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THE WAR LIBRARY.
e.
victorious and loud mutterings at the de-
feat of the squad of enemies, was returning
then to thespot where he had left the white-
haired Unionist in combat with Barnwell.
Raymond uttered a mad ejaculation as he
reeled backward before the.unexpected and
foul act. '
Casey, coming just in time, caught him in
his arms. cee .
“Och, beme sowl! what’s the matther?
Are ye wounded, captain darlin’? Where’s
the rogue ye was fightin’ with?’ .
' Barnwell had vanished amid the lo
growth of bushes. r
t ly eyes—mny eyes!” groaned the cap-
ain.
‘““Howly mother!’’ ejaculated the Irish-
‘man again, perceiving in a moment what
had happened. * An’if the spalpeen ain’t
filled ye full o’ pepper! an’ up me nose isa
peck av it, sure—a-chew!” he sneezed, as
the penetratiug powder ascended into his
nostrils, .
Raymond was in great pain—a greater
pain than he would have suffered, perhaps,
from a wound gotten in the front of battle;
forthe cowardice of its source smote him
worse,
“My eyes—my eyes!" he cried again.
Casey had still some of the water in his
canteen which had been procured during
the day when in hiding.
This served a good purpose now.
Withit the captain’s eyes were bathed.
And asthe pepper had been partially con-
fined by the paper—only a small portion of
it getting outasit was hurled—fortunately
.afew momentsof bathing with the water
sufficed to relieve the suffering man.
“Where is he? Where is the wretch?”
were Raymond's first words, when he could
again look around him.
»** Divil the bit do I noah!”
Both glanced searchingly around, but
nothing was to be seen of Jasper Barn-
ell.
Meantime, Uarla and the negro had with-
drawn to some distance from the scene of
excitement. .
She would have liked to participate in the
routing of the Confederate squad; but in a
wiser judgment retired beyond possible dan-
ger, thinking only of preserving herself for
the newly-found father who had come to her
at last. .
- As it was now darker than before, it was
sone time ere Raymond and the Irishman
could find the two.
Immediately upon his approach, she asked,
solicitously: |
‘‘You are safe, dear father?”
“Safe, my child.”
“ And—and—the other—that man——”
She could not speak the words out—an in-
quiry as to whether Jasper Barnwell had
been slain. :
-Raymond comprehended.
“No,’’ he said; ‘‘the wretch has escaped
forthe present. ButI shall find him again.
The world cannot hold both of us,’ and
there was a latent something in the mono-
toned voice that told of a hate that could
never be extinguished.
A form here approached from the gloom
eyond.
ack Roy. :
“Thave been reconnoitering a little,’ he
said. “lthiuk we havea long march be-
fore us, for the Johnnies are thick between
us and Culp's Hill.”
**No matter,’ half interrupted the cap-
tain. “1f Uarla will consent to give up her
horse, so that we can proceed on foot, lam
confident I can take us by a shorter route to
the Union lines—the one by which I came
here. Fori was in the battle to-day, my
oy——”
“You were?” in surprise. ,
**Yes,iu the ravine. Heaven spared me
from the awful half hour of carnage,
though, for this very joy which is now mine.
I have found mny daughter, you see.”’
There was something so gentle, so tender
In his voice, that all who were there felt a
sympathetic thrill for the man who had be-
fore this proved himself astern and valorous
soldier. .
“Will you let the horse go?” he asked, as
he stood beside Uaria, with hand outstretch-
ed to assist her in alighting.
$e Yes.’
The girl was not accustomed to assistance
in dismounting, but in this instance she felt
a positive pleasurein the grasp which now
was offered, and reached the ground in Ray-
mond’s arms.
- She pansed to stroke the neck of the an-
imal, addressing itasifit had been huian.
**Good-by, dear old fellow! You have
been my companion for a long time—you
and I have always been friends. I can never
forget you!” ° :
And turning to the others, she added, in a
sudden impulse:
“You can hardly realize, how much we
have been attaghed io one another—this
good horssand myself. He has served me
faithfully in many a hazardous adventure;
and only two days ago he carried me safely
away from the clutches, almost, of some
bushwhackers on the Chambersburg Road.”
With a final stroxing of the animal’s neck,
and perhapsa tear which the others could
not seein the darkness, she sent the horse
adrift, with a loosened girth.
“Someone will find him, I know; and per-
haps it will be some humane person who
will learn to appreciate his good qualities as
Llong ago did.”
Then forward and cautiously they went
toward the near-by and high hill that arose
like a specter mountain bristling with war-
riors against the bluey dark background of
the south.
Forward and following the edge of the
creek in the rear of Ewell’s corps, till at last
they were far below the Confederate posi-
tion.
The captain had not boasted idly, when he
said that he could conduct them safely,
All realized that it would not be long now
ere they would find themselves safely with-
in the Union lines.
They had not, so far, come in contact even
with a picket in the rear.
Perilous, too, was their progress, for the
Confederate artillery was on Benuing’s Hill,
on the other side of the creek, and thus they
were placed directly between the division of
Johnson and the forces on the bill.
Fortunate they might have been to the
end, had it not been for the tongue of the
irrepressible Irishman, Casey.
Just at the moment when the captain was
congratulating himself on his successful
management of their march, Casey uttered
astring of loud words that were addressed
to Snow.
“Careful, ye coalav a blackguard! Af ye
trid on me heel ag’in, it’s breakin’ the
jaw av ye I'll be!”
The folly of this loud speech was instantly
demonstrated.
For hardly had the words been finished
when there came a sharp challenge from the
deep shadow of the trees not ten feet in
front of them.
“Halt! Who comes?”
“Friends,” answered Jack Roy, with a re-
markable promptuess, and as he answered,
he stepped swiftly forward.
The Confederate picket discerned that the
man coming toward him was dressed in gray
—thanks to Casey’s idea of the disguise, and
he was not, therefore, so suspicious as he
might otherwise have been, as he said:
** Advance, friends, and give the counter-
sign.’
* Here it is!”
As the young lieutenant spoke, he had
been permitted to advance to the point of
the soldier’s bayohet.
With the words: ‘‘ Here it is!’’ he sudden-
ly stooped, and made a darting movement
forward which would preserve him from a
thrust, and his one useful arm shot outward
witha lightning blow which the man could
not seein time to avoid.
Chug! fell = powerful fist between his
eyes, and like a toppling log he went over
on the ground.
“Come on!” he called to his friends, when
he had thus so adroitly disposed of the
picket.
CHAPTER XXIV,
PADDY'S FISTS.
But the harm was now done.
As the picket went down, the hammer of
the musket caught and struck against a pro-
truding root of the tree under which he had
been standing guard, and the weapon ex-
ploded with a loud bang.
“Och, be me sowl!” burst from Casey, as
the slug went humming past his head in
such close proximity as to cause him to
dodge. ‘Sure, we'll have the wholearmy,
amillyin or thereabout, buzzing round us
loike the bees now!”
A true prephecy in part,
For almost instantaneously came the
sound of running feet in the shadows be-
yond,
The officer of the guard was just at that
very moment approaching the spot with
additional picket force.
Theshot caused him and his men to dash
forward, under the impression that. the
Union forces had performed o flank and
ascended between the batteries. by the
edge of the creek... :
'“We'rein forit now, sure enough!” ex-
claimed the young lieutenant, regretfully.
Then the tall form of Raymond came to.
his side, saying:
“ Lieutenant, take the girl, and proceed as
rapidly as you can down stream. You are
too badly hurt with that broken arm of
yours to be of much service here. Leave the
toe to the brave Irishman and myself, There
—go! They are upon us!” :
Even as he spoke, and as Jack took Uarla’s
hand to lead her away, there was a terrific
noise in the bushes to one side, in which
blended the voice of Pad and the surprised
oaths of the oncoming Confederates. -
Casey had sprung boldly into the fight,
opening itasit were, the momenthe caught
sight of some one on which to exercise his
huge fists and brawny arms.
With right and left he struck out simul-
taneously, and two of the Johnnies fell with
bruised faces,
“Ould Ireland foriver!” cried the Irish-
man, as now hisright brogan, and_ then his*
left brogan, flew out in two terrrible kicks
thatsuccessively landed under the chinsof
the men he fought with such force as to
fairly lift them from their feet and send
them back on the ground with heavy
thumps.
At this rate the Irishman was proving
himself a match for the whole astonished
squad,
But the officer, seeing that it was only one
man who tis knocked his soldiers hither
and thither, as if they had been no more
than children, quickly drew his sword and
started, with its point raised, to impale the
bold Irish champion.
Another minute and it would .have gone
hard indeed with Casey
But the officer’s sword, as it came down,
met an obstruction that sent a ringing clash
through the woody shadows. . .
And clash again, as he found himself en-
gaged with a terrible swordsman, who drove
him back, forcing him to his greatest skill in
the effort to save bis life.
“Tear an’ ouns!’? shouted Casey, es he
saw the white-haired captain pressing hard
on the Confederate. “Give it till him,
captain, darlin’, an’ it’s not far behind ye
lll be with me own paré av this little busi- ,
ness!’
Though fierce and telling were the blows
which Casey laid about him, knocking down
the Confederates as fast as they came before
him, they proved to be pretty tough custom-
ers, and he was kept busier than he liked,
as they arose in rapid succession. and more
warily, though none the less enraged and de-
termined to capture the bold fellow.
They might easily have shot him down.
But their officer had seen that the man
who thus gave such wonderful combat was
attired in the gray, and he cried to his men,
while busy defending himself from the on-
set of Captain Raymond:
“Don't kill that fellow; I want him. I
want to take him in and make an example
ofhim!? . ~
“A example, is it?’ shouted back Casey, as
his fist plied vigorously iu the faces of the te-
nacious enemy. ‘Sure,if ye’ll cast a twist
av yer eye over this way pou see 2 whole
pile av examples afore I’m through with
em.’
Slug! chug! the fists.
The Confederates now fairly howled in
their wrath. ‘
** Let us shoot him, won't you?” yelled one
whose nose had been nearly bursted over his
ace.
“* No—take him alive!”
** Bedad! ye’ll havea score av amusement
doin’ that, I’m thinkin’!’’ bantered Casey.
And the fists went on with their slugging
and pounding, and the clash of the two
swords that twined and rung afew yards
distant, and the continued imprecations of
the solaiers who seemed to be no more than
children before the stout Irishman, all filled
the gloom amid the trees with the sound of
a miniature combat that was more or less
bloody.
Raymond realized, however, that this
could not last long.
he noise would assuredly bring others to
thescene, and the capture of himself and
Casey would be inevitable.
“ Private Casey, retreat!” ha called,
*Retrate, isit? Will ye wait a minute,”
till I lave these so’s they can be carried home
loike jelly intil a bucket ?”
“Retreat!”
“Oh, captain, darlin’, if ye’}l only wait a
minute,” as he sent another Confederate
reeling backward against a tree with such
Feat: Oe org: Gy. <ememamenuer