Love stories; Reconstruction (U.S. history, 1865-1877) -- Fiction; Southern States -- History -- 1865-1877 -- Fiction
Poor little Kit starts back in horror, and then sobs harder than ever.
It is impossible to comfort the child. She is possessed with the idea
that in some way or other she has been instrumental in bringing the
affair about. She is terrified at learning the part Peyton has played,
and bitterly reproaches herself for the uneasiness her flirtation had
caused us all. She is the most abject little penitent I ever saw, and
her distress is something overpowering to a susceptible old bachelor. In
the course of an hour she is persuaded to return to her room, but not
without the interchange of multitudinous embraces and kisses,--Pauline,
of course, being the party of the second part.
It is nearly daybreak when Harrod arrives, convoying a rusty old
carriage which he has obtained somewhere along the Tennessee; and from
this our young soldier is tenderly lifted by two of his troop and
carried to the room opposite mine in the wing. Poor fellow! it is hard
to recognize in the pallid, blood-stained, senseless form the gallant
young officer of the night on the train.
While the doctor was examining his hurts and dressing the wounds, Harrod
gave me a hurried account of what had happened. Amory had reached the
Tennessee about two in the afternoon, and, leaving his horses on the
south bank in charge of one man, crossed quickly and completely took
"Eustice's" with its precious garrison of desperadoes by surprise.
Luckily, Smith had but two of his gang with him. They hardly had time to
think of resistance. Hank was found stretched out in bed and swearing
cheerfully over the unexpected turn of affairs, but had sense enough to
acknowledge that his Yankee adversary "had the drop on him," and
surrendered at discretion. Securing him and his two chums, but leaving
the other inmates of "Eustice's" unmolested, Amory in less than an hour
and a half landed his party once more on the south bank, and, after
procuring food for his men and horses and resting another hour, started
on the back-track about five in the evening; moving slowly, as his
horses were jaded and his three prisoners had to foot it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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