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I _l UNDER A CLOUD The silent soldier sat smoking1 I should not have been present at such an interviewI, a beardless boy in my teensbut I had been Gen. Heath's aide from the start, and had served him through all his troubles, often carrying his messages to those high in authority his eftorts to gain a hearing. I could have withdrawn, Wit nothing short of an order would have driven me from an interview which in terested me intensely. Gen. Heath, nat urally restless and sensitive, had been maddened by his confinement and dis grace. This new trial that loomed up before him rendered him ready to turn like a hunted beast and rend his perse cutors. It was plain to me that the general in chief vyas giving his sub ordinate time to cool. I remembered how he had himself been deprived of his command after Shiloh and shelved as a mere assistant to the/commander in chief, and could understand his pa tience with one who had suffered so much more keenly in a similar manner. When his subordinate had finished, the superior gave a few deliberate puffs at his cigar, then asked: "Have you no suspicion as to the ori gin of these rumors?" "None whatever." [Copyright, ^8g8, by J. Lippincott Co.] at Chattanooga 1 can see hiin now as I saw him then, his sword and sash laid aside, his uniform coat thrown open negligently, his whole appealance de noting rather one of the drudgery of ficers of the staff, whose soldierly bear ing had gh en way under the continued performance of clerical duties, than the commander of an army. Before him on a table was a bundle of papers, one of which he had taken up and was finger ing absently. Directly opposite stood "the general"my general, we of the staff alw av spoke of him as "the gen- eral," though there were a hundred generals in the armywith a dogged look on his face that boded no good to himself or anjone else. I had attended the geneial on a sum mons to headquaiters, and should have waited in the hall, but curiosity to see the new commander of the Army of the Cumberland, who had achieved renown at Donelson and lcksburg, had over come whatever of modesty I possessed it was not a gem of the first water and, stalking confidently past staft of ficers and orderlies, 1 entered the room with my chief Once there, I stood back in a corner wheie I would attract as little attention as possible, fearing that I would be ordered to betake myself to parts more fitted for a second lieuten ant than the apartment of the com manding general. "Gen. Heath," said tne commander, "I have sent for jou to communicate to ou the contents of this paper which received this morning from the sec retary of war." The general started. The secretary of war'" "Yes He directs your arrest and trial by court-martial." "What new persecution is this?" ex claimed the general, impatiently. "The secretary seems to hold you re sponsible for the disaster at Chicka mauga." "Chickamauga In what way does he connect me with that blunder?" "You are accused of purposely leav ing the gap our lines through which the confederates poured, thus effecting the rout of the Vrmy of the Cumber- land." Gen Heath made no reply, standing with his hand resting on his sword-hilt, his brows knit, his lips compressed. "I regret this new complication," said the general chief, presently "I have especial use for ou, and at once.' "Use for me, general? But just re leased on one charge of treachery, and rearrested on another. Who would fol low such a leader? I would much rath er jou would procure the acceptance of rnv resignation. hy should I serve a government that distrusts me? My friends, mj family lrginia, begged me to stay with them, to fight for them I remained true to the union. What has been the result? At the very outset, the spring of '61, 1 was accused ot conniving to surrender my command in Texas Then there were those rumors of treachery at Shilohthat 1 had with drawn the picket in my front in order to leave the way open to attackand my arrest and confinement by the sec retary of war. What use to beg for a copy of the charge? What use to de mand a trial Xo accuser, no accusa tion. Then, after months behind bars, the public gaze being attracted else where by another battle, the secretary, finding it inexpedient to hold me longer, turns me out of prison and orders me to report to you, expecting you to utilize a disgraced man. And now, be lore 3 on can assign me to dutj, a scape goat being needed for the disaster at Chickamauga* an order comes for my reanest The blunderer who left the gap through which Bragg hurled Hood has succeeded in covering up his identi ty, while I, who commanded cavalry and had nothing to do with the main line of battle, must be sacrificed to ap pease the public, who are looking for victories and get nothing but defeats." The general in chief sat thinking. "The wrongs of this war," he said, pres ently, "will be righted only as oppor tunity is given the wronged to right them." "Will you explain, general?" The commander smoked on, unruffled, pensiv e. Gen. Heath stood mute, while I wondered what solution would be given for so knotty a problem. "I cannot refuse to obey the secre tary's orders," said the general in chief at last, "but I can postpone its ex ecution. Meanwhilelcangivej'ou an op portunity to perform a signal service, which, if successful, will bear witness to your loyalty." Gen. Heath stood restlessly attentive, while his chief proceeded: "You pos sess the faculties requisite for a cav alry leader t.o a marked degreedar ing, ingenuity, rapidity features es pecially, needed in an expedition I have in view*." "Why do jou propose, general, to trust me with a command, handicapped as I am, when there are so many others who have never been smirched?" "Because they have not the ability to do a work for which jou nie conspicu ously fitted." There was a biief silence, which was broken by the general in chief. "It has been reported to me this morning that Longstreet's corps is about to be detached from Bragg's army on Missionary Ridge, and moved by the East Tennessee & Georgia rail road to Knoxville, with a view to crush ing Burnside. It is extremely impor tant that I should know definite^ if this move be made. Burnside must be warned and supported, while Bragg, vv eakened by the loss of one of his most efficient corps, may be attacked and de feated." Gen. Heath's eye lighted. "The means by which you propose to gain this information?" "A corps of observation posted near the railroad to watch the passage of trains." "Cavalry?" "lTes." "How large a force?" "What is the effective strength of your brigade?" "Five hundred mena mere remnant of the force I led at Chickamauga." "Just the number I would desig- uate." "Bragg will carefully protect the line from our observation." "You are right he will keep bodies of cavalry moving along the railroad, in older not only to protect his bridges and telegraph wires, but to preserve his secret. My plan is for ou to take your brigade to some point midwaj between here and Loudon, from which to make forays, in the hope of encountering the trains on which his troops ate trans ported. You may be able to slip be tween patrolling forces, or cut your way through them by hard fighting." There was a long silence, during which the commander smoked on, while his subordinate pondered. "Supposing the move be not made?" said Gen. Heath, presently. "I believe it will be made." k'Then why not act accordingly?" "First, it is not a certainty second ly, I do not care to weaken my army by sending troops' to support Burnside. I wish the government to do that, and the government would pay no atten tion to a mere lumor." "H'm! You would be lucky if you could move the war department on per fect evidence." To this the commander made no re p]y. "Why not send a spj, instead of the force jou propose?" asked the subor dinate. "First, because I could not trust a spy who works for pay secondly, be cause the government would not be likely to pay attention to a spy's re port thirdly, a spy might be detected by the enemy and never heard from fourthly, in case you discover a large force moving by train, jou may pos sibly, by burning a bridge, delay it, or cut it in two. However, when near "the railroad you can exercise your own dis cretion as to sending a spy, though I should recommend ,you rather to use a small reconnoitering party, so that, from among a number, one may get back to you with the information. Lastly, you are to use all diligence in communicating what you may learn to Gen. Burnside at Knoxville." There was another silence, at the end of which Gen. Heath, in a more softened tone than he had yet used, said: "I will perform the service, general." He waited for his commander to speak again, but there were only silent puffs of tobacco smoke, while an occasional gun boomed on Lookout mountain, where the confederates had posted ar tillery and were sending shells into the town. Presently Gen. Heath asked: "Shall I forage on the country?" "Certainly. We need all the rations we can haul, here." "Have you any further orders?"' "No." II. THE PACE AT THE WINDOW. We left' Chattanooga at midday, Tennessee, and moved northward by the pike along the base of Waldron's Ridge. On our left tow ered the ridge on our right, among Jn numerable hills, wound the Tennessee. The general rode at the head of the col umn, his hat pulled down over his eyes, doubtless to conceal the turbulent thoughts within him. We of the staff knew that he was in no mood to be trifled with, and took pains to execute promptly and satisfactorily such orders as he gave us, that he might have no cause to lash us with his sharp-edged tongue, which he could use with such effect when irritated. The afternoon was spent. I was rid ing with the general, the head of col umn a short distance to the rear. Com ing to a sharp rise in the road, just be fore reaching the summit, there ap peared suddenly the face of a woman then her form, then the horse she rode, came successively into view. At first she seemed about to turn and flee, but instead she sat blankly staring at us. The sain, which was near the setting, shot a sheaf of rays flashing in her eyes, lighting up her face her lips were compressed in an effort to appear calm. "Margaret!" exclaimed the general. Whether the girl was too startled, to control her tongue or did not recognize an old friend, she continued to stare mutelj'. "What are you doing here?" "I live near here." "Live near here?" "Yes. When the federal troops en tered Nashville we came to our planta- tion." I "I did not know of any plantation be longing to your family in this region. Where is it?" "Two miles back, at Morganton's Cross-Roads." "Where are you going?" "To visit a friend." "We shall stop at the Cross-Roads." "Mamma will receive you." 1 The general looked perplexed. He saw mischief in the girl's going on, now that she knew of our presence. At that moment he especially desire'd to keep his movements from the enemy. "It will not be safe for you to go to Chattanooga alone better go back with us to the plantation." She gave him a look of mingled sur prise and reproach. "Do you mean that you will use force?" I had never seen the general so em barrassed. None of us who were look ing on knew of his past relations with this girl, except that it was apparent they had been acquainted. The sharp interest with which we regarded both added to the general's perplexity. "This is war," he said. "Inclination must be subservient to duty." "If you detain me you will regret it," said the girl, with a rising color in her cheek and an angry light in her eye. "Your very anxiety to go forward necessitates my preventing you." It was a strange picture, one that aft er long years of peace I often recall as tjpical of the many incongruities of vva the men in the ranks sitting in their saddles in the various positions by which horsemen contrive to relieve their strained muscles, the horses, some lowering their tired heads, others rest lessly biting their bits, or nibbling at the grass growing beside the road the young generalI thought him an old man thenhis eyes fixed on the delicate face of the woman, in such marked con trast with his own. Yet of all these de tails, one I recall far more vividly than the resta tear on the girl's cheek, which the rays of the setting sun caused to sparkle like a diamond. But there was only this tear to mark her woman's weakness, for she sat de fiant in our path. In a twinkling he general broke her down with a kindly tone that had been natural to him be fore his troubles, but which was rarely heard now: "Come, Margaret, go with us, won't you?" Turning her horse's head, she Tode back as peacefully as a child. But At first she seemad about to turn and floo. there was an evident constraint be tween her and the general, for, beyond an inquiry from him as to her mother's health, and a reply that she was still an invalid, no word passed. We trotted on, wondering at the strange meeting and what would come of it, a continued beating of hoofs and clanking of sabers behind us, until we reached a plantation in the center of which stood a square house, in its front one of those porticos with Ionic columns in vogue during the "fifties." The yard included something like a dozen acres, and was surrounded by a high picket fence. The general, the girl and I entered the gateway and rode up to the house. And now happened something which, had I not looked up at the very moment I did, would have turned the whole cur rent of this story, perhaps rendered it not worth the telling. What put it into my head I know not. I might as well have cast my eye on the well-hotise, or on a rock jutting out between the trees, or an old darky back in the road scraping the dirt off a hoe, or a couple of mules feed ing. I saw all these, and there was nothing strange in it, for they were on a level with my eye but what was strange was that I should have looked up at a certain window in the top story of the house in the yery nick of time to tee the slats in the shutter turn, and an ashen face with startled eyes quickly sweep our party ana* rest an instant on our prisoner. Then the slats were turned again. It was all done so quick ly that I could not tell whether I had seen a man or a woman. Quick as thought I flung a glance at the girl be side me. She was white as death. I spurred to where the general was about to dismount. "Something wrong, general," point ing to tlie house. "What do you mean?" "Some one concealed up there. I saw a face at a window, and a look between it and the girl." At the moment my brother aide-de camp, Walter Bland, came riding into the place, and the general ordered him to bring a sergeant and half a dozen men and surround the house. "Go upstairs," the general said to me, "and find out who is lurking there." I knit my brows. Was I to hunt un armed citizens? "Well, what are you waiting for?" An angry word was on my tongue, but I had seen my chief cut a man down with his sw,ord for a mutinous reply. I repressed my choler and start ed doggedly into the house. He called me back, I supposed to give me a rep rimand, but I was surprised when in a quiet voice he said to me: "I have selected this plantation as a rallying point from which to make forays on the railroad. The disloyal citizens are all spies, and will report our every move to the enemy. Likely there ie one of them at this moment Tn this very house. Now go upstairs and find who is lurking there This was the general's way. One mo ment he would strike, the next ca ress. One moment I hated, the next loved him. I went into the house to carry out his order. Taking an old darky with me as guide, I mounted the stairs, reached a door which I judged would let me into the room I sought, and threw it open. No one there. "Now, uncle," I said to the negro, "I want you to take me"into every nook and corner of this house, from garret to cellar." "Yes, mars'." Never have I seen a negro more de liberate, more profuse with excuses, than the one who piloted me on my search. It was "Yes, mars', jes' wait a minute till I find de key," or "Dis do' done stuck wid de wedder," or "Don't huny de ole man, de misery's powerful bad nobody can't git away while de sojers is outside." I drew my saber and poked here and there, beat it against doors, thrust it up chimnej's, pretending that I was do ing a duty which I was shirking all the while. On the floor where I had seen the face we found all the rooms empty. Above was a trap-door with steps leading up to it. I climbed the steps, lifted the trap and stepped in under the roof. It was a singular con struction, sloping downward to a gut ter in the center instead of rising to a peak. Finding nothing, I pulled my self through an opening and stood on the roof, looked beliind all the chim neys, and heaved a sigh of relief that I had found no one. Then, going be low, I resumed my searching in the lower stories. Knocking at the door of a room on the second floor, the sum mons was answered by an old lady. As I gained an insight into the apartment, a bedchamber, I thought I saw a wom an's skirt whisk out of a rear door. "I must search the room, madam," I said, imperatively. "Certainly. Come in." She spoke in so soft a voice and looked at me in such a motherly way out of her patient eyes that I could have bitten off my tongue for my demand. "Never mind," I said, coloring. "I see there is no one here." "Better satisfy yourself." With that she opened the closet door, pulled out a lounge and turned up tHe valance of the bed. I stood hanging my head like a boy caught stealing jam, then suddenly squared my back to what she would show me. "Lok," she said, with a sweet voice. "Look?" I repeated, turning and facing her. "Look through the cham ber of a lady! Have I come down here to do work a detective would shrink from I came to fight men, not to force myself on the privacy of women. I ask your pardon, madam, for trespassing." I left the room, my cheeks burning, and, going downstairs, passed out to the gallery where the general was wait ing for me, and reported no one found. He drew dovVn the corners of his mouth in a way I never liked. "Sergeant," he said, turning to the man who commanded the guard, "take a couple of men and search the house." The sergeant saluted, and, ordering the men he selected to follow him, went upstairs. Meanwhile Col. Wilton, the next officer in rank to the general, rode up and claimed his commander's atten tion, while the girl stood waiting in the doorway. Leaning my elbows on the rail, I looked out on the scene before me. The sun had set, and the surrounding hills stood out in silhouette against a pearl sky, though their sides were dimly aglow with variegated autumnal colorsfor it was at the end of Octo berand a chill breeze was coming up from the south. Directly below, in the yard, the men were going into camp, some unsaddling the horses, some get ting out cooking utensils, some cutting boughs on which to sleep. From a snake fence on the other side of the road troop ers were carrying rails with which to make camp fires, some of which were already sending out the odor of burning wood and boiling coffee. Some 20 miles away, across the valley of the Tennes see, were the hills at whose base ran the railroad we were charged with watching. I was wondering how the general, with a few hundred men, could maintain himself against the cav alry of the enemy, let alone getting near enough to the railroad, at the exact time the expected trains would pass, to discover them, when the sergeant and his men came downstairs and reported another failure. "Lieut. Hall," said the general sharp ly to me. "Yes, general." "I expect you to keep this young lady under your especial watch. Question her, take down her replies in writing, and bring them to me. Treat her and every one about the place with every consideration possible under the cir cumstances, but instruct the guard to see that no one leaves the house during the night." With that he left me and trotted briskly down to the gate. I turned to the girl. She had sunk into a seat in a dead faint. III. RED-HANDED. I was about to sing out lustily for some of the negroes below to come to the assistance of their mistress, when she regained consciousness and her will-power at the same time. I grasped her hand it was like ice. "Are you better?" "Has anything happened?" "You have been overstrained." "Not that. What has occurred since since I haven't known anything?" "Nothing. You were unconscious only for a moment." She seemed relieved. I steadied her while she rose, and supported her into the house, where I placed her in charge of a negro woman, who took her to her room. The general's order to question her and report to him was a load upon my mind. To pry into the secrets of a girl about my own age, to cross-question her, to extort from her what she did not care to tell, seemed to me no proper duty for a gentleman and a soldier. Several times during the evening I neived mjself for the work, and as often put it off. At last, fearing that the girl would go to bed, I sent word by one of the negroes to know if she felt well enough to see me. I was bid den to the living-room, where I found her seated on a lounge, anxiety de picted on every feature of her face. Taking possession of a table in the center of the room, I produced my pa per and sharpened *my lead-pencil. "What are you going to do?" she asked. "I am going to ask ou a few ques tions." "Who ordered you to do that?" "The general." "The replies are for him?" "Yes." "Well, go on." I began my work with all the embar rassment of a young lawyer making his first examination of a witness. "How long have you known the gen- eral?" "Do you ask that for his or for your own information?" Realizing my mistake, I bent my head down to the paper to hide my confusion. "Never mind that question," I said, "I'll ask you another." "Well?" "Who is the lady upstairsthat pleasant woman with a sweet voice?" "My mother." She looked pleased at the compliment paid to one she loved. I fancied I had made a mistake in show ing interest, and scowled, in order that she might, after all, consider me un sympathetic. "Is our mother union?" "Confederate." "H'm! Now I want you to tell me whose was the face at the window up stairs." She made- no reply. "I'm waiting." I glanced up at her from the paper. From her expression I judged that I might wait for an answer till the crack of doom. I took out my knife and sharpened my pencil, though I had sharpened it a few minutes before. I wanted time to think. "Are you union or confederate?" I asked the question because I could think of no other: I did not doubt she was confederate. "Union." Union I smiled. What a bare faced falsehood! "Why, if you are union, what is the use of all this search ing, your concealment of facts, and all that?" "You have done the searching, not I." I glanced my eye over the paper on which I was taking notes. I had cer tainly not distinguished myself by the value of my questions or the informa tion I had elicited. How could I show such a document to the general? Like most people who are unfitted for what they undertake, I put off till to-morrow what I could not do to-day. "I will not show this to the general till morning," I said. "By that time, I trust, you will have made up your mind to make a full confession." "What am I to confess?" I made no reply to this, keeping up as unbending a mien as possible, though somehow I could not but feel that the girl saw through the gauzy mantle of severity I had donned, and knew full well that I was an inquisitor of clay. But what was 1 to do*with her over night? I pondered awhile, and then said: "Give me your parole not to leave this house, and you may sleep where you like without a guard." "What is a parole?" "Word of honor. Do you promise?" "Certainly." "Very well. Now you may go where you like 'inside the house only remem ber you have given your promise not to leave it." With that she left me, and I heard her go upstairs and enter her mother's room. I determined to sleep in the house, occupying the room where I had ques tioned- her, using the sofa for a bed. Having stationed a man in the hall, shortly before midnight I threw my blanket on a chair to have it ready for the chjjl of the early morning, unbuck led my saber and pistol-belt, pulled off y*y my boots! tossed my fOrage-cap on the tablein short, made the preparations for bed oi a soldier in the field. Then, having blown out the candle that light ed my room, I lay down, ^-#*yr i But slunjber would not come. Either the sentry in the hall must strike a match to light his pipe, or a dog in th,e yard must be moaning, while the hallf clock ticked loud enough to awaken the Seven Sleepersdisturbances that would not have troubled me had it not been that my head was full of Margaret Beach and her singular surroundings/ However, at last I fell asleep. Suddenly I awoke. The light in the hall had gone out, and I could hear th*e sentry snoring. There was a creaking on the stairway. Some one was coming down, pausing at every step. Straining my eyes, I saw dimly a human figure standing on the lowest step, which was directly opposite my door. Then it dis-y appeared. Rising quickly, I stepped softly to the door just in time to catch sight of some one moving toward the rear of the house. I followed. A door opened, and the figure passed through. Catching the door before it closed, I looked into a kitchen. A stove door opened, and the fire-light plainly revealed Margaret I sprang forward and pinioned her in my arms'. Beach about to burn a paper. I sprang forward and pinioned her in my arms. "Sentry!" I yelled at the top of my voice. The sentry came stumbling along in the dark. "Bring a light." Running back to the hall, he returned with a candle. Holding it up, it showed a face of marble. Leading my prisoner to the living room, I told the sentry to watch her every moment till my return, then made for the general's tent. "General!" I called. "Well?" "Miss BeachI caught her stealing through the hall. She went to the kitchen and was evidently about to burn a paper, when I stopped her." "Where is she now?" "At the house under guard." He got up and went with me to the house. We found Miss Beach seated in a chair, her head resting on her arms on a table, the sentry watching her. I noticed for the first time that she kept her right hand tightly closed. She looked up at the general with a wild, hunted look. In his own face there was an unexplained dread. "Have you searched her, lieutenant "No, general." "Open our hand, Margaret," he said to her. By this time she had risen and stood before us at bay. "Open jour hand," the general re peated. She opened her left hand and tossed a paper ball on the floor. The general picked it up and began to open itno easy task, since the paper was very thin and tightly compressed. "Hold the light here." I took the candle from the sentry and held it over the general's shoulder. His face suddenly became white as a cloth. "Burnside*s defenses, with every di vision, brigade, battery, laid down in red ink on tissue paper!" I looked at Miss Beach to note the effect of the discovery, expecting her to drop in a faint. What was my surprise to see instead a relieved expression, as though she had escaped a great danger! The general was standing with the paper in his hands, I holding the light, the sentry back, the girl facing us all. For a few moments there was complete silence. I shall never forget its break ing. The general spoke. His tone was one in which he might have pronounced his own death-sentence. "You have committed the gravest of fense known in war." He turned and left the room, motion ing me to follow him. Leaving Miss Beach in charge of the sentry, I went with him to his tent. It was some time before he could gather his faculties to speak. "The commanding general is right," he said, at last "they are going to crush Burnside." "Why so, general?" "Straws show which way th6 wind blows. Why should they wish plans of the works at Knoxville, if they are not intending to attack them?" "But Miss Beach?" I said, more inter ested in her than in the military situa tion. "Had we not caught her in the act she would have been in Bragg's camp before to-morrow morning." "What shall I do with her?" "Confine her in one of the rooms on the top floor, and let her have'no com munication with anyone." When I went back to the house I found the girl walking to and fro in the hall, while tears were silently flowing. I conducted her upstairs, feeling that I had fallen from the high'degree of an officer of the army to the menial posi tion of a common failer. Opening the door, I stood beside it, and, taking oft my cap, waited for her to pass in. .A* she did so she extended'her hand tome, to 0