a whisper on the silent air, but it 
 swelled tumultuously, swept over and around 
 us like the waves of a sea. In the distance a 
 cloud of dust rose from the road, and out of it 
 came a surging mass of humanity — the slaves 
 running to meet their friends. The strongest, 
 fleetest-footed led; the old and feeble tottered 
 in the rear. 
 
 With a great cry, those we had with us leap- 
 ed to meet them; and such a meeting ! They 
 embraced, they wept, they shouted, and rent 
 their garments in excess of joy. Parents and 
 children, husbands and wives, brothers and 
 sisters were reunited. We stood aloof and 
 wept in sympathy, that great, overwhelming 
 joy bearing us away on its high flood-tide. 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 57 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 We had been at home two weeks; my uncle 
 had picked up many of the broken threads of 
 his Hfe, and we verified a number of childish 
 memories. Since Uncle Reuben's death the 
 plantation had been in charge of young Reu- 
 ben Howard, a distant cousin and namesake to 
 Uncle Reuben. Cousin Reuben was a retiring, 
 simple-minded little man, with a dignity of 
 manner which did much for his insignificant 
 physique. He was as refined and delicate in 
 his tastes as a woman, and as honorable and 
 chivalrous as the best example of a knight- 
 errant. A cleaner-handed, whiter-souled gen- 
 tleman than Cousin Reuben never lived. The 
 slaves were devoted to him, and when he would 
 have surrendered the reins of government to 
 Uncle Charles, he wisely refused to take them. 
 
 " What ! would you desert us, Reuben, the 
 moment we arrive.'' " 
 
58 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 " I have been thinking, sir, that, now my du- 
 ties here are over, I would go into service," he 
 said, quietly. 
 
 " You are not strong enough to endure the 
 exposure and rough service of a soldier's life." 
 
 Reuben flushed sensitively. 
 
 " I know I am a weakling when it comes to 
 physical strength, but the will is strong," lift- 
 ing his eyes, aglow with the fire of an enthusi- 
 ast. "Every man, young and old, will be 
 needed before the struggle ends. I have hired 
 a substitute, but " 
 
 " Don't go yet," said Alicia, sharp entreaty 
 in her tone. 
 
 " No, no, not yet; we will talk of it next 
 spring," her father added, with decision. 
 
 Reuben said no more, but went about his 
 daily occupations in his usual quiet, faithful 
 way. To have another man in the house af- 
 forded us great satisfaction. He soon fell as 
 meekly under our sway as Uncle Charles, and 
 was far more amiable in contributing to our 
 amusement, escorting us to various social gath- 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 59 
 
 erings in the village and round about — our 
 appearance in the community rousing the hos- 
 pitable instincts of our neighbors, wellnigh ex- 
 tinguished in the anxieties and terrors of the 
 war. 
 
 On that isolated North Carolina plantation 
 we had seemed very remote from the war and 
 its agitating influences. Some of our friends 
 went away, girding on their swords as knights 
 bound for a tournament. But in our old home 
 the deep and tragic meaning of the struggle 
 was revealed to us. The people around us 
 lived in a fever of alternate hope and fear, ag- 
 ony and joy. Every movement of the armies, 
 every battle fought, sent its subtle influence 
 throughout the country. If the Confederates 
 won a victory, it was proclaimed aloud from 
 every house-top, and exulted over; if they 
 lost, the sound of mourning filled the land. We 
 caught the prevailing spirit, and outrebeled the 
 deepest-dyed rebel of them all. We scraped 
 linen for the hospitals, and, not finding as much 
 old linen as we desired among our stores, sac- 
 
60 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 rificed our dainty chemises and petticoats to 
 our loyal zeal. Alicia fell to knitting woolen 
 socks, while Nell and I spent half our time in 
 the spinning-room with the negro women, pre- 
 paring thread for her. What piles of yarn we 
 dyed and wound ! Years after, I found some 
 of those gray balls in the garret, dusty and 
 moth-eaten. 
 
 One Union soldier I could not forget — Ar- 
 nold Lambert. At all hours of the day he 
 came into my thoughts, and even when most 
 ardent in my loyalty to our own soldiers, ten- 
 derness and pity for him penetrated my heart. 
 Occasionally Nell would mention his name, 
 but no one suspected my abiding interest in 
 him. 
 
 About three weeks after our arrival it was 
 rumored that we were to have amateur theatri- 
 cals at the Decatur town-hall. A party of At- 
 lanta ladies and gentlemen had formed a 
 troupe to play in various towns and cities 
 for the benefit of the soldiers — our soldiers. 
 Some of these amateurs were nearly as good 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 6l 
 
 as professional actors and actresses, and they 
 had crowded houses wherever they went, not 
 only from a loyal desire on the part of the peo- 
 ple to help the soldiers, but for the pleasure to 
 be derived from the entertainment. Nell and 
 I rode into the village one afternoon and saw 
 the first playbill stuck in a window. We vis- 
 ited the hall, where a stage was being erected, 
 and where we learned that a few local musi- 
 cians were to contribute to the entertainment. 
 These people belonged to the village gentry, 
 and we had met them at certain parties. When 
 they invited us to help them out, I was delight- 
 ed. Nell declined, but it was arranged that I 
 should sing some war ballads. 
 
 From that time I ceased to spin yarn or roll 
 linen, but went about singing, or drummed 
 for hours on the piano. Aunt Milly cut and 
 made a new gown for me — a white swiss, crisp 
 and full-skirted, the sleeveless bodice garnish- 
 ed with a wreath of artificial ivy leaves. Then 
 the day of the entertainment arrived, and I 
 went into the villacfe to see about the final ar- 
 
62 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 rangements. I went alone, and on horseback, 
 and returned as the sun decHned low in the 
 west. It was Indian summer, and a violet haze 
 hung over the fields and softened the brilliant 
 autumn colors — the scarlet and yellow — of the 
 woods. Only one house stood between my 
 uncle's place and the village — a large old man- 
 sion in a grove of oaks. It was not directly on 
 the public road, but a broad drive led up to the 
 front gate, then curved around the fence and 
 through a belt of timber to my uncle's. It was 
 a short cut, and often traversed by us for that 
 reason. 
 
 I remembered that house in my childhood 
 as the old Montgomery place. The family 
 had all died out or moved away, and the house 
 fell into decay. When we came back we found 
 that it had been renovated and sold to an At- 
 lanta family, though the original name still 
 clung to it. A considerable plantation lay 
 back of it, but the Atlantians did not belong 
 to the farming fraternity, and the land was 
 rented to their neighbors. They merely came 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 63 
 
 out of the city for the summer. The house had 
 been shut up ever since our return, and some- 
 times in passing we stopped to gather a few of 
 the roses blooming so abundantly in the front 
 yard and in the garden. 
 
 That afternoon I turned out of the public 
 road, intending to stop and pull a handful of 
 the finest varieties for Alicia and Nell. As I 
 rode up to the gate, I saw a man standing in 
 the shadow of a crape-myrtle near it, his arms 
 folded on the fence. He was in citizen's 
 clothes, with a broad-brimmed soft hat pulled 
 well over his face, and a gray military cloak 
 thrown around his shoulders. He did not see 
 me until I had drawn very near, then he drew 
 back with a startled movement, looking full in 
 my face. A violent trembling seized me in 
 every limb: I went first white, then deeply red, 
 my heart wellnigh choking me with its wild 
 beating, for it was Captain Arnold Lambert. 
 
 He recognized me at the same moment, 
 thrust open the gate, and stepped out with ex- 
 tended hand, and hat off. 
 
64 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 " Captain Lambert ! " I faltered. 
 
 " I told you that I should see you, Miss 
 Douglas," smiling and looking at me with an 
 expression in his eyes before which my heart 
 thrilled, yet quailed. 
 
 " I did not expect it in this way. Is it not 
 dangerous for you to be here ? " with a sud- 
 den remembrance that he was not for, but 
 against, us; that he would be hunted down 
 and captured, if a breath of suspicion got abroad. 
 
 " Not unless you betray me." 
 
 " Don't speak of that, even in jest," I said warm- 
 ly. " You are our friend, always our friend." 
 
 "May I indeed think so .'' Will you not 
 change because I am one of the enemy ? " 
 
 He spoke earnestly, sadly, resting his hand on 
 the horn of my saddle, his eyes raised to mine. 
 
 " I wish it were different, that you were one 
 of us, but I can never regard you as an enemy, 
 never." 
 
 "An enemy to you.? I should think not!" 
 he exclaimed. 
 
 Lightfoot pawed the ground impatiently and 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 65 
 
 made a step forward. I suddenly dismounted 
 and threw the bridle over my arm. 
 
 " Are you a friend to the people who own 
 this place, Captain Lambert .■' " 
 
 " I — once knew them." 
 
 " The house is closed, the grounds deserted. 
 We stop sometimes to gather a few of the 
 lovely roses — do }'ou think they would care if 
 they knew ? " 
 
 " I know they would not. Come into the 
 garden with me," he said, eagerly. He looped 
 Lightfoot's bridle over the gate-post, and we 
 entered the yard. We walked slowly around 
 the house and into the garden. A broad walk 
 divided it down the centre, one-half of the 
 ground containing dried herbs and the dead 
 stalks of vegetables, the other filled with with- 
 ered flowers. We went down the walk side by 
 side, and I tried to make clear the reality of it 
 to my mind, but it seemed dreamlike. I stole 
 as many glances as I dared at my companion. 
 He looked strong, well, and handsome, but 
 
 grave, so grave. 
 5 
 
66 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 " Have you fully recovered your health ? " I 
 softly inquired. 
 
 " Yes, thank you; it was only a fever. Will 
 you have some of these.-' " pausing and touch- 
 ing a rose-bush on which a few late scarlet 
 buds still lingered. 
 
 " Yes, please." 
 
 What a delicious half-hour it was to me, 
 walking about that old garden with Arnold 
 Lambert, listening dreamily to the sound of his 
 voice, meeting his kind, soft glances ! The sun 
 went down, pungent odors rose from the moist 
 earth, a frosty chill pierced the air. Captain 
 Lambert would have cut every rose in the gar- 
 den, but I protested against it — entreated so 
 earnestly that he stopped. I had told him 
 about the entertainment, and that I should 
 sing. I blushed as I betrayed that vanity, but 
 he did not seem amused. 
 
 " Must you go now ? " he said, as I moved 
 again toward the gate. 
 
 " It is growing late, and you are to go with 
 me. Uncle Charles — my cousins, will be very 
 glad to see you." 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 6^ 
 
 " I thank you very much, but I leave this 
 part of the country again to-night." 
 
 " You can at least take supper with us? " 
 
 " Miss Douglas, it would not be safe." 
 
 The implied doubt of our good faith cut me 
 to the heart. 
 
 "Do you think we would betray you.'" I 
 said, in a choked tone, pain and anger strug- 
 gling, each, for the mastery over me. 
 
 "God forbid! Such a mean doubt I could 
 not entertain ! " he cried. " You misunderstand 
 me; but think if others should come in, of the 
 servants, even. Do you think I would hesitate, 
 otherwise } No, no." 
 
 I was appeased, and begged him not to go 
 beyond the gate with me, trembling for his 
 safety the moment I knew he considered it wise 
 to keep aloof from people, but he walked up that 
 shadowy drive through the woods with me. He 
 led my horse, I carried the roses, their fra- 
 grance spreading about us. We stepped slow- 
 ly along, but talked hurriedly, as people con- 
 scious of being pressed for time. Once he said: 
 
68 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 " Should a man follow duty under all cir- 
 cumstances ? " 
 
 "/believe so," I said, unhesitatingly, as the 
 ignorant often speak. 
 
 " But if, to do so, he must sacrifice his home, 
 his kindred, love — everything most dear to 
 him ? " 
 
 " He will be all the nobler." 
 
 He turned, looked searchingly into my face, 
 then glanced backward at the silent house we 
 were leaving. I felt some mystery underlay 
 his words, but refrained from questioning him 
 too closely. 
 
 " You are troubled," I said, softly. 
 
 " lam," he acknowledged, and sighed heavily, 
 
 " Can I help you ? " 
 
 " No, your sympathy would be sweet. Be- 
 yond that no one can help me." He turned 
 again toward me, a smile banishing the gloom 
 from his face. The stern lines of his features 
 melted to tenderness, his c}'es softened mar- 
 velously. Was it for me alone, or onh- a trib- 
 ute to all women ? " Thank you for this half- 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 69 
 
 hour. I shall carry the memory of it back to 
 camp with me." 
 
 " Shall I tell any one that I have seen 
 you .'' " 
 
 " Do as you think best. I trust you fully." 
 
 " You — you really leave to-night ? " 
 
 " Yes, my leave has expired." 
 
 I looked at him through the gathering dusk, 
 and knew that it was more than friendship 
 which had drawn us together. His eyes dwelt 
 on me lingeringly — I felt that I could not part 
 from him. ^ 
 
 " This is really farewell, then ? " I said, as 
 steadily as I could. 
 
 " Not if I live, and you do not forbid me to 
 come again." His glance fell on the rose I had 
 fastened in the breast of my habit. " Give it to 
 me as a token that I may come again." 
 
 With trembling fingers I loosened it and laid 
 it in his hand. It was our farewell. He assisted 
 me to mount, and raised his hat and bowed as I 
 rode by. I would not look back, for fear he 
 might see the tears on my cheeks. Just why I 
 
70 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 wept I could scarcely tell. It seemed some- 
 what in pity for myself, for him, and for the 
 sadness over all the country. 
 
 I did not tell any one at home that I had 
 seen him. 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 7I 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 We had a full audience at the hall that night, 
 though it seemed strange to see so few young 
 men in the gathering. Here and there could 
 be seen a gray uniform, but old men — planters — 
 with their wives and daughters, and the vill-age 
 people, made up the audience. Around the 
 doors crowds of boys had collected. I was in- 
 troduced to the members of the Atlanta Com- 
 pany when I went behind the scenes, and very 
 cordially greeted. As only a few of them ap- 
 pear in this chronicle it is unnecessary to say 
 very much about them. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Ladislaw and Elinor Sims were 
 the ones who interested me most deeply on first 
 sight. He was a big, genial-looking man with 
 a rich bass voice, and the gift of inspiring the 
 faintest-hearted and most cowardly with confi- 
 dence and nerve. He managed the whole 
 
72 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 troupe, and did it as no other man could, be- 
 sides sustaining a brilliant part on the stage. 
 His resources were varied, his tongue ever 
 ready. That subtle power we call personal 
 magnetism he possessed to a wonderful degree. 
 He was a good actor and a good musician. He 
 could improvise beautifully and sing with such 
 thrilling expression and effect that he could 
 move an audience to laughter or to tears with 
 the greatest ease. He had the voice and the 
 dramatic ability to become a famous singer, but 
 a different fate was in store for him. 
 
 Mary Ladislaw was a delicate-looking, rather 
 quiet woman, but plenty of endurance and ner- 
 vous force lay under that subdued exterior. 
 She was thoroughly in sympathy with her hus- 
 band. They had no children, so she devoted 
 herself to him and the Confederate soldiers. 
 They were her children and her heroes, and 
 for them she would have worked like a slave. 
 She was passionatel}' loyal, but not bitter. Her 
 nature was too tender and sympathetic for ran- 
 cor to find lodgment in it. Poor Mary Ladislaw ! 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 73 
 
 I did not learn all this in that first evening. 
 It was after intimate acquaintance that I learned 
 to know those two so well. 
 
 Elinor Sims was a girl a year or two older 
 than myself. She was tall and rather proud- 
 looking, but really very approachable and 
 friendly. All Southern men and women who 
 were true to the Rebel cause were brothers 
 and sisters in those days. Strangers soon be- 
 came intimate friends, bound together by a 
 common interest. Miss Sims and I sat on a 
 box behind the scenes and talked in a frank 
 and friendly spirit. When she went on the 
 stage I watched her from the wing, admiring 
 her attitudes and gestures intensely. Her act- 
 ing was both spirited and natural, and I felt 
 that my country training had not prepared me 
 to take any part in plays. I knew nothing of 
 amateur theatricals beyond the simple, old- 
 fashioned charades suitable for the parlor. They 
 played a little drama adapted from an old 
 French play, and it was both pathetic and 
 humorous. There was a paucity of scenery, and 
 
74 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 the curtain sometimes refused to come down at 
 the right moment, but the delighted audience 
 did not pay the sHghtest attention to those little 
 drawbacks. 
 
 Between the first and second acts I was called 
 upon to sing. The actors had changes to make 
 in their toilettes, and some new scenery had to 
 be arranged. Mr. Ladislaw led me out before 
 the curtain, then disappeared. I had never sung 
 before a larger audience than a parlor full of 
 people, and to meet the gaze of so many un- 
 familiar eyes made me palpitate with fear. But 
 the sight of the anxious, doubtful faces of my 
 relatives restored composure, and without ac- 
 companiment I began singing that dolorous 
 ballad called " Lorena." It was very popular 
 at that time with soldier and civilian, and was 
 sung even in the negro cabins. The hearts of 
 the people were easily touched, and silence fell 
 upon my audience as I warbled about the woes 
 of " Lorena," throwing all the tenderness and 
 expression that I could into my voice. I really 
 felt a good deal of it. I had been deeply dis- 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 75 
 
 turbed by that meeting with Captain Lambert 
 and the way we had parted. My thoughts 
 dwelt constantly on the uncertainties of a sol- 
 dier's life, and the song affected me to tears, 
 though I kept my voice steady. My emotion 
 communicated itself to the audience, and a few 
 melancholy, hysterical women wept aloud in a 
 gentle way. 
 
 I do not like to think now how lackadaisical 
 I must have looked, but the sentiment seemed 
 to suit the time and people. Loud applause 
 followed me when I withdrew behind the cur- 
 tain. Mr. Ladislaw hurried to me. 
 
 " It was very successful, very," he said hearti- 
 ly. " You have made a hit." 
 
 " I acted like a simpleton," I said, the senti- 
 mental mood already passing away. 
 
 " Oh, no. Yeu sang with feeling, with fine 
 expression. We must have you in our troupe. 
 We are not quite ready for the second act. 
 Our scenery insists on falling to pieces, and 
 some of the costumes have gone astray. Will 
 you not go on and sing something else ? " 
 
"jG ADVENTURES OF 
 
 " Do, Miss Douglas," cried Mrs. Ladislaw, 
 coming out of a dressing-room with her mouth 
 full of pins and a long silk gown over her arm. 
 " Elinor has lost her wig and we must powder 
 the old one." 
 
 Flattered by the appreciation of the audience, 
 and feeling that I could really be of service by 
 filling up the time, I went back on the stage 
 blushing and courtesying. As I raised ni)' 
 eyes they fell on a tall gray-cloaked figure 
 standing back in shadow near the door, and I 
 recognized Captain Lambert. Dizziness came 
 over me. I caught my breath in a gasp, feel- 
 ing only extreme terror that he should so reck- 
 lessly expose himself to detection and capture. 
 His black broad-brimmed hat shielded his face, 
 and when I had time to observe that no one 
 paid the slightest attention to him, m}' courage 
 revived. His presence soothed, yet agitated 
 me. I was conscious of a feeling of satisfaction 
 that he should see me in evening dress, and 
 looking my bravest and best, even in the midst 
 of a tumult of other emotions. How I lono"ed 
 
A FAIR REBEL, yj 
 
 to stretch out my hands across that throng to 
 him ! The words of an old ballad, learned from 
 my mother in childhood, came back to my 
 memory, and, looking at that motionless figure, 
 feeling the influence of the eyes watching me 
 from under that disguising hat, I sang: 
 
 " ' Farewell, farewell,' is a lonely sound 
 And often brings a sigh; 
 But the heart feels most when the lips move not 
 And the eyes speak a gentle ' good-bye.' 
 
 " ' Adieu, adieu,' will do for the gay 
 When pleasure's throng is nigh; 
 But give to me that better word 
 
 That comes from the heart, ' good-bye.' " 
 
 The curtain, after various hitches, had gone 
 down for the last time, and actors and audience 
 mingled in a social half-hour's talk. Uncle 
 Charles, beaming with hospitality, went about 
 asking various members of the troupe to be- 
 come his guests for the night, and he secured 
 one of the gentlemen. I wandered about in a 
 fever of excitement, wondering if Captain Lam- 
 
yS ADVENTURES OF 
 
 bert still lingered in the hall, yet not daring to 
 go near the door for fear of betraying him. 
 Miss Sims and I were standing together when 
 she missed her brooch. 
 
 " I will go behind the scenes and look for it," 
 I said, eager to get aw^ay to myself a few 
 minutes. 
 
 " I will go with you. I had it while dressing. 
 It must be with m}' things." 
 
 We ran up to the stage and vanished behind 
 the curtain. A ghostly twilight reigned, the 
 white sheets dividing the dressing-rooms sway- 
 ing to and fro. Hampers of stage-clothing 
 were scattered about the floor; tin swords, de- 
 canters, and drinking-cups were thrown care- 
 lessly together. A passage-way opened be- 
 tween the dressing-rooms, and we were entering 
 it. Miss Sims a little in advance, when a man 
 stepped out before us. He did not see me, or, 
 seeing, did not recognize me, muffled in cloak 
 and hood. His eyes were on Miss Sims; he 
 held out his hands to her. 
 
 " Dear Elinor ! " 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 79 
 
 ''Arnold!'' she cried, fear, doubt, passionate 
 joy in her tone. She threw her arms about 
 him, her face against his shoulder. 
 
 I silently retreated, leaving them alone. 
 
8o ADVENTURES OF 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Think you I slept that night ? Not enough 
 for the nfiost fleeting dream. All the way 
 home m}' cousins talked of the play and the 
 players, appealing to me when they failed to be 
 satisfied with their own opinions. I gave only 
 random replies. Their cheerful voices, their 
 arguments over trivial details, tortured me. 
 Why could they not divine my feelings, and 
 keep silent, or at least not expect me to join in 
 the conversation ? Yet, had they suspected 
 the state of my mind, I would have been cover- 
 ed with shame. 
 
 "What is the matter, Rachel.' are you 
 sleepy .-* " inquired Alicia, when I merely mut- 
 tered a reply to some question she asked. 
 
 " She is so puffed up with pride over her suc- 
 cess this evening that she cannot any longer 
 notice common folks," said Nell, mockingly. 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 8l 
 
 "Perhaps Rachel is thinking of joining 
 this company," said Cousin Reuben's gentle 
 voice. 
 
 " Yes, I am," I said hastily, heedlessly catch- 
 ing at the suggestion. 
 
 Consternation held my cousins silent for a few 
 minutes, then a perfect avalanche of exclama- 
 tions and questions poured upon me. 
 
 As we passed the old Montgomery place I 
 pressed my face against the carriage window, 
 but darkness hid all except the outlines of the 
 house from my gaze. I thought of the garden 
 lying cold and deserted, the rose-bushes strip- 
 ped of their last lovely blooms. Pain and rage 
 convulsed me; I hated Captain Lambert at that 
 moment. When we reached home the carriage 
 was sent back for my uncle and his guest, who 
 had to stay at the hall long enough to pack his 
 stage wardrobe. I fled to my room, but there 
 encountered my two old servants, who were 
 sitting up for me. Uncle Ned laid fresh logs 
 on the fire, and snuffed the candles, while Aunt 
 Milly took off my wraps. 
 
 6 
 
82 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 " Honey, you do look mighty pale," she ex- 
 claimed anxiously. 
 
 " I 'spect she tuk a chill in dem t'in no- 
 count clo'es," said old Ned, eying my bare 
 neck and arms with disapproval. "Did you 
 have a good time, Miss Rachel, honey .'^ " 
 
 " Yes — no — I cannot tell you to-night, Uncle 
 Ned." 
 
 " Don't you see she's wore out an' sleepy ? 
 Go long, Ned, an' don't ax no more questions," 
 said Aunt Milly, sharply. 
 
 He shuffled reluctantly to the door. 
 
 " I "spect you 2S tired. Miss Rachel ?" 
 
 " I am," I said, absently. 
 
 He went out and closed the door. 
 
 "Now, honey, you gwine to git in bed, and 
 kivered up dis minute. Dese arms o' yourn 
 feel lack dey'd been fros'bitten," said Aunt 
 Milly, imperiously. 
 
 I submitted passively to her nimble old fin- 
 gers, knowing that it would be the best way to 
 get rid of her, and she soon had my finery off, 
 and my hair brushed. I crept into the soft. 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 83 
 
 high bed, and she tucked the white, chilly 
 sheets around me, smoothing and patting the 
 pillows until they were arranged to her satis- 
 faction. I watched her as she moved softly 
 about the room, setting it in order, muttering 
 and nodding her turbaned head, as she noted 
 the creases in my new gown. Finally she put 
 out the candles, and disappeared. The moment 
 she closed the door, I flung off the covering, 
 and got out of bed. At last I was alone, and 
 could beat my breast, or writhe and weep in 
 impotent rage or anguish. While driving home 
 it had seemed to me that I must give some vent 
 to my feelings, or perish; yet, now that the ne- 
 cessity for self-control had been removed, I no 
 longer felt any desire to weep. The violence 
 of my emotion had spent itself; only a dull 
 sense of loss and pain made my heart ache. 
 
 My thoughts were clear, quickened by the 
 smart of wounded pride; all the faculties of my 
 mind seemed unusually alert and active. 
 
 I sat down before the fire, and reviewed 
 every moment of my acquaintance with Arnold 
 
84 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 Lambert, every word he had said to me, every 
 glance given. I coidd not believe him capable 
 of any desire to trifle with me. Such a doubt 
 seemed so unworthy of him and of myself that 
 I rejected it at once. I had simply misunder- 
 stood his advances, believed him in love with 
 me, when he merely felt a friendly interest. 
 Vanity, and my own tenderness of heart tow- 
 ard him, had led me astray. To acknowledge 
 that as the true explanation was the most bit- 
 ter and humiliating experience of my hitherto 
 superficial life. To recognize myself as a woman 
 loving, but unloved, smote my pride to the 
 quick, for I did love him — I knew it by every 
 pang I suffered. 
 
 No wonder he was troubled as he walked in 
 that garden with me. He^ was thinking of 
 Elinor Sims. He had talked to me simply be- 
 cause he craved sympathy, and chance had 
 thrown me in his way. I could not but pity 
 those lovers, separated by such diverse opin- 
 ions: one loyal to the Union, the other bound 
 to the Confederate cause. Sympathy and jeal- 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 85 
 
 ousy each struggled for the mastery over me, 
 as I recalled that unexpected meeting behind 
 the stage. It was for a glimpse of her that he 
 exposed himself to the danger of recognition, 
 I cowered in the chair, and hid my face. How 
 I had poured out my heart to him in that song ! 
 
 I am conscious how incoherent this part of 
 my story is, but I cannot, even now, recall the 
 thoughts and impressions of that night with 
 any clearness of recollection. They seemed 
 vivid enough at the time, but afterward became 
 merely a series of keen sensations. 
 
 I dwell on the experience because it changed 
 my life. Instead of dreaming dreams over the 
 old romances of poets and novelists', I henceforth 
 lived realities. I struck down into depths of na- 
 ture hitherto unknown to me, and came up with 
 clearer views and steadier purpose. The care- 
 less girl no longer existed. A resolute woman 
 had replaced her. 
 
 The firelight faded; gray ashes covered the 
 dying coals. The room grew chilly; a pale 
 beam from the risinsf moon shone across the 
 
86 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 floor. I had never been up so late alone, and 
 the silence of the house impressed me with its 
 likeness to death. I went back to bed, but not 
 to sleep. It seemed to me that I could never 
 sleep again until I had planned my future. To 
 live quietly on in my uncle's house seemed im- 
 possible. I must turn my back on idleness and 
 ease, if I would conquer myself. I thought of 
 those amateur actors, of their self-sacrifices and 
 hard work. I resolved to join them if they would 
 accept my services. But could I meet Elinor 
 Sims day after day, be thrown into intimate 
 relations with her, and not become unjustly 
 bitter in my feelings ? The experiment wou'ld 
 do no harm. 
 
 I went down to breakfast next morning quite 
 strong and composed, upheld by my new res- 
 olutions. A bath and a turn in the open air 
 had removed all trace of the sleepless night, 
 but I felt so changed inwardly, I wondered that 
 no one observed it in my face. Our guest proved 
 to be a very agreeable young man from New 
 Orleans, an officer in the Confederate service. 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 87 
 
 He had been wounded, and while on furlough 
 identified himself with the Amateurs, composing- 
 music for them, and extracting a good deal of 
 pleasure out of the social life gathered about 
 them. Lieutenant Devreau was of French 
 descent, and a brave - spirited young fellow. 
 My cousin Nell coquetted with him at the 
 breakfast-table, and when the meal was over 
 they strolled into the garden. I followed Uncle 
 Charles to his study, and without any preamble 
 made known my desire to join the Amateurs. 
 He refused to listen to me, at first. 
 
 " You have as great a thirst for adventure as 
 a boy, Rachel; I thought your experiences in 
 the mountains would satisfy you." 
 
 " On the contrary, they created a desire for 
 more." 
 
 "It is not proper for a young woman to be 
 gadding about the world unprotected." 
 
 " I can have a companion." 
 
 "Are you displeased with your home, 
 child.?" 
 
 " Oh, no ! " I cried. 
 
88 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 " Then be contented to remain in it. You 
 can find plenty to do." 
 
 " For my country ? " 
 
 " Your country will not miss your services," 
 smiling slightly. 
 
 His determined opposition only settled me 
 more strongly in my purpose to leave. I argued 
 and pleaded, but he held out against me. Then 
 in despair I resolved to take him partly into 
 my confidence. I approached his chair, leaned 
 over his shoulder, and, in a low tone, said: 
 
 " I — I must go, Uncle Charles. I need a 
 change — the opportunity to forget." 
 
 " Eh .' What ? Forget ? Do you mean to say 
 that — that you are in love ? " wheeling around 
 to stare at my burning face, the last word uttered 
 in a shocked whisper. 
 
 I bowed in mute assent. He started up. 
 "But — but this will never do. Who is it .'' 
 Where does he live ? Gad, Rachel ! why don't 
 you marry him ? " 
 
 I grew more and more scarlet, regretting that 
 I had betraj'ed myself to him. 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 89 
 
 " He does not love me." 
 
 " Oh ! Well, well ! I'd make him love }'ou, 
 if I could. My dear Rachel, m}' poor child." 
 He pulled his beard unmercifully in his distress. 
 " You shall go to-day, if you wish. I'll arrange 
 it with the Ladislaws. Nice woman, don't you 
 think so '^. Kind and s)'mpathetic." 
 
 " If you say a word to her. Uncle Charles " 
 
 " Oh, certainly not, if you don't wish me. 
 You are looking pale this morning. Now don't 
 fret }'ourself any more. No man is worth a sigh 
 or a tear. I'm afraid I've been a poor guardian, 
 a poor guardian to you, Rachel." 
 
 I could not forbear smiling. 
 
 " Dear Uncle Charles, you can guard my 
 property and my person, but my heart — well, 
 I think that is beyond your control." 
 
 " I suppose it is. Does he — does he live 
 here } or is it somebody " 
 
 " Please don't ask me," I cried, entreatingly. 
 
 " I won't, then; there, there, it doesn't make 
 any difference where he lives, or what his name 
 is. He is a fool not to lo\'e }'ou, Rachel — an 
 
go ADVENTURES OF 
 
 imbecile; that is all I have got to say about 
 it." 
 
 I had no idea my uncle would take so much 
 interest in the matter. I knew he believed it 
 to be the duty, the sacred duty, of every woman 
 to marry. We had been brought up in that 
 faith, as it were, and he often hinted that Alicia 
 and I were letting our best chances slip by re- 
 maining single beyond the age of twenty-one, 
 but I did not realize that he would feel so 
 warmly over the state of my heart. I was em- 
 barrassed and distressed. It was plain that he 
 would like to proclaim the state of my affec- 
 tions from the house-top, pointing a finger of 
 scorn and derision at the foolish man who did 
 not love me. He wanted to tell him what he 
 thought of him — hold him up to the ridicule of 
 the country. I then and there decided that an 
 elderly guardian and relative was not the one 
 for a girl to confide her sentimental secrets to, 
 and I have not yet had cause to change my 
 mind. 
 
 It was a w^eek before I left home, and during 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 9I 
 
 that time Uncle Charles kept me in a stSte of 
 constant terror with his solicitude and thinl}' 
 veiled sympathy. 
 
 " What dark secrets are you and father keep- 
 ing between you .-^ " Nell inquired. 
 
 " Secrets, Nell ! what nonsense ! " he ex- 
 claimed hastil)', looking provokingly guilty. 
 " I am only anxious about — about Rachel's 
 health." 
 
 She stared incredulously at me, and I blushed 
 scarlet with vexation. 
 
 "Her health.^" she said, deliberately. "I 
 never saw Rachel looking better. Are you 
 wasting away inwardly, my dear girl ? " 
 
 " I wish you would leave me alone," I ex- 
 claimed, angrily, and left the room. 
 
 But all heartburning and annoyance had 
 passed away the morning I bade my relatives 
 good-bye and set my face toward a broader 
 life, more stirring scenes. We traveled to At- 
 lanta in a private conveyance. My two old 
 servants accompanied me, and Uncle Charles 
 did not leave me until he saw me comfortably 
 
92 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 established in the same house with the Ladis- 
 laws. My suite of rooms came next to theirs, 
 and they promised to protect and watch over 
 me as long as I should remain with them. 
 
 That evening I went to the rehearsal of 
 " The Soldier's Wife," a play written for the 
 Amateurs. I was given a small part in it — one 
 where no speaking was required — and felt that 
 I was fairly launched on my new career. 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 93 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 The only theatre in Atlanta at that time 
 was the Athensum. It was small, had no pri- 
 vate boxes, and the stage was rather deficient 
 in scenery. But it was the first real theatre I 
 had ever entered, and the drop-curtain and 
 scenic effects looked rather splendid in my 
 rustic eyes. The rehearsal took place at the 
 theatre, a few friends of the players sitting in 
 the dimly lighted auditorium until it was over. 
 "The Soldier's Wife" has, doubtless, long 
 since been forgotten, except by a few; but it 
 was a drama exactly suited to the time and 
 circumstances, therefore very popular. It was 
 full of pathetic scenes, and appealed strongly 
 to the emotional side of one's nature. I remem- 
 ber that war-hardened soldiers wept over it, 
 but the mercurial Southern temperament is 
 
94 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 subject to quick changes from mirth to grief, 
 then back to mirth again. 
 
 My heart throbbed with excitement at the 
 thought of meeting Ehnor Sims again. I won- 
 dered what she would say to me, and decided, 
 through a mixture of pique and generosity, 
 that she should not explain that meeting with 
 Captain Lambert. It would save her the em- 
 barrassment of telling me what I already 
 knew — that he was her lover — and also save me 
 the pain of hearing that acknowledgment. On 
 my part she should never know that I had met 
 him, unless he told her. 
 
 She met me with heightened color, and, as 
 soon as the ordinary words of greeting were 
 over, referred to that night in Decatur. 
 
 " You — why did you withdraw so quickly .'' 
 I wanted to introduce you to — Captain Lambert. 
 It was such a surprise to me to see him there, 
 and he " 
 
 " Please do not tell me about it," I hastily 
 interrupted her to say. 
 
 " We had only a few minutes together." 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 95 
 
 " I know." 
 
 " You — have heard ? " 
 
 "Yes, yes; all that I wish to know," I said, 
 with unintentional rudeness. 
 
 She flushed and bit her lip, evidently wound- 
 ed, then walked away. I followed her. 
 
 " I beg your pardon," I said, gently; " I did 
 not intend to speak so bluntly; I only wanted 
 to save you the pain of explaining to a stranger, 
 and — and " 
 
 " I understand how you feel," she said, sad- 
 ly; and we dropped the subject, never to refer to 
 it again, though we became very good friends. 
 
 She lived in the city with her grandfather 
 and widowed mother, and I heard that she 
 had a brother — Lieutenant Edgar Sims — in the 
 army. 
 
 From this point my life seemed to suddenly 
 broaden, like a full stream finding an outlet. I 
 was enthusiastically interested in the work of 
 the Amateurs, and, for the sake of aiding them 
 all that I could, hired a music teacher, devot- 
 ing several hours a day to practice. I also 
 
96 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 learned to value the possession of money. It 
 had always come as a matter of course to me 
 to live in ease and have my servants. I did not 
 think about it, and the word " poverty " held 
 no special meaning for me; but when I realized 
 the suffering of the soldiers, and saw in many 
 instances the destitution of their families, I felt 
 like giving away all I possessed. I drew so 
 heavily on Uncle Charles that he came up to 
 Atlanta in alarm, to see how I spent so much 
 money. 
 
 Mrs. Ladislaw promised to look more care- 
 fully after my expenditures, and when he went 
 away she came into my room to caution me 
 against too lavish a charity: 
 
 " Give all that you can without impoverish- 
 ing }'ourself. If you become destitute }"ou will 
 be an object of charity yourself. You cannot 
 work. You have never been trained to any 
 bread-winning trade." 
 
 " But if the war goes against us, if we are 
 defeated, it will be work then, will it not ? " I 
 said. 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 97 
 
 " I do not know; time enough to think of 
 that." 
 
 " And look at this." 
 
 I seized the latest issue of the Intelligencer, 
 the principal Atlanta paper, and spread it be- 
 fore her, pointing out certain appeals to the 
 wealthy people of the city — of the whole coun- 
 try — to come to the relief of the half-naked, 
 half-starved soldiers, fighting on the northern 
 frontiers. 
 
 Her sensitive lip quivered with pain; she 
 averted her eyes from the paper. 
 
 " I know it is hard to close one's hand against 
 such pitiful needs." 
 
 " You do not close yours," I said, softly: 
 "you give all that you have — money, time, 
 love. Let me do the same." 
 
 " You are a rebel after my own heart, Ra- 
 chel; but I fear that if you do not restrain this 
 generous spirit your uncle will take you away 
 from us." 
 
 That alarmed me, and I reluctantly promised 
 to be more careful; but my pockets were stuff- 
 
98 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 ed with crisp new Confederate bills, and when 
 she went awa)^ I put on my bonnet and man- 
 tilla, and calling my servants went out through 
 the city to distribute the money. My charity 
 was not all pure generosity. I don't think I 
 should have given away gold so lavishly, but 
 a few far-seeing men had said that the day 
 would come when Confederate money would 
 not be worth the paper it was printed on. To 
 keep it seemed foolish to me, then; particular- 
 ly as it brought immediate relief to those in 
 need. 
 
 I never went out alone. If I did not go with 
 some of my new friends. Uncle Ned and Aunt 
 Milly accompanied me, pacing solemnly along 
 at a respectful distance in the rear. We often 
 visited the hospitals, but they could never 
 overcome their terror at the sight of dead 
 or wounded men. " Miss Rachel, honey, dis 
 ain't no place for you. Come away, for de 
 Lawd's sake," they would plead, hovering 
 around the door, unwilling to enter, but more 
 unwilling that I should go in alone. Often I 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 99 
 
 had to cover my face with my mantle to shut 
 out some harrowing sight — a ghastly face, 
 drawn with intense suffering; a mutilated body 
 writhing convulsively — but my nerves were un- 
 usually strong for a delicately nurtured young 
 woman, and the pleasure my visits gave those 
 poor, brave fellows, lingering on the outer verge 
 of life, gave me courage. Afterward I put 
 that training to better service. 
 
 In strange contrast to these hospital scenes 
 were the evenings spent at the theatre, playing 
 my little part in "The Soldier's Wife," and 
 singing war ballads between the acts; or, if not 
 at the theatre, then in some parlor where social 
 life still ran gaily on the surface, and men and 
 women met in brave attire. 
 
 The war was always the chief topic of con- 
 versation at these social gatherings, and any 
 one who could bring the latest news from camp 
 was made a hero. 
 
 The Amateurs were going on a little tour in 
 December, and a few days before their depart- 
 ure they were given a reception and ball by 
 
ICXD ADVENTURES OF 
 
 one of the wealthiest families in the city. Never 
 had I looked on so brilliant a scene. Our 
 country dances were insignificant in compar- 
 ison. The house was brilliantly illuminated, 
 and fragrant with flowers. Officers in uniform 
 mingled with the more soberly clad civilians, 
 and the women, young and old, were in their 
 best apparel. Few grave faces were present. 
 Pleasure, wit, gaiety, reigned, on the surface at 
 least. It seemed that for a few hours, if no 
 more, everybody had determined to throw off 
 the gloom and fear brooding over the country. 
 Spirits held in sad subjection cast off their 
 fetters; eyes familiar with tears flashed bril- 
 liantly; lips used to sighs curved in laughter. 
 We danced with unwearied feet. 
 
 The night was waning. Supper was over 
 and the last set had formed a stately Virginia 
 reel. The musicians were playing a few intro- 
 ductory strains, when the slow, steady tramp 
 of weary feet sounded on the pavement outside, 
 and " Maryland, My Maryland," sung by manly 
 voices grown faint from hunger and fatigue, 
 
A FAIR REBEL. lOI 
 
 penetrated the warm, fragrant rooms. Silence 
 fell upon the company. The dance music 
 ceased, and men and women crowded to the 
 doors and windows. It was only a company 
 returning from some hard campaign. Their 
 clothes were in rags: they marched slowly, too 
 footsore and worn to make much progress. At 
 last they were gone. Only the tread of a soli- 
 tary sentinel made active life in the street, but 
 through the air still pulsed the sorrowful strains 
 of " Maryland, My Maryland," sung in husky 
 undertones. 
 
 A hand fell on my shoulder. I turned and 
 looked into Mary Ladislaw's eyes, dim with tears. 
 
 "Oh, the poor fellows, the brave heroes ! and 
 we were trying to forget them. Come away, 
 Rachel." 
 
 I snatched the roses from my breast and 
 threw them to the ground. 
 
 " I will never dance again while this cruel 
 war lasts," I said, in choking tones. 
 
 The lights looked dim, the flowers withered. 
 In silence the company dispersed. 
 
102 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Of that tour I hold some very pleasant recol- 
 lections. Everywhere the Amateurs played to 
 full and appreciative audiences, and we were 
 entertained in the most hospitable manner. 
 The fact that it was a charitable organization, 
 working for the soldiery of the country, opened 
 the most tightly closed purses. We played in 
 Augusta, Charleston, and all the principal 
 towns along the route. 
 
 Mr. Ladislaw, always the moving spirit, the 
 universal genius of the company, would rarely 
 have two programmes alike. He was remark- 
 ably gifted in the quickness and grace with 
 which he could turn the simplest prose into 
 rhyme, and no more gratifying thing could he 
 do than to sing the telegraphic reports from 
 the army as they came in. It was a novel way 
 to announce the progress of a battle, our vie- 
 
A FAIR REBEL. IO3 
 
 tories or defeats. I've seen an audience sit in 
 breathless silence during one of those musical 
 recitals and then bring down the roof, almost, 
 with applause if the tidings were glad, or groan 
 and weep if they were sorrowful. He was al- 
 ways in communication with the various armies, 
 and often, during an engagement, telegrams 
 were brought to the theatre or hall to him. A 
 victory he sang in glad triumphant strains, a 
 defeat in minor tones. 
 
 We have sat behind the scenes and trembled 
 and cried with grief or joy under the influence 
 of his singing, as much as the audience. 
 
 Lieutenant Devreau had obtained a longer 
 leave from his post, and traveled with us. Be- 
 fore we left Atlanta I knew that Elinor Sims 
 was the attraction keeping him with the Ama- 
 teurs, but his devotion became very evident 
 while we were on the road. It did not surprise 
 me that he should fall in love with her, but I 
 was surprised and indignant at the encourage- 
 ment she gave him. I tried to think that it was 
 nothing to me; that if Arnold Lambert could 
 
104 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 not take care of his own interests, it was not 
 my place to interfere. But her faithlessness 
 roused mingled feelings of contempt and satis- 
 faction in my heart. It gave me a kind of 
 pleasure to think how much truer I was to him — 
 I, who had never won his love — than she who 
 had pledged her word. 
 
 I held as much aloof from her as circum- 
 stances would permit, and grew so cold in man- 
 ner that she noticed it. She was of a frank and 
 tender nature, and, fearing that she had unwit- 
 tingly offended me, came to me apart one even- 
 ing and said : 
 
 " Are you angry with me, Rachel ?" 
 
 The question so sweetly and kindly asked 
 confused me. I blushed and hung my head 
 like a culprit, instead of holding it high in con- 
 scious rectitude wdiile I read her a lecture on 
 the faithlessness of her conduct. 
 
 *' Oh, no; why do you think so ? " 
 
 " You have been so cold and silent." 
 
 "You must be mistaken." 
 
 " I think I am, now," laughing. " We are 
 
A FAIR REBEL. IO5 
 
 egotistical creatures. I have been fancying 
 that you were offended with me, when }'ou 
 have been simply absorbed in your own affairs, 
 and not giving me a thought." 
 
 If I had only met her frankness half way, but 
 I was too cowardly. I had closed her confi- 
 dences to me about Captain Lambert, and it 
 seemed impossible for me to mention his name 
 to her now. It would be taking a liberty, and 
 then I feared to betray my own interest in him. 
 It is so much easier at times to play the hypo- 
 crite than to speak the truth to our friends that 
 I think we are all more or less tempted to that 
 course. We often call this silence charity, when 
 it concerns the faults of others, and plume our- 
 selves on being so generous, when, in reality, 
 our feelings are the reverse of generous. 
 
 I no longer held aloof from Elinor, but I con- 
 tinued to feel secretly bitter and contemptuous 
 toward her, while I pitied Lieutenant Devreau. 
 He was chivalrous and highly honorable, and 
 had the utmost faith in her. His ideas of women 
 were rather strict and frankly expressed. I 
 
I06 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 often heard him say that the smallest breach of 
 faith in a woman was unpardonable. He though t 
 women should be as exact and straightforward 
 as men, and to excuse deceit or carelessness in 
 them as amusing little weaknesses would be 
 impossible for him. 
 
 Elinor would heartily agree with him, not 
 even so much as changing color over her own 
 duplicity. Her power of concealment amazed 
 me. Did she feel so secure, or so conscience- 
 less ? Sometimes I was half tempted to regard 
 that meeting of hers with Arnold Lambert as 
 a phantasm of my own mind, but I had seen her 
 in his arms, had heard him call her name in a 
 passionately tender tone. I did not intend to 
 play the spy on Elinor and her new lover, but 
 when in their presence, my eyes seemed sharp- 
 ened to such keenness of vision, all my senses 
 were so alert, that I could not help seeing and 
 understanding even the swiftest glances ex- 
 changed between them. 
 
 Under any other circumstances I should have 
 felt the keenest delight in this love-affair, but 
 
A FAIR REBEL. IO7 
 
 as it was, it kept me in a state of suppressed 
 rage and disgust. 
 
 We were in Augusta when the summons for 
 him to return to his duties in the army came. 
 It was not time for the play to begin and he 
 walked across the deserted stage with the 
 crumpled telegram in his hand. I stood in the 
 wing, a long cloak covering my evening dress. 
 The lights were turned very low, but as he ap- 
 proached me I read the evil tidings in his 
 downcast face and dejected walk. I pitied him. 
 
 " Miss Douglas, has Miss Sims arrived yet .-'" 
 he inquired. 
 
 "She is in the dressing-room. Shall I call her .'' " 
 
 "Thank you, please do; I must go away in 
 an hour." 
 
 " Leave us .■' " 
 
 " Yes," sighing heavily. " I have neglected 
 my duty too long as it is." 
 
 I met Elinor coming from the dressing-room. 
 Lieutenant Devreau had followed me, and 
 ghmcing over my shoulder she was startled at 
 the look upon his face. Her cheeks paled under 
 
I08 ADVENTURES OP 
 
 their stage paint and powder; dread flashed in- 
 to her eyes. 
 
 " What is the matter, Royal ? " she faltered. 
 
 " Can you not guess, my darling .-' I must 
 leave to-night, within an hour, for camp again. 
 I ought to have gone a month ago." 
 
 Neither of them seemed to heed my presence. 
 He drew her back within the shadow of the 
 scenery, his arms about her. 
 
 " If we could only be married before I go," 
 he said, in trembling tones. " You would not 
 refuse if you were at home, would you, Elinor ? " 
 
 " No, no," she whispered. 
 
 " My own dear love ! " 
 
 The murmur of their voices followed me as I 
 stole away. I wondered, bitterly, if she remem- 
 bered that interview with Captain Lambert in 
 the Decatur town-hall. 
 
 She was a strong, brave girl. She bade her 
 lover good-bye, dried her eyes, and played her 
 part that evening as brilliantly as ever. I 
 watched her closely and could but acknowledge 
 that she won my reluctant admiration. 
 
A FAIR REBEL. IO9 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 It was in February that I returned home on 
 a visit. To reaHze the changes wrought by con- 
 tact with the world, and travel, it is necessary 
 to return to the familiar surroundings of one's 
 former life. The months of my absence were 
 so crowded with experiences they were like 
 years to me, but they might have passed as one 
 day in my uncle's household. Nothing on the 
 plantation had visibly changed except the sea- 
 son. The field-hands went out to their work 
 at dawn, clearing new land and breaking up 
 the old soil, preparing to plant the crops. The 
 house-women spent the days in the workroom 
 spinning and weaving, and teaching the older 
 children, who were to become house-servants, 
 how to sew. It was all the same, just the same 
 as when I went away. The revolutions tearing 
 the country asunder were scarcely felt in this 
 
no ADVENTURES OF 
 
 household. My uncle still fully believed that 
 the Confederate cause would be triumphant, 
 and planteci his cotton fields and counted his 
 small store of gold, confident that he would 
 add to it at the end of the year. 
 
 After the excitement of talking over my ad- 
 ventures while away, had passed, I had time 
 to look more carefully about me, and to detect 
 changes too subtle for superficial observation. 
 Cousin Reuben was making preparations to go 
 away. He had enlisted in a new company just 
 forming, and they expected to enter the regular 
 service some time in March. That he should go 
 about absorbed and grave seemed natural, but 
 my cousin Alicia I could not understand. The 
 serenity of her disposition seemed to have dis- 
 appeared. One hour she would be unnaturally 
 gay, the next, sunk in deep gloom. She would 
 blush and tremble at the sound of an unexpect- 
 ed footstep, and once I discovered her in tears. 
 She had fallen away until her cheeks were hol- 
 low, and she seemed plainer than ever. I 
 fancied she looked taller, too, and drooped 
 
A FAIR REBEL. Ill 
 
 more as she walked. No one seemed to notice 
 the change in her, and I cautiously questioned 
 Nell. 
 
 " Has Alicia been ill .-' " 
 
 "111.^ no," she said in surprise. " Why do 
 you ask that .-' " 
 
 " She looks pale and thin." 
 
 "She was never fat and blooming." 
 
 ** She is not — she cannot be in love .■* " 
 
 "Alicia in love ! Oh, Rachel, don't let your 
 imagination run away with you," and Nell 
 laughed loudly. " Alicia is the least senti- 
 mental creature I ever met." 
 
 " There you are entirely mistaken," I cried. 
 
 "Why, she is a born old maid; you know 
 she has been one all her life. I see her in the 
 yard. She is coming in, and I think I must 
 tell her what you have said." 
 
 " Oh, pray don't ! " I exclaimed, but she broke 
 from my detaining hand and ran to the door. 
 
 "Alicia, Alicia!" 
 
 "What is it, Nell ?" pausing at the door. 
 
 " Rachel says that you are in love." 
 
112 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 "I did not, Alicia. Really, Nell, you are 
 mistaken," I said, in a vexed tone. " I only 
 asked " 
 
 "If I thought so." 
 
 Alicia blushed a deep, burning red, and her 
 eyes dropped. Her confusion only threw Nell 
 into fresh laughter, but I divined her secret, 
 and hurriedly said: 
 
 " We are teasing you, Alicia. Of course we 
 know that you are not in love." 
 
 " I don't mind your nonsense," she said, with 
 a forced smile, and left the room. 
 
 For whom could poor Alicia be cherishing a 
 secret passion ? It seemed ridiculous to con- 
 nect her with a romance. We had never known 
 her to have a lover. She held herself aloof 
 from men, and they never seemed attracted to 
 her. 
 
 When I came in from my ride late that after- 
 noon I passed through the parlor. Cousin 
 Reuben sat by a table drawn near one of the 
 front windows, with writing materials before 
 him, but his slight figure was huddled up, his 
 
A FAIR REBEL. II3 
 
 face hidden in his hands. His attitude express- 
 ed an abandonment of woe that startled me. 
 I crossed the room to him, laid my hand on his 
 shoulder. 
 
 "Cousin Reuben, what in the world is the 
 matter .'' " I cried, sharply. 
 
 He straightened up instantly, brushing his 
 hair back in confusion. 
 
 "Nothing at all. I — I came in here to write 
 some letters, but my thoughts wouldn't work 
 very freely, and " 
 
 " They must have been giving you a great 
 deal of trouble " I interrupted, dryly. "Dear 
 Cousin Reuben, you are in a desperate strait 
 about something. I can read it in your face, 
 your eyes," I continued, softly, half shocked as 
 he turned unwittingly to the light, and I saw 
 the lines of suffering on his brow and about his 
 mouth. 
 
 He shifted uneasily in his chair and plucked 
 at tlie penwiper with nervous fingers. 
 
 " I— I am going away, Rachel." 
 
 " Yes." 
 
114 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 " Perhaps I shall never return. Do you re- 
 member young Bledsoe, home on a short fur- 
 lough last fall ? " 
 
 "I do." 
 
 " He was killed in battle a few weeks ago." 
 
 Was it the terror of war upon him ? 
 
 " Are you — are you afraid? " I whispered. 
 
 He flushed deeply, and seemed to stiffen in 
 every muscle. 
 
 " Afraid .' no; but I don'twonder you think 
 so, I have hung back so long, when it is the 
 duty of every man in the country to shoulder 
 arms. Rachel, it is leaving her that takes 
 away my strength, my courage, my very heart." 
 
 ^^ Her f I echoed, blankly. 
 
 " Yes. I loved her almost at first sight, and 
 to see her day after day for months— well, it 
 has not cured me." 
 
 "Oh, Nell ! Nell ! " I thought; " how could 
 you trifle with this kind, faithful heart so cruel- 
 ly.''" " Poor fellow ! " I murmured aloud, ten- 
 derly. 
 
 " Don't pity me, Rachel. She does not love 
 
A FAIR REBEL. II5 
 
 me; how could she ?" with a sHghting, scornful 
 glance at his own insignificant person, " but I 
 am glad that I love her. It has been a torment, 
 but also an intoxicating delight to me. I never 
 really lived until I met her. It was a revela- 
 tion to me." 
 
 I listened, half amazed to hear the quiet, re- 
 served man talk so. Who would have sus- 
 pected such passion, such ardent feeling under 
 that exterior ? 
 
 " Is she not beautiful, Rachel }" 
 
 " Yes," I admitted, grudgingly. 
 
 " And so sweet and true." 
 
 " She is a coquette. Cousin Reub," I cried, 
 rashly, out of all patience with him. 
 
 " A coquette .'' oh, no." 
 
 " But she is; I know her. She does not mean 
 any harm, but she can no more help leading a 
 man on, playing with his feelings, than a cat 
 can help torturing a mouse. Oh, Cousin Reub, 
 I am sorry for you; I am sorry for any one who 
 loves our dear wayward Nell." 
 
 He had been walking about the room, but as 
 
Il6 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 I finished speaking he paused and stared at 
 me. 
 
 " Nell! who has been talking about Nell ? " 
 
 " I have." 
 
 " What has she to do with this matter.?" 
 
 Then I concluded that he must be utterly 
 out of his mind to rave about a girl one 
 moment, and be surprised to hear her name 
 the next. 
 
 "You said that you were in love with her." 
 
 "With Nell.? you must be dreaming. Would 
 I give a thought to her by the side of Alicia ? " 
 
 I sat down, strength leaving me in my as- 
 tonishment. Could it really be true, or was he 
 merely playing on my credulity ? Before my 
 mind flashed the two girls, one radiant, beauti- 
 ful, the other so pale and plain. 
 
 " I thought you said that she was beautiful." 
 
 " She is," he exclaimed. 
 
 I looked searchingly at him, but found only 
 truth in his eyes. It was an honest delusion. 
 His love had transformed her, or else he 
 recognized a spirit more beautiful than flesh 
 
A FAIR REBEL. Iiy 
 
 and blood. Awe fell upon me at the myste- 
 rious power of this love, transmuting all things 
 it touched into purest gold. I thought of Arnold 
 Lambert and Elinor Sims. So, perhaps, he 
 loved her, while her heart was given to an- 
 other man; so I loved him. Cousin Reuben 
 began mechanically to put his writing ma- 
 terials together. While doing so he turned his 
 head and glanced out through the window. 
 His face flushed, his eyes kindled. I softly rose 
 and looked over his shoulder. 
 
 My cousins had driven over to the village 
 early in the afternoon to pay a visit. They 
 had just returned, and were stepping from the 
 carriage. When they entered the gate they 
 paused for a moment, side by side, to look at 
 something above or beyond the house, and 
 never had the contrast between them seemed 
 so striking. Nell looked fresh and blooming 
 as a flower, soft curls falling upon her neck 
 and shoulders, her lips parted in a smile. 
 Alicia was colorless and wan, her long slender 
 neck rising above the collar of her mantle, un- 
 
Il8 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 softened by the smallest curled lock, dark 
 smooth bands of hair just showing under the 
 brim of her bonnet. Nell tripped up the walk 
 to the piazza humming "Dixie," but Alicia 
 lingered to gather a handful of the yellow jon- 
 quils blooming thickly along the flagged bor- 
 der. The closing light of the mild February 
 day shone out of the west against her tall thin 
 figure, the gray strings of her bonnet fluttered 
 in the wind rising in chilly gusts. 
 
 I regarded her with new interest, tried to see 
 her through Cousin Reuben's eyes, to invest 
 her with all the graces and fascinating charms 
 of a woman deeply beloved, but it was only 
 Alicia, plain Alicia, looking a little chilly and 
 desolate in the falling dusk. Unconscious of 
 our regard she strolled along, plucking the 
 flowers and arranging them, occasionally lift- 
 ing her eyes in a pensive look to the evening 
 sky. Cousin Reuben drew a long and quiver- 
 ing sigh. 
 
 "Have you told her.?" 
 
 " No, I have not had the courage. I dare 
 
A FAIR REBEL. IIQ 
 
 not risk defeat yet. I must master my feelings 
 first." 
 
 " Do you think you will do it here:.' " 
 
 " No, but I hope to when far away in the 
 army." 
 
 " How do you know but she loves you ? " 
 
 " Don't!" he said huskily. "She is scarcely 
 friendly with me. At first she was frank and 
 kind, kinder than you or Nell, but lately she 
 has avoided me. I understand. She does not 
 wish to give me the pain of a refusal, she " 
 
 " Go this moment and ask her," I said, sure 
 that at last I understood the change in my 
 cousin Alicia. 
 
 " But, Rachel " 
 
 " You are blind as a mole. Cousin Reuben, 
 and so is she. " 
 
 He caught i:iy hand, hope lighting up his 
 face. 
 
 " Is there any chance for me .-' " 
 
 " If there is not — but go, and we will finish 
 this talk later." 
 
 I stood by the window and watched him as 
 
120 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 he went down the walk to her. I fancied that 
 I could see the color overspreading her face as 
 he paused at her side. They went away across 
 the lawn to the garden, and were lost to my 
 view. I laughed aloud at the thought of those 
 two going through the world together, so ill 
 assorted as far as appearances went, even 
 while tears of sympathy for them in their hap- 
 piness, blinded my eyes. 
 
 Uncle Charles was greatly surprised and 
 not very well pleased at first with the engage- 
 ment of his elder daughter, but she looked so 
 tremulously blooming and happy, blushing 
 and paling if you but glanced at her, that he 
 could not withhold his blessing. Then the 
 question of a speedy marriage was propounded 
 by Cousin Reuben, and eagerly advocated by 
 Nell and me. The whole affair struck Nell as 
 being the most delicious jest, but the excite- 
 ment of a wedding was irresistible. As usual. 
 Uncle Charles yielded to the arguments and 
 entreaties of his family, and the whole house- 
 hold fell zealously to work preparing the 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 121 
 
 bride's wardrobe. The lovers themselves were 
 of no practical service in these preparations. 
 
 Only a few near neighbors were bidden to 
 the marriage, but a great feast was spread, and 
 the slaves were given a holiday and a dance. 
 It was a happy wedding, but we all shed a few 
 tears except the bridegroom, who stared at his 
 tall bride with adoring eyes. 
 
 It was at the close of the evening that Uncle 
 Charles came up to me, and whispered, " Is 
 this scene painful to you, Rachel ? " 
 
 " Painful ? no," I said, astonished and puz- 
 zled. 
 
 "You are cured, then — you have entirely 
 forgotten that — that fellow ? " 
 
 My cheeks turned scarlet. I thought he had 
 forgotten that confession made to him before I 
 went away in the autumn. 
 
 " Yes," I said, deliberately; " I have forgot- 
 ten him." 
 
 "Then I hope you'll soon follow Alicia's 
 example. A woman fulfills her highest duties 
 only when she becomes a wife and mother." 
 
122 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 I went up to my room. The festivities were 
 all over; I could hear the closing of doors and 
 windows in the lower part of the house, the 
 laughing voices of the negroes returning to the 
 "quarters." The fitful glow of a bonfire still 
 shone against my window, and, when I looked 
 out, I saw a few dusky couples whirling slowly 
 around the burning heap, dancing a farewell 
 reel. At last they stamped out the fire, and 
 stole away to their cabins. 
 
 It would be a long, long time before I should 
 follow my cousin's example. 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 In three weeks Cousin Reuben was to join 
 his company, but the shadow of separation was 
 not allowed to cloud the first days of the honey- 
 moon. We left them undisturbed to their fleet- 
 ing joy, for they seemed to grudge every mo- 
 ment spent apart. Into those three weeks a 
 lifetime of love and hope was crowded. I have 
 never witnessed such intense happiness, such 
 feeling. They seemed to think of no one in the 
 world but each other. Once, Alicia took me 
 around the waist, and, pressing her head against 
 my shoulder, said: 
 
 " I am selfish, Rachel, but I cannot help it. 
 It seems to me that I must make the most of 
 these perfect days with him, that they will 
 never be repeated." 
 
 " We know how it is; we do not blame you." 
 
 " I doubt if you know. You must love, 
 Rachel, if you would be able to enter into the 
 
124 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 feelings of others. Love is, of all things, the 
 one to be experienced to be understood." 
 
 I stroked her head, while across my mental 
 vision flashed the picture of a mountain camp- 
 fire, with a Union officer lounging before it. 
 
 " Yes, I suppose so," I said, calmly. 
 
 " You have not loved yet, Rachel. Oh, I 
 hope I shall be near you when you do. I want 
 to see how you take it; but it will be violently, 
 I know," and she laughed, softly. 
 
 I hugged my secret close, trembling lest she 
 should discover it. 
 
 " What if Reuben does not come back to me, 
 Rachel .''" absorbed in her own hopes and fears 
 again. " Sometimes I feel sure that he will not, 
 that when he goes away I shall never see him 
 on earth again." 
 
 " Oh, now you are foolish," I said, cheerfully. 
 " These raw troops will not be put in danger- 
 ous places, of course. Cousin Reuben will be 
 perfectly safe, and, I dare say, when we have 
 whipped the Yankees, he will become a great 
 planter with plenty of land and negroes." 
 
A FAIR REBEL. I25 
 
 " You think so ? I hope your prophecy will 
 come true. It is strange that they should want 
 to interfere w^ith our rights, try to take away 
 our liberties." 
 
 " And our property," I added. 
 
 " Yes. What is it to them if we have slaves.'' 
 They are fighting as desperately as if we were 
 barbarians. What would become of the negroes 
 if they were freed .'' " 
 
 That problem was entirely beyond my grasp. 
 It seemed such a natural and proper thing for 
 the negroes to serve us. They were so much 
 a part of our property that I could not contem- 
 plate them in a state of freedom. It was almost 
 as absurd as turning the cattle out, and saying: 
 
 " Go hence — set up a kingdom of your own. 
 You no longer belong to me." 
 
 "The Northern people are simply mistaken 
 about this matter, Alicia," I said, judicially, "as 
 well as some of our own countrymen who sym- 
 pathize with them, and it is a mistake that 
 must be whipped out of them. We have 
 right and justice on our side, and the day 
 
126 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 will come when they'll be glad to acknowl- 
 edge it." 
 
 It was in her four-and-twentieth year that 
 Rachel Douglas made that speech. She has 
 lived to see the foolishness of it. 
 
 It was the first day of April that we journeyed 
 to Atlanta — I to join the Amateurs again, the 
 others to see Cousin Reuben off. That night 
 the company was invited to the theatre, and at 
 the close of the entertainment they all rose and 
 stood in a body, while the Amateurs sang 
 *' Good-bye " for them. 
 
 My voice quavered uncertainly several times, 
 for I could not help remembering that I had 
 sung that song to Captain Lambert, and then I 
 knew that in this audience there were two 
 hearts nigh to breaking. In the small band of 
 uniformed men before us stood Cousin Reuben, 
 his head turned to one side, his eyes fixed on 
 Alicia, who sat in a remote corner, rigid and 
 pale, but with hot tears stealing down her face, 
 and falling in single, glittering drops on her 
 bosom. She seemed unconscious of her tears, 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 12/ 
 
 her eyes answering his rapt gaze in a passion 
 of love and silent anguish. Her suppressed 
 emotion affected me far more deeply than the 
 wildest outburst. 
 
 The next morning she parted from her hus- 
 band composedly, as a brave soldier's wife 
 should, and returned home with her father and 
 sister. 
 
 The summer passed rather quietly in Atlanta. 
 I continued my study and practice of music; 
 singing with the Amateurs having roused a cer- 
 tain ambition in me. We went off on several 
 little tours, receiving a cordial welcome every- 
 where. The Ladislaws continued to be the life 
 and controlling influence of the company, im- 
 parting their enthusiasm to the lukewarm, and 
 their courage to the weak. I fell more deeply in 
 love with them every day, and always regarded 
 my acquaintance with them as a peculiarly 
 fortunate thing for me. But Elinor Sims and I 
 were drawn no nearer together. I could not 
 overcome my intense dislike of her unwomanly 
 conduct, nor the contempt with which it in- 
 
128 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 spired me, and when she had become fully con- 
 vinced that I did not care for her friendship 
 she treated me with as much proud, chilling 
 indifference as though I had been the wrong- 
 doer. We were always polite and agreeable to 
 each other when thrown together, but hastened 
 to separate as quickly as possible. Once Lieu- 
 tenant Devreau was reported wounded, and, 
 amid our noisy expressions of regret, she stood 
 pale and silent. But I saw the quiver of her 
 lip, the strained expression of fear in her eyes, 
 and hardened my heart with the righteous feel- 
 ing that she deserved to suffer. We hold jus- 
 tice in high esteem when it metes out punish- 
 ment to our neighbor: it becomes injustice only 
 when turned against our own shortcomings. 
 
 Mary Ladislaw was too much absorbed in the 
 great events of the war, and the thousand de- 
 mands on her time and sympathy, to pay much 
 attention to the misunderstanding between two 
 young women, but she did once say to me: 
 
 •'I wish you would be more friendly with 
 Elinor. She was strongly attracted to you at 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 129 
 
 first, but you have shown so Httle desire for her 
 regard, that I think she is fairly discouraged 
 in her attempts to know you well." 
 
 " What do you think of her .? " I asked, point- 
 edly. 
 
 "That she is a strong, as well as lovely, 
 character," she said, warmly. " You cannot 
 dislike her, Rachel, and yet to be cold, persis- 
 tently cold, toward anyone without cause 
 doesn't seem natural to you." 
 
 " It isn't. I hope that I am too just for that." 
 " Then why can you not get on with her '> " 
 " I— really, I don't know," I said, stammer- 
 ing and blushing over the equivocation, but for 
 once generosity alone prompted the reply. 
 If she had not confided in Mrs. Ladislaw, I did 
 not intend to be the one to give her the repu- 
 tation of a coquette. Mary should be kept in 
 ignorance, if it depended on me to betray 
 Elinor. 
 
 " I think that I must tell you her family his- 
 tory some time," she said; "then you will un- 
 derstand her better." 
 
130 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 I felt no curiosity to know it; I understood 
 her well enough, I thought, and secretly de- 
 termined to discourage all confidences about 
 her. 
 
 " Certainly, if you wish," I said, none too 
 graciously, and the subject was dropped for that 
 time. 
 
 It was the first of September that Mr. Ladis- 
 law received a telegram, stating that his brother 
 was dangerously wounded and lying in a camp- 
 hospital near Chattanooga. The despatch had 
 been delayed, and Mr. Ladislaw left at once, 
 fearful that he should not find his brother alive. 
 The day after her husband's departure, Mary 
 was seized with a great desire to follow him, 
 and asked me to go with her. 
 
 " You are strong and fearless, Rachel, and 
 disposed to like danger and adventure. I would 
 also ask Elinor, but her grandfather is ill, and 
 her mother cannot spare her." 
 
 "/will go with you," I cried, eagerly. "I 
 would not miss the opportunity for — for the 
 world, hardly." 
 
A FAIR REBEL. I3I 
 
 " Must you write to your uncle ? " 
 
 " Oh, no ! " I said, recklessly, so excited and 
 charmed with the prospect of the trip, and the 
 thought of approaching the armies, that I would 
 not stop to think of Uncle Charles, and my duty 
 to him as my guardian. 
 
 " I don't believe that we ought to take your 
 servants." 
 
 •' I will send them home." 
 
 " But can you get on without them ^ " 
 
 " Oh, certainly," I replied, with as much 
 promptitude as though I had been in the habit 
 of waiting on myself, whereas I had never really 
 been a day without a servant in my life. 
 
 When I informed old Ned and Milly that I 
 intended to send them home, they were per- 
 fectly aghast. 
 
 " Ain't you comin' too, Miss Rachel ?" cried 
 my old nurse. 
 
 And then I could no longer conceal my de- 
 light, but told them where I expected to go; 
 imagination playing such tricks with my tongue 
 that I wound up by declaring that I intended 
 
132 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 to be in one battle at least, before I returned. 
 They listened in horror, and, when I had fin- 
 ished, burst into lamentations and entreaties to 
 be permitted to remain with me. I firmly re- 
 fused, even when Aunt Milly fell at my feet, and 
 grasped my skirts in her shaking hands, with 
 piteous sobs and cries. 
 
 Tears streamed down my face. 
 
 " Hush ! hush ! or people will think I am 
 beating you," I said, heartily repenting that 
 lurid account of the manifold dangers I expect- 
 ed to encounter. 
 
 Ned grew suddenly calm. 
 
 " Git up from dar, Milly, an' quit pesterin' 
 Miss Rachel. When you gwine to leave us, 
 honey .'' " wiping his eyes on his coat-sleeve. ' 
 
 " To-morrow," I said, giving him an approv- 
 ing smile for his obedience. " I shall leave all 
 my things here, but you and Aunt Milly can 
 take what you please home with you." 
 
 " Yes'm," meekly; then he took Aunt Milly 
 by the arm and led her away into the next 
 room. Presently they both came back, com- 
 
A FAIR REBEL. I33 
 
 posed, almost cheerful, and I could but think 
 on the transitory nature of their emotion. Old 
 Ned made various respectful inquiries about 
 my journey, and received the pass I gave him 
 with an humble expression of gratitude. They 
 were to leave for Decatur about the same time 
 that I did for Chattanooga, and I gave them a 
 liberal supply of money for the trip, knowing 
 that the pass would enable them to go alone. 
 I also entrusted to them long letters to Uncle 
 Charles and my cousins. 
 
 In the afternoon Mrs. Ladislaw asked me to 
 go with her to see Elinor. I consented, with- 
 out much reluctance, feeling so complacent 
 over my good fortune that I was quite pleased 
 to say good-bye to the whole city. I had never 
 been in Elinor's home before, and glanced 
 about with some curiosity when we were shown 
 into the parlor. It was e\'ident that they were 
 people of wealth, as well as taste and refine- 
 ment, simplicity and elegance were so happily 
 combined in the decoration of the room. 
 
 Mrs. Sims came in with her daughter, but 
 
134 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 she looked like a weak and indolent woman, 
 and I turned from her faded prettiness to look 
 at the pictures on the walls. Some of them 
 were portraits, and I could not repress a slight 
 exclamation when my eyes fell on one hanging 
 above the mantel. It was Arnold Lambert. 
 
 "What did you say, Miss Douglas.^" Mrs. 
 Sims inquired, in her languid drawl. 
 
 I blushed scarlet, and, looking at Elinor, saw 
 that her cheeks had reddened also. Her eyes 
 had followed mine to that picture. 
 
 " I should like to take Rachel out to — to the 
 grape-arbor, mother," she said, hastily rising. 
 
 " Certainly, my love; but I think it would 
 be pleasanter to order some grapes brought 
 in." 
 
 Nearly a year had passed since those chance 
 meetings with Captain Lambert; but the sight 
 of his portrait roused such emotion in me that 
 I was glad to follow Elinor silently from the 
 room. We walked about the garden, gathered 
 a few roses, and she told me that they owned 
 a place near Decatur. 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 135 
 
 " The old Montgomery place ? " I asked, 
 quickly. 
 
 " Yes; do you know it ? " 
 
 " It is near my uncle's," I said, understand- 
 ing at last why Arnold Lambert lingered in 
 the deserted garden and around the old house. 
 It was for her sake. 
 
 We returned to the house, and on the back 
 piazza encountered a tall, handsome, feeble- 
 looking old man, walking slowly, half-support- 
 ed by a stout negro. He stopped to speak to 
 us, and I felt my heart go out to him, such be- 
 nignity beamed from his eyes, melted the stern 
 lines of his mouth. A beautiful, fascinating 
 smile overspread his noble face, and I lingered 
 at his side a few minutes, talking with him. 
 It was Judge Lenoir, Elinor's grandfather. 
 
 " He looks as I imagine Goethe must have 
 looked in his old age," I said, when we left 
 him. 
 
 She looked at me in surprise. 
 
 " Do you read Goethe .-' " 
 
 " I have read more about him than of his own 
 
136 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 works. Wilhclin JMeistcr, The Confessions of 
 a Fair Saint and Fanst I have read. M}' 
 uncle has a very good Hbrary, and I have al- 
 ways had free access to it." 
 
 My knowledge of those books seemed to im- 
 press her. 
 
 " You are a remarkable girl, Rachel. I ad- 
 mire your spirit and your gifts. I wish that we 
 could be friends." 
 
 " So do I," I replied, touched again by her 
 frankness, and flattered by her admiration. 
 
 But we had no time for further speech. Mrs. 
 Ladislaw called me, and we left rather hastily, 
 as there were still some arrangements to make 
 for our journey. The next day we left Atlanta 
 on the northbound train for Chattanooga, and 
 the stirrin^ scenes of war. 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 137 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 We did not enter Chattanooga at all, for 
 the Confederates were already preparing to 
 leave the place — finding it necessary to sacri- 
 fice that vantage-ground in order to protect 
 Atlanta. We stopped at a small station near 
 the town, and the first person I saw when I 
 stepped from the train to the platform was — old 
 Ned, dressed in his best clothes, and with a 
 lean, rusty-looking carpet-bag in his hand ! 
 His expression was a mingling of defiance and 
 fright, and the thought crossed my mind that 
 perhaps he was deserting me for the enem\'. 
 Surprise and indignation held me speechless 
 for a moment, and I turned my back on him. 
 Then I heard a soft, insinuating little cough at 
 my elbow, and there he stood, hat in hand, 
 staring humbl}- at the floor. 
 
138 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 "What are you doing here, Ned?" I in- 
 quired in my sternest tone. 
 
 " I couldn't he'p comin', 'deed I couldn't." 
 
 " I see, you thought it a good opportunity to 
 run away. You might have told me that you 
 wanted to go to the Yankees." 
 
 " Now, Miss Rachel, honey, what you want 
 ter talk to me dat way for .-' I ain't no mo' 
 gwine to de Yankees dan you is. I ain't one 
 o' dem dat deserts a post o' duty." 
 
 " You have certainly disobeyed me." 
 
 " So I has; but did you t'ink, honey, dat 
 I'd let you come 'way up here by you'se'f .'' You 
 kin beat me, Miss Rachel, but I ain't gwine to 
 be driv' home, 'tel you go." 
 
 Tears were trickling down his wrinkled face, 
 but he looked very obstinate, for all that. My 
 face relaxed. 
 
 " Forgive him, Rachel," Mrs. Ladislaw whis- 
 pered. 
 
 " Where is Aunt Milly .''" I inquired. 
 
 " She done gone home. Dat 'oman is sich 
 er fool she won't mine a word I say 'dout a 
 
A FAIR REBEL. I39 
 
 beatin'. Is dem t'ings yourn, Miss Rachel ? " 
 he asked in a cheerful tone, and eagerly loaded 
 himself with our wraps and bags. 
 
 In the exciting days following, we were very 
 glad that he had been disobedient enough to 
 follow me, and I often longed for the motherly 
 care of my old nurse. 
 
 We learned that the hospital had been moved 
 the day before to a safe point not far from 
 Chickamauga Creek, and it would be necessary 
 to hire a conveyance to take us across the 
 country to it. It was then Mrs. Ladislaw be- 
 gan to realize the seriousness of her attempt to 
 follow her husband. She turned to me. 
 
 " Shall we go on, Rachel .-* " 
 
 " By all means," I said, firmly. 
 
 The fool may appear brave because he lacks 
 understanding. The true hero is the man who 
 combines courage and discretion. It is the 
 same with a heroine. My courage was the 
 bravery of a fool. 
 
 " We can return to Atlanta to-night," she 
 continued, hesitatingl}'. 
 
I40 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 " And we can go on to the camp to-night," I 
 replied. 
 
 " That is true, and it would be cowardly in 
 us to run away from the prospect of a few hard- 
 ships, when our dear boys are fighting and dy- 
 ing for us. Come, we will carry out our first plan." 
 
 For a hundred dollars in Confederate money, 
 a farmer, living near the station, agreed to drive 
 us over to the hospital. We were dismayed 
 when he brought his team around, for it was a 
 rough cart with some splint chairs placed in it 
 for us to sit on, and a yoke of oxen to draw it. 
 It was already approaching nightfall, and with 
 such a conveyance we would probably be sev- 
 eral hours on the road. 
 
 " De springs air done wore out o'dis wagon, 
 Miss Rachel," Uncle Ned said to me after an 
 examination. 
 
 " There never wus enny at fust," said our 
 driver, with a humorous grin. " Git in, ladies; 
 these creeturs kin travel faster'n you think for. 
 Hi, thar, }'ou nigger ! he'p yer missus inter the 
 waeein." 
 
A FAIR REBEL. I4I 
 
 The roads were in a fearful state, cut into 
 deep ruts, the wagon wheels sinking almost to 
 the hub in the soft, heavy mud. We were 
 bumped and jolted until we were bruised and 
 sore all over, and fell into grim silence. Uncle 
 Ned alone remained cheerful and talkative, en- 
 gaging the driver in a discussion of the condi- 
 tion of the country, and airing his knowledge 
 of the various cities he had visited. The coun- 
 tryman listened to him rather scornfully, evi- 
 dently irritated by the old man's superior 
 knowledge and his contentment in a condition 
 of servitude. He did not speak his mind very 
 plainly, but he said enough for us to understand 
 that he sympathized with the Union. Mary's 
 animation returned, her eyes flashed, her 
 cheeks grew pink. " Do you mean to say that 
 you are willing to have your rights all taken 
 from you .' " 
 
 "They ain't tuk nothin' from me, an' hit 'ud 
 be a plagued sight better tu let the niggers go 
 free th'n ter spill so much good white blood a- 
 fightin' ter keep em in slavery," he said, doggedly. 
 
142 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 She tried to make him understand that we 
 were fighting- for the sake of principle, for the 
 defense of our homes, our liberty. "An' 
 theyer fightin' for principle an' liberty too. 
 Hit's hard tu onderstan' how both sides kin be 
 a-fightin' fer the same thing an' agin one er- 
 nuther. Gee thar, Ab'slum. I'm fer the old 
 flag, mum. Hit's the one what Washington an' 
 all them other Revolutioneries fit an' died fer, 
 an' I reckon hit's better'n enny new un we uns 
 could git up." 
 
 " Perhaps you intend to deliver us over to the 
 enemy .'' " said Mary with fine scorn in her e)-es. 
 
 He turned and looked at her, and stroked the 
 ragged beard on his chin. 
 
 " Law, now, do yer think that o' me ? I 
 don't know ez the Yankees 'ud want sech pris- 
 oners," eying us reflectively. " Wimmin kin 
 use their tongues like ole Haley when they git 
 mad, an' fight an' scratch between the}'selves, 
 but as soldiers or prisoners o' war, I don't think 
 they er o' much o' count." 
 
 We rushed into an ardent defense of women. 
 
A FAIR REBEL. I43 
 
 and drew on history for examples of female 
 courage, but he merely smiled skeptically and 
 stroked his beard. 
 
 Night came on, and I was forcibly reminded 
 of our journey from North Carolina by the 
 rough and hilly country through which we 
 passed. It seemed to me those oxen traveled 
 with incredible slowness, or else we were im- 
 patient to reach the end of our journey. We 
 met several parties of scouting Confederates 
 who politely saluted us, staring curiously at us 
 the while. The stars came out brilliantly in 
 the frosty atmosphere, but we had no moon to 
 light the way. I grew faint with hunger, and 
 Mary opened a small flask of liquor, and made 
 me drink a little of it, but that only turned me 
 giddy and light-headed without appeasing my 
 stomach. 
 
 It had such a peculiar effect on me that I 
 fancied sparks of fire were flashing from my 
 eyes, and I laughed hysterically at everything 
 that was said. 
 
 It was about 9 o'clock in the night that we 
 
144 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 halted at a cross-roads, and the countryman 
 left his team long enough to examine a sign- 
 board. He came back and calmly announced 
 that we were on the wrong road. 
 
 " I missed it at Turner's crossin'," he said. 
 
 " What are we to do, then ? " cried my friend 
 in despair. 
 
 " We uns kin turn back, or go through the 
 settlement road." 
 
 "What shall we decide on, Rachel?" said 
 Mary, in an appealing tone. 
 
 My head still felt empty and light as a feather, 
 and it required an effort to suppress a foolish 
 giggle, as I said: 
 
 " The settlement road, if he knows the way 
 and it is nearer." 
 
 What a journey that was ! I have only a 
 confused recollection of its length and duration, 
 but I know that Mary and I resigned ourselves 
 to the worst that could come before it ended. 
 Uncle Ned crouched in the bottom of the 
 wagon, and clung to our chairs, muttering al- 
 ternate prayers and maledictions. 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 145 
 
 "This is a remarkable experience, Rachel," 
 my friend whispered. 
 
 "I only hope we shall live through it," I replied. 
 
 We turned the brow of a hill, descended it at 
 a rapid pace, and the next we knew, team and 
 wagon were stuck fast in a bog. A new road 
 had been cut around it, but in the darkness our 
 driver missed that. It was pitch-dark in the 
 swamp, and the imaginary dangers of the situa- 
 tion were far more frightful than the real ones. 
 The farmer lighted a torch from some pine he 
 had stowed away in the wagon — I wonder it had 
 not occurred to him to do it before — and we 
 looked shudderingly around on the wild scene. 
 We were evidently near a stream, and the 
 morass was caused by the overflow. Black 
 pools of water with clumps of grass, rank flags 
 and "cat-tails" growing out of them reflected 
 the light glassily, and sweet-gum and poplar 
 trees bent thick interlacing branches overhead. 
 The poor oxen were sunk to their knees in the 
 treacherous black bog, and the wagon was 
 steadily settling. 
 
146 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 The driver and Uncle Ned leaped out, and 
 waded to firmer ground to find brush and de- 
 cayed timber to throw into the bog for us to step 
 on, when we left the wagon. I held the torch, 
 meanwhile, the hot pitch dripping down on my 
 hands, and the sooty smoke turning my face to 
 the dusky tint of an African's. Mary descended 
 to the rude bridge first, and then I followed 
 after, throwing the blazing pine out on dry 
 ground, but scarcely had I touched the ground 
 when a great frog leaped across my foot. I 
 loathe frogs. The mere sight of one turns me 
 faint with terror, and when that creature's 
 shiny head and long legs flashed across my 
 vision, I screamed and ran back through the 
 marsh until I reached the opposite bank, with 
 my shoes and stockings in a pitiable state, and 
 my skirts splashed to the knee. 
 
 The oxen were unyoked and driven out, and 
 after repeated efforts on the part of the men to 
 move the wagon we were about to abandon it, 
 when a squad of soldiers, returning from a for- 
 aging expedition, came to our relief. Never had 
 
A FAIR REBEL. I47 
 
 the sight of a gray uniform been more welcome 
 to me. Our sad plight called forth their sym- 
 pathy, as well as afforded them a good deal of 
 merriment. They jeered at the countryman, 
 even while they pulled his wagon out of the 
 mud, and proposed to see us safely to the hos- 
 pital, an offer he declined. 
 
 "No; I started with 'em, an' I'm agoin' to 
 take 'em tu the end o' thar journey, but I'll be 
 dad-blamed if onnuther woman ever gits me tu 
 haul her ennywhar; no, not for er thousand 
 dollars o' Confederate money." 
 
 The soldiers gallantly escorted us the re- 
 mainder of the way, but we were glad almost 
 to weeping when the white tents of the camp- 
 hospital rose in ghostly array on our vision. 
 Subdued activity reigned. In a remote part of 
 the camp new tents were being stretched, and 
 guards paced slowly and wearily on their beats, 
 while those who had been relieved lay rolled 
 in their blankets on the naked ground, asleep. 
 
 The soldiers who had befriended us carried 
 the news of our arrival through the camp, and 
 
148 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 presently Mr. Ladislaw came out of a tent and 
 swiftly toward us. He looked worn and sad, 
 but never nobler and handsomer than at that 
 moment. His eyes lighted up as they fell on 
 his wife; the lines of his face relaxed. 
 
 "Mary! you here .''" he exclaimed. " I could 
 not believe it when they told me." 
 
 She ran to him. 
 
 " Oh, Henry, how glad I am to be with you 
 again ! " Then she threw her arms about his 
 neck and burst into tears, the first I had ever 
 seen her shed for herself. 
 
A FAIR REBEL. I49 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 That night we ate soldiers' rations, and 
 slept in a soldier's tent, and rose in the morn- 
 ing refreshed and ready for duty, though rather 
 stiff and sore from the experiences of the even- 
 ing before. Edward Ladislaw had received 
 his wound at the battle of Bridgeport, Ala- 
 bama, and there was but slight hope of his re- 
 covery. Mary took her place by his bunk. 
 He was a young fellow, her husband's only 
 brother, and loved by her very tenderly. Her 
 husband opposed our remaining in the hos- 
 pital. 
 
 " It is no place for delicate women," he said, 
 when arguing the matter with us. 
 
 " Delicate women often have stronger nerves 
 than the bravest men, my darling," said Mary. 
 " I know now that it was wrong to ask Rachel 
 to come with me, but " 
 
I 50 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 " Rachel does not repent coming ! " I exclaim- 
 ed. "Nurses are needed, I am sure, and I have 
 witnessed suffering enough in the Atlanta hos- 
 pitals to realize some of the sights we'd have 
 to look on here. If the women of a country 
 cannot fight its battles, they can bind up the 
 wounds of those who do." 
 
 "Good for you, Rachel Douglas!" cried my 
 friend applaudingly, and Mr. Ladislaw permit- 
 ted us to have our way. 
 
 We lodged in a farm-house within a stone's 
 throw of the camp, a mere cabin with a loft. 
 We slept in the loft, climbing up to it on a 
 movable ladder. The bed, stuffed with sweet- 
 smelling straw and grasses, was most comfort- 
 able to us, though its sheets were homespun 
 and scanty. The roof sloped down very low, 
 and great fat spiders spun their webs in the 
 corners and over the surface of the boards. 
 The family numbered four, a man, his wife and 
 two daughters. The girls were, slender, hardy- 
 looking creatures, dipped a great deal of snuff, 
 and went barefooted. They belonged to that 
 
A FAIR REBEL. I5I 
 
 peculiar class of Georgians called " crackers" 
 now, but they were known in those days as 
 " poor wdiite trash." They had no ardent 
 political feelings or patriotism. They had 
 nothing to lose, perhaps nothing to gain by the 
 war, and looked on it with indifference, even 
 when its tumult swept around them. The 
 common love of humanity caused them to 
 minister to the sick and wounded solders, but 
 beyond that they seemed to feel no interest in 
 the issue of the struggle. 
 
 Uncle Ned was secretly very unhappy. Be- 
 tween his fears for me and the discomforts of 
 his own life, he went about with a very gloomy 
 face. He presaged the most grievous mis- 
 fortunes, and implored me to return home, but 
 I had only to remind him that it was through 
 his own disobedience he suffered, to send him 
 from my presence in humble silence. His 
 faithful, dog-like devotion to me never relaxed 
 through all the days of hardship and peril, 
 and some of them were exceedingly dark. 
 I will not linger over those experiences as 
 
152 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 a hospital nurse, nor attempt to describe any 
 of the movements of the two armies. They 
 belong- to history, and the details of every 
 skirmish have been told and retold. It was 
 the beginning of that campaign which was 
 to end in Sherman's march to the sea, though 
 little did we think then that Georgia was to be 
 laid waste by siege and battle from the moun- 
 tains to the Atlantic border. 
 
 Subdued but intense excitement prevailed. 
 The armies were changing their position every 
 day, skirmishing and manoeuvring for ad- 
 vantages, and to the hospital fresh cases were 
 constantly brought. 
 
 The excitement, the misery, were in strange 
 contrast to the tranquil autumn days on which 
 the sun rose and set in unclouded splendor. 
 One could scarcely believe that the smoke 
 hanging over the hills and softening the sun- 
 sets to dull red came from the fusillade of 
 arms, or that the crowded heaps of freshly 
 turned earth in a sedge-field Avere the graves 
 of dead soldiers, borne daily from the camp- 
 
A FAIR REBEL. l"S3 
 
 hospital. Yet death became a famiHar presence 
 to all. The terror and the awe of it vanished. 
 Men jested about it, even when its grisly hand 
 lay on them, and yielded to it as to the loving 
 grasp of a friend, and we women were hardened 
 to tearlessness in its presence. 
 
 In a day or two after Mary and I arrived at 
 the hospital, two maiden ladies — sisters — came 
 from their home, near Cartersville, to join in 
 the work of nursing. They had not a great 
 deal of experience or nerve, but enthusiasm 
 and a heroic desire to sacrifice themselves car- 
 ried them through the most sickening and try- 
 ing scenes. They entered into the work with 
 the holy fervor and zeal of religious devotees; 
 and I know that, simple, plain and middle-aged 
 as they were, they were regarded as saints by 
 the poor fellows under their ministrations. It 
 was not only a glorious duty they performed, 
 but the experience colored their monotonous 
 lives with romance. To be held in such rever- 
 ential esteem and affection suffused existence 
 with light and joy. Their name was Mande- 
 
154 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 ville — Sarah Ann and Jane — and they could 
 trace their ancestry back to remote EngHsh 
 origin. Miss Jane was my favorite, being softer 
 and gentler than her sister, and we had fre- 
 quent walks together through the autumn 
 woods when we wished to escape from the 
 discord of pain and death. I could trace a like- 
 ness between her and my cousin Alicia — a 
 faded likeness, for her dark hair had turned 
 gray, and her tall, slight figure stooped, not 
 from habit, but encroaching age. She was a 
 woman of fine perceptions and sensitive feel- 
 ings. She had an artistic eye for colors, and I 
 have seen her face light up with pleasure over 
 the grouping of autumn leaves. Her life had 
 been passed principally on a plantation, but 
 one visit to the great cities of the North had 
 enlightened her mind as to the possibilities of 
 life beyond the environments of the planter's 
 home. Her allegiance to the Confederacy 
 caused her to speak of that journey with reserve. 
 To her simple mind it appeared disloyal to 
 mention the enemy's country, and a delicate 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 155 
 
 air of self-deprecation marked all she said 
 about it. 
 
 I saw less of Mary during those days than of 
 Miss Jane, for she spent most of the time at the 
 bedside of Edward Ladislaw, using all her wo- 
 man's tenderness and skill in nursing, to save 
 his life. But it was without avail. Her face, 
 worn with watching, saddened as the days 
 passed. 
 
 " I fear that it is only a question of time, 
 Rachel," she said. " But I am glad we came. 
 Henry needs me." 
 
 " It is only a question of time with all of us, 
 and I sometimes wonder whether a fevv^ months 
 or years can make any material difference," I 
 replied, heavy-heartedly, oppressed by the 
 tragical side of life. 
 
 One afternoon she came out to the cabin to 
 me. I leaned over the gate, looking away into 
 the valley withdrawn from the declining light 
 of the sun, and wondering what new develop- 
 ments the morrow would bring forth in the 
 situation of the armies. I was instantly struck 
 
156 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 with a subtle change in my friend's face, and 
 went out to meet her. The touch of my hand 
 on her shoulder unlocked the reservoir of emo- 
 tion. Her lip trembled, tears overflowed her 
 weary eyes. 
 
 "Is he worse, Mary .'' " 
 
 " He is gone, Rachel — gone." 
 
 "Dead!" I exclaimed; then was silent, 
 shocked in spite of myself. 
 
 "Yes. Poor Henry ! he takes it hard." 
 
 Her thought was more for her husband than 
 for the young soldier who had passed beyond 
 her care. 
 
 " What will you do ?" 
 
 "He must be buried here for the present. 
 Henry thinks it best. The country is so torn 
 up it would be wellnigh impossible to take 
 him to Atlanta, now." 
 
 That evening we stood around the new-made 
 grave and saw Edward Ladislaw's body lower- 
 ed into it, clothed in the faded gray uniform he 
 had worn through the service, and wrapped in 
 a militar)' cloak. The light of a pale new 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 15/ 
 
 moon hanging remotely in the western sky, 
 silvered the waving sedge in the field, while all 
 the country beyond lay in mysterious shadow. 
 That spectral radiance touched the uncovered 
 heads of the mourners, the brother and sister 
 and two or three old soldiers who had hobbled 
 out from the camp to pay the last honors to 
 their favorite officer. Miss Sarah Ann Mande- 
 ville read the burial service, or rather repeated 
 it with the book open before her, and then the 
 earth was thrown in again by Uncle Ned, a 
 rough boulder marking the head of the grave. 
 It was not the only burial I attended while 
 there, but it was one of the saddest. 
 
 Miss Jane and I watched with the wounded 
 until midnight that night; then she shared the 
 couch in the cabin loft with me. Daylight was 
 shining through the north end window, a square 
 hole with a wooden shutter, and through the 
 chinks in the walls, when I awoke next morn- 
 ing. A sense of weariness from the vigil of the 
 night still oppressed me, in spite of my youth 
 and good health, and I lay in that listless state 
 
158 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 in which the mind works clearly, but the body 
 is inert, when a deep boom apparently shook 
 the solid earth beneath us, and reverberated in 
 a thousand broken echoes. 
 
 "What is it?" I cried aloud, shaken with 
 sudden terror. 
 
 " The firing of cannon," said my companion 
 in an awe-struck tone. Her delicate withered 
 face blanched. She sat up in bed and listened, 
 and the strings of her muslin nightcap vibrated 
 softly with the fluttering pulse in her lean white 
 throat. Another explosion came, heavier than 
 the first. We got out of bed and crept to the 
 window, and pushed open the shutter. Sun- 
 light streamed across the broken hilly country 
 in slanting golden beams from the east, and 
 rosy clouds hung about the top of Lookout 
 Mountain, or skimmed away across the sky. 
 A flock of buzzards sailed round and round in 
 the upper sky, their broad black wings casting 
 fleeting shadows on the distant landscape. The 
 course of Chickamauga Creek was clearly 
 traced by a line of white mist rising and spread- 
 
A FAIR REBEL. I59 
 
 ing into thin vapor as the sunlight touched it. 
 A ghstening freshness marked the incoming 
 day, and the still air was bitten with the 
 keenness of frost. So fine seemed the beauty 
 and repose of the world in that first glimpse, it 
 was like a new creation; but strange sounds 
 vibrated on our hearing, and presently the 
 awful roar of cannon rent that semblance of 
 peace asunder. 
 
 It was the beginning of the great battle of 
 Chickamauga. 
 
 The recollections of that day are tinged 
 through and through with the lurid hue of 
 blood. Of its experiences I cannot write. 
 Once, overcome with the horror of it all, and 
 longing to get away from the sounds of the 
 guns, I fled to the loft, and buried my head in 
 the bedclotlics. 
 
 " Dat you. Miss Rachel, honey ? " muttered 
 a husky voice. I looked up, and saw old Ned 
 creeping out of a dusty corner, his black face 
 gray with fear, the whites of his eyes rolling 
 like marbles. 
 
l6o ADVENTURES OF 
 
 " What are you doing up here ? " I demanded 
 severely. 
 
 " Honey, I'se dat skeered, it's made me sick 
 at de stummick, an' my knees is weiker dan 
 water." 
 
 " You are a coward, Uncle Ned," I cried 
 scornfully. 
 
 " I'd ruther be a coward dan have my head 
 blowed offn me," he groaned. " Listen at 
 dat ! " clutching at his trembling legs, as the 
 cabin shook from the terrific firing. " Dey er 
 comin' dis way, Miss Rachel; oh ! oh ! may de 
 Lawd save us from destruction ! " 
 
 I pitied but could not reassure him, my own 
 mind was in such a turmoil. Every moment I 
 expected to be engulfed and swept away in the 
 terrible conflict. Smoke darkened the atmos- 
 phere until the sun shone through it like a dull 
 red flame; the fumes of burning powder hung 
 heavy in the air. From that day war assum- 
 ed a new and awful significance to me. It was 
 no longer for the exhibition of chivalry, of 
 romantic deeds of valor, but for the savage 
 
A FAIR REBEL. l6l 
 
 slauc^hter of men, the gratification of unbridled 
 hatred. 
 
 The wounded and dying were brought in by 
 scores. The rebels were winning the victory, 
 and more than one died with fierce, exultant 
 words on his lips, and the light of passion in 
 his eyes, the bloody passion of war. 
 
 In the afternoon Mr. Ladislaw sent Mary and 
 me away from the hospital. " Go, now, and rest. 
 This is no place for you," he said, as new ambu- 
 lances came in, loaded with mangled, writhing 
 humanity. "Perhaps you can return to-night." 
 
 We went away to our refuge, the loft, and 
 tried to talk hopefully, to rouse some sensation 
 of pleasure in the victory of our army, but 
 heavy silence fell upon us. We could think 
 onl\^ of the lives lost. 
 
 I fell asleep sitting by the window, and it 
 was dusk when consciousness returned. A 
 shawl had been folded about my shoulders, and 
 Uncle Ned crouched patiently on the floor near 
 me. A silence that seemed frightful, after such 
 hideous uproar, brooded over the world. 
 
l62 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 "Mary!" I cried, trembling with fear. 
 
 " She done gone back to camp," said old 
 Ned gently. 
 
 " Why is everything so still .'' Are they all 
 dead .-' " I asked. 
 
 " Lawd, honey ! it's to be hoped not, but de 
 fightin' has stopped. I been down cookin' you 
 some supper, Miss Rachel. 'Tain't nuffin' but 
 co'n bread and a slice o' bacon, but it'll be 
 streng'henin'." 
 
 " I couldn't eat," I sighed wearily. 
 
 " Now you try, honey, you try. Starvin' is 
 mighty poor pay." 
 
 He coaxed and urged until I went down and 
 ate a part of his rations. I learned from him 
 that the family, overcome with fear, had hastily 
 gathered together a few of their things, and 
 refugeed toward the farther south. The food 
 refreshed me, and we left the deserted cabin 
 and went down to the hospital. I paused on 
 the outer edge of the camp-ground, daunted by 
 the groans WTung from the wounded soldiers 
 they were still bringing in from the battle-field. 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 163 
 
 The tents had overflowed, and men were lying 
 thickly on the ground. 
 
 " Water! water! " was the imploring cry rising 
 from a thousand parched and fevered throats. 
 Here and there a blue-coat lay side by side with 
 the grey, and I saw two poor fellows, enemies 
 on the battle-field, dividing food and drink with 
 one another. 
 
 An ambulance drove up near me, and stopped. 
 An officer came forward to inspect the wounded 
 men in it. 
 
 " I thought you had orders not to pick up any 
 more Federals.''" he said sharply to the driver. 
 
 " But he didn't seem to be badly wounded." 
 
 " Put him out; he Is nearly dead from loss of 
 blood. We must save our own men first." 
 
 I pressed forward, as the apparently lifeless 
 body of a Federal officer was placed upon the 
 ground. A thrill of recognition went through 
 me like a shock. I fell on my knees at his side, 
 and turned his face to the light, reading in its 
 set and ghastly features the destiny bringing me 
 to that spot. It was to see Arnold Lambert die. 
 
164 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 "Don't leave him here !" I pleaded, when 
 my confused senses permitted me to speak. 
 
 " Madam — Miss, he is dead," said the officer, 
 calmly. 
 
 "He is not dead!" I cried, feeling the faint 
 throb of his heart under my hand. "Oh, it is 
 inhuman not to try to save this life because it 
 belongs to an enemy ! " 
 
 The man hardened, feeling my speech unjust. 
 
 " Do you think we are mean enough to strike 
 an already fallen foe .-'"he demanded hotly. 
 "It is impossible to care for our own wounded 
 as they should be cared for. Shall this man's 
 life be held in preference to theirs ? If you had 
 to make choice between saving a friend or a 
 foe, would you hesitate over it ? Not much." 
 
 I recognized the justness of his argument, 
 even while blindly angry at his callous indif- 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 165 
 
 ference to Arnold's fate. I stared down at the 
 wounded man, sick with grief when I saw blood- 
 stains on his breast and around the jagged 
 edges of a bullet-hole in the shoulder of his 
 coat. Wherever my hand came in contact 
 with his clothing, that hideous moisture clung 
 to it. 
 
 Nobody had time, it seemed, to waste a 
 moment's pity on him. When I looked up 
 Uncle Ned and I were alone with him. The 
 old man seemed to partially comprehend my 
 emotion. 
 
 " I knowed him, honey, de minnit my 
 eyes seed him," he whispered. " He stood by 
 you an' Miss Nell in de mountains; we'll stand 
 by him here." He bent over to examine the 
 prostrate man. " He breathes, Miss Rachel." 
 
 "We must get him to the cabin," I said 
 faintly; " he cannot die here." I felt calm but 
 strained in every nerve. Every fluttering 
 breath he drew caused me to hold mine with 
 fear, lest it should be his last. We tried to 
 lift him, but his weight seemed the weight of 
 
l66 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 death. Miss Jane Mandeville came near to 
 give water to a wounded soldier, and I called 
 softly to her. 
 
 " Come, help me," I entreated. 
 
 She came instantly. 
 
 "What is it.?" 
 
 " A wounded soldier; oh, help us carry him 
 to the house ! " 
 
 '♦A Federal.?" 
 
 " A man, a brother, as much as those over 
 there," with a quick gesture toward a group of 
 Confederates. " Don't parley about the color 
 of his clothes." 
 
 " Do you know him ? " 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 She stooped and peered into my face. 
 
 I gave my eyes to her scrutiny, and I think 
 she understood my secret. Heaven knows I . 
 did not care. I could have proclaimed it to 
 all the world to save his life. Silently she lent 
 her aid, and we carried him to the cabin, and 
 laid him on the bed in the back shed-room. 
 
 She remained with me until Uncle Ned had 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 167 
 
 cut away the clothing from the wounded man's 
 shoulder, and washed the blood from his lac- 
 erated flesh. Then, with the experience gath- 
 ered in the hospital, she pronounced the wound 
 fairly a slight one. 
 
 "Exhaustion and loss of blood have reduced 
 him to this low ebb, Rachel," she said, and I 
 could have embraced her in my joy. I felt life 
 flowing back to my heart, tingling through my 
 veins. My face must have glowed, for a tinge 
 of sympathetic color stole into her withered 
 cheeks, and when I silently pressed her arm 
 she leaned it against me for a moment. No 
 nearer did we ever come to confidences about 
 the matter. 
 
 " Your man will attend to him, and be an 
 excellent nurse, I know. I must go back now 
 to the poor fellows at the camp. Your — your 
 friend may have fever for a few days, but I am 
 sure that he is not fatally wounded." 
 
 She went away, and I sat down near the bed- 
 side. Uncle Ned had found some tallow 
 candles, and he had placed one, lighted, on 
 
l68 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 the table. Its flickering glow fell on Arnold's 
 face, and I watched every slight change pass- 
 ing over it, in breathless suspense. Would he 
 presently wake out of that unconscious state, 
 and recognize me .-* One hand hung helplessly 
 down over the edge of the narrow bed. I 
 raised it gently and laid it on the coverlid, the 
 color running over my face, even though he 
 was ignorant of the touch. 
 
 A tenderness such as I had never felt before 
 pulsed through me. It was protective, ma- 
 ternal, in its depth and intensity; it was a 
 baptism of new life to my soul. And it all 
 came through seeing him l}'ing there pale, 
 helpless, at my mercy. Signs of reviving an- 
 imation appeared in him, his lips moved, 
 and bending above him I heard that cry 
 for — "Water, water," ever on the lips of the 
 wounded. 
 
 I gave him to drink, and he sank back into 
 that deathlike stillness again. For a week he 
 alternated between delirium and stupor, recog- 
 nizing no one. Uncle Ned nursed him with 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 169 
 
 devotion, and I came and went in a fever of 
 unrest, my thoughts bound to the narrow limits 
 of that poor shed, and the struggle for life 
 going on within it. 
 
 Active hostilities between the armies had 
 ceased for a few days. The Federals, defeated 
 at Chickamauga, had retreated again to Chat- 
 tanooga, and our armies were planting their 
 guns on Missionary Ridge and Lookout Moun- 
 tain, exultant and confident of other successes. 
 I heard the news with indifference; loyalty, love 
 of country, swallowed up in love of Arnold 
 Lambert. 
 
 The cabin was not invaded by our soldiers. 
 It was tacitly understood that it was to be left 
 to the nurses, so the presence of the Union 
 officer remained unknown, except to a few. 
 The Ladislaws frankly and strongly disapproved 
 of my charitable conduct toward the stranger, 
 for I did not betray any former acquaintance 
 with him. 
 
 When Mary stepped to the shed-room door, 
 and looked on his face for the first time, she 
 
170 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 started back, her face hardening as I had never 
 seen it harden before. 
 
 " Arnold Lambert, of all men ! He is not 
 worthy of your care, Rachel." 
 
 I was hurt and indignant. 
 
 " I didn't know that you carried your loyalty 
 to such extreme limits," I said, stiffly. 
 
 " You know why I dislike this man." 
 
 " Yes," I said, thinking that it was because 
 he had loved Elinor Sims; " but I don't see why 
 that should be regarded as a crime. A man has 
 the right to do as he pleases in such matters." 
 
 " I differ with you. Duty should " 
 
 " It is not a question of duty," I interrupted, 
 impatiently. 
 
 "You talk flippantly, Rachel. An honest 
 foe I respect; a traitor I despise," and she hastily 
 withdrew, leaving me rather bewildered by her 
 bitter speech. 
 
 It is singular how close the truth can come 
 to us without revealing itself Had I asked 
 one question, shown one doubt that I did not 
 fully understand her, an explanation would 
 
A FAIR REBEL. I/I 
 
 have been made, but I was so sure I did un- 
 derstand, that the opportunity profited noth- 
 ing. Women have less tolerance than men 
 when their prejudices are put to the test. Mary 
 Ladislaw and I held somewhat aloof from each 
 other after that conversation. 
 
 " Rachel has the right to her own opinion, 
 Mary," said her husband, gently. "There are 
 few such ardent rebels as we, or so true to the 
 cause." 
 
 My implied faithlessness was accepted in 
 silence. Miss Jane Mandeville was my true 
 friend during that strange experience, and a 
 more delicate and tactful soul I never met. 
 
 One day I came up from the hospital, and 
 stepped softly across the outer room to the shed. 
 Arnold lay with his face to the wall, and my 
 heart was smitten with fresh pain as I noted 
 the thinness of his cheek and throat. 
 
 "How is he now, Uncle Ned .^ " I asked, in 
 a low tone. 
 
 " Hu-sh, Miss Rachel, he done wake up, an' 
 know ever' t'ing," whispered the old man radi- 
 
1/2 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 antly, as he passed out at the door to bring a 
 fresh bucket of water from the spring. 
 
 The invahd turned his head, and looked at 
 me, but it was no longer a wandering gaze. 
 Glad recognition brightened it, and his wan 
 face was suffused with a tinge of color. 
 
 " Rachel, come here," he said, faintly. 
 
 I went to the bedside, but tenderness, bash- 
 ful tenderness, held me silent. He stretched 
 out his weak hand, clasped my wrist, then my 
 arm, trying to draw me down to him. In the 
 confusion of the moment I couldn't question his 
 right to do it, but knelt on the floor at the bed- 
 side. Quick blushes ran over my face; I gazed 
 at the coverlid rather than at him. " You have 
 been in my thoughts all the time, and when he 
 told me how you saved my life " 
 
 " Who told you ? " I asked. 
 
 "The old negro, your servant. Rachel, 
 Rachel ! it seems too good to be true that you 
 are here with me; that I can speak to you; 
 once more look on your dear, lovely face ! Do 
 you remember the rose ? " 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 1/3 
 
 " You must not talk," I faltered; " it will ex- 
 cite you, bring back the fever." 
 
 " Kiss me, then, and I will be silent." 
 
 I looked into his entreating eyes for a mo- 
 ment. " Yes, I love you with all my heart," 
 he said so earnestly, with such passion running 
 through his weak tones, I could not doubt it. 
 He raised his arm to my neck, and then I leaned 
 forward, and laid my lips, fresh, red, and trem- 
 ulous, on his pale mouth. " Dearest ! " he whis- 
 pered, and tried to press me closer to him, but 
 fell back, a groan of pain wrung from him by 
 his wounded shoulder. " Don't leave me, 
 Rachel," as I rose to my feet again. 
 
 " I must — you need rest." 
 
 " Then come again, come quickly," clinging 
 to my hand. 
 
 " Yes, yes," I said, and hastily left the room 
 as Uncle Ned entered it. I went out into the 
 woods and walked, to avoid all companionship. 
 No romance I had ever read, in prose or verse, 
 had prepared me for the reality. A thousand 
 conflicting thoughts whirled through my mind; 
 
1/4 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 shame and joy alternately possessed me. I had 
 not uttered a tender word to him, yet I had 
 permitted him to look into my heart and see 
 that I loved him. It was not until later that I 
 could think of Elinor Sims, and question my 
 right to his love. He was still pledged to her, 
 I did not doubt, and ignorant of her faithless- 
 ness. 
 
 When I had gone so far in my thoughts, 
 then I went farther, and doubted if he loved 
 me at all. His words were merely an impulse 
 of gratitude. In his weakness the sight of a 
 familiar face had excited him to say more than 
 he meant. 
 
 I did not see him again until the next even- 
 ing, and then it was in the presence of Miss 
 Jane Mandeville. Uncle Ned lay on the floor 
 asleep, and we stepped softly, and talked in 
 whispers, not to wake the poor old fellow. 
 Captain Lambert talked with Miss Jane, but 
 looked at me, and I felt conscience-smitten un- 
 der his keenly reproachful gaze. He was 
 stronger, and declared that he hoped to be 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 1/5 
 
 well in a few days. As we were going away, 
 he called me : 
 
 " Miss Douglas, may I trouble you to tight- 
 en the bandage on my shoulder ? " 
 
 I went back to the bedside, and bent over 
 him. He seized my hand, and pressed it to 
 his cheek and lips. 
 
 "Why have you not been to see me.'' I 
 have expected you, looked for you, every hour 
 of the day." 
 
 " I have been at the hospital. Has Uncle 
 Ned been careless .'' " 
 
 "No, no-; but I wanted you, Rachel." 
 
 " Please let me arrange the bandage," I 
 said, as coolly as I could, but trembling like a 
 leaf, " for Miss Jane is waiting for me." 
 
 " It is all right; but go, if you are so anxious 
 to be rid of me. I know you have the right to 
 neglect me, that I am at your mercy, but yes- 
 terday " 
 
 " We were both hasty," I said falteringly. 
 
 His eyes looked steadily at me, compelled 
 mine to meet them. 
 
176 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 " Do you repent ? " 
 
 I could not say yes; I did not want to say no. 
 
 " Do you repent, Rachel ? " his voice rising, 
 a feverish flush appearing in his thin face. 
 " She tortures me with a coquette's tricks," he 
 muttered to himself with a sigh, and released 
 my hand. 
 
 The unjust suspicion stung me into speech: 
 
 " I do not : how can you think so .-* " 
 
 " Because you are so capricious — tender yes- 
 terday, hard and cold to-day. Am I so much 
 a stranger to you that you feel afraid of me .-' 
 I have had no chance to woo }'ou, dearest, or 
 make you love me. I know it, but it has not 
 been my own fault. I wanted to speak when 
 we were together in that garden, but feared to 
 risk my chances. Think of the uncertainty, 
 the perils of war, of my helplessness, and be 
 frank with me." 
 
 Miss Jane coughed in the outer room, and I 
 heard her walking lightly over the floor. It 
 was to remind me that she was waiting. I 
 stooped lower over the bed; my arm encircled. 
 
A FAIR REBEL. I77 
 
 his head for an instant. " I am taking every- 
 thing into consideration," I whispered. 
 
 " And love me, Rachel ? " 
 
 " I could not help that if I would," I said, 
 and went straight from his presence. 
 
1/8 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 I SOON learned that Captain Lambert was a 
 most determined man when he set his heart on 
 anything. It was difficult for me to avoid see- 
 ing him, though I managed not to do it again 
 for several days, except in the presence of 
 Miss Jane Mandcville. He sent numerous 
 messages to mc, and, when his arm grew 
 strong enough, wrote shaky little scrawls on 
 the leaves of his pocket note-book. I have 
 some of those notes yet. I was going through 
 a serious struggle during those days, and knew 
 that it would be best to settle it away from his 
 influence. Accepting his love involved a fine 
 question of honor. I could not bring myself 
 to mention Elinor Sims to him, or try in any 
 way to find out if he meant to deceive me. His 
 utter silence puzzled and wounded me. I loved 
 him with all my heart; it seemed impossible 
 
A FAIR REBEL. I79 
 
 for me to give him up, but that was what 1 
 finally determined to do, unless he voluntarily 
 explained the circumstances of that former en- 
 gagement. That seemed a very high and noble 
 resolve, and brought a certain exalted satis 
 faction; albeit my heart ached grievously all 
 the time. 
 
 In the midst of my perplexity and silent 
 thinking I did not lose sight of occurrences 
 around me. Uncle Ned's devices for getting 
 proper food for his patient were many and cun- 
 ning. He begged, borrowed, and was often 
 guilty of stealing, I think. I protested and 
 scolded, and went so far as to forbid his prowl- 
 ing through the country after nightfall; but 
 when some stolen delicacy was humbly brought 
 to me as a peace-offering, I could not fling it 
 back in his composed and innocent-looking 
 old face, and, accuse him of being a thief. One 
 night he came in bareheaded, his clothes mud- 
 dy and torn, and his white wool looking as if 
 it had gone through a straightening process, it 
 was standing out so around his black face. 
 
l8o ADVENTURES OF 
 
 Miss Jane Mandeville and I were sitting in the 
 cabin by a fire, and when he attempted to sidle 
 across the room I detected something under 
 his coat. I also noticed that he panted and 
 trembled as though he had been running. 
 
 " Where have you been, Uncle Ned .-' " I in- 
 quired. 
 
 " Oh, jest out a-walkin' for exercise, honey." 
 
 " What have you got hidden under your 
 coat ? " 
 
 " It's my — my hat. Miss Rachel." 
 
 " Let mc see it, please." 
 
 " Now, honey, ain't I always been hones' an' 
 tru'ful .'' What you wanter see my ragged ole 
 hat for ? I done tore it, down in a brier patch. 
 I " 
 
 " Let me sec it." 
 
 He sighed, and looked imploringly at me; 
 then slowly and reluctantly dr^w a young 
 chicken into view. 
 
 " Where did you get that .■' " I demanded, in- 
 stantly. 
 
 " Roos'in' in de swamp. I 'spectit was skeered 
 
A FAIR REBEL. l8l 
 
 off by de fightin' t'oder day. Anyway, it didn't 
 'pear like it would be any harm to ketch it." 
 
 " You took that chicken from somebody's 
 coop." 
 
 " 'Fore de Lawd, I didn't, honey." 
 " And you were discovered and chased." 
 " De soldier was, too," he said, with a sly 
 grin. He held the fowl up between his eyes 
 and the light, and looked reflectively at it. 
 
 " I 'low it'll be a good br'iler, half o' it for 
 Mars Arnold an' half for you an' Miss Jane. 
 Would you like it br'iled for breakfast, honey .•* " 
 in such an insinuating tone that I dismissed 
 him without further words. 
 
 It was the next day that Mary Ladislaw came 
 to me, and said that her husband thought it 
 best for us to return to Atlanta. He expected 
 to remain in the hospital until Edgar Sims, who 
 had been wounded in the battle of Chicka- 
 mauga, had recovered, but he wished us to go 
 at once. The duties of a hospital-nurse had 
 worn fearfully upon her. She was blanched 
 and thin, with dark stains under her eyes, and 
 
l82 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 looked constantly weary. My heart softened 
 as I looked at her. 
 
 "Dear Mary, come up to the loft and lie 
 down. You need rest. Can we not wait a few 
 more days ? " 
 
 She looked at me. 
 
 " Is Captain Lambert's wound healing .'' " she 
 asked, abruptly. 
 
 " Yes," I answered, briefly. 
 
 We went silently up the ladder, and she al- 
 lowed me to tuck her up in bed, then she turned 
 her head, and said: 
 
 " I will ask Henry if we may stay a little 
 longer." 
 
 I kissed her, and went away. When I de- 
 scended to the lower room. Captain Lambert 
 walked from the fireplace to meet me, to m}' 
 astonishment and confusion. He looked tall 
 and gaunt, but his moustache and hair had been 
 freshly trimmed, and he carried himself ever 
 with soldierly erectness and grace. It gave me 
 a slight shock to see him in his blue uniform. 
 I felt alarmed. 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 1 83 
 
 " You arc surprised to see mc out?" he said, 
 smiling, and taking my hand. 
 
 " And glad," I could not help murmuring. 
 
 " I sat up for the first time three da}'s ago. 
 You would not come to mc, Rachel. At last I 
 can come to you. My dearest ! " 
 
 He would have put his arm around me, but I 
 gently repulsed him. 
 
 " You will be made a prisoner, if seen in 
 those clothes," I said, avoiding his eyes. 
 
 " I have no others," he replied, in a changed 
 and gloomy tone. 
 
 I went on to unfold a plan for his escape 
 through the Confederate lines; wondering, 
 meanwhile, what my friends would say if they 
 knew it. He did not express any gratitude 
 for my forethought, but sat down by the fire, 
 and leaned his head on his hand. 
 
 It was a gloomy October da}', the landscape 
 a blur 6f gray mist, and the low clouds fl)'ing 
 before an cast wind. Uncle Ned stirred the fire 
 into a blaze, and laid on fresh sticks of wood; 
 then, feeling vitally interested in the conversa- 
 
184 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 tion he sat down on the floor at the end of the 
 hearth. His presence relieved me of embarrass- 
 ment, as it prevented Captain Lambert from 
 betraying his feehngs in speech. It was mingled 
 torture and delight to me to know what emo- 
 tions must underlie his composed manner. 
 Excitement gave me fluent speech — fictitious 
 brilliancy. I knew he watched me from under 
 his shielding hand, and blushed and paled con- 
 tinually. My plan for his escape was simple 
 enough. Disguised as a Confederate soldier he 
 could go out with Uncle Ned some night on a 
 foraging expedition. 
 
 " And what if I am detected, and it is known 
 that you aided me to escape .■* " he said, rather 
 coldly. 
 
 " I will bear all the blame." 
 
 " It would redound much more to your credit, 
 as a faithful rebel, to hand me over as a prisoner 
 — your prisoner." 
 
 His cold, bitter tone wounded me. 
 
 "I am not capable of such treachery!" I 
 cried, rising. 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 185 
 
 " But you are treacherous to your govern- 
 ment, in delivering me from it." 
 
 "It is not your place to reproach me with 
 that, Captain Lambert," I exclaimed, hotly. 
 •' I am willing to help you escape, but if you 
 prefer imprisonment to freedom, take your 
 choice, by all means: I will leave you to think 
 the matter over." 
 
 "Stay, Rachel — Miss Douglas, stay!" he 
 cried, rising and following me ; his voice 
 trembling with physical weakness, as well as 
 emotion. 
 
 " It 'pears to me like dis fire needs more 
 wood on it," muttered Uncle Ned, and dis- 
 creetly left the room. 
 
 I hesitated. It was not inviting weather for 
 a walk, and I could not make a dignified exit 
 by climbing into the loft again, so I returned 
 to the fire. Arnold came to my side. 
 
 " Rachel, why do you behave so capriciously, 
 strangely, toward me ? You admitted that you 
 loved me, and I have been counting on the 
 time when I should be released from that infer- 
 
l86 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 nal bed and could see you, yet you give me no 
 hope, no kindly greeting, even." 
 
 " You know what stands between us," I said 
 in a low tone, stealing a swift glance at his face 
 to note the effect of my words. It changed, but 
 not guiltily. 
 
 " Is it possible you will let ///c?/ influence you 
 so deeply ? " 
 
 " I cannot help it, as long as you fail to justi- 
 fy yourself or explain the matter." 
 
 "There is no justification or explanation to 
 make. It was simply a question of principle," 
 he said firmly. " I do not repent, though I have 
 suffered, and suffered greatly." 
 
 I did not fully understand him, but with my 
 usual rashness supposed that I knew enough to 
 decide my course. Pride and jealousy blinded 
 my good sense, my judgment. 
 
 " It has nothing to do with our love, Rachel," 
 he said, softly. 
 
 " It has everything to do with it ! " I cried, 
 convinced that he intended to deceive me. 
 " You are not free to love me under the cir- 
 
A FAIR REBEL. I'^J 
 
 cumstances, and I will not accept happiness 
 built on such a foundation." 
 
 He caught my arm, his pale face turning a 
 shade whiter. 
 
 " Do you mean that }'ou refuse to be my wife .'' " 
 
 "I do." 
 
 He turned away and sat down. 
 
 " You have never loved me, then." 
 
 I made no answer, for already I felt blinded 
 and choked with tears. I hastily threw on my 
 cloak and went out into the wet twilight. 
 
 It was left to Uncle Ned to secure a grey uni- 
 form for Captain Lambert, and the next morn- 
 ing he triumphantly displayed a weather-stained 
 suit he had stolen from the camp. I held no 
 more private speech with Captain Lambert for 
 two days, then he sent word to me that he in- 
 tended to try to pass through the lines that 
 night. I spent the day at the hospital, but after 
 dusk went up to the cabin. New guards were 
 on around the camp that night, and Uncle Ned 
 had made the acquaintance of one of them. 
 The weather had cleared, but it was still wet 
 
I88 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 under foot and the crisp air was chilling to 
 those of thin blood. Captain Lambert looked 
 terribly ill-fitted for the perilous journey before 
 him, should he pass the picket-lines, and sick- 
 ening dread oppressed my heart when he came 
 in to bid me good-bye But I could not per- 
 suade him to wait any longer, as, every day, he 
 ran a greater risk of detection. He tried to put 
 on a tone of formality in thanking me, but I 
 stopped him. 
 
 " Don't do that." 
 
 " It is foolish," he said. " It is hard to thank 
 any one in set language for the great gift of life; 
 doubly hard when you love the person who 
 saves you. You like to see me in this garb ? " 
 
 " I do," I said frankly. 
 
 He took my hands. 
 
 " Am I to leave you finally, Rachel } " 
 
 " Unless you can explain the past more satis- 
 factorily." 
 
 " That is impossible. What I did seemed 
 right, and I must abide the consequences to the 
 end. Good-bye." 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 189 
 
 " Oh, be careful of yourself ! " I cried. "It is 
 cruel to think of your facing hardships and perils 
 in your weakened health." 
 
 He made no reply, but went from the room, 
 and I heard him speaking to Uncle Ned. I 
 started forward to call him back, but jealous 
 pride held my tongue silent, and their footsteps 
 died away in the rain-soaked earth. 
 
 The night crept on, the tedious hours lapsing, 
 one by one, into the past. I kept a lonely vigil, 
 for my friends came in only to seek rest. From 
 time to time I fed fuel to the fire, or looked at 
 my watch. It was midnight when Uncle Ned 
 crept cautiously through the yard and into the 
 room. I sprang up and looked at him as he 
 came within range of the firelight, and read suc- 
 cess in his tired face. 
 
 " He passed through .-'" 
 
 " Safeennuff, honey," a satisfied smile running 
 along his wrinkled cheeks. 
 
 " Where is he now ? " 
 
 " On his way to Chattanooga, I 'spect. He didn' 
 look fit to take keer o' hisself, he was so weak." 
 
190 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 " Did he seem cheerful after passing safely 
 through the lines ? " 
 
 The old negro gave me a shrewd, sidelong 
 glance. 
 
 " No, honey; he 'pear like a man full o' sor- 
 row." 
 
 I went silently up to the loft. Mary lay on 
 the bed, and the candle-light on her eyelids 
 roused her. 
 
 " What is it, Rachel .-'" she murmured, look- 
 ing curiously at mc. 
 
 " Can we go to Atlanta to-morrow .-'" 
 
 " Are you ready.'' " 
 
 *' Yes ; I loathe this place." 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 19I 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 History has dealt fully and justly by the 
 great campaign beginning with the battle of 
 Chickamauga. It is one of the most important 
 in the annals of the war, and displays as much 
 strategy as military skill and power. My pen 
 cannot add anything new to the accounts al- 
 ready given. I spent the early part of the 
 winter at home, the peaceful plantation life a 
 strange contrast to the stormy scenes through 
 which I had just passed. Uncle Ned and I 
 were received and rejoiced over as coming out 
 of the jaws of death, and I know the old man 
 entertained the " quarters " with many a lurid 
 story of adventure and danger in which he 
 prominently figured. 
 
 At first my bruised spirit welcomed the 
 security and monotonous tranquillity of the 
 plantation. To lie once more between the 
 smooth lavender-scented linen of my bed, with 
 
193 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 Aunt Milly hovering around me; to dine from 
 the old china, every leaf and bud on it associat- 
 ed with some childish memory; to walk and 
 ride with my cousins, or sit in the parlor at 
 twilight and sing for Uncle Charles, with 
 George Washington and some of my own 
 ancestors looking down from their frames in 
 ghostly silence on me, all these familiar things, 
 repeated day after day, made those weeks in 
 the camp-hospital seem almost like a dream. 
 Not quite, though, for I could never forget 
 Arnold Lambert. Through a cloud of distrust 
 and vain regret I saw him constantly. Now 
 that it was all over I could look back with 
 clearer vision, could realize that some mis- 
 understanding must have existed between us. 
 I couldn't tell wherein I had failed to catch his 
 meaning, but the more I thought over those 
 conversations with him, the stronger became 
 doubts of my judgment in the matter. 
 
 I had full opportunity for brooding during 
 the idle winter days and long evenings. I had 
 no work to occupy my hands or my thoughts. 
 
A FAIR REBEL. I93 
 
 It was not necessary to even wait upon myself, 
 with so many slaves about the place, and Aunt 
 Milly jealously watchful to anticipate my small- 
 est desires. Beyond losing two or three men 
 who had run away to join the Federal army, my 
 uncle had not been troubled about his negroes. 
 They remained peaceable and obedient. 
 
 But the war had at last laid its hand of terror 
 on the household. Cousin Reuben had been 
 home once on a week's furlough, but had re- 
 turned to the front again. His letters were 
 necessarily brief and far between, and the 
 haunting dread written ever on Alicia's face was 
 grievous to witness. She said little, but her 
 patient silence seemed more pathetic than 
 speech. Sometimes, when she took her place 
 behind the coffee-urn at the breakfast-table, her 
 eyes would betray the evidence of secretly shed 
 tears, and sometimes they would shine with the 
 calm exaltation of prayer. 
 
 She but suffered as thousands of other women 
 all over the country. 
 
 It was on the twenty-fourth of November 
 13 
 
194 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 that the battle on Lookout Mountain — since 
 called " the battle among the clouds " — was 
 fought. We first read an account of it in the 
 Litclligencer, one of the Atlanta newspapers, 
 then Alicia received a letter from Cousin Reu- 
 ben from which I quote this passage: — 
 
 "The night was intensely dark. We were 
 stationed on Missionary Ridge, and in full view 
 of the battle-ground, but fog and clouds ob- 
 scured Lookout until after midnight. It was 
 hideous work, fighting in the dark, and I felt 
 doubtful of ever seeing daylight again, but 
 suddenly clouds and mist rolled away and the 
 darkness was illuminated by a lurid blaze of 
 light from the artillery and small arms, and 
 the whole mountain side was like a magnificent 
 panorama. It was a fearful sight, my dear 
 Alicia, but one marvellous to look upon. 
 Every beetling crag and seamy ravine, from 
 the summit of the mountain to its base, seemed 
 to belch forth fire and death. It was like the 
 unveiling of hell before our eyes." 
 
 After this battle was fought Alicia and I 
 
A FAIR REBEL. IQS 
 
 read the Intelligencer every day, she on account 
 of Cousin Reuben, and I to see if, by any 
 chance, Arnold Lambert's name should appear 
 in its columns. But active hostilities ceased 
 for a time, and a sigh of relief and thanksgiv- 
 ing went through the land. In midwinter I 
 was recalled to Atlanta. The Amateurs had 
 come together again, and were rehearsing a 
 new play at the Athenaeum. I traveled with 
 them again, finding diversion but not forgetful- 
 ness in change of scene and the excitement 
 of appearing before a new audience every 
 night. Two vacancies in the company had to 
 be filled. Lieutenant Devreau was at the front 
 with the army, and Elinor Sims could not 
 leave home on account of her grandfather's 
 precarious health. The first of February we 
 were in Atlanta again, and the entire company 
 received an invitation to the wedding of Miss 
 Sims to Lieutenant Devreau. He had only a 
 ten-days' furlough, and as the marriage had 
 been arranged after his arrival in Atlanta, 
 scant preparations had been made for it. 
 
196 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 The news came upon me with a shock, for I 
 had not thought that they would really marry, 
 but after thinking it over, I could not see that 
 it would in any way change my destiny. 
 
 They were married in Wesley Chapel just 
 at dusk one evening, and the bride wore her 
 mother's wedding-gown, a silk softly yellowed 
 by time and covered with lace flounces. 
 
 " That is her brother," I heard one lady be- 
 hind me whisper to another, as a pale young 
 soldier walked up the aisle and stood by 
 Judge Lenoir. 
 
 " What a pity about the other one ! " 
 
 "Oh, they feel it intensely, and are so sensi- 
 tive that they never mention his name." 
 
 The beginning of the ceremony stopped the 
 gossip, and I heard no more. 
 
 The day after the wedding we went to the 
 reception tendered to General John H. Morgan 
 by the citizens of Atlanta, and heard some 
 brilliant rebel speeches. The feeling had be- 
 come general that the Federal forces were 
 aiming to capture Atlanta, if possible, but so 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 197 
 
 far the Confederates were still confident of suc- 
 cess. Later, when the armies were moving 
 gradually southward, fighting over every inch 
 of the ground, the Intelligencer had this to say 
 about the importance of Atlanta: 
 
 " Situated as Atlanta is, it is the only link that 
 binds Georgia with the Southwestern States. 
 * ^ -^ •* With Atlanta in the possession of the 
 enemy, therefore, a powerful blow would be in- 
 flicted upon the Southern cause, for Florida 
 would have to succumb at the same time." 
 
 The year advanced into spring, and the situ- 
 ation grew more and more serious. Troops 
 were organized for local defense, and general 
 preparations were made for the worst. But the 
 newspapers affected to be still perfectly fear- 
 less, and grew sarcastic over the gravity fall- 
 ing like a pall upon the city. I quote from one: 
 
 " On the street, every minute, the ravens are 
 croaking. Do you hear them } There is a knot 
 of themi on the corner, shaking their heads, 
 with long faces and restless eyes. * * ^:- - But 
 
198 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 have no fear of the results, for we keep it con- 
 stantly and confidently before us that General 
 Johnston and his great, invincible satellites are 
 working out the problem of battle and victory 
 on the great chess-board at the front." 
 
 A most curious religious phase developed 
 itself that spring and summer. It seemed the 
 direct result of the suspense and anxiety op- 
 pressing the people. The churches were open 
 daily, and crowded with devout worshipers, 
 some seeking salvation, others invoking the aid 
 of the Almighty in defeating the encroaching 
 enemy. The ordinary pursuits of life were 
 suspended, or lost all their interest and im- 
 portance. A crisis was approaching and, hu- 
 man resources failing, a great cr}' for spiritual 
 help went up from the city daily. The excite- 
 ment spread among all classes, and it was no 
 uncommon thing to hear prayers and the sing- 
 ing of hymns while passing along the streets. 
 
 There was something primitive and touching 
 about it; but, with the battle of Chickamauga 
 
A FAIR REBEL. I99 
 
 still a vivid memory to me, it seemed utterly 
 inconsistent to mix the gospel of Christ with 
 violence and bloodshed; to pray for victory 
 when it involved a life-and-death struggle be- 
 tween men and brothers. I didn't give expres- 
 sion to my thoughts, but when I prayed it was 
 not for the overthrow of the enemy, but for 
 peace. 
 
 One day the Ladislaws invited me to drive 
 with them. We were passing through the out- 
 skirts of the city, where tranquillity reigned, 
 and flower - gardens bloomed with pastoral 
 freshness, when a dull and muffled boom fell 
 upon our ears. We exchanged glances, and for 
 a moment my heart grew faint. 
 
 " What is it, Henry .^ " Mary Ladislaw asked 
 her husband, her lip trembling slightly. 
 
 " Cannon," he said, briefly. 
 
 It \yas the first sound of battle heard in At- 
 lanta. We drove slowly through the streets. 
 People were coming out on their piazzas, stop- 
 ping on the corners to listen. 
 
 " What is the matter, mamma ? " a little child 
 
200 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 cried to his mother. She snatched him up, and 
 went on with blanched face. 
 
 We met a soldier. 
 
 " Do you hear that .'' " he cried to Ladislaw, 
 tightening his sword-belt, his face excited and 
 flushed. " They are bound to come, it seems; 
 but we'll give them such a reception that they 
 will not stay long." 
 
 He walked on with martial tread, lustily 
 singing a strain from " Dixie." 
 
 The next evening, as I came out of a church 
 at dusk, I met two ladies in the vestibule. 
 They were both tall and slight and dressed in 
 black. Their silk mantillas were folded about 
 their bent shoulders, and old-fashioned bon- 
 nets, with peaked fronts, covered their heads 
 and shielded their faces. But I was struck with 
 a certain familiarity of attitude and outline, and 
 was in nowise surprised, when they turned tow- 
 ard me, to discover Miss Sarah Ann Mande- 
 ville and her sister. Miss Jane. Tlie}' looked 
 pale and worn, and had the helpless, bewildered 
 manner of people set adrift in a strange world. 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 201 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 They had a piteous story to tell me of the 
 adventures they had passed througli since we 
 parted at the camp-hospital. Their home had 
 been destroyed by the invading army, and 
 their slaves were all scattered, except three or 
 four old servants who still clung to them. 
 They were on their way to Augusta, where 
 their relatives lived, but had stopped over in 
 Atlanta and joined the relief corps again. 
 
 " We have only our clothes and a few family 
 relics with us," said Miss Sarah Ann. 
 
 " And what money we could secrete," added 
 Miss Jane. 
 
 " Did they rob you ? " I inquired, with a shud- 
 der. 
 
 " The common soldiers, the rabble, confis- 
 cated and destroyed everything they could la)- 
 their hands on." 
 
202 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 "What if they come to Atlanta?" I ex- 
 claimed. 
 
 " It will be laid waste," said Miss Sarah Ann, 
 solemnly, " laid waste." 
 
 " I will not grieve about the property," said 
 Miss Jane; " but when I think of all those nig- 
 gers we have always been kind to, running 
 away as though they were glad to be free, it 
 makes me indignant. What will become of 
 them without a mistress, I don't know." 
 
 " Perhaps they think that they can take care 
 of themselves," I suggested. 
 
 She shook her head incredulously, then 
 glided to the subject of their work among the 
 soldiers. 
 
 Miss Sarah Ann sighed. 
 
 " But it seems so little we can do." 
 
 " And the poor fellows need so much care 
 and attention," said Miss Jane. 
 
 "Jane was quite broken down last winter, 
 and we had to leave the hospital and go home." 
 
 That caused them to wander into reminis- 
 cences of the camp-hospitals, and Miss Jane 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 203 
 
 asked me if I had ever heard anything more of 
 the Federal officer we nursed in the cabin. I was 
 glad the gathering darkness hid my changing 
 countenance from her mild eyes. I hastened 
 to assure her that I had not. Before we sepa- 
 rated I learned where they were stopping, and 
 promised to see them again in a few da)'s. I 
 paused on the street corner, and watched them 
 as they walked slowly away, drawing closely 
 to each other, as though they felt their solitari- 
 ness. 
 
 The days seemed to hurry by us, each one 
 bringing the Federal army a little nearer 
 Atlanta. The city remained quiet. A few 
 frightened people, who cared not which way 
 the struggle ended, so they and their personal 
 property were saved, fled to Canada and other 
 secure refuges. The Intelligencer continued to 
 give the most hopeful accounts of the situation, 
 and to express the utmost confidence in John- 
 ston's ultimate victory. It was the policy of the 
 paper to keep down fear as much as possible. 
 
 The Amateurs disbanded again in June, but 
 
204 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 I did not leave the city. Now, if ever, the 
 services of both men and women were needed 
 in the defense of the country, and I could not 
 allow my friends to be braver, more self-sacri- 
 ficing than I. Mr. Ladislaw joined the troops 
 organized for local defense, and Mary and I 
 visited the hospitals dail}', where the Mande- 
 ville sisters were faithfully at work. 
 
 Returning from St. Phillip's Hospital one 
 evening, I passed Judge Lenoir's place, and, 
 leaving my servants at the gate, I ran in to see 
 Elinor (Mrs. Devreau) a few minutes. Since 
 the disbanding of the Amateurs we had not met 
 very often, and after her marriage I seemed to 
 dislike her less than formerly. Personal pre- 
 judices were lost sight of, too, in sympathy for 
 the Confederate cause. An impulse carried me 
 in to see her that night — an irresistible impulse. 
 Fate I could have called it. The old negro man 
 Avho admitted me seemed singularly confused 
 for a well -trained servant. He shuffled his feet, 
 and stammered when I called for Elinor: 
 
 " Is you come to see Miss Elinor .-* " he asked. 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 205 
 
 "Certainly,"! replied, imperiously, "but if 
 she is engaged " 
 
 " I'll — I'll ax her," he stammered, reluctantly 
 allowing me to enter the hall. 
 
 The parlor was dark, and I turned toward 
 the library. He clutched helplessly at my arm 
 as I passed through the doorway. 
 
 •'Notindar, Miss — honey," he cried; then, 
 seeing that it was too late, threw up his hands 
 with a despairing gesture: " For de Lawd's 
 sake, what is I gwine do now ? " 
 
 "Go call your mistress," I said, out of all 
 patience with his strange behavior. 
 
 " Yes 'm, I is, right now," and he crept down 
 the hall. 
 
 The library was divided from Judge Lenoir's 
 apartment by folding-doors. They were pushed 
 back that evening, and only a heavy poj^ticre 
 hung over the entrance. I heard voices the 
 moment I entered the library. They came 
 from the judge's room. First Elinor's, low and 
 tremulous; then the old man's, excited and 
 harsh: 
 
206 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 "It is not worth while to utter one pleading 
 word for him, Elinor. He has forfeited his own 
 honor, and disgraced us. Sir, why have }"Ou 
 forced yourself into my presence again .'' " 
 
 " To persuade you, if possible, to leave the 
 city," came in firm tones I instantly recognized 
 as Captain Lambert's. The blood raced from 
 heart to cheek, then back again, leaving me 
 white as a ghost. For my life I could not re- 
 sist the temptation to approach that portiere, 
 to lay hold of its thick folds, and draw them 
 sufficiently aside to look into the room. I 
 had no intention of pla)'ing the spy, of dis- 
 covering secrets it was not my right to know. 
 The desire to look once more on Arnold Lam- 
 bert drew me to the spot. 
 
 Judge Lenoir lay on his bed propped up with 
 pillows, his handsome old face flushed with 
 anger, implacable, bitter anger, and Arnold 
 stood at the bedside with Elinor near him, and 
 Mrs. Sims in a chair beyond, weeping hysteri- 
 cally. The old servant was hovering around 
 the door vainl)' trying to attract Elinor's atten- 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 20/ 
 
 tion with frantic gestures. My eyes fastened on 
 the two men. 
 
 " Yes, it is in keeping with your villainy to 
 counsel me to play the coward, now that At- 
 lanta is threatened. What are your plans, may 
 I ask ? " said the judge with a bitter sneer. 
 
 " To send you, my mother and sister to New 
 York," Captain Lambert replied. 
 
 I clung to the portiere to save myself from 
 falling. His mother! his sister! could he be 
 Elinor's brother instead of her lover .'' 
 
 "You will find friends there," he continued. 
 
 " Your friends ! " 
 
 " Yes, and yours, grandfather. Atlanta is 
 lost to the Confederacy. It is only a question 
 of a few weeks before it will be in our hands, 
 and I — I want you away from it, grandfather, in 
 a place of safety." 
 
 " Never ! " he cried in a resonant tone, lifting 
 himself from his pillows. " Begone from my 
 presence, sir, and never let me see }'our face 
 again 1 You are the most contemptible thing in 
 creation, a traitor and renegade! Think of me 
 
208 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 deserting my country in her hour of greatest 
 need ! " 
 
 " My mother and sister, then " 
 
 " Your mother and sister will remain here 
 with me. Go ! You could not remember them 
 when you chose to enter the Federal service. 
 You were willing to mortify them, disgrace 
 them, in the eyes of all loyal Southerners by 
 your conduct." 
 
 " Grandfather ! dear grandfather ! "' pleaded 
 Elinor. 
 
 " Let him hear the truth. He has brought it 
 upon himself. I forbade him this house over a 
 year ago." 
 
 " You know^ why I entered the Federal ser- 
 vice. It was for the sake of the Union." 
 
 " What do I care for the Union .'' There has 
 been no real Union for a quarter of a century. 
 We have a government." 
 
 " But one that must fall." 
 
 " Liar ! must }'ou insult me .'' " 
 
 " Go, Arnold, please go, but don't leave the 
 house," said Elinor. 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 200 
 
 " Yes, yes, my darling," wept his mother, 
 wringing her hands distractedl}-. 
 
 He turned once more to the bed, as though 
 to plead for a kinder farewell, but the old man 
 only waved him off with a fierce gesture, then 
 fell back on the pillows, exhausted, laboring 
 for breath. The two women bent over him, ap- 
 plying such remedies for his relief as they had 
 at hand, and Arnold left the room. 
 
 I sank into a chair, overcome by the scene 
 and the knowledge that I had made such a mis- 
 take. I could see that pride and self-confidence 
 had caused it. I would not allow any one to 
 explain because I felt so sure that I understood 
 the situation. I had condemned Elinor, and 
 heaped suffering on myself and perhaps on him. 
 I heard his steps in the hall, heard him speak to 
 the servant. I sprang up and ran through the 
 room to the door, seized with a frantic fear that 
 he had gone. A light had been placed in the 
 parlor and the old negro stood like a sentinel 
 in the doorway. 
 
 " Where is he .-* " I cried, but he scowled 
 
2rO ADVENTURES OF 
 
 fiercely and held out a menacing arm. I pushed 
 it aside and ran into the parlor. Arnold sat on 
 the lounge, his face buried in his hands. I knelt 
 before him, clasped his head in my arms, and 
 pressed it again.^t my shoulder. 
 
 " Dear Elinor, don't be so grieved. I should 
 not have come. I ought to have known better," 
 he said, with the sound of tears in his low voice. 
 My eyes overflowed. 
 
 " It is not Elinor," I whispered. 
 
 " Rachel ! " he cried, and lifted his head to 
 look into my eyes; then my face, so near his 
 own, was drawn nearer still. The tears on my 
 cheeks met his. 
 
 ****** 
 
 " So," he said sadly, when I had explained 
 my presence in the house, "you are sorry for 
 me, Rachel .''" 
 
 " More than sorry," I said, tenderly, thinking 
 more of comforting him than of the fact that 
 his feelings toward me might have changed. 
 
 " Forgive me; I cannot believe that; I cannot 
 trust in your love, Rachel. At this moment 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 211 
 
 your sympathies are roused, you are soft and 
 tender, but to-morrow " 
 
 "You may trust me uozu,'' I said, blushing-, 
 but firm. 
 
 " Why now, more than any other time .'' 
 Dearest, I am still a soldier in the Federal ser- 
 vice, the same conditions e.xist that " 
 
 " No, no ! let me explain!" I cried, and ris- 
 ing and sitting down at the other end of the 
 lounge, I began the story. Before I had said a 
 dozen words he was at my side, listening 
 eagerly; then his arm clasped my waist, and I 
 finished the recital leaning against him. 
 
 Elinor came hurriedly in, but stopped with a 
 cry of astonishment. I left Arnold to make 
 explanation to her; then I went up and in my 
 new humility said: 
 
 " I don't deserve pardon for wronging you 
 so, but my mean jealousy would not allow me 
 to hear any explanation from you." 
 
 She took me into her arms and kissed me 
 warmly. 
 
 "I am too glad the mystery is cleared up, 
 
212 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 and that you and Arnold are happy, to cherish 
 any resentment, Rachel." 
 
 " How is grandfather ? " Arnold suddenly 
 inquired, a shade of stern remembrance cross- 
 ing his face. 
 
 " He is resting quietly, and mother will be in 
 shortly." 
 
 I dreaded her entrance, but she showed such 
 pathetic surprise and pleasure that I should 
 love Arnold in spite of his faithlessness to 
 country and duty, that I felt sympathy for him 
 rather than embarrassment on my own account. 
 
 "I am proud to love him!" I cried, swept 
 away out of natural womanly reserve by the 
 peculiar conditions surrounding us. What I 
 would have bitterly condemned in another, I 
 freely forgave in him. Such is the power and 
 the injustice of love. 
 
 " My dearest, I wish that I could make you 
 my wife within the hour !" he exclaimed, lifting 
 my hand to his lips. " I must be out of the 
 city again before daylight." 
 
 "If Rachel is willing, why can you not 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 213 
 
 marry ? " said Elinor, eager to do all that she 
 could to promote his happiness. 
 
 The proposition coming so suddenly took my 
 breath away. I knew myself to be of age, and 
 capable of using my own judgment, but to de- 
 cide so serious a matter in a few minutes — ■ — 
 
 " Why, Elinor ! " gasped her mother. 
 
 I met Arnold's pleading eyes, and all hesita- 
 tion vanished. 
 
 " Will you, Rachel .'' " he whispered. " You 
 owe it to me for being so cruel at Chicka- 
 mauga." 
 
 " Wait ! Arnold, wait ! How can such a thing 
 be arranged ? If it's known that you are in the 
 city you will be arrested, perhaps shot as a 
 spy!" exclaimed his mother, roused from her 
 usually weak and languid manner by his peril. 
 
 " We can trust Mr. Elkin," said Elinor, " and 
 no one else need know it for the present, but 
 Rachel has not spoken yet. Don't let my self- 
 ish desire to gratify Arnold's wishes influence 
 you, but if you love him, the sacrifice " 
 
 " Is no sacrifice to me," I interrupted, thrill- 
 
214 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 ing with inexpressible feelings of fear and joy. 
 To be hastily and secretly married had never 
 entered the wildest, most romantic flights of 
 my imagination, but it seemed foolish, under 
 the circumstances, to refuse. I didn't want to 
 refuse, either. 
 
 " Rachel, how I love you for this ! " said Ar- 
 nold, passionately. " Dearest, you shall never 
 repent it — never ! " 
 
 I have only a confused recollection of the 
 next hour. Elinor and Arnold planned the 
 whole affair; then she ordered the carriage and 
 went away to make all the arrangements. As 
 she went out I bethought m}'self of Uncle Ned 
 and Aunt Milly for the first time. I ran out on 
 the piazza, and found them sitting with their 
 backs to the wall, fast asleep. Elinor sent 
 them to the servants' quarters. 
 
 " Is you gwine to stay all night, too, honey ? " 
 said Uncle Ned, awake and alert in an instant. 
 
 " Yes, I have decided to stay," I replied, in 
 a tremulous tone. I longed to have them in 
 to witness my marriage. It seemed a little 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 21 5 
 
 sad and strange that none of my own people 
 could be with me; but I dared not trust them 
 with the secret. 
 
 " Don't you need me, Miss Rachel ? " Aunt 
 Milly asked; " co'se you does." 
 
 " No, I shall do without your services to- 
 night." 
 
 I left Arnold and his mother alone, and went 
 to the room where Elinor had laid out one of 
 her white muslin gowns for me. Mrs. Sims 
 offered to help me dress, but I knew she was 
 longing to be with her son, and declined her 
 services. Alone and unaided I dressed for my 
 own wedding. 
 
2l6 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 It was a simple task. The borrowed gown did 
 not fit me very well, but it was white and soft — an 
 Indian fabric of silken texture, and easily adjust- 
 ed. I braided myhairafresh, and fastened a white 
 rose in it. My face flushed and paled; my eyes 
 burned with excitement. I sat down and tried 
 to compose myself; then walked about the 
 room. At one moment I was tempted to go 
 down and tell Arnold I could not be married 
 until a more fitting time and season; the next, 
 I wondered at my own good fortune in being 
 so nearly his wife. Never bride passed through 
 so many phases of feeling in so short a time 
 before. I thought of Uncle Charles and the 
 girls, of Alicia's wedding, of Elinor's wed- 
 ding, of all the weddings I had ever known 
 anything about, but none of them seemed so 
 strange as mine. The house was silent as the 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 21/ 
 
 grave. I leaned from the open window and 
 looked out on the city. Sentinel lights flashed 
 here and there; the slow, even tread of a sol- 
 dier fell on my ears. I raised my eyes, the sky 
 was overcast with a thin veil of cloud — a vapor 
 —through which the stars gleamed faintly, and 
 the moon shone in a watery ring. 
 
 " It will rain to-morrow," I was conscious 
 of saying aloud. 
 
 All my perceptions were so quickened that 
 the lightest trifles impressed me. I noticed the 
 rustle of the wind through the foliage; and the 
 awakening notes of a mocking-bird, nesting in 
 a tree on the lawn, came to me with piercing 
 sweetness. 
 
 A gentle rap on the room-door startled me. 
 
 " It is I," said Mrs. Sims's voice; and, when I 
 bade her enter, she came in with a bouquet of 
 long-stemmed bride roses. 
 
 " Arnold gathered them in the garden for 
 you." 
 
 I blushed, and stretched out my hand for 
 them. They were wet with dew. 
 
2l8 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 "Shall I — shall I wear them ?" I said, hesi- 
 tatingly. 
 
 " Carry them in your hand," she replied, after 
 a glance at my toilet. 
 
 We stood in embarrassed silence for a mo- 
 ment. 
 
 " This — this marriage seems a strange affair, 
 Miss Douglas." 
 
 " Do you think I ought not to have consent- 
 ed to it ? " 
 
 " Oh, no; you understand )-our feelings best. 
 I only hope it ^^■ill prove a fortunate one." She 
 came closer to me, laid her hands on my 
 shoulders, and kissed me. " Love him well, 
 Rachel." 
 
 I looked at her. Her face seemed strangely 
 old and sad in the candle-light. For the first 
 time I realized that she was Arnold's mother, 
 and soon to be mine. 
 
 " Why has he a different name from }'ours ? " 
 I suddenly asked. 
 
 " He is the child of my first marriage." She 
 turned the rings musingly on her long, deli- 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 219 
 
 cate hands. " I cannot blame him so bitterly 
 for fighting against the South. His father's 
 people live in New York, and he has spent 
 several years with them." 
 
 " What will Judge Lenoir say when he hears 
 of— that I am Captain Lambert's wife ? " 
 
 " He is Colonel Lambert now. Oh! father .''" 
 — catching at the first part of my question, while 
 a spasm of pain crossed her face — "that you 
 were inveigled into it; that no Southern girl, 
 uninfluenced, would marry him. Father is very 
 bitter." She looked sadly about the room un- 
 till her eyes rested on a Bible. " Have you 
 prayed, Rachel .' " 
 
 " Prayed ? no," I said. 
 
 " Then I will leave you until you do. All 
 brides should pray before going to the altar — 
 my daughter." 
 
 She said it very sweetly and solemnly, and 
 glided from the room. I knelt down with 
 Arnold's roses pressed to my breast, but before 
 I had composed my mind to a suitable state 
 for prayer Elinor entered the room. 
 
220 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 " All ready ? " she cried, her eyes sparkling. 
 " Mr. Elkin is waiting, and I hear Arnold call- 
 ing us." 
 
 Fear seized me like a panic. 
 
 " We have been too hasty, Elinor." 
 
 "Would you send him away, coldly promis- 
 ing to marry him at the close of the war, pro- 
 vided he lives through it .'' What difference 
 can a few months or years make .'' Would it 
 not be some satisfaction to know you bore his 
 name, if he fell in battle .'' Oh, Rachel, the 
 chances of life in the war are very uncertain." 
 
 She took my hand and we silently descended 
 the stairs. Arnold met us at the foot, and 
 drawing my arm through his, led me into the 
 parlor. Strength and courage came back to 
 me. I felt suddenly very calm and collected. 
 There were two gentlemen in the room, one 
 white-haired and of priestly aspect, the other 
 a young man, and, I afterward learned, a great 
 friend of Arnold's. 
 
 Elinor closed the doors, drew the curtains 
 more closely over the windows, then we took 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 221 
 
 our places. Mrs. Sims wept gently but quite 
 audibly throughout the ceremony, but no 
 other sound was heard save the voice of the 
 minister. I caught myself listening for the 
 sound of stealthy footsteps in the hall; I notic- 
 ed the ghostly flicker of the candle-light on 
 the portraits decorating the walls. A few 
 words, a few responses, a prayer and blessing, 
 and I was no longer Rachel Douglas but 
 Rachel Lambert. I was embraced and kissed 
 by my new mother and sister, and congratu- 
 lated by the gentlemen. Mr. Elkin made out 
 a marriage certificate, and it was signed and 
 given to me. 
 
 It was approaching midnight, and the gentle- 
 men soon prepared to leave again. Elinor, 
 who seemed positively gay after the conclusion 
 of the ceremony, pressed them to stay a little 
 longer, and with her own hands brought in 
 wine and biscuit for their refreshment. The 
 clocks of the city struck twelve as they went 
 away. My husband and I had scarcely ex- 
 changed a word. We were standing together 
 
222 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 when Elinor returned to the room, but she 
 pushed him gently away. 
 
 " Mother wishes to speak to you, Arnold. I 
 know the time is precious, dear, and that you 
 wish to talk with Rachel. I only want to whis- 
 per one word in her ear, then we'll leave you 
 alone." 
 
 She drew me to a distant part of the room. 
 " Rachel, do you know why I have so eagerly 
 promoted this marriage .-* " 
 
 " To please your brother," I said. 
 
 " And to keep him with us. He loves you 
 desperately. I saw it at once, and you can ex- 
 ert great influence over him. Use it to the ut- 
 most. Command, entreat, weep; refuse to go 
 with him, and assure him that it will break 
 your heart if he leaves you. A man cannot 
 fight against his wife; he must never go back 
 to the Federal service again." 
 
 The temptation she presented stunned me. 
 I stared at Arnold sitting on the opposite side 
 of the room with his mother, noted the 
 strength and firmness of his face, and breathed 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 223 
 
 with relief. I should not be able to move him 
 from any right purpose or deep-seated convic- 
 tion; then he raised his glance, met mine, and 
 smiled with such melting tenderness of lip and 
 eye, that I feared I could do as I wished with 
 him. 
 
 " What if he refuses ? " I whispered, huskily. 
 
 " He will have to leave us within an hour; 
 run all the risk of being captured, imprisoned, 
 or shot as a spy; but he will not go, he must 
 not go, Rachel ! If you love him, you will keep 
 him with you." 
 
 She walked away from me, and she and her 
 mother left the room. I stood palpitating w^ith 
 all the fear and shyness ot a young girl, as my 
 husband crossed the room to me. Could I per- 
 suade him to remain with me ? He drew me to 
 a seat at his side on the lounge; took me into 
 his arms with fond words of endearment. I 
 leaned, cold and trembling, on his breast. 
 
 " It is cruel to have to leave you so quickly," 
 he said. 
 
 " Must you do it .'' " I faltered. 
 
224 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 " Yes, or be in such danger as I could scarcely 
 escape. It was an undertaking of great risk to 
 come, but I don't regret, now that it has brought 
 us together — made you my wife." 
 
 " Tell me the strongest motives leading you 
 to enlist in the Federal service," I said at length. 
 
 "What, would you spend these last precious 
 moments in talking of the war ? " 
 
 " I want to know what prompted you to fight 
 against your own country." 
 
 " Dearest, I am fighting for my country. 
 The Southern States represent only a portion 
 of the United States," and then he gave me a 
 brief but clear and eloquent account of the 
 change in his view of the slavery question when 
 he went North. It was for the preservation of 
 the Union that he took up arms, that he was 
 ready to give his life. 
 
 " I was tempted to go abroad; to live in Paris 
 until the agitation was over, the question set- 
 tled; but that seemed such a cowardl}^ thing to 
 do that I gave up the thought of it. It has not 
 been easy to fight against my brother." 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 225 
 
 " He lay wounded at the same time that you 
 did," I murmured. 
 
 " At Chickamauga } " 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 " Every step toward Atlanta has cost me a 
 pang." 
 
 " Give it up ! " I cried, and threw my arms 
 about him. 
 
 "What shall I do, then.?" 
 
 " Stay with me," faintly. 
 
 He raised my face; looked into my eyes, his 
 own stern and sad. 
 
 " Do you counsel me to do that, Rachel } I 
 would then, indeed, be the traitor my grand- 
 father called me." 
 
 " No, no; I have been tempted, but I will not 
 say another word. Do as you think best, Ar- 
 nold, and I will abide by the decision." 
 
 I started up; he rose also, and caught my 
 hands. 
 
 "Rachel, I cannot leave you in this city. I will 
 send for you, and you must come to me. My rel- 
 atives in New York will gladly shelter you ■" 
 
226 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 " Nay ! " I cried, " be true to the Union, if 
 you wish, but I must also be true to the Con- 
 federacy — the South. I will wait for you in my 
 own country, among my own people." 
 
 " But how can I lift my hand against At- 
 lanta, knowing that my wife is in it ? Rachel, 
 Rachel, what shall I do ?" 
 
 I was silent, for I knew that if I opened my 
 lips to speak I should say, " Stay and protect 
 me ; " I should counsel him against his honor. 
 The temptation to try and hold him at my side 
 had not seemed so strong as at that moment. 
 I sank into a chair, and hid my face in my hands. 
 He caressed my hair. 
 
 " Forgive me, dearest, for distressing you so. 
 I will not fight against Atlanta. I can exchange; 
 go to some other post of duty. Look up ! we 
 have only a few minutes now. We will speak 
 no more of war, but of love. Do you see this 
 badge ? " drawing a ribbon from his pocket, 
 stamped with the colors of the Union. " No 
 matter where I go, if an}'thing happens to me 
 — I mean, if I die away from you — this will 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 22/ 
 
 come with the date of my death marked 
 on it." 
 
 Half an hour later I knelt by the window in 
 that upper room where I had dressed for my 
 marriage, alone. I did not weep, but the pain 
 of death seemed to hold my heart. Once Elinor 
 came in, but went softly out again. The rosy 
 dawn shone over the city before my vigil 
 ended. 
 
228 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 Mary LADlSLAWwas puzzled at the sudden 
 intimacy which sprang up between Judge Le- 
 noir's family and me. I visited at the house 
 almost daily, and when I did not go, Elinor 
 came to see me. It seemed best to keep Ar- 
 nold's visit to the city a profound secret, so my 
 marriage could not be published. Elinor did 
 not reproach me for not keeping her brother, 
 but I knew she suffered bitter disappointment. 
 
 " Grandfather was so proud of him that it 
 was a terrible blow when he entered the Fed- 
 eral service. We were expecting him home 
 daily, when the letter cd^ne announcing the 
 step he had taken," she said once, in a moment 
 of confidence. 
 
 We talked about him a great deal, and but 
 for that and the wedding-ring I wore, I could 
 have fancied that night a dream, so little 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 229 
 
 change had marriage wrought in my Hfe. The 
 wedding-ring had been given by Mrs. Sims, 
 and it was an opal set in small diamonds. She 
 had drawn it hastily from her finger during the 
 ceremony, and then gave it to Arnold. Mary 
 noticed it on my hand one day. 
 
 " A new jewel, Rachel ? " 
 
 "No, no; an old one, and a gift," I said, 
 hastily. 
 
 She turned it over, watching its mysterious 
 fire gleam and pale. 
 
 " Do you know the old superstition about 
 opals ? " 
 
 " Yes; but I am not superstitious." 
 
 " I would not care to wear one, though." 
 
 I have neglected to mention that, four days 
 after his secret entrance and departure from 
 the city, we received a cautiously worded mes- 
 sage from Arnold announcing his safe return 
 to the Federal lines. I carried that slip of 
 paper in my bosom until it fell to pieces. 
 
 The strange experiences I had been passing 
 through caused my thoughts to turn home- 
 
230 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 ward. I felt that I must make known my mar- 
 riage to Uncle Charles and the girls. I should 
 like, especially, I thought, to talk it over with 
 Alicia. I went over to see Elinor one morn- 
 ing, full of plans for the visit, but I found her 
 reading a letter, and looking very much agi- 
 tated. Fear clutched my heart. 
 
 "Is it Arnold.?" I cried. 
 
 "No, it is Royal. He has been wounded, 
 and lies in a cabin near Marietta." 
 
 I took the paper from her hands — a sheet of 
 the coarse, brown-colored note-paper manu- 
 factured by the Confederacy — and read the few 
 lines scrawled upon it. He feared that she 
 would see his name in the list of wounded pub- 
 lished in the Litclligcnccr, and wrote to reas- 
 sure her. His wounds were not dangerous, and 
 the old woman who lived in the cabin took ex- 
 cellent care of him. It was a very cheerful mes- 
 sage, but Elinor refused to believe it a true one. 
 
 " You may be sure, Rachel, that he is far 
 worse off than he will admit. I must go to him 
 at once." 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 23I 
 
 " I think you are unnecessarily alarmed," I 
 ventured to say, remonstratingly. " I am sure 
 Lieutenant Devreau would not deceive you." 
 
 " To spare my feelings he would. You don't 
 realize how great my anxiety is. Then, it 
 seems to me that it is a wife's duty to be at 
 her husband's side when he is ill or suffering." 
 
 " How shall we go ? "—for already I had de- 
 cided to go with her. 
 
 " Why, will you go with me, Rachel ? " 
 
 " Certainly; but I warn you that it will be a 
 rough trip, Elinor. Shall we take a private con- 
 veyance ? " 
 
 " I think that would be safer than the rail- 
 road." 
 
 "What will your mother and grandfather 
 say.''" 
 
 " Mother is easily managed, and grandfather 
 needn't know it until we are gone." 
 
 So for the third time I took an adventurous 
 journey through the country. By paying an 
 extravagant sum of money (Confederate money) 
 we hired a carriage and pair of horses for a 
 
232 ADVENTURf:S OF 
 
 week. Elinor packed the roomy old vehicle 
 with fresh bed-linen, rolls of lint and bandages, 
 wine, jelly, preserved fruits, ever}'thing she 
 fancied would tempt an invalid's appetite, even 
 to a pair of young chickens. 
 
 "Where are we to sit.-" on the outside.'^" I 
 inquired, viewing all these preparations with a 
 touch of amusement. 
 
 " I thought we might ' scrouge ' in," she re- 
 plied. 
 
 At the last moment she ran into the house 
 and brought out a gorgeously colored dress- 
 ing-gown. 
 
 " I intended to give it to grandfather; but 
 I'll take it to Royal." 
 
 My two old servants were to accompany us, 
 and soon after noon we started. Uncle Ned 
 was our coachman, and Aunt Milly sat outside 
 with him. It was a very hot day, in the latter 
 part of June, and the dusty roads were baked 
 in the rays of the sun. We were ferried across 
 the Chattahoochee River by an old farmer, 
 who gave us careful directions as to the short- 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 233 
 
 est and best route to Marietta. He admired 
 our courage; " But the he'plessness o' wimmcn 
 is thar best pertection," he remarked, sagely. 
 Then he asked for the latest news from Atlan- 
 ta, and I gave him a copy of the Intelligencer. 
 
 " I'm kept that busy with the ferry I ain't 
 had no time to git in town this summer." 
 
 " You have a great many passengers } " 
 
 "A sight, a sight o' them. A lot o' fo'ks 
 air refugeein' before the Yankees — some o' 
 them tryin' tu save thar niggers." He chuckled 
 slightly. " I'm mighty glad I ain't got none 
 ter lose. Ain't you afeard tu take yourn up 
 thar } " 
 
 "Oh, no," I hastened to say, while Uncle 
 Ned sniffed scornfully at the bare thought of 
 deserting his mistress, and Aunt Milly stared 
 indignantly. 
 
 " Sometimes fo'ks cross this ferry that I have 
 mighty strong doubts erbout," the old man 
 said, his thoughts taking a new turn. " I rica- 
 lect one man who wanted tu be put ercross, on 
 his way tu Marietty, one night, or ruther one 
 
234 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 mornin', erbout daylight. He wus er fine-look- 
 in' fellow, but had er twang tu his voice not 
 exactly like ourn, an' I misdoubted he wus er 
 spy o' some sort. He kept his hat down 
 mighty fur over his face, an' paid me in gold 
 'ste'd o' Confederate money. I tried mighty 
 hard to trip him up with questions, but he had 
 er cunnin' tongue in his head, an' a mind like 
 lightnin' back o' it. He give er fair an' rea- 
 sonable answer tu ever'thing I said." 
 
 "How long ago was this ? " Elinor careless- 
 ly inquired. 
 
 " Several days — mebby two weeks, mebby 
 less." 
 
 She and I exchanged glances. 
 
 " It must have been Arnold," she ^^'hispered. 
 
 "I think so." 
 
 " Eh ? w^hat did yer say.'' " the old ferr)'man 
 asked, quickly. 
 
 " That your adventures must be very inter- 
 esting," said Elinor, promptly. 
 
 The shadows of approaching evening were 
 lenijthening across the forests and fields as we 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 235 
 
 drew near Marietta. We had traveled slowly, 
 and had been stopped several times on the 
 road by the curious country people, who not 
 only wanted to hear the latest gossip from 
 Atlanta, but also our destination. They were 
 dejected and uneasy. They had lived for 
 weeks within the sound of battle, and expected 
 the Federal armies to be upon them at any 
 time. Their corn-cribs and stock-pens had 
 been rifled by the stragglers belonging to 
 Johnston's army, and if their friends robbed 
 them, what would their foes not do ? An un- 
 acknowledged desire for peace could be de- 
 tected in all they said. 
 
 The sun had gone down behind Kennesaw 
 Mountain. On parched flower and dusty leaf 
 refreshing dew was already falling, and even 
 our jaded horses seemed to be grateful for the 
 change. Above the earth the air still seemed 
 to glow and palpitate with color and heat, and 
 the outlines of Lost Mountain melted into the 
 summer haze. 
 
 " Suppose we throw open the carriage, and 
 
236 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 c^et the benefit of the evening air," I said, as 
 we were driving through a scope of woods. 
 
 " If you think it would be safe." 
 
 "Surely there is no danger now," I replied. 
 " We have been imprisoned in this stuffy thing 
 all the afternoon. I will speak to Uncle Ned." 
 
 Just as I leaned from the carriage window, a 
 squad of men came through the woods. I lik- 
 ed not their looks, and instead of bidding Un- 
 cle Ned halt I urged him in a low tone to drive 
 on as rapidly as possible, but they intercepted 
 us and surrounded the carriage. They were 
 our own men, for here and there a ragged grey 
 uniform lent its dignity to the gaunt, hungry- 
 looking crowd. 
 
 " Why do you stop us, gentlemen ? " I de- 
 manded, as boldly as I could. 
 
 "What have you got in there .^ " said one 
 unkempt fellow in copperas- colored jeans, 
 peering through the carriage window. " Oho ! 
 somethin' to drink ! " his eyes lighting up as 
 they fell on the neck of a wine-bottle sticking 
 out of the hamper at our feet. 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 237 
 
 They relieved us of all the delicacies Elinor 
 had prepared for her husband, even dragging 
 the two terrified and screaming fowls from un- 
 der the seat. Then they stood respectfully 
 back and allowed us to drive on. We were 
 too glad to get safely away to grieve over the 
 robbery, though Elinor did look disgusted, and 
 urged Uncle Ned to drive at a break-neck 
 speed for the remainder of the way. He needed 
 very little urging, for he and Aunt Milly were 
 both scared to speechlessness by the soldiers, 
 or robbers I should say, as they belonged to 
 the rabble element in the army, and not to the 
 soldiery. 
 
 " To think I should have only this old dress- 
 ing-gown for him ! " said Elinor, after a long 
 and gloomy silence. 
 
 I laughed, feeling quite gay over our escape. 
 
 " Be thankful that they didn't take that." 
 
 At dusk we drew up before the cabin, after 
 liaving gone to various other houses along the 
 road to inquire for Mrs. Todd. She came to 
 the door as we entered the gate, and waited, 
 
238 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 with her arms akimbo, until ^ve reached the 
 doorstep, when she harshly demanded to know 
 what we wanted. 
 
 " Is Lieutenant Devrcau here ? " Elinor 
 eagerly inquired. 
 
 " I ain't sed 'e was." 
 
 " I must see him if he is." 
 
 " I ain't sed you could do that, nuther." 
 
 " Woman, let me pass ! I am his \\ife," said 
 Elinor, haughtily. 
 
 "Why didn't }'ou say that at fust.-*" cried 
 the old woman, stepping instantly back. 
 
 "Elinor, Elinor," cried Royal's voice from 
 the inner room. She ran through the house * 
 with a little joyful cry, and I heard her weep- 
 ing and laughing over him, then the soft mur- 
 mur of their voices, after the first greetings 
 were ended. 
 
 " Ain't you comin', tu.-*" Mrs. Todd inquired 
 in a softer tone. 
 
 " Tell me, first, where we can put up our 
 horses." 
 
 "Horses! huh! they'll be tuk afore mornin'. 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 239 
 
 Don't pester 'bout 'cm." She stepped into the 
 yard, and seehig my servants muttered, 
 " More fo'ks ? Let 'em splurge while they kin, 
 they'll not keep thar niggers enny longer th'n 
 thar horses, in these diggin's." She pointed 
 out a small stable across the road. " Thar's 
 whar I kept Joe's filly 'tel hit was stoled. Hit's 
 the unly place I have for stock." 
 
 As we returned to the house I explained 
 how we had been robbed of our provisions, and 
 asked if we could have supper with her. 
 
 She smiled grimly. 
 
 " Hit's mighty pore truck fer sech fine cree- 
 turs as you ter eat." 
 
 " Anything to stay our hunger will do," I 
 said, as we entered the room. 
 
 A pine-knot blazed on the hearth, pouring a 
 flood of rosy light over the bare log walls and 
 sanded floor. The country woman and I took 
 a keen survey of each other. She was a tall, 
 powerful figure, and walked remarkably erect 
 for her age. Her face was brown and wrinkled 
 as a dead leaf, her thin hair almost white. She 
 
240 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 had large bony hands and a mascuhne voice. 
 The hard Hncs of her face relaxed, her stern 
 eyes softened a little as they rested on me. 
 
 "Set down an' make yerself at home," she 
 said, gruffly kind, " an' I'll see what I kin git 
 fer yer supper." 
 
 It was poor and ill-cooked food we had that 
 night, and Elinor grimaced as we sat down at 
 the bare table, but former experiences had pre- 
 pared me to accept our situation with a better 
 grace. Before retiring for the night, Elinor 
 informed me that Royal would be able to travel 
 the next day, and we'd take him to Atlanta. 
 
 " If the horses are not stolen during the 
 night," I thought. 
 
 There was a bed in the outer room and I lay 
 down across it, and watched the fantastic 
 shadows of the firelight playing on the walls 
 and up among the rafters while I thought of 
 Arnold and his possible nearness to me. Uncle 
 Ned and Aunt Milly v/cre lying on the floor 
 asleep, and snoring loudly, and Mrs. Todd sat 
 by the hearth smoking. I finally rose and sat 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 24I 
 
 awhile with lier, and she gave me some account 
 of her life. 
 
 " My ole man died twenty year ago, but I 
 had two sons, two good steddy boys as ever 
 lived, an' I wus happy ennuff 'tel the war 
 broke out." 
 
 " Where are they now .-* " 
 
 " Joe wus killed in the battle o' Bull Run, an' 
 Billy is over thar," nodding her head toward 
 the Confederate camp. " We didn't have noth- 
 in' tu fight fer. We'd no Ian' nor niggers tu 
 defend, but it's on us pore ones the war comes 
 heaviest, a-robbin' us o' all wc have, our fathers 
 an' husbands an' chillun." 
 
 I tried to make her understand that we were 
 fighting for our rights and liberties, that the re- 
 bellion was a noble cause, but she shook her 
 head. 
 
 " Slavery's the cause, an' if you'd all a been 
 willin' tu a give up yer niggers thar wouldn't a 
 been no fightin'. The lives o' the pore is given 
 tu save the property o' the rich." 
 
 She was too bitter to be reasoned with, or at 
 
242 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 least that was my conclusion then, so when she 
 fell into brooding silence again, I rose and 
 walked abroad in the still summer night. Ken- 
 nesaw Mountain loomed up against the sky, a 
 solid black mass lighted here and there with 
 the starlike glow of camp-fires. Darkness 
 veiled all the face of the country, but it seemed 
 instinct with life and motion. Mysterious 
 sounds vibrated tlirough the air; in fancy I could 
 see men at work, silently digging trenches, 
 throwing up breastworks, while others held 
 consultations, tracing the outline of the plans 
 for the next day. The watchful sentinel, the 
 soldier asleep on the ground, the wounded in 
 the camp-hospital, longing for home and the 
 healing touch of gentle hands — all, all lay under 
 that veil of gloom. 
 
 I leaned on the fence, surrendering myself to 
 the thickly crowding fancies, when I chanced 
 to look down the road, and saw a compact mass 
 of what appeared to be moving shadows, on it. 
 At the same instant a hand touched my shoul- 
 der and Mrs. Todd's voice whispered in my ear: 
 
A FAIR REBKL. 243 
 
 " More soldiers comin'. Don't let 'em see 
 you." 
 
 We stepped back behind some stunted crape- 
 myrtles sweet with plumy pink flowers, and 
 waited to see whether it was friend or foe ap- 
 proaching. 
 
244 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 The head of the column drew near, passed 
 by, and with a sigh of relief we recognized the 
 Confederate colors. Such silent marching I 
 never before witnessed. Not a word was spoken, 
 scarcely a footfall sounded on the dusty road. 
 When the last man had vanished in the gloom 
 Mrs. Todd sighed heavily. 
 
 " They'll be fightin' agin ter-morrer." 
 
 " How do you know .'' " I whispered. 
 
 " Kase they er gittin' ready fer it ter-night. 
 Them men air tryin' tu slip up on the Yankees 
 an' be ready fer 'em in the mornin'." 
 
 It was a night of strange wakefulness to me, 
 consideri::g the long drive of the afternoon. 
 Mrs. Todd sat up and smoked, and fed the flame 
 on the hearth with fresh fuel. Once when I 
 woke out of a light, brief sleep, a soldier stood 
 by the fireplace talking in whispers. He went 
 out in a few minutes, tiptoeing elaborately 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 245 
 
 across the loose, creaking planks of the floor. 
 The old woman followed him, and I wondered 
 if he would take our horses. 
 
 Morning came at last, and I got up and went 
 out into the fresh air. It gave me a new sense 
 of life. There is ineffable charm and loveliness 
 about a southern summer morning before the 
 heat of the rising sun steals the dewy coolness 
 of air and earth. My tired eyes were refreshed 
 and gladdened by it that morning, and the 
 morbid fancies of the night all vanished. 
 Scarcely a sound broke the stillness, except 
 the singing of birds and the tinkle of cow-bells. 
 Surely no battle would be fought that day. 
 
 The horses were still safe in the stable, and 
 a certain lightness of heart took possession of 
 me. It was of brief duration, though. As the 
 first beam of the rising sun touched the crest 
 of Kennesaw Mountain, a great puff of white 
 smoke curled up from the sparse foliage cloth- 
 ing it, and the heavy boom of a cannon startled 
 the waking countryside. It was on that day 
 that the battle of Kennesaw was fought. 
 
246 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 I saw Elinor standing in the cabin door and 
 hastened to her. 
 
 " How is Lieutenant Devreau this morning ? " 
 I eagerly inquired. 
 
 " Suffering with fever, but he thinks that by 
 noon he will be able to travel," she said, look- 
 ing sad and uneasy. 
 
 " Oh, I hoped that we could start at once ! " 
 I exclaimed. 
 
 The roll of fife and drum smote clearly upon 
 our hearing, and martial sounds of all kinds 
 denoted preparation for battle. 
 
 " I knowed what they was up tu las' night," 
 said Mrs. Todd grimly, as she called us in to a 
 scanty breakfast. " Git erway frum here soon 
 as you can, if yer don't want bloody sights 
 afore yer eyes." 
 
 Until noon we were unwilling \\'itncsses of 
 the fight. The cannonading from the top of 
 Kennesaw Mountain was perfectly magnificent, 
 but the time had passed when we could admire 
 such fearful scenes. 
 
 " How does it seem to go ? " Royal Devreau 
 
» A FAIR REBEL. 247 
 
 inquired from time to time, excited, longing to 
 be in the fray. 
 
 " I wonder if Arnold is in this battle," Elinor 
 whispered to me. 
 
 I shook my head, unable to speak. The 
 question had troubled me all the morning. 
 The fight drew nearer. Once a shell whistled 
 through the air and fell beyond the house. 
 
 " It is hard to be tied to a bed. I can scarce- 
 ly stand it," grumbled Royal. 
 
 " Thank heaven that you are tied to it!" ex- 
 claimed Elinor, fervently. " I am not glad 
 that you are wounded, but I should die with 
 fear if you were out there." 
 
 "That is because you are a woman, my 
 darling, and cannot understand the feelings of 
 a soldier." 
 
 The din of battle frightened Aunt Milly al- 
 most out of her senses. She followed me like 
 my shadow, wringing her hands and distract- 
 edl}' moaning: 
 
 " De Lawd God save us, for de end o' de 
 worl' is comin' ! Miss Rachel, make Ned sfit 
 
24'S ADVENTURES OF , 
 
 dem bosses out, an' let's leave here 'fore we er 
 busted tu pieces. Lawd ! Lawd ! wbar kin a 
 body hide from dem bullets ? " 
 
 " You is sich a fool, Milly. Now 'f you'd 
 been in as many battles as me an' Miss Rachel — " 
 Uncle Ned began, with the air of a veteran, but 
 she turned on him. 
 
 " Shct your mouf, Ned. I ain't gwine to 
 hear none o' your jaw to-day. I'm skccr'd for 
 Miss Rachel, an' I don't keer if I is a fool." 
 
 " Miss Rachel ! he ! he ! dat a mighty po' 
 tale, Milly," dodging her fiercely outstretched 
 hand. Privately he asked me to let him har- 
 ness the horses. I stepped to the door. The 
 rattle of musketry seemed to be startlingly 
 near us. 
 
 " It's a-comin'," said Mrs. Todd, grimly. 
 " They'll be a-fightin' roun' the house d'fectly." 
 
 She stood in the yard with her hands on her 
 hips. As she ceased speaking a soldier in Fed- 
 eral uniform staggered around the corner of the 
 house. Blood and dust covered his clothes; 
 his face was ghastly pale. He groped blindly 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 249 
 
 for the empty canteen at his side, his parched 
 Hps unclosed to utter one word, " water; " then 
 he fell dead at Mrs. Todd's feet. I fled from 
 the horrible sight. 
 
 " Come ! " I cried to Elinor and her husband. 
 " We must leave here at once ! I shall go mad 
 or die if we stay any longer! " 
 
 Mrs. Todd came in. I begged her to go with 
 us. 
 
 " No, my place is here, as long as Billy is 
 over thar fightin'. S'pos'n he'd come as that 
 poor fellow did jest now.?" She unfolded a 
 coarse, white cloth, and going out again, spread 
 it over the dead man's face. 
 
 Uncle Ned had the carriage before the gate 
 in a few minutes, and we bundled poor Royal 
 into it without much regard for his wounds. 
 But he recognized the necessity for flight, if the 
 Union men were coming. I flung my purse to 
 Mrs. Todd, recklessly munificent in my excite- 
 ment. 
 
 " Drive ! drive ! " I cried to Uncle Ned, as a 
 a body of Federal soldiers appeared at the up- 
 
250 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 per end of the road, and he lashed the horses 
 into a furious gallop. They fired a shot or two 
 at us, and yelled to us to stop, but we continued 
 our flight until the poor horses were in a lather, 
 and Royal fainted from the swaying motion of 
 the carriage. All danger was past, and we 
 traveled the remainder of the way at a more 
 reasonable pace. 
 
 Late that afternoon we rolled into Atlanta 
 again, but the half-day of hot and wearisome 
 travel had thrown Royal Devreau into a high 
 fever. His wounds had reopened, and he talked 
 deliriously. He was borne to bed, and lay 
 there for weeks before he could be pronounced 
 out of danger. Elinor could scarcely leave his 
 bedside, and, knowing how her grandfather 
 would miss her, I devoted m}'self to him. He 
 was able to go out again, and many an hour 
 we spent on the shady piazzas, while I read to 
 him or we talked war-news. A threefold pur- 
 pose I had in winning his regard: to make my- 
 self useful, to spare Elinor, and to reinstate my 
 husband. 
 
A FAIR REBEL. , 25 1 
 
 At first Arnold's name was never mentioned 
 between us, but one day, after considerable 
 confidence had been established, he spoke of 
 his recreant grandson. It was with mingled 
 shame and bitterness. 
 
 " I suppose you have heard of him ? " 
 
 "I have," I replied, "and more than that, 
 Judge Lenoir, I have met him." 
 
 He was astonished. 
 
 I hastened to tell him of that first encounter 
 in the mountains, and the gallant way Arnold 
 rescued us from the outlaws, then the meeting 
 with him at the Montgomery place. There I 
 stopped and looked at him. His face had hard- 
 ened, but I could detect a certain eager interest 
 in his eyes, and went on to tell of Chickamauga. 
 
 "There is more yet," he said, when I again 
 paused. " Go on." 
 
 " I don't know that I dare." 
 
 "What!" he cried, striking his stick on the 
 floor, " has he been guilty of " 
 
 " I am his wife," I said in a low tone, but 
 proud to say it.^ 
 
252 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 He fell back in his chair, and stared speech- 
 lessly at me. Hurriedly I explained the cir- 
 cumstances, and dwelt strongly on my love for 
 him, and the happiness it gave me to bear his 
 name. 
 
 " And," I concluded, laying my hand timidl}- 
 on the arm of his chair, " and so I am really a 
 member of your family." 
 
 " But — but I disowned him," he stammered, 
 evidently in doubt how to take the situation. 
 
 " I suppose you don't care to have my socict)- 
 any longer, then ? " I said, gently and sadly. 
 
 " Good heavens, child ! sit still, and let me 
 have time to think. I cannot, you know, I can- 
 not forgive him for the disgrace he has brought 
 upon us, but you — you are not to blame for his 
 misdeeds. I don't understand how a lo}-al 
 woman could marry a man so disloyal " 
 
 " Love does not consider political principles," 
 I said, boldly. " Arnold is as honest in his con- 
 victions as we are in ours." 
 
 " A woman is always the echo of her hus- 
 band. I am afraid that you will live to repent 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 253 
 
 this marriage. It was a most rash step to take. 
 What pleasure can you hope to derive from 
 it .? " 
 
 " The war cannot last forever," I said, hope- 
 fully. 
 
 I continued my attentions and ministrations 
 to him, and he accepted them as from one of 
 his family. Arnold's name came up often in 
 our talks, but the old man refused to pardon 
 him. 
 
 During this time the most intense excite- 
 ment prevailed in Atlanta, for the Federal 
 armies were drawing nearer and nearer the 
 city, with every intention of capturing it. The 
 sounds of conflict became as familiar as the 
 traffic on the streets. It was singular and pa- 
 thetic that the first shell thrown into Atlanta 
 should kill a little child, but do no other dam- 
 age. It was a great shock to the whole city. 
 The panic-stricken people ran about the streets 
 with pale faces, or stopped in groups to discuss 
 it. We felt, then, that the enemy was indeed 
 upon us, and the wise and prudent made prep- 
 
2^4 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 arations for a siege, building bomb-proofs and 
 storing provisions. Wliat fabulous prices we 
 paid for the simplest articles, and thankful to 
 get them ! — twenty dollars a pound for coffee, 
 and three hundred for a barrel of flour. I paid 
 fifty dollars for a coarse pair of shoes for Uncle 
 Ned, and felt proud of my bargain. 
 
 Two days after the first bomb was thrown 
 into our midst the battle of Atlanta was fought, 
 and the sieere besfan. 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 2^5 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 To give an account of half the incidents 
 and accidents occurring in Atlanta during 
 the siege would fill a volume. Tragedy and 
 Comedy stalked side by side, and there were 
 people who could laugh as well as weep over 
 the situation. Two railroads to the southwest 
 were still open, and trains loaded with refugees 
 rolled out of the city daily. 
 
 I was cut off from all communication with my 
 relatives, as the Federal armies lay between 
 us, and suffered many pangs of anxiety con- 
 cerning their fate. After the first panic of fear 
 was over, Atlantians — those who intended to 
 cling to the city to the end — settled down into 
 comparative calmness again. The streets, de- 
 serted in the first days of the siege, were again 
 peopled; and instead of flying into a bomb- 
 proof every time a shot was fired we learned 
 to dodge the missiles of death, and go on. 
 
256 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 The last entertainment that the Amateurs 
 gave was at a town below Atlanta. The train 
 that we went out on was shelled, and one of 
 the bombs fell into our car. Without an in- 
 stant's hesitation, Henry Ladislaw snatched it 
 up and flung it out through a window, and we 
 heard its dull explosion as we rolled away. 
 That night was the last the Amateurs ever 
 played together. The next day Royal Dev- 
 reau, who had recovered from his wounds, 
 returned to army duty, and we to the painful 
 uncertainties of life in the besieged city again. 
 
 It was impossible to learn anything that was 
 taking place outside of the fortresses of the 
 city, and equally impossible to get a correct 
 statement of the situation from any one inside. 
 A thousand rumors were afloat; a thousand 
 conflicting stories told. If the firing ceased 
 for an hour or two, it was said that the Fed- 
 erals had thrown up the siege, and were in full 
 retreat; or, if the shelling was heavy, that 
 they intended to literally wipe the city out of 
 existence with their big guns. 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 25/ 
 
 The newspapers — and they were numerous, 
 many of them having been driven southward 
 in advance of the Federals — gave the most 
 flattering reports of the situation, daily, as well 
 as many of Hood's officers. It seemed to be 
 the policy of editors and soldiers to keep the 
 people hopeful. 
 
 Every morning I read the journals to Judge 
 Lenoir, and he would grow exultant for a few 
 hours. It enraged him to have to seek pro- 
 tection in the bomb-proof cellar. 
 
 " For all the world like rats in a hole !" he 
 exclaimed. " If I was not so confoundedly 
 old and crippled, I would show them what one 
 man could do ! " 
 
 " What would you do, grandfather .'' " Elinor 
 inquired, cheerfully. 
 
 " I'd blow as many of them into perdition as 
 I could pull the trigger on !" 
 
 ■' I think, father, that we ought to pack up 
 
 our valuables, take the servants, Elinor — and 
 
 Rachel, if she will go with us — and refugee to 
 
 Macon," said Mrs. Sims. 
 17 
 
258 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 " No; we will stay here, Jicre, Lizette, until 
 we are driven out. I don't propose to run 
 away." 
 
 " But if the city surrenders } " 
 
 " It will not surrender. I am not afraid of 
 the result of this siege. The Yankees will be 
 ready to give it up when they find that it will 
 not accomplish anything. Remember, Edgar 
 is here." 
 
 " Do you think I can forget it .-* " she cried, 
 reproachfully. 
 
 " Then don't talk of leaving." 
 
 " And I could not leave Royal," said Elinor, 
 quietly but firmly. 
 
 There was no special tie binding me to the 
 city, except my friends. I had not heard a 
 word from Arnold since those few lines on his 
 departure from Atlanta, and often the suspense 
 seemed intolerable. On the urgent entreaty 
 of his relatives, I went to live with them, 
 though my marriage still remained a secret 
 outside of the home-circle. Edgar Sims felt 
 exceedingly bitter against his brother, but 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 259 
 
 Royal Devreau displayed a more tolerant 
 spirit. They all pitied me, I knew, though 
 Arnold's name was rarely mentioned, except 
 by Elinor. 
 
 The long summer days passed very slowly, 
 in spite of the excitement. As a vent tq my 
 feelings, I took to writing poetry — various 
 pieces appearing in the Intelligencer, and other 
 papers. To quote from Reed's History of At- 
 lanta, recently published: 
 
 " In such stirring times the literary faculty 
 of a people always undergoes a rapid and ab- 
 normal change. When the issues of life and 
 death are in the very air; when every man is 
 stimulated to deeds of heroism and self-sacri- 
 fice, there is a fever in the most sluggish veins, 
 and the dullest man talks and writes in a pict- 
 uresque and graphic style. In the army and 
 out of it, men and women who had never 
 thought of writing for the press rushed into 
 print with letters, stories and poems, so emo- 
 tional, strong and fiery that they cannot be 
 
26o ADVENTURES OF 
 
 read without a thrill of excitement, even at 
 this late day." 
 
 I can testify that authorship was a relief to 
 the intensity of my feelings. We were not 
 without new publications in Atlanta, in the way 
 of books, though they were often printed on 
 the coarse, brown paper used in butcher-shops. 
 I read Les Miserablcs printed on wall-paper. 
 Just as people rushed into print, so they read 
 — many of them who had never cared at all for 
 books. 
 
 **» w *r w w 
 
 The city had grown comparatively quiet, 
 and we crept out of the stifling cellar into the 
 cooler, fresher air of the house above. It was a 
 sultry August evening, and as we had been 
 imprisoned most of the day I proposed to take 
 my servants and walk over to see the Ladis- 
 laws. The two old negroes were very unwill- 
 ing to venture out on the street. They had 
 been in a state of abject terror ever since the 
 beginning of the siege, and spent most of their 
 time in the cellar. 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 261 
 
 I found Mary alone — her husband having 
 gone out into the city to learn latest reports 
 of the situation. She had not lost hope, and 
 talked in the most serenely confident way of 
 our ultimate victory over the Federals. I could 
 not share her opinion, but went away feeling 
 better for the visit. 
 
 As I returned home several fuse-shells were 
 fired, passing across the sky with a lurid trail 
 of light behind them. 
 
 "■ Laivd ! dey're at it agin ! " groaned Uncle 
 Ned, in accents of despair. " Miss Rachel, 
 we'd better be a-gittin' home quickly ez we 
 kin. When dem shells gits ter bustin', 'tain't 
 no tellin' whar dey gwine ter fly an' light." 
 
 I was watching the course of one of those 
 shots from a street corner, when a husky voice 
 addressed me in very good French. I looked 
 around. An old man, in rather shabby citizens' 
 clothes, stood at my side. He leaned on a 
 stick, a long, white beard flowed down over 
 his breast, and long, white hair fell from under 
 his hat-brim to the collar of his coat. He was 
 
262 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 tall, but stooped slightly, and his eyes seemed 
 to pierce me with their intense gaze. My 
 knowledge of French was limited to the read- 
 ing of very simple books, 
 
 " Will you not speak English ? " I said, in 
 some confusion. 
 
 " May I trouble Madame to tell me the way 
 to the Trout House .'' " he said, with a bow. 
 
 The Trout House was the principal hotel in 
 Atlanta at that time. I told him as clearly as 
 I could how to reach it. 
 
 " I have just arrived in the city," he con- 
 tinued. 
 
 " You have selected a most ill-omened time 
 for your visit," I said, dryly. 
 
 " It is dangerous, isn't it .'' " 
 
 " Very," I said. " If }'ou don't care to spend 
 most of the time in a cellar or dugout, I would 
 advise you to take the first train from the city." 
 
 He stroked his beard with a sinewy, youth- 
 ful-looking hand, and I heard him sigh. 
 
 " Have you been greatly troubled, ma- 
 dame .'' " 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 263 
 
 " Every Atlantian is more or less troubled," 
 I said. " The situation is one of constant peril, 
 but you will discover that before the night is 
 over. Remember to turn at the next corner, 
 and you will easily find your way to the hotel." 
 
 He bowed, murmured his thanks, and I 
 continued my walk. Curiosity impelled me to 
 look back when some distance awa\'. The old 
 man still stood at the corner, leaning on his 
 stick. 
 
 When I reached Judge Lenoir's gate. Uncle 
 Ned pointed out a solitary figure across the 
 street. The stranger had followed us. A thrill 
 of fear ran through me. The times were so 
 fraught with agitation; so many strange and 
 lawless deeds were perpetrated in the city, that 
 the old man's movements seemed very suspi- 
 cious. I sent Uncle Ned and Aunt Milly away 
 to bed, but I sat down on the piazza, behind a 
 screen of vines to watch and wait a few min- 
 utes. If robbers threatened the household, 
 they should meet with a warm reception. 
 
 I saw the stranger slowly cross the street 
 
264 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 and open the gate. He closed it softly; then 
 stepped out on the grass, to avoid the hard, 
 paved walk leading up to the steps. My heart 
 gave frantic leaps of terror. I stood up, cling- 
 ing to the vine-wreathed column. It seemed a 
 foolish courting of danger to remain there alone, 
 but I was incapable of flight. 
 
 The stranger mounted the steps lightly and 
 quickl}', dropping his cane on the grass below. 
 Courage came back to me. He started, slightly, 
 as I met him. 
 
 " Sir, what do you want here at this unseem- 
 ly hour ? " I demanded, sternly. 
 
 " You," was the unexpected reply. Then he 
 seized my shoulder, my waist, in a strong, 
 gentle grasp. " Rachel, darling — darling ! " 
 
 The scream on my lips changed to a sob; for 
 a moment, I think joy bereft me of conscious- 
 ness as I recognized my husband. 
 
 * * * -jf * 
 
 " And so 3'ou didn't recognize me when I 
 spoke to you on the street ? " Arnold said, 
 when we sat down on the bench behind the 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 265 
 
 vines. His disguise had been thrown aside 
 for a short time. 
 
 " Could I have talked with you so calmly if 
 I had ? " 
 
 " I could hardly resist snatching you into 
 my arms, when you so sweetly and coolly an- 
 swered my questions. It was a good test to 
 my disguise. If you didn't recognize me, there 
 is no danger of detection." 
 
 I drew his head down and kissed him, pass- 
 ing my hand caressingly over his hair. I still 
 felt half dazed. 
 
 "Is it real — is it real, or only a blessed 
 dream .'' " I whispered. 
 
 " My dearest, have you suffered so .'' " 
 
 " The suspense was terrible ! If I could have 
 heard occasionally from you ! " 
 
 " You shall go with me this time, Rachel; I 
 have written to my relatives in New York, and 
 they will be glad to receive you." 
 
 " I don't want safety while you and my friends 
 are in danger. It is useless to ask me to leave 
 Atlanta, Arnold, while your family remain." 
 
266 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 He pleaded and argued. I saw how his heart 
 was set on it, and it hurt me cruelly to distress 
 him, or to refuse to yield to his wishes, but my 
 whole being revolted against such an arrange- 
 ment. 
 
 " Don't be angry with me, Arnold, but it is 
 as impossible for me to leave the South, At- 
 lanta, at this time, as it is for you to become a 
 rebel," I said, piteously; tears streaming down 
 my face. 
 
 He instantly took me into his arms again. 
 
 " Dearest, forgive me. It is only my great 
 anxiety about you that causes me to seem so 
 cruelly persistent." 
 
 " Why did you not exchange as you thought 
 you would .'' " 
 
 " Because it involved such a separation from 
 you, Rachel. As long as I remained in this 
 part of the country there would be at least the 
 hope of seeing you. I would try to exchange 
 to-morrow if you were out of Atlanta." 
 
 The front door was pulled softly open, and 
 Elinor appeared in dressing-gown and slippers. 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 267 
 
 " Rachel ! Rachel ! " she called in a subdued 
 tone. " I thought I heard her voice," she con- 
 tinued to herself. 
 
 "Come out, Elinor," I said. "We have a 
 visitor." 
 
 Arnold stepped out from behind the vines, 
 and she ran into his arms. 
 
 We took him into the house, stealing through 
 it like thieves, for fear of disturbing Edgar and 
 the judge. Elinor flew to wake her mother. 
 
 The visit from him could not be one of un- 
 alloyed delight. Elinor and his mother en- 
 treated him with tears to remain in the city, 
 and it wrung my heart to see how deeply it dis- 
 tressed him to refuse. 
 
 He remained with us until just before daylight. 
 
 " When can you come again, Arnold ? " his 
 mother inquired, bursting into tears when he 
 rose to take leave. 
 
 " I don't know, mother ! " he replied sadly, 
 bending to kiss her. 
 
 I followed him to the piazza. 
 
 " I think it will be best for me not to come 
 
268 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 again," he said to me when we were alone. 
 " It is more sorrow than joy to see me. Poor 
 mother ! Be a good daughter to her, Rachel ! " 
 
 I clung to him; my heart riven with the an- 
 guish of parting. 
 
 " Come, do come again ! " I pleaded. "To 
 me it is life to be with you; death to be sepa- 
 rated from you." 
 
 I will not linger over those last moments. 
 Through blinding, bitter tears I watched him 
 go down the walk, and away along the deserted 
 street, once more transformed into an old man 
 leanino- on a staff. 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 269 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 Changes were rapidly approaching. It was 
 about the middle of August that we had the 
 most terrific day of all the siege. It was the 
 day of the artillery duel. We breakfasted in 
 the dining-room that morning for the first time 
 in several days. The Ladislaws had been invited 
 over to join us, and Edgar and Royal were at 
 home. 
 
 The grape-arbor, partly destroyed by an ex- 
 ploding shell, still had vines enough clinging 
 to it to yield grapes for the feast, and a bowl of 
 roses bloomed in the centre of the table. 
 
 We made quite merry over the meal, for to 
 be always sad seemed unnatural and impossible. 
 Arnold's secret visit had lightened my heart 
 wonderfully, and when Mr. Ladislaw asked me 
 to go into the parlor and sing for them, I readily 
 complied. He sat down at the piano, and played 
 a gay and graceful prelude. 
 
270 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 " What shall I sing ? " I asked. 
 
 Before he could reply the booming sound of 
 Federal guns saluted us, and a shell passed over 
 the house. I turned white, but he played on 
 undisturbed, and finally said: 
 
 *' Sing a verse or two of ' The Canteen,' then 
 I want to hear that pretty and sentimental 
 ' Would I Were with Thee.' He struck into a 
 lively accompaniment, and I sang: 
 
 " There are bonds of all sorts, in this world of ours; 
 Fetters of friendship, and ties of flowers, 
 
 And true-lover's knots, I ween; 
 The girl and the boy are bound by a kiss, 
 But there's never a bond, old friend, like this — 
 
 We have drunk from the same canteen. 
 
 " We have shared our blankets and tents together. 
 And have marched and fought in all kinds of weather. 
 
 And hungry and full we have been; 
 Had days of battle, and days of rest. 
 But this memory I cling to and love the best — 
 
 We have drunk from the same canteen." 
 
 He joined in when it came to the last verse, 
 his bold, rich voice filling the house with 
 melody, and the negroes crowded in the hall. 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 2/1 
 
 delighted to hear the sound of music once more. 
 For an hour we hovered about the piano, try- 
 ing our old music, but the batteries inside as 
 well as outside of the city had opened fire, and 
 war held supremacy again. Mary spent the 
 day with us; indeed, it would have been danger- 
 ous for her to go out on the street; for over 
 the city, so calm in the dawning day, blazed 
 and roared a thousand shots. We sat in the 
 dark cellar with the terrified servants huddled 
 about us, thinking of those exposed to the piti- 
 less firing, silently praying, even while we tried 
 to cheerfully talk. Would the lagging hours 
 never pass ? Would that hideous uproar din on 
 our aching ears forever ? 
 
 The day passed its noon. Once, in a brief 
 lull, Elinor and I crept up-stairs and gathered 
 together all the food we could find, to take 
 back to our retreat. The atmosphere was 
 thick with smoke and the fumes of powder; the 
 sunlight had the lurid glow of fire. 
 
 Elinor clung to my arm with white face and 
 terrified eyes as a shell struck the stable at 
 
2/2 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 the back of the garden, and scattered it in 
 fragments on the ground. She seized a plat- 
 ter of bread and fled back to our underground 
 retreat. I started to follow her with a tray, on 
 vv'hich I had flung meat, pickles and the fruit 
 left from our gay morning repast, when the 
 hall-door was thrown open, and Miss Jane 
 Mandeville entered, her bonnet awry, her man- 
 tilla trailing over one shoulder. 
 
 " Feel of me, Rachel ! see if I have all my 
 limbs! " she cried, when I ran out into the hall. 
 
 " Why, what is the matter. Miss Jane .'' " I 
 exclaimed, seizing the gentle, trembling crea- 
 ture in my arms. Her face was blackened with 
 powder-smoke, and the tears, trickling down 
 her cheeks and over her nose, left queer lines 
 and smirches. It was not a time to laugh. My 
 own eyes smarted with sympathetic moisture, 
 and a hysterical choking filled my throat; but 
 for all that, a convulsion of mirth passed over 
 me. 
 
 "I — I feel singed; I don't know but I feel 
 bhnvn 2ip ! " she said, with a piteous sob, ren- 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 2/3 
 
 dering the condition of her face more gro- 
 tesque still by trying to wipe away the tears 
 • with a corner of her mantilla. 
 
 " How did it happen ? I am sure that you 
 are uninjured, except for some holes scorched 
 in your dress," I said, loosening her bonnet- 
 strings and smoothing her disheveled hair. 
 
 " I had just crept up-stairs, and put on my 
 bonnet, for Sarah Ann went to the hospital 
 this morning, and I promised to be with her 
 by noon, when, the first thing I knew— well, I 
 didn't seem to know anything very clearly un- 
 til I was on the street, running. My room was 
 torn to fragments; half the house was shat- 
 tered. " 
 
 "Rachel, why don't you come down.?" 
 shouted the judge, impatiently; "don't you 
 know that you are in danger '>. We can do 
 without food, if that is what you are trying to 
 get." 
 
 I led Miss Jane down into the cellar, where 
 she was greeted with exclamations and many 
 expressions of sympathy. She had had a very 
 
2/4 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 narrow escape, and the shock had left her 
 weak and nervous. She refused to join us in 
 our scanty repast, but recHned on a bench, 
 sighing hysterically, and occasionally describ- 
 ing some particularly vivid sensation of pain or 
 terror seizing her as she ran wildly through the 
 streets. 
 
 We were none of us very anxious for food. 
 Our table was an upturned box, and we were 
 surrounded by trunks, pictures, and a miscel- 
 laneous collection of furniture. ]\Iany things 
 had been removed from the upper part of the 
 house, and stored in the cellar for safe-keep- 
 ing, in case shells should destroy the building. 
 The afternoon passed very much as the morn- 
 ing had. Judge Lenoir walked up and down 
 the narrow space left vacant between the win- 
 dow and the stairway, and we huddled togeth- 
 er, or reclined on bales of goods, while the 
 very foundations of the world seemed to shake 
 and totter. 
 
 " I think they've turned hell loose on us," 
 the judge said once, as a more than usually 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 275 
 
 deafening explosion took place. The house 
 trembled and rocked; bricks fell from the cel- 
 lar wall, and the stifling fumes of burning pow- 
 der made us gasp for breath. The negroes 
 burst into loud lamentations, calling on God 
 to save them; and Mrs. Sims clung to Elinor. 
 
 I dashed up the steps and found the left wing 
 of the house in ruins. It gave me the strangest 
 sensation to see the murky daylight shining 
 through the shattered walls of the dining-room. 
 I shuddered as I thought what a short time had 
 elapsed since Elinor and I stood in the room. 
 
 The poor, terrified negroes fell prostrate to 
 the floor when I gave an account of what had 
 happened, and it required Mary Ladislaw as 
 well as Elinor to soothe and reassure Mrs. Sims. 
 Miss Jane was still absorbed in her own ex- 
 citing experiences, and heard the news quite 
 calmly. 
 
 " I am sure our fragments will be scattered 
 all over the city before night," she said, in a 
 resigned tone. " There'll not be a whole body 
 left amonerst us." 
 
276 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 The judge insisted on going up and seeing 
 the extent of the damage; and I accompanied 
 him. Broken china and furniture lay scattei-ed 
 about, and we picked up se\'eral pieces of the 
 silver from the debris. But it was too danger- 
 ous to linger around the wreck. Shot and shell 
 whistled through the air in almost every direc- 
 tion, and we beat a hasty retreat. 
 
 At last nightfall put an end to the work of 
 destruction, and we could venture forth into 
 the open air again. Mrs. Sims sat down and 
 cried over the wreck of her household goods, 
 the rare old china, the porcelain jars, and all 
 the dainty wares collected through generations 
 of wealthy householders, and cherished for the 
 sake of associations as well as commercial 
 value. 
 
 Miss Sarah Ann Mandeville came in soon 
 after the firing ceased, and it was pathetic as 
 well as a little comical to see the sisters em- 
 brace and weep over each other. 
 
 "When I found the house had been destroy- 
 ed, I searched among the ruins for }^our body; 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 2/7 
 
 then I feared that your mangled remahis had 
 been blown entirely away," said Miss Sarah 
 Ann, mournfully. 
 
 " I ought to have gone to the hospital, but I 
 was that frightened, Sarah Ann, I didn't have 
 any sense, and when I got here they would not 
 let me leave again," said Miss Jane, contritely. 
 "I knew you would be anxious, would natural- 
 ly expect to find me in a fragmentary con- 
 dition." 
 
 "It was to save you that sad experience, 
 Madame, that we insisted on keeping your sis- 
 ter with us," said the judge. " She had one 
 miraculous escape, but we could not hope for 
 two in one day. I hope you will make this 
 your home until you have time to develop new 
 plans. It is not much of a home now," waving 
 his hand toward the wrecked portion of the 
 building, " but such as it is we'll gladly share 
 it with you." 
 
 They were profuse in their expressions of 
 gratitude, and accepted the hospitality so 
 frankly offered. 
 
2/8 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 It was said that very little was accomplished 
 by that day's cannonading, that only a lot of 
 ammunition was wasted, but, not counting the 
 destruction of property in the city, and the loss 
 of other lives, for many citizens, men, women, 
 and children were killed and wounded, one 
 noble, gallant Southerner, who could ill be 
 spared, was sacrificed — Henry Ladislaw. He 
 went from us that morning with a song on his 
 lips; he came back borne on a stretcher, pallid 
 and with the shadow of death already falling 
 upon him. 
 
 I will pass over the dismay and grief of such 
 a coming. We stole noiselessly about, talking 
 in awe-struck whispers, each with some ten- 
 der reminiscence to tell of the brave and gifted 
 leader of the Amateurs. He alone seemed to 
 have naught to regret. 
 
 " It is a glorious death to die, Mary," he 
 said in faint tones, smiling when his wife bent 
 speechlessly over him. He gathered her 
 hands against his wounded breast. "I die for 
 my country." 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 279 
 
 " But to leave me alone ! How shall I re- 
 main here without you, Henry? Oh, my heart's 
 love, my heart's love ! take me with you ! " 
 
 Across his face came a spasm of pain. As 
 she sank to her knees by the bed, and buried 
 her face in the pillows, he raised one hand and 
 laid it caressingly on her head. 
 
 " Your loyalty is indeed put to the test, 
 Mary. 'Tis my sole regret in dying that I 
 must leave you." 
 
 It was the first and last outburst of her grief 
 that she permitted to disturb him. A soldier's 
 wife must be heroic if she can stand at his side 
 through the perils of war, and then see him die 
 without a plaint. Mary Ladislaw's heroism and 
 unselfishness never shone in such a beauti- 
 ful light as they did during the watches of 
 that night. 
 
 None of the household slept except the ser- 
 vants. About twelve o'clock Ladislaw called me. 
 
 " Sing for me, Rachel," he said, smiling. " I 
 should like to hear some of the old favorites 
 once more." 
 
2So ADVENTURES OF 
 
 I sat down at the piano in the next room 
 and softly played and sang the war ballads we 
 had been wont to enliven the Amateur pro- 
 grammes with, while my tears fell thick and 
 fast on the ivory keys, and my voice grew 
 tremulous. It was a strange hour for music, 
 and it echoed weirdly through the silent house. 
 Once or twice the wounded man tried to join 
 in some particularly inspiring strain, but his 
 voice rose scarcely above a whisper, and he 
 sank back exhausted. 
 
 It was a long time before I could touch the 
 piano again without so vividly recalling that 
 night and its sorrowful experiences, that it was 
 pain instead of pleasure to me to play or sing. 
 Later in the night his mind wandered. He 
 talked of the Amateurs, planned new pro- 
 grammes, hummed new melodies he intended 
 to use. 
 
 " But perhaps I ought to be on the field. 
 Mary, can I do more good, fighting, than earn- 
 ing money for the soldiers ? I want to do m}' 
 whole duty, to go where I shall be of the greatest 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 2S1 
 
 service. A letter from Edward. He sets my 
 doubts at rest. It is true, all men are not 
 gifted alike. He says that I am using mine in 
 the noblest way. Hark! what was that .'' the 
 roll of drums ? Another victory has been won. 
 Let me sing it aloud." 
 
 He seemed to live over again all the trying 
 experiences of the war. Once he spoke regret- 
 fully of so lavishly giving all his own property. 
 
 " But Mary said, ' Do it.' How will she live 
 if I am taken .'' " 
 
 " Have no fear," she whispered soothingly. 
 
 He started, the sound of her voice bringing 
 him back to himself. 
 
 " Are you here with me, Mary ? Sweet, I am 
 glad for your sake that the hour has not yet 
 come." 
 
 " What hour, my beloved .'' " she said, with a 
 sob. 
 
 " The hour of separation." 
 
 Toward morning he fell into a trance-like 
 state, and we saw that the hour was quickly 
 coming. Just before daylight he suddenly 
 
282 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 roused as from a dream, his eyes opening 
 widely, brilliantly. He held out his arms to his 
 wife. 
 
 " Lift me up, Mary. I want to see the light. 
 It is the new day, Mary, the new day dawning 
 for the South — our beloved South. It will be a 
 long time before you can see it. The darkness 
 will thicken — clouds and storm will obscure the 
 first gleams of light, but beyond it all lies 
 peace, prosperity, the clear shining of the sun. 
 Strange, strange that it does not come as we 
 would have it ! Oiirs — is — a — lost — cmise ! " 
 
 He spoke clearly at first, looking toward the 
 eastern window where all was still darkness to 
 our eyes, but on the last words his voice failed. 
 He turned and gazed on his wife's face; his 
 hand groped for hers. When his head sank 
 against her shoulder we laid him gently down 
 again, and as we did so his eyelids closed; rigid 
 repose sealed his lips forever. 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 28^ 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 The influence of Henry Ladislaw's death was 
 felt far beyond the limits of our small circle, 
 but the times were too full of dread suspense, 
 of intense excitement and change, for a friend 
 to sorrow long outwardly for a friend. Too 
 many were passing through the dark valley, to 
 linger by one bier. To-day a fallen hero was 
 wept over, to-morrow, perchance another. It 
 is reserved for only a few to be mourned by a 
 whole nation. 
 
 Ladislaw filled a place peculiarly his own. 
 No other in the Confederacy, I think, could 
 have kept an amateur troupe of players together 
 so long, or raised so much money, but his work 
 in that direction had ended before death set 
 him free from all earthly service. 
 
 Mary had relatives living in Savannah, and 
 after her husband's death they sent for her. 
 
284 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 Life had lost all hope or interest for her. Grief 
 had not stunned, but made her indifferent, 
 alike to her own fate, and to the fate of the 
 Confederacy. Ladislaw's last prophetic words 
 had made a deep impression on her. 
 
 " But success or failure will have little effect 
 on me now," she said once to me. 
 
 I could not utter any of those platitudes and 
 set conventional phrases we always seem to 
 hold in reserve for our afflicted friends. Her 
 calm tone carried such conviction of the truth 
 that I could only acquiesce. 
 
 She went away, and in a few days other im- 
 pressions began to crowd her sorrowful image 
 into the background. We were cut off from 
 all communication with the outer world about 
 this time, and fears for personal safety seized 
 the imprisoned people. As long as a way of 
 escape from the city was open, no such panic 
 was felt. The suspense did not last long. The 
 battle of Jonesboro' was a decisive one. It 
 settled the fate of Atlanta. For that reason I 
 have cause to remember it, as well as for a more 
 
A FAIR RF.REL. 285 
 
 important one. I will attempt no account of 
 this battle. The day it was fought was an 
 anxious one for Atlantians. The general be- 
 lief was that we were winning the victory, but 
 no certain or reliable information could be 
 gained that day or the next, though it became 
 known in an indefinite way that the rebels had 
 suffered defeat. The day after the battle was 
 one of greater anxiety, even, than the one on 
 which it was fought. We heard nothing from 
 either Edgar or Royal, and Elinor and her 
 mother were both deeply troubled. Subdued 
 but unusual activity reigned in the military 
 quarters of the city. What it meant we could 
 not tell. 
 
 "Surely they don't intend to give Atlanta 
 up .'' " I said once to the judge. 
 
 "Tut, tut, child! of course not!" he testily 
 replied, but he paced about the hall and piazzas 
 all day, and I could see that he shared the 
 general feeling of uneasiness. Night again fell 
 without bringing either of the young men. 
 Elinor and I sat on the piazza long after the 
 
286 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 other members of the household had retired. 
 It was a great relief to be freed from the dan- 
 gers of flying shot and shell from Federal bat- 
 teries, and strange, after weeks of siege, but 
 whether greater dangers threatened we could 
 not say. 
 
 Stifling clouds of dust hung in the sultry air, 
 raised by the constant passing of wagons along 
 the streets. Elinor and I talked a little in low 
 tones, but for the greater part of the time kept 
 silence. Deep, inexpressible sadness weighed 
 upon us for the changes which had taken place, 
 and for those yet to come. We had fallen into 
 very sisterly intercourse. She and the judge 
 were my favorites in the household. To neither 
 Mrs. Sims nor Edgar could I feel very closely 
 drawn. " The dangers of the battle-field can- 
 not be more cruel than the suspense of those 
 who stay at home," she said to me after one oi 
 those long silences. "At this moment, Royal 
 or Edgar, or both, may be dead or wounded, 
 and yet we must sit here and patiently await 
 the tardy coming of news." 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 28/ 
 
 " But it ivill come," I said, with a sigh. 
 " Your fate is not so hard as mine, for if Arnold 
 has been killed I have no way of finding it out." 
 
 " Oh, don't speak of it ! " she exclaimed with 
 a shudder. " I cannot bear any more, Rachel." 
 
 An ammunition wagon lumbered by the 
 gate. 
 
 "Can they indeed be leaving us.''" said 
 Elinor, grasping my arm. We stared at each 
 other through the gloom, helplessness, deadly 
 fear expressed in that gaze. To be deserted 
 by our army, given over into the hands of the 
 enemy ! It seemed a terrible fate. One hope 
 sent the blood flying back to my cheeks. 
 " Arnold will save us," I said. 
 
 A long line of army wagons rolled along the 
 street. The judge came from his room through 
 the parlor, and leaned from the front window. 
 
 " What is it going on out there .''" he asked. 
 
 " The city is being evacuated," said Elinor. 
 
 " Impossible ! " he cried, and came out to the 
 piazza. "Ha! a man is entering the gate. 
 Perhaps he can tell us what this means." 
 
288 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 " It is Royal ! " Elinor screamed, starting up, 
 and in another moment was in her husband's 
 arms. He looked dusty and haggard, but had 
 no time to spare to take food or rest. He gave 
 a hurried account of some of the disasters of the 
 battle, and acknowledged that the army was in 
 full retreat. By morning the city would be in 
 possession of the Federals if they chose to 
 come and take it. 
 
 The news stunned us, but I felt buoyed up 
 by the secret hope that when the Federal army 
 came I should see Arnold. 
 
 The judge walked the piazza, his head sunk 
 on his breast, silenced and crushed by the evil 
 tidings. 
 
 " Sir, I hope that you will leave the city at 
 once," said Devreau. "I cannot remain with 
 Elinor, and it is very trying to think of leaving 
 her here." 
 
 " / will protect her. No man can molest the 
 women of my household as long as I live ! " 
 exclaimed the judge, fiercely, smiting his 
 breast with a feeble, tremulous hand. We knew 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 289 
 
 that the spirit was strong and brave, but what 
 could an old man do ? 
 
 "And your grandson will, of course, extend 
 his protection. I had forgotten him," said 
 Royal, brightening visibly. It was a most un- 
 fortunate speech. " I would be garroted rather 
 than accept a favor from him ! " said the old 
 man in a rage. " Don't insult me by the men- 
 tion of his name ! " 
 
 No one made any reply, but three pairs of 
 young eyes exchanged s}'mpathetic glances, 
 and I knew Royal felt satisfied that Elinor and 
 I would profit by Arnold's presence, should he 
 come into the city. 
 
 He had to join his command in a short time. 
 It was painful to see him go again. Elinor 
 broke down and sobbed passionately at the 
 last moment. He turned and waved a fare- 
 well from the street before disappearing in the 
 file of soldiers marching by. Edgar had sent 
 messages by his brother-in-law. He was safe 
 and well, but could not get away to come to 
 the house. 
 
290 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 The night wore on, but we couldn't think of 
 sleeping. The city continued in a turmoil of 
 moving troops, wagons and artillery, until the 
 middle of the night, when quietness settled 
 down over the deserted streets. It was not 
 destined to last long. I had gone to my room, 
 and was sitting by the window, when a series 
 of the most terrific explosions shook the house 
 from roof to basement. The windows shatter- 
 ed, splintered glass falling indoors and out, 
 pictures dropped from the walls, and a chim- 
 ney in the injured portion of the house fell 
 with a crash. 
 
 We fled, panic-stricken, into the street. If 
 it were the guns of an advancing enemy, bet- 
 ter to meet them than to be buried in the ruins 
 of the house. My old servants clung about 
 me, shivering and shaking with terror. 
 
 '• Don't wait to git nuffin' mo' on, Miss Ra- 
 chel," exclaimed Uncle Ned — for I was bare- 
 headed, and clothed only in the lightest of 
 summer garments. " I know de day o' jcdg- 
 ment's come, an' you ain't gwine to hab no use 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 29I 
 
 fer bunnits an' sech truck in glory. Come 'long, 
 honey, come 'long." 
 
 " But if the judgment has come, we may as 
 well remain here," I said. 
 
 The most lurid description I could write 
 would convey but a slight idea of the remain- 
 ing hours of that night, and how they were 
 passed by the people of Atlanta. At first we 
 were firmly convinced that the Federal guns 
 were turned against the wretched city, and 
 that scarcely a stick or stone of it would be 
 left by morning. People who had been asleep 
 ran out of their houses and along the streets, 
 huddling on such garments as they were able 
 to pick up in their flight. 
 
 " The Yankees are coming ! " 
 
 " Which way ? " 
 
 " Are they fighting again } " 
 
 " Lord ! Lord ! when and where will it all 
 end ? " 
 
 Such were some of the exclamations and in- 
 quiries I heard. 
 
 " They must be blowing up the foundations 
 
292 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 of the universe ! " said one citizen, passing us 
 barefooted, and with an old gown wrapped 
 about his person. 
 
 The fears of the people were somewhat calm- 
 ed when it was learned that the Confederates 
 were destroying car-loads of ammunition and 
 blowing up engine boilers, and that it was not 
 the guns of an invading enemy. But the awful 
 uproar — and I cannot find language strong 
 enough and vivid enough to describe it — kept 
 thousands of people on the streets until morn- 
 ing. Many houses had been so injured during 
 the siege that it was dangerous to venture into 
 them while such shocks were coming every 
 moment, and shaking the very earth beneath 
 our feet. 
 
 I could not help thinking of the destruction 
 of Pompeii, and if streams of red-hot lava had 
 flowed through the streets of Atlanta that night 
 I should not have been in the least surprised. 
 Wc went out on a hill, not far away from the 
 house — -an isolated pine grove left in the midst 
 of the city, and spent the remainder of the night 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 293 
 
 there. Uncle Ned and Aunt Milly passed the 
 time alternately praying, weeping, or entreat- 
 ing me to prepare myself to go to glory. 
 
 " Dis yeth ain't gwine ter stan' much mo' 
 sech ca'yin' on. Don't yer feel it shakin', honey ? 
 It's gwine to bust all ter flinders putty soon," 
 said Uncle Ned. 
 
 " An' ef it does, whar'll we be ? " sobbed Aunt 
 Milly. 
 
 " None but er foolish 'oman 'ud ax dat ques- 
 tion," replied her husband, with a contempt her 
 temper would not submit to. 
 
 "Well, it'll send you a-fl}'in' down'ards, ef 
 you don't look out!" she exclaimed. 
 
 " Ef it does I mighty feered you'll be a-kitin' 
 'longside o' me." 
 
 " Huh ! I'll not be 'sociatin' wid no sech nig- 
 ger as you when I gits to glory ! " 
 
 As a quarrel seemed imminent, I hurriedly 
 ordered them to be silent, and they fell to pray- 
 ing again as fervently as ever. 
 
 The work of destruction ended about dawn, 
 and the citizens crept back to their shattered 
 
294 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 houses, groping through clouds of thick, sul- 
 phurous smoke, spent with the night's watching. 
 But new anxieties and dangers had to be met. 
 All protection had been withdrawn from us — 
 all law and order. Robbery and deeds of vio- 
 lence of all kinds could be perpetrated, if men 
 were so minded, but beyond plundering stores 
 and dwellings deserted by their owners, the 
 mobs collecting on the streets were rather quiet. 
 I will not describe the hours of suspense the 
 defenseless Atlantians had to live through be- 
 fore the invading army took possession of the 
 city. I looked forward to the coming of the 
 Federals with mingled joy and dread. The 
 possibility of seeing Arnold again before the 
 close of the day compensated me for everything. 
 I could not sleep, though I felt the necessity of 
 refreshing m}'sclf with some rest after the ex- 
 citing, wakeful night. I had not given much 
 thought to my personal appearance for a long 
 time. Graver, more important matters than 
 the preservation of my beauty had occupied my 
 mind, but when, about noon that day, Aunt 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 295 
 
 Milly burst into my room to tell me that Union 
 soldiers were marching through the streets, I 
 sprang up, and the first thing I did was to run 
 to the glass, and look at myself. My face was 
 pale and haggard; dark lines were drawn under 
 my eyes. I turned dissatisfiedly away, but, in 
 watching the Federal troops marching by, I 
 soon forgot myself again. 
 
 I stared at every blue-coated officer from be- 
 hind the jalousies, with anxious, eager eyes, 
 searching for my beloved, but he did not appear. 
 All the afternoon I watched and waited; then I 
 said he would come at night, but it also passed 
 without bringing him. Thus two days went 
 by. The morning of the third, the following 
 notice was served on the citizens: 
 
 ' Headquarters Post of Atlanta, ) 
 "Atlanta, Ga., Sept. 5, 1864. j 
 
 "General Orders, ) 
 "No. 3- \ 
 
 "All families now living in Atlanta, the male rep- 
 resentatives of which are in the service of the Confed- 
 erate States, or who have gone South, will leave the 
 
296 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 city within five days. They will be passed through the 
 lines, and will go South. 
 
 " All citizens from the North, not connected with the 
 army, and who have not authority from Major-General 
 Sherman or Major-General Thomas to remain in the 
 city, will leave within the time above mentioned. If 
 found within the city after that date they will be im- 
 prisoned. 
 
 " All male residents of this city, who do not register 
 their names with the city Provost-Marshal within five 
 days and receive authority to remain here, will be im- 
 prisoned. 
 
 "Wm. Cogswell, 
 "Colonel Commanding Post." 
 
 Our conquerors had been far more lenient 
 than we had expected, but Judge Lenoir read 
 this notice, and ordered us to pack our trunks 
 and be ready to leave by noon. 
 
 " To-morrow — can we not wait until to-mor- 
 row ? " I pleaded. " The notice gives five days." 
 
 He looked at me, a certain pity blending with 
 the stern disapproval in his e}'es. 
 
 " Further waiting will do no good, if it is 
 your wretched husband }'ou wish to see. I 
 should have left the day the Yankees came in, 
 had I not desired to give him an opportu- 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 297 
 
 nity to claim you. He has had ample time, 
 Rachel." 
 
 " Perhaps he was wounded at Jonesboro', or 
 his duties have detained him," I said, in a chok- 
 ing tone. 
 
 " He might have sent you some message. 
 False to his country, false to his wife." 
 
 " I will not believe that, sir. You are unjust, 
 cruel. He would come; I know he would come, 
 if he could." 
 
 " If you wish to remain in Atlanta alone and 
 unprotected, and surrounded by hordes of law- 
 less soldiers, I will not prevent you, but I must 
 tell you that it will be a perilous thing to do." 
 
 I have since wished that I had been brave 
 enough to do it, but, inexperienced and fearful, 
 I could not make up my mind to take such a step. 
 I felt more like a captive being dragged away 
 to imprisonment than a refugee fleeing from an 
 enemy, while Aunt Milly and Uncle Ned hastily 
 gathered my personal property together. We 
 were to go in private conveyances as far as 
 Decatur, then by rail to Augusta. Mrs. Sims 
 
298 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 was sorely grieved to leave all her precious 
 household goods, but the judge impatiently 
 ordered her to let them alone. At the last 
 moment I begged Elinor to give me Arnold's 
 picture, and she did so. It was a strange, hur- 
 ried departure. We saw none of our friends, 
 not even the Mandevilles, who were boarding 
 in another part of the city. The house was 
 closed and locked. I felt a dreadful sinking of 
 the heart, as I followed the others out to the 
 gate. It seemed to me that I ought to stay in 
 Atlanta; that I ought to make inquiries about 
 Arnold. 
 
 We were in the carriage when a Union sol- 
 dier came up, saluted us, and said: 
 
 " Is this Judge Lenoir's family ? " 
 
 "It is," said the judge, haughtily, slamming 
 the door in his face. I pulled down the window. 
 
 " What do you want .'' " I cried, eagerly. 
 
 " To give this to Mrs. Arnold Lambert," 
 drawing a sealed envelope from his pocket. 
 " Captain Andrews asked me to deliver it. He 
 was called away two da}'s ago." 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 299 
 
 " Drive on ! " said the judge angrily to the 
 coachman. 
 
 " I am Mrs. Arnold Lambert ! " I cried, as 
 the horses started. 
 
 The soldier ran nearer, tossed the letter into 
 my lap, but before he could utter another word 
 of explanation we had rolled away. 
 
 " It is beneath you, Rachel, to parley with a 
 common soldier, and a Yankee," said the judge. 
 
 I made no reply. With shaking fingers I tore 
 open the envelope, my heart beating with the 
 joyful anticipation of a letter from Arnold, a 
 letter explaining his absence and silence; but 
 my eyes seemed smitten with blindness as they 
 fell on a ribbon-badge, marked with the Union 
 colors, and with "Jonesboro', August 31st," 
 traced in one corner, by an unfamiliar hand. 
 Judge Lenoir sat opposite me. I held out the 
 crumpled strip of silk to him. 
 
 " You will forgive him, now that he is dead," 
 I said, then fell back, losing consciousness for 
 the first time in my life. 
 
?00 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 CHArXER XXIV. 
 
 It was a long time before I came back to 
 clear rational thought. I took strange jour- 
 neys into still stranger countries. I traveled 
 through dry and thirsty desert lands, over 
 mountains so steep and rugged that my feet 
 could scarcely climb them, and into cities where 
 hostile faces constantly surrounded me, always 
 seeking Arnold, but never finding him. My 
 fevered brain held only one idea — to find him, 
 to vindicate his truth and honor. My surround- 
 ings, the people who came and went about me, 
 were matters I felt utterly indifferent to. 
 
 I had never been stricken with such illness 
 before, and the fever, which had doubtless been 
 coming on for some time, was aggravated by 
 the terrors and anxieties of the siege and the 
 final shock of receiving proof of Arnold's death. 
 I came back into the every-day world very 
 slowly. I first observed that I lay in my own 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 3OI 
 
 room at home, that Ah'cia, Nell, and even 
 Uncle Charles came and went constantly about 
 the bed. I felt too weak and tired to speak to 
 them, to even lift my hand or utter a word of 
 thanks when nourishments were offered to mc. 
 I didn't feel particularly grateful for such min- 
 istrations. I would have much preferred being 
 left entirely alone. Aunt Milly hung constantly 
 about the bed and Uncle Ned kept the fire 
 blazing with fresh logs. 
 
 " How is her gittin' on now .-' " he would whis- 
 per, asking the question every time he came in. 
 
 Elinor and her mother also sat in the room 
 occasionally, and one day I was startled to 
 hear the judge's voice at the door. No one but 
 Mrs. Sims was in the room, and she went to the 
 door. 
 
 " Come in, father." 
 
 " Is she asleep, Lizette .'' " he inquired. 
 
 " I don't know. She is in the same state that 
 she was in yesterday. It is a most unnatural 
 condition, and / think that she will come out of 
 it only to die." 
 
302 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 " Hush ! " he said, as he stepped softly across 
 the threshold. 
 
 " Oh, she cannot hear. She takes no notice 
 of anything." 
 
 Through half-closed eyelids I saw him as he 
 crossed the room and stood at the bedside, 
 looking very old and feeble, and leaning on his 
 stick. The soft expression of his face reminded 
 me of the first time that I had seen him and 
 compared him to Goethe. The recollection 
 touched such chords of memory that my whole 
 being seemed to vibrate. I sighed shuddering- 
 ly. The wave of feeling seemed to leave me 
 colder and more indifferent than ever, I opened 
 my eyes and stared at him. It must have been 
 a very blank gaze, for he laid his tremulous old 
 hand on my head and said: 
 
 " Don't you know me, Rachel ? " 
 
 He was the last person I had spoken to be- 
 fore the beginning of my illness, and the first 
 as I came out of it. It was with a sense of 
 wonder at my own strength that I said: 
 
 " Yes, sir, I know you." 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 303 
 
 " God be thanked for that ! " he cried fer- 
 vently. 
 
 " I gave you the badge," I continued. 
 
 " Yes," and his face grew more and more 
 agitated. "It is here," touching his breast 
 pocket. 
 
 " May— I— have— it .' " 
 
 "There, there, child, don't talk any more. 
 Had I better call the others, father .'' " exclaimed 
 Mrs. Sims in a frightened tone. 
 
 I knew she thought that I was dying, but life 
 and death were alike indifferent to me. The 
 judge drew the Union colors from his pocket 
 and placed them in my hand. The sight of the 
 cause of all my woe roused no special emotion 
 in me, beyond a mournful satisfaction that I 
 once more held the bit of ribbon Arnold had 
 worn about his person. 
 
 My recovery was slow. The woods were 
 changing their brilliant autumn tints to brown 
 when I sat up by the window and looked into 
 the outer world for the first time, a wan, ghostly 
 shadow of myself Illness had brought a cer- 
 
304 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 tain patient resignation to me. I meditated on 
 my broken life with a calmness really astonish- 
 ing in one of such strong, ardent feelings as 
 mine. No tears, nor violent outbursts of grief, 
 nor vainly uttered regrets. I talked very little 
 at all, and those about me were wise enough to 
 leave me in peaceful silence. Judge Lenoir 
 came in to sit awhile with me every day. He 
 was very tender, remorsefully tender. Once he 
 reverted to the day we left Atlanta. 
 
 " I was brutally cruel," he said. " Rachel, 
 my child, you must forgive me." 
 
 " Oh, }^ou didn't know; I couldn't blame 
 you," I replied, surprised that he should let such 
 a little thing trouble him. 
 
 " But I might have been kinder." 
 
 " It doesn't matter now," I said gently. 
 
 "Does anything matter now, Rachel ? " 
 
 " Not to me." 
 
 Later Elinor told me that Arnold's death had 
 affected the judge very much; that all his love 
 for the boy, as he called him, had risen warm 
 and tender in his heart again; that secretly he 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 305 
 
 grieved deeply. I felt glad of it, and the old 
 man seemed nearer and dearer to me afterward. 
 
 As I took up the threads of daily life again, 
 certain changes became evident. One day I 
 looked out on the " quarters," and saw that 
 most of the cabins were vacant. Here and there 
 a feeble old man or woman appeared, but the 
 children, the strong, lusty young negroes, and 
 the middle-aged, were all gone. 
 
 " Where are all the negroes ? " I inquired. 
 
 " Gone to the Yankees," said Nell, in a tone 
 of extreme disgust. " Father says that they 
 will be glad enough to get back again, but he 
 is not sure that he will allow one of them on 
 the place. I wouldn't, I'm sure. Ungrateful 
 creatures, to run away from their best friends ! 
 Would you believe it, Rachel, I actually have 
 to dress myself ! We've scarcely servants 
 enough left to do the housework." 
 
 " How did I get home ? " was the next ques- 
 tion I asked. 
 
 " They brought you in the carriage. It was 
 an awful shock to us when they drove up with 
 
3o6 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 you, white as a ghost, and — and limp as a rag. 
 We thought at first that you were dead, and 
 when we heard that you were married, and 
 what had happened — well, if war didn't give 
 one nerves of iron, there'd be no living through 
 it. We were already quite distracted about 
 you, shut up in Atlanta. I really never passed 
 through such a harassing year in all my life." 
 
 She did seem greatly changed and sobered. 
 Her dress was plain and simple, and the beauti- 
 ful coquettish curls were all pinned back. 
 
 From her I learned that Arnold's people 
 were in their own house, that they gave up all 
 thought of going to Augusta, but settled down 
 at the Montgomery place to be near me during 
 my illness. 
 
 " They stopped here for a few days until the 
 house could be opened, or put in order, rather, 
 for it was broken open months ago, and half 
 the things in it destroyed." 
 
 There were other questions I wished to ask, 
 but she was called away to attend to some 
 household duty. Some change in Alicia vague- 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 307 
 
 \y troubled me. The sweet and tender melan- 
 choly of her face touched me with a sense of 
 pain every time I looked at her, and why, I 
 wondered, should she wear a black gown all 
 the time .'* I remembered it as one that I par- 
 ticularly disliked. 
 
 " I wish you wouhln't wear this," I said to 
 her once, touching its folds with the tips of 
 my fingers. 
 
 " It is all the black gown I have," she re- 
 plied, with a slight quiver in her voice. 
 
 " Why must you wear black ? " I asked in a 
 whisper. 
 
 " You have not heard ? " 
 
 " I have not heard anything." 
 
 " Reuben was killed in the battle of Atlanta." 
 
 I could not utter one word of sympathy. I 
 simply looked up at her and held out my hand. 
 She came nearer; threw her arm about my 
 neck. 
 
 " I felt for you as the others could not," she 
 whispered, " for I knew by experience what 
 you suffered." 
 
308 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 I felt her tears falling on my face, and leaned 
 against her, my own eyes wet with the first 
 bitter drops I had shed since Arnold's death. 
 
 We talked together for a long time, and it 
 seemed to me that' I had just begun to realize 
 what a strong, brave woman my cousin was. 
 
 " Now," she said at last, rising, " can you 
 walk into my room .-' I want to show you 
 something." 
 
 She wrapped a mantle around me, and I fol- 
 lowed her down the hall to her bedroom. A 
 crib stood near the hearth, and leading me up 
 to it, she turned back the blankets from a rosy 
 sleeping baby. I caught my breath in a little 
 gasp. 
 
 " Yours, Alicia .•' " looking across at her face 
 in a tremulous glow of love and tenderness. 
 
 "Yes, mine," she said, with such deep joy in 
 the ownership, I felt glad for her. " My son, 
 my Reuben ! " 
 
 " When — when " 
 
 " He was born just two weeks before — his 
 father fell in that battle." 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 309 
 
 " Did Jic know ? " 
 
 "My husband? Yes; I had written a few 
 lines, and he wrote to me the day before he 
 died." 
 
 The child opened his eyes, and seeing a 
 strange face bending over him, cried out with 
 terror. 
 
 Alicia lifted him in her arms to her breast, 
 pressing his round tender face against her 
 heart. 
 
 " You are not alone," I said. 
 
 " No, I shall never be alone while he lives," 
 and she looked at me with soft, pitying eyes. 
 
 A light tap on the door interrupted us. 
 "Come," said Alicia, and a big loose-jointed 
 negro man came shyly in, twisting his wool hat 
 around in his hands. It was John, Cousin 
 Reuben's personal attendant. 
 
 "Didn't I hear Mars Rubin cryin', Missus .-'" 
 
 " Yes, you may take him down-stairs, John." 
 
 He took the child into his big arms, holding 
 it tenderly as a woman, and it nestled content- 
 edly on his shoulder, its fair, sweet face lying 
 
3IO ADVENTURES OF 
 
 against his black neck. When he went out of 
 the room Alicia told me of his grief for the loss 
 of his master, and his devotion to the baby. 
 He would hold the child by the hour, and could 
 pacify and amuse it when no one else could. 
 As we talked we went to the window and 
 looked out into the back yard. There sat John 
 on the kitchen doorstep, in the sunshine, with 
 little Reuben on his knee, crooning a lullaby 
 in his husky voice. 
 
 Mutual sympathy drew Alicia and me very 
 close together during those days of my conval- 
 escence. Uncle Charles was too bewildered by 
 the general state of affairs to do much more 
 than wander about the house and plantation, 
 helplessly wondering how he could get on 
 without his slaves. The sight of the deserted 
 " quarters " seemed to smite him with sad sur- 
 prise every day. 
 
 " Who would have thought it ? " he said, one 
 day, standing on the back piazza, with his 
 hands in his pockets, staring down at the va- 
 cant cabins. 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 3II 
 
 " Thought what, Uncle Charles ? " 
 
 " That the war would turn out as it has, and 
 that the ungrateful negroes I've fed and clothed 
 so long would run away and leave me, the first 
 chance they could get." 
 
 I knew that it would be useless for me to 
 argue that the negroes earned their food and 
 clothing: his sense of injury would remain; so 
 I held my peace. It was Alicia who told me 
 how they had suffered from the ravages of the 
 army. All the horses and cattle, almost every 
 fowl, had been taken away from the place, and 
 the house would have been pillaged one day 
 by a party of the common soldiers — ^" bum- 
 mers," they Avere called — had not an officer in- 
 terfered. Fences were torn down, carts and 
 wagons destroyed, and one day she went with 
 me to the carriage-house, to show the sad 
 plight of the handsome new carriage Uncle 
 Charles had bought soon after our return to 
 Georgia. Its cushions were torn open; its pur- 
 ple silk lining hung in tatters. 
 
 "They cut it to pieces with their pocket- 
 
312 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 knives," she said. " I asked them why they 
 wantonly destroyed our unoffending property, 
 and they said that it was the only way to con- 
 quer us." 
 
 While we were on that tour of inspection, 
 she carried me down into the orchard, where 
 the turf grew thick and green under an apple- 
 tree. She stooped down near a gnarled root 
 and spread open the grass. 
 
 *' It doesn't show where it has been cut, 
 does it ? " 
 
 " Cut ! " I echoed; " how .-* " 
 
 She rose up, brushing her fingers. 
 
 "When we heard that the Yankees were 
 coming, father felt distracted about his money. 
 He didn't know what to do with it. I told him 
 that I would hide it. I put it in an iron pot — 
 one that had a cover to it — came down here 
 one night, after twelve o'clock, and buried it. 
 I cut out a square of the sod, and lifted it up 
 whole. When I had buried the pot, I replaced 
 the grass as you see it now. No one knew 
 where it was — not even father nor Nell. I used 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 313 
 
 to tremble when the soldiers were prowling 
 through the orchard. They w^alked over this 
 very spot dozens of times, and once I slipped 
 down here and thrust a stick into the ground, 
 to make sure the pot had not been removed. 
 Ought we to leave it here .-* " 
 
 " By all means, until the country is in a safer, 
 more settled state," I replied. 
 
 "The Federal troops still occupy Atlanta." 
 
 " Yes, and they forage all through the coun- 
 try." 
 
 It was that night that Nell ran into my room, 
 crying: 
 
 "Wake up, Rachel! wake up! They are 
 burning Atlanta ! " 
 
 I sprang up, my weakened nerves thrilling 
 with the shock of such news. All the front 
 windows of the house were illuminated with a 
 strong, red light, and, in the rear, the orchard, 
 the negro quarters, and the woods and fields 
 beyond, were li-ke a vivid picture against a back- 
 ground of darkness. Uncle Charles and the 
 girls, and two or three of the negroes, climbed 
 
314 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 out on the roof, but I was forbidden to expose 
 myself in the night air, on account of my re- 
 cent iUness. I stood by the front window, with 
 Uncle Ned and Aunt Milly hovering near me. 
 My heart swelled with pain; tears streamed 
 sHently down my cheeks. In Atlanta I had 
 experienced my greatest joy and bitterest sor- 
 row, and its destruction seemed to break the 
 last link between me and that past. But my 
 tears quenched not one spark of the fire. Up 
 the clouded sky streamed the lurid light until 
 all the world seemed one vast conflaerration. 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 315 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 It was midsummer, and nearly two months 
 after the surrender. The turmoil of war had 
 ceased, though many people could yet scarcely 
 believe no more battles would be fought. The 
 country was still in an agitated condition, and 
 bade fair to remain so for a long time; but it 
 was the natural result of such a fierce struggle, 
 such a great revolution. It affected all classes, 
 none more than the planters, who had to learn 
 to adjust themselves to narrowed circum- 
 stances and to hired labor in place of their 
 slaves. Many of them were ruined, through 
 lack of knowledge and experience to manage 
 their affairs under the changed conditions. 
 
 Some of Uncle Charles's negroes strayed back 
 to him after the first excitement and intoxica- 
 tion of freedom had worn off, and they realized 
 that they would still have to work for a living. 
 
3l6 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 He was not Inclined to take them back as wage- 
 earners, but Alicia wisely counseled that they 
 would be better than strangers on the place, 
 and he listened to her. Poor Uncle CharlesJ 
 Had it not been for her his experiments as a 
 planter after the war would have ended in dis- 
 astrous failure. She curtailed all lavish expen- 
 diture, and gradually led him to see the neces- 
 sity for planting less land than when he had 
 an army of slaves at his beck and call. 
 
 Wifehood and motherhood had developed 
 and strengthened latent qualities in my cousin 
 unsuspected in her girlhood. She led a busy, 
 absorbed life, devoted to the care of the house- 
 hold, her father's interests, and the love of her 
 child. She seemed to find more and more 
 pleasure in living for him, in watching his 
 growth, planning his future, as the winter pass- 
 ed and spring brought peace to the country. 
 She grew cheerful, and talked less, even to me, 
 of her sorrow and loss; but in the twilight, 
 when the baby was tucked into his crib, asleep, 
 she would steal away and walk alone through 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 317 
 
 the grounds, and, by the gentle sadness of her 
 face, I knew that it was an hour devoted to 
 Cousin Reuben. 
 
 After the surrender I told Uncle Ned and 
 Aunt Milly that they were free, and could 
 leave me, if they desired to do so. 
 
 " Now, Miss Rachel, what is I done dat you 
 gwine ter talk so.' " exclaimed the old man, in 
 a tone of mingled grief and indignation. " Don't 
 I al'ays min' you .-' 'ceptin' I did foller you ter 
 Chattanugy dat time. Co'se, if }'ou wants ter 
 git rid o' me an' Milly, you can sell us; but I 
 know ole mars 'lowed — — " 
 
 " I cannot do anything of the kind. I have 
 no power to buy or sell you. You are a citizen 
 of the United States, and as free as I am." 
 
 " Law, honey, me an' Ned done b'long ter 
 you too many years now for changes," said 
 Aunt Milly. 
 
 " Of course, I don't want you to leave me, 
 but I do want you to understand that you 
 have the liberty to do it, if you desire to. If 
 you remain I will pay you wages." 
 
3l8 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 They treated that proposition as a kind of 
 joke. I had always shown a certain liberality 
 toward them, and they had some money laid 
 by. They would have served me faithfully the 
 remainder of their lives without a penny more, 
 and when, at the end of the first month of their 
 freedom, I paid them Avages, they received it 
 gratefully, as a gift; and it was so as long as 
 they lived. They counted their services as 
 something rightfully mine, and not to be paid 
 for. 
 
 I received a letter from Miss Jane Mande- 
 ville soon after the surrender. They had re- 
 turned to their plantation, near Cartersville, 
 and were extremely poor. I pondered a good 
 deal over a long letter received from Mary 
 Ladislaw late in the spring. 
 
 "I have decided, dear Rachel, to undertake 
 a rather strange work," she wrote. " To lead 
 an idle life will be impossible for me after the 
 busy, stirring years we have just passed through, 
 and after my grievous loss. My relatives are 
 most kind, and desire me to remain with them, 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 319 
 
 but I must have employment for my heart and 
 brain, to keep me from brooding, to keep me 
 from melancholy — madness. I have still a 
 small portion of property, and I intend to open 
 an industrial school for the instruction of poor 
 children, left orphans by the war. Those of the 
 better classes will be cared for, but I wish to 
 give useful training to the humble, ignorant 
 girls left helpless and unprovided for. They 
 should be a sacred trust to the South, these 
 orphans of the Confederacy. Our slaves are 
 now free citizens, and it yet remains to be seen 
 whether, under such circumstances, they will 
 make good servants. 
 
 " I shall not remain in Savannah to make 
 this experiment, my relatives are all so prej- 
 udiced against it. They call it a wild scheme, 
 an occupation lowering to my dignity. I verily 
 believe they would rather see me a sister of 
 charity, but the spirit of a missionary animates 
 me. If to teach poor children requires the giv- 
 ing up of social position, I am willing to make 
 the sacrifice, and to spend all the remaining 
 
320 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 years of my life in this work. I think not only 
 of the benefit to the individual, but of the 
 ultimate good of the country. Dense igno- 
 rance prevails among our lower classes." 
 
 This letter surprised, almost shocked me at 
 first, and I hastily implored Mary to carefully 
 consider all that sucli an undertaking would 
 involve, but the more I thought it over, the 
 more noble and righteous it seemed. I will 
 state here that her plan Avas never a thorough 
 success, and she finally gave it up, after her 
 money had all been expended, and accepted a 
 position as teacher in a college, to the chagrin 
 of her relatives, who could never overcome 
 the traditional prejudice against women work- 
 ing. 
 
 That spring of the surrender I was strangely 
 tempted to join her, my life seemed so idle and 
 purposeless. That the world could ever hold 
 any great interest for me again seemed impos- 
 sible. My brief and tragical love-story had 
 closed the doors of happiness against me for- 
 ever. Arnold Lambert had absorbed my heart 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 32I 
 
 too entirely for me to ever think of loving an- 
 other. I said very little about him, but his 
 image remained as \'ividl}' impressed on my 
 heart as it had ever been. There had been a 
 sorrowful pilgrimage to the Jonesboro' battle- 
 field with Judge Lenoir and Elinor, but we 
 could find no trace of him. He had evidently 
 been buried with the unknown dead. What to 
 do with the future I knew not. Alicia had her 
 duties and would in time grow happy and con- 
 tented in them, and Nell expected soon to be 
 married. I stitched many sad reflections into 
 her trousseau. 
 
 Judge Lenoir had repeatedly urged me to 
 make my home with his famih'. They had 
 gone back to Atlanta, and as their house had 
 escaped the general destruction repaired it at 
 considerable cost. I visited it once, but every 
 room seemed so haunted with memories of 
 Arnold, that I shrank from living in them alto- 
 gether. 
 
 It was Nell's wedding eve, and when the 
 last stitches had been taken in the bridal dress 
 
j-- 
 
 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 1 left the house and went down to the Mont- 
 gomery place to inspect the roses in the 
 garden. They were destined to adorn the wed- 
 ding feast, and the parlor next day. It was 
 the softest and stillest of June evenings. The 
 twilight came down lingeringly, indeed there 
 was scarcely any twilight at all, for in the west 
 the rose of sunset shone, while in the east the 
 full moon came up. 
 
 It had been one of my dark, rebellious days. 
 I did not grudge Nell her happiness, but it 
 seemed most bitter that mine should be taken 
 from me. 
 
 " If you can see me, and know my wretched- 
 ness, comfort me with your presence, my be- 
 loved !" I cried, my streaming eyes lifted to the 
 empty vault of the sky. I paced the garden 
 walks until only the moonlight made a soft 
 illumination about me, and stars sparkled in 
 the blue of the upper heaven. Then I turned 
 toward the gate again. As I did so a man 
 thrust it open with a quick, imperious gesture, 
 and approached me. I stopped for a moment, 
 
A FAIR REBEL. 323 
 
 wondering who it could be, then I stood still 
 because surprise, joy — I know not what inde- 
 scribable emotion— held me speechless and 
 motionless, for it was Arnold walking toward me 
 with those impatient steps, those love-lit eyes, 
 and outstretched arms. Could it be a vision, 
 a mere phantasm conjured up by my own eyes, 
 yearning to behold him ? Were not those arms, 
 gathering me into an impassioned embrace, 
 real.^ those lips touching mine, warm and ten- 
 der with life ? 
 
 The light of a new existence seemed to 
 dawn upon me when I at last realized that my 
 husband had not perished on the battle-field, 
 but stood at my side, living, and bidding me 
 to come forth with him into a world made 
 glorious by his love and companionship. 
 
 THE END. 
 
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