E-text prepared by Roger Frank and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team (https://www.pgdp.net) Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this file which includes the original illustrations. See 24071-h.htm or 24071-h.zip: (https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/2/4/0/7/24071/24071-h/24071-h.htm) or (https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/2/4/0/7/24071/24071-h.zip) SPECIAL MESSENGER * * * * * * WORKS OF ROBERT W. CHAMBERS Special Messenger Iole The Firing Line The Reckoning The Younger Set The Maid-at-Arms The Fighting Chance Cardigan Some Ladies in Haste The Haunts of Men The Tree of Heaven The Mystery of Choice The Tracer of Lost Persons The Cambric Mask A Young Man in a Hurry A Maker of Moons Lorraine The King in Yellow Maids of Paradise In Search of the Unknown Ashes of Empire The Conspirators The Red Republic A King and a Few Dukes Outsiders In the Quarter FOR CHILDREN Garden-Land Mountain-Land Forest-Land Orchard-Land River-Land Outdoorland * * * * * * SPECIAL MESSENGER by ROBERT W. CHAMBERS [Illustration: "Daintily her handsome horse set foot in the water." Page 131.] D. Appleton and Company New York--MCMIX Copyright, 1909, by Robert W. Chambers Copyright, 1904, 1905, by Harper and Brothers Copyright, 1908, by P F Collier & Son Copyright, 1908, by The Curtis Publishing Company Published, March, 1909 TO GEORGE F. D. TRASK IN MEMORY OF OUR FIRST MARTIAL EXPLOITS IN THE NURSERY Thou hast given a banner to them that fear Thee, that it may be displayed because of the truth.--PSALM lx, 4. PREFACE In the personality and exploits of the "Special Messenger," the author has been assured that a celebrated historical character is recognizable--Miss Boyd, the famous Confederate scout and spy. It is not uncommon that the readers of a book know more about that book than the author. R. W. C. CONTENTS PART ONE WHAT SHE WAS Page I. Noncombatants 3 PART TWO WHAT SHE BECAME II. Special Messenger 39 III. Absolution 67