LIBRARY 
 
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 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA. 
 
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BENJAMIN F. MASON. 
 
THE VILLAGE MYSTERY 
 
 AND 
 
 THROUGH WAR 
 TO PEACE 
 
 BY 
 
 BENJAMIN F. MASON 
 
 BROADWAY PUBLISHING CO. 
 
 835 Broadway, New York 
 
 BRANCH OFFICES: CHICAGO. WASHINGTON. BALTIMORE. 
 ATLANTA. NORFOLK. FLORENCE. ALA. 
 
(& 
 
 Copyright, 1910, 
 
 By 
 BENJ. F. MASON 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER 
 I. 
 II. 
 III. 
 
 IV. 
 
 The Rescue from the River . 
 The Haunted House . 
 The Village Blacksmith Shop 
 A Visit to the Haunted 
 House 
 
 PAGE 
 9 
 
 24 
 
 V. 
 VI. 
 VII. 
 VIII. 
 IX. 
 X. 
 XI. 
 
 The Chance Meeting . . . 
 Love and Science .... 
 The Chemical Laboratory . 
 Gleaton's Visit to the Ghost 
 The Village Vandals . . . 
 The Vandal Club .... 
 The Vandals 
 
 30 
 40 
 
 49 
 61 
 
 69 
 
 75 
 82 
 
 XII. 
 XIII. 
 
 The Haunted Graveyard 
 Spiritualism 
 
 88 
 oc 
 
 XIV. 
 
 XV. 
 
 XVI. 
 
 The Devil's Casket, and the 
 Awakening of the Ancient 
 Egyptian Victim of Sus- 
 pended Animation . . . 
 The Estrangement 
 The Farewell 
 
 s J 
 
 103 
 III 
 I IQ 
 
 XVII. 
 
 XVIII. 
 XIX. 
 
 The Last Meeting of the 
 Vandal Club 
 The Last of the Vandal Club 
 The Exposure of the Village 
 Mystery 
 
 y 
 
 127 
 133 
 
 n8 
 
 
 3 
 
 * j" 
 
4 CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER PAGE 
 
 XX. The Exposure Finished 
 
 Kelly's Speech .... 146 
 XXL Bertha's Visit to the Haunt- 
 ed House 157 
 
 XXII. The Secrets of the Haunted 
 
 Chamber 167 
 
 XXIII. Sad Partings 176 
 
 XXIV. Bertha's Guardian ... 184 
 XXV. Bertha's Captivity . . . . 191 
 
 XXVI. A Stormy Interview . . . 201 
 
 XXVII. The Final Struggle . . . 210 
 XXVIII. The Battle of Blue Run, or 
 
 Manassas 220 
 
 XXIX. The Retreat from the Battle 
 
 Field of Manassas . . . 229 
 
 XXX. The Soldier's Last Watch . 238 
 
 XXXI. The Old Enemy Again . . 245 
 
 XXXII. A Nemesis on His Track . 254 
 
 XXXIII. Just in the Nick of Time . 263 
 
 XXXIV. The Battle of Chancellorsville 275 
 XXXV. At Rest at Last . . . . 285 
 
 XXXVI. The Battle of Gettysburg . 300 
 XXXVII. The Close of the Battle of 
 
 Gettysburg 309 
 
 XXXVIII. The Struggle with Death . 319 
 
 XXXIX. At Rest in Heaven . . . 332 
 
 XL. Nearing the End .... 336 
 
 XLI. The Dawn of Peace ... 344 
 
 XLII. The Last Review of the Army 
 
 of the Republic . . . 361 
 
 XLIII. Sad and Sweet Memories . 368 
 XLIV. The Vandal Congress Once 
 
 More 378 
 
CONTENTS 5 
 
 CHAPTER PAGE 
 
 XLV. The Vandal Congress, Con- 
 tinued 389 
 
 XLVI. Home Again in St. Arlyle . 400 
 
 XLVII. Under the Light of Peace . 411 
 

 PART I. 
 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY. 
 

THE VILLAGE MYSTERY. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE RESCUE FROM THE RIVER. 
 
 Adieu, the city's ceaseless hum, 
 
 The haunts of sensual life, adieu! 
 Green fields and silent glens! we come 
 
 To spend this bright spring day with you. Aldrich. 
 
 It was a soft balmy afternoon in May. The 
 sun shone brightly on hill and vale, and glittered 
 gayly on the clear waters of the river that ran 
 through the village of St. Arlyle, fringed on each 
 side by rows of trees dressed in their brightest 
 green, forming a pretty picture. 
 
 Just beneath the shadow of a large oak stood 
 the bridge spanning the river, a spot where the 
 idle rover leaning upon the railing could gaze into 
 the clear waters of the stream. 
 
 A short distance below the bridge a yoiing man 
 about five and twenty was standing on a broad 
 rock, beneath the shadow of a willow, fishing. 
 He was tall and straight, with a well-formed 
 figure. A small, arched foot was planted firmly 
 on the rock. He was dressed in gray, with the 
 exception of a double-breasted, black velvet vest, 
 
 

 io THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 across which glittered a heavy gold chain. His 
 hat was lying carelessly on the rock at his feet, 
 and his brown, curly hair was pushed back, ex- 
 cept several ringlets that would mischievously 
 curl down upon a strong, white forehead, beneath 
 which shone his clear hazel eyes. He had a well 
 formed nose, a small mouth, well cut lips 
 shadowed by a dark-brown mustache, plump, 
 smooth cheeks, and a, dimpled chin. In short, 
 a handsome, boyish face, that one would admire 
 and be willing to trust. 
 
 All this was taken in at a glance by the young 
 lady crossing the bridge, even to the dimple in his 
 chin. 
 
 His head was bent gazing into the water be- 
 neath, and he did not notice the mounted beauty, 
 till he heard the crash of the bridge railing, and 
 saw horse and rider in the river. He threw off 
 his coat and vest and running a short distance 
 along the bank, sprang into the stream, and swam 
 to the young lady's rescue. After a short struggle 
 he placed her on terra firma again. 
 
 She had not lost consciousness even for a 
 moment, but not a word passed between them 
 till they stood safe on the bank, when she ex- 
 claimed : 
 
 "Oh! it was a fearful struggle! I certainly 
 should have drowned had you not rescued me !" 
 
 At this moment a boy brought back the truant 
 horse, which had been easily caught, having swam 
 ashore and cantered down a neighboring lane. 
 
 Giving a coin to the boy, who ran away in great 
 glee, the young man said: 
 
 "Now, my lady, mount your horse and ride 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE n 
 
 Will 
 
 ,.,, 
 
 laid, 
 
 Home, and change your wet clothing. You will 
 catch a severe cold if you don't. Come! moun 
 my lady," said he, impatiently. 
 
 She smiled at his tone of authority, and sai 
 laughingly: 
 
 "I'm not used to being ordered, Sir.'* 
 
 "Physicians sometimes order," he replied. 
 
 "Old ones do, but I thought you were a fisher- 
 man," she said archly. 
 
 "Away! if you do not wish to catch cold," he 
 said smilingly, as he turned on his heel. But 
 he wheeled again, and, looking after her, mut- 
 tered: 
 
 "She's a fine rider, and a perfect beauty. I 
 wonder who she can be." 
 
 With this remark he picked up his coat, vest 
 and hat and disappeared among the willows. 
 
 She had ridden a short distance at a rapid 
 pace when she remembered that she had not 
 thanked her rescuer. She suddenly pulled up her 
 horse, and turning around looked for him, but 
 he was nowhere to be seen. Then she pushed 
 rapidly onward, as she brushed the long wet 
 golden curls from her rosy cheeks, and taking the 
 jaunty velvet hat from her head, with its long 
 drooping scarlet feather, wet and limp, she mut- 
 tered, laughingly: 
 
 "Poor abused feather, and wet hat! Didn't 
 you get a ducking? And didn't / get one too! 
 
 "But I wonder, what his name is? He said he 
 was a physician, I know that much. But, then, 
 never mind! I'll hear all about him to-morrow. 
 For of course he'll be a hero, and all that. But, 
 then, he's a good looking young fellow." 
 
12 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 Thus her thoughts wandered on, as she rode 
 along, forming a pretty picture, dressed in a 
 bright blue riding habit, trimmed with white fur, 
 thrown open at the neck showing a sailor's col- 
 lar, and exposing the plump white throat and 
 bosom. Upon the latter lay a golden locket sus- 
 pended by a black ribbon, which formed a dark 
 circle around the smooth, white neck. Her damp 
 golden curls floating in the gentle breeze, sur- 
 mounted by the jaunty hat, with its drooping, 
 scarlet feather, so becoming to the regal little 
 head with its clear white brow; lustrous black 
 eyes, with long drooping lashes ; a dainty straight 
 nose ; a little, pouting mouth, framed by the ripest 
 red lips; a well-formed chin, rosy and plump 
 cheeks, that dimpled whenever the little mouth 
 opened. It was a rare, sweet face, but with a 
 dash of wild waywardness in it. 
 
 She was in her seventeenth year, the daughter 
 of Captain Merton, a wealthy, retired army 
 officer and widower, who owned one of the finest 
 residences in the village: a large brick house sur- 
 rounded by a handsome garden, with its fine 
 flowers, shady arbors and bubbling fountain. 
 Here was Bertha Merton's home. The very 
 idol of her father and a maiden aunt, and the pet 
 of her friends. She was at times a wild and will- 
 ful little beauty, but still she owned a noble, 
 sympathetic heart. She always had an open hand 
 for the needy, and a kind word for those in afflic- 
 tion. Many of the poor in the village had 
 blessed her for aid in their distress. 
 
 On reaching her father's door, the first person 
 to greet the little lady was her aunt. 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 13; 
 
 "O Bertie," she cried, "how in the world did 
 ou get so wet ? Why you are as wet as you can 
 el" 
 
 "O, auntie, I went swimming in the river, and 
 that was real jolly!" 
 
 "Oh, mercy on us!" cried the latter in horror. 
 
 "Yes, auntie, and in a young man's arms. And 
 that was real jolly too !" 
 
 An explanation followed, and Bertie was petted 
 and cried over, till she was glad to be alone. 
 
 The next day Miss Merton neither saw nor 
 heard anything of the handsome stranger, who 
 had rescued her from the river. Days passed 
 into weeks, but still she heard nothing of him, 
 though the circumstance was the talk of the whole 
 town. Some knowing old women and credulous 
 young ones hinted at something superhuman 
 about it. 
 
 But Miss Bertie would declare, to all their 
 questions, that he was real flesh and blood. She 
 remembered him too well to allow his image to 
 leave her mind's eye. She had been intently tak- 
 ing in his every feature when the horse so un- 
 ceremoniously sprang into the river. And the 
 after occurrences had impressed every lineament 
 of his face on her memory. A handsome head 
 of curly dark brown hair, ever floated before her 
 visionary dreams. 
 
 "I really wonder who he can be?" said Bertie 
 to her aunt. "He won't even come to be thanked, 
 and be lionized for his bravery. He must be an 
 independent fellow indeed. But, then, he was too 
 independent, for he didn't try to please me one 
 
14 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 bit, and you know I'm not used to being treated 
 in that way?" 
 
 "No," replied her aunt, laughing, "I should 
 think not, by the number of suitors at your com- 
 mand." 
 
 The young beauty was really piqued at the neg- 
 lect of the "handsome fellow," as she called him. 
 It was a new thing to her not to be sought out 
 and courted. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 THE HAUNTED HOUSE. 
 
 There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, 
 
 Than are dreamt of in our philosophy, 
 'Tis now the very witching time of night, 
 
 When churchyards yawn, and hell itself breathes out 
 Contagion to this world. Hamlet. 
 
 It was a bleak December night in St. Arlyle; 
 the strong gusts of wind and rain blowed fiercely 
 into the faces of those treading the streets. It 
 was late, and but a single person was pushing 
 along the principal street of the town. It was the 
 village blacksmith, Thomas Gleaton, (the wit of 
 the place) wending his way homeward. As he 
 strode onward he gave an occasional grumble at 
 the weather, as a gust of wind and rain struck 
 him full in the face. He pushed along till he had 
 nearly reached the outskirts of the village, and 
 commenced to ascend the low hill, overlooking 
 the town, upon which his house and shop stood; 
 while nearly opposite frowned against the sky 
 the "Haunted House," a large, massive, stone 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 15 
 
 structure, two stories in height. It was sur- 
 rounded by a garden, once beautifully arranged 
 and planted with choice trees and flowers; but it 
 had been neglected for years, and the trees and 
 flowers had long since run wild, or been choked 
 by the weeds. In the middle of the yard stood 
 a fountain decorated with marble statues, which 
 had long grown green from the moss that had 
 been accumulating on them for years. The 
 garden and house were surrounded by a high iron 
 fence. 
 
 It was called the Haunted House, on account 
 of its being said that the apparition of a mur- 
 dered man, the former owner, was wont to visit 
 his once earthly home. 
 
 When Gleaton was nearly opposite the old 
 building, he saw a ghostly blue light gleam from 
 one of the upper windows of its dark walls. 
 Could it be possible, he thought, that the light 
 came from the Haunted House, or was he mis- 
 taken? He looked again; it was surely there. 
 A weird, blue light, that grew brighter each 
 moment. 
 
 He stopped and stood gazing in wonder at the 
 light. Had the murdered man's spirit really 
 come back to visit his earthly residence? No; 
 he must be mistaken; his eyes were deceiving 
 him. For Gleaton was one of those that had 
 scouted the idea that the house was haunted. He 
 looked again and again, but still the light be- 
 came more and more brilliant! 
 
 The history of the "Haunted House" was a 
 strange one and, no wonder, the legend ran that 
 it was haunted. Though it had been uninhabited 
 
1 6 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 for nearly a quarter of a century, yet it was in 
 nearly as good condition as when first constructed. 
 Its gray stone walls formed a clear contrast to 
 the wild masses of green ivy and running roses 
 that clambered up its sides and encircled its col- 
 umns. Its many battlements and turrets loomed 
 ,up sharp and gloomy, against the moon-lit sky. 
 'Even the many windows remained unbroken; for 
 the legend of the apparition, that nightly visited 
 the house, kept the mischievous school-boy away; 
 though the high iron fence would have been no 
 barrier to his nimble legs. 
 
 Its history was, that about twenty-six years be- 
 | fore this night, two brothers had built this castel- 
 lated mansion, and after residing happily to- 
 gether for a couple of years, they commenced 
 quarrelling, it was said, about a woman, but 
 none even knew, for one morning the elder of 
 the brothers was found dead in front of his 
 house. His skull had been crushed with an axe, 
 and the blood spattered over bench and ivy. The 
 murderer was never heard of after. 
 
 After this sad occurence the house became the 
 property of a nephew of the unfortunate men. 
 He had it sold, and it was purchased by a rich 
 chemist, in the neighboring city, who let it remain 
 unoccupied year after year, until nearly a quarter 
 of a century had fled. 
 
 The house, standing on a hill, CGiiimanded a 
 beautiful view of the surrounding neighborhood 
 and the distant city. It would have been a beauti- 
 ful place, had it received proper care. 
 
 It was said by the superstitious of the village, 
 that since the fratricide the murdered brother 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 17 
 
 paid nightly visits to his former home. Though 
 no ghost had ever been seen, yet strange sounds 
 were heard to issue from the old building. 
 
 Gleaton stood in the cold gazing almost 
 thunderstruck at the bright blue light shining 
 from the old house. 
 
 "Now," he muttered, "if I were inclined to be- 
 lieve in ghosts, here is something unreal and un- 
 natural! Here is a strange light issuing from 
 the 'Haunted House/ where there has not been 
 seen a ray for a quarter of a century. 
 
 "Why, the mischief! The blue flame has 
 changed to a green one! I must see this thing 
 closer," he continued, as he pushed on toward the 
 iron fence that surrounded the place. 
 
 He strode up to the inclosure nearest to the 
 window whence came the light. He had a plain 
 view of the room, and he saw what appeared to 
 be a huge furnace, from which issued large vol- 
 umes of green flame. He stood watching the 
 room. The fire seemed to grow gradually less; 
 when suddenly a bright light burst from the win- 
 dows illuminating all around, even the garden 
 and fence. It was so bright that it dazzled his 
 eyes. When he looked again toward the window, 
 he saw an old man with long hair standing be- 
 fore the furnace. He had watched the form but 
 a few minutes when suddenly the flame changed 
 to a blood red, followed by a loud explosion, and 
 the building was enveloped in darkness. Gleaton 
 remained a short time leaning against the fence, 
 but he could see nothing of the light. Then 
 turning his steps, he moved homeward as he 
 muttered : 
 
1 8 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 "Strange performance, by jingo! There must 
 be some trick about it. But, then, what would a 
 person gain by going to so much trouble? And, 
 then, when no one might see the strange sight, 
 for I do not believe any one but myself saw it." 
 
 In this he was mistaken, for those in front of 
 the public house had also seen the strange phe- 
 nomenon, and as Gleaton passed they eagerly 
 asked if he had seen the ghostly performance. 
 
 "Yes," he replied, "I saw the spectacle." 
 
 "Well, what do you think now? You must 
 acknowledge there's something strange about it." 
 
 "Yes, you've got to acknowledge it now," said 
 another, "there's no way to get out of it. The 
 old house is haunted." 
 
 "Yes," said the public-house keeper, "there are 
 strange uncanny things over there," pointing at 
 the old house. 
 
 These questions were thrown in an exultant 
 tone at the blacksmith, for he was among those 
 who had ridiculed the idea of a ghost haunting 
 the old house. 
 
 "Well, gentlemen," said Gleaton with a twinkle 
 in his eye, "those lights in that window are 
 mere reflections from a comet that astronomers 
 have just discovered. The comet is not visible 
 yet, being below the horizon." 
 
 At this reply they all laughed, while Gleaton 
 moved onward. He was the wit of the village 
 and never allowed an opportunity to pass of 
 making a joke. He was a man a little above the 
 ordinary height, rather slimly built; but a well- 
 knit form. He had a large head, with a high, 
 broad forehead, from which were pushed masses 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 19 
 
 of black wavy hair; bright hazel eyes with a pe- 
 culiar merry twinkle in them; a well-formed nose, 
 and a sharp cut mouth, bearded with dark brown 
 whiskers. 
 
 He had a strong intellect and a fair education, 
 which was much improved by his retentive mem- 
 ory and his love of reading. There was ever a 
 droll humor about him and a keen appreciation 
 of the ridiculous. He was nearly always pre- 
 pared for repartee, no matter how sudden the 
 attack. He soon discovered the humorous quali- 
 ties of the villagers, and always improved his 
 opportunities. He saw the witty side of life 
 when others failed to appreciate it, and then 
 presented it so plainly that they could not help 
 seeing the hidden humor. As the poet says: 
 
 "True wit is nature to advantage dressed; 
 That oft wa-s thought, but ne'er so well expressed." 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE VILLAGE BLACKSMITH SHOP. 
 
 And children coming home from school, 
 
 Look in at the open door, 
 They love to see the flaming forge, 
 
 And hear the bellows roar, 
 And catch the burning sparks that fly 
 
 Like chaff, from a threshing floor. Longfellow. 
 
 The next morning the strange lights and scenes 
 in the Haunted House were the all absorbing 
 topics of conversation in the village and sur- 
 rounding country. 
 
 Was there really a ghost in the old house? 
 
20 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 If not, what produced the marvellous scenes? 
 Many who were skeptical before now thought 
 there was something unearthly in the strange 
 performances; and those who had believed in 
 the apparition before were now more firmly con- 
 vinced. 
 
 At night, quite large crowds collected at dif- 
 ferent public places, but by far the largest one 
 was in the blacksmith shop, to discuss the appari- 
 tion with Tom Gleaton. 
 
 The crowd had seated themselves on every 
 available place in the shop. Each of the three 
 anvils had an occupant perched upon it, while 
 the bench in the corner was fully occupied by a 
 dozen more; others were seated on the water bar- 
 rels, tubs and astride the wooden horses, while 
 several broken plows and wagons afforded a 
 resting place for a large number of others. 
 
 "Well, Gleaton," said one of those assembled 
 in the blacksmith shop, "there's something 
 strange about this matter anyhow." 
 
 "Yes, gentlemen," said the blacksmith, with a 
 serious countenance, "I know of no way to ac- 
 count for it unless Dick Lex got up in the old 
 house when he was on a drunk." 
 
 Dick Lex, as he was called, was a lawyer who 
 had become perfectly debauched by liquor, a tal- 
 ented man who had at one time stood high in 
 his profession and had been the admiration of 
 his friends. But the intoxicating bowl had 
 dragged him down till he had lost all self-respect, 
 and become the butt of the town's wit. He was 
 noted for being able to out-talk any man in the 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 21 
 
 town, and on that account and his sharp wit, 
 few dared to face him. 
 
 "Well, if he did," said one of those present, 
 "I'd like to know how he could cause those 
 strange lights." 
 
 "Well, you see," said Gleaton, "while he was 
 up there he might have got to talking to the wall 
 you know how Dick can talk and he prob- 
 ably talked so much that the friction from his 
 jaws set his head on fire, and then the combus- 
 tion spread to his stomach and all that bad whisky 
 he has drank for the last ten years took fire." 
 
 This explanation was followed by a peal of 
 laughter. When it had subsided, one of those 
 present said: "But, Gleaton, seriously, what do 
 you think of this strange occurrence?" 
 
 "Think," said he with a smile, "that it's very 
 rough on Dick Lex." 
 
 "But," chimed in a third one, "I saw Dick 
 to-day." 
 
 "Well, then," said the blacksmith, "that bursts 
 up my theory. I was thinking of reporting it 
 to the Professor of Chemistry at the University." 
 
 "I'll tell you what I think about it," said the 
 village carpenter, "it's the spirit of that man 
 who was murdered in the old place nigh on to 
 thirty years ago." 
 
 "Yes," said another, "it must be his ghost." 
 
 "Yes, there's something unnatural about it." 
 
 "It must be a ghost," said the old shoe-maker. 
 "Such things ain't natural." 
 
 "Yes," said the blacksmith, "there's a mys- 
 tery somewhere. He must be fond of fire, to 
 have such a large one " 
 
22 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 "And so many colored ones," chimed in one 
 of those on the bench. 
 
 "He must be a partner with his Satanic Maj- 
 esty in the brimstone business; he keeps up a 
 roaring old fire." 
 
 "Yes," said Gleaton, "you'd better not fool 
 around there, he'll catch some of you." 
 
 "Well, I'd like to see his ghostship any how," 
 said the butcher. 
 
 "You better keep away, or the town will be 
 without a butcher." 
 
 "Yes, and you better not be smelling around 
 there, or the town will be minus an iron-roaster," 
 retorted the butcher. 
 
 "But, by the way," he continued, "did you hear 
 of the accident that occurred to-day? The rail- 
 road cars ran over a boy." 
 
 "No, no," cried several, "when did it occur?" 
 
 "This morning about eight o'clock." 
 
 "Did it hurt him much?" asked another. 
 
 "Oh! it undoubtedly killed him." 
 
 "Yes, I suppose it did," said another. "Too 
 bad; wasn't it?" 
 
 "Whose boy was he?" 
 
 "Captain Brown's son." 
 
 "Sad thing," said a man seated on a bench. 
 "How old was he?" 
 
 "Brown's boy is about fifteen years old," an- 
 swered another. 
 
 "Why, he was old enough to keep out of the 
 way." 
 
 "Yes," said another, "but how did it occur, 
 Tom?" 
 
 "Well," said the blacksmith, with very sober 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 23 
 
 countenance, "he was under the bridge fishing 
 and the train ran over the bridge; and therefore 
 it ran over him." 
 
 "I thought you said there was an accident to 
 the boy," yelled the butcher. 
 
 "So there was. He lost his fishing rod in 
 the river." 
 
 This was followed by a laugh, and some think- 
 ing it was time to go home, as Dave Johnson 
 asked: "Did that boy catch any fish?" 
 
 "Oh yes, he caught a few suckers." 
 
 In a short time but the three remained in the 
 shop. The blacksmith, Dave Johnson, the 
 butcher, and Bill Anderson. These three were 
 strong friends and were always ready for fun 
 or mischief. Their united strength at practical 
 jokes and hoaxes was the terror of the town. 
 
 "Well, Gleaton," said the butcher, when the 
 crowd had left, "if you'd come along where that 
 boy was fishing he'd have caught another sucker." 
 
 "Not if you'd sold the boy's father any of that 
 tough beef of yours. He'd have starved to 
 death before he got enough of it chewed." 
 
 "You've eaten a good deal of it and it didn't 
 starve you to death," retorted the butcher. 
 
 At this juncture they were interrupted by the 
 entrance of a rich old farmer an Irishman ? 
 who had brought a wagon load of plows to be 
 mended. Though a very rich man, the Irishman 
 could neither read nor write. The three, know- 
 ing this, thought they would have a joke at his 
 expense, so when he asked: "What's that ye's 
 was arguin' about?" Gleaton replied: "We 
 were just contending whether d-o-g or d-a-g was 
 
24 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 the right way to spell dog. Now how would 
 you spell it?" 
 
 "Wid letters ov course," he replied. 
 
 They saw they were beaten on their own 
 ground and acknowledged it by a merry laugh. 
 
 "I tell you, Tom," said Johnson to Gleaton, 
 when the three were alone, "we must investigate 
 this ghost business, that we must do." 
 
 "Now, suppose we pay a visit next Saturday 
 night and try and discover the mystery." 
 
 "Let me see. This is Wednesday," said An- 
 derson, "we can do it, can't we?" 
 
 "Agreed," said the other two. 
 
 "There is something strange about this thing." 
 
 "Yes, there's a deep mystery." 
 
 "And we must look into it, if we can," said 
 Johnson, as they turned out of the shop. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 A VISIT TO THE HAUNTED HOUSE. 
 
 Of clanking fetters low, mysterious groans 
 
 Blood-crusted daggers, and uncoffin'd bones 
 
 Pale gliding ghosts, with fingers dripping gore 
 
 And blue flames dancing round a dungeon door. Sprague. 
 
 It was a dark, cold night, as Gleaton and his 
 two companions climbed over the iron fence into 
 the garden that surrounded the Haunted House. 
 The clock in the neighboring tavern had chimed 
 the hour of ten and most of the villagers had re- 
 tired for the night. 
 
 The old house loomed up dark and grim 
 against the cloudy sky. Its massive stone walls 
 
(A Village Mystery and 
 Through War to Peace} 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 251 
 
 and pinnacles seemed to frown ominously down 
 upon the three adventurers. 
 
 "By jingo! Gleaton," said Anderson, "it is 
 cold!" ' 
 
 "Yes, as cold as the Arctic regions." 
 
 "Now this is the best side to watch the ghostly 
 window," said Anderson. 
 
 "No," said Gleaton; "over there by the rose- 
 bush, we can get the best view," 
 
 "Well, here we are in position," said John- 
 son, "I hope we won't have long to wait for his 
 ghostship, it's too cold for pleasure." 
 
 "No, I don't think we will. It's after ten 
 o'clock, isn't it, Joe?" 
 
 "Yes, it's time for the ghost to appear." 
 
 "He might be poking around in the Infernal 
 Regions and forget his usual visit on earth," said 
 Gleaton. 
 
 "Yes, he might be stirring up his Satanic Maj- 
 esty's fires and be unable to get away from busi- 
 
 ness." 
 
 "Keep cool, Gleaton, you'll see the spectre soon 
 enough." 
 
 At this moment Johnson exclaimed: "There's 
 the ghost!" 
 
 They turned their eyes toward the window and 
 beheld a bright green light gleaming forth, illu- 
 minating the garden where they stood. It was a 
 large window and admitted a view of most of 
 the interior of the room. 
 
 Eagerly they gazed through the window, when 
 suddenly the light changed to brilliant red. 
 
 "Well," exclaimed Johnson, breaking the si- 
 lence, "the spectre's at his work." 
 
26 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 "Yes, and he seems to be changing his colors." 
 
 "By jingo! look at the flames leap up. The 
 whole apartment seems to be a mass of fire." 
 
 "Yes, my heavens, he's got a roaring old fire 
 there!" 
 
 "He must have obtained some fire and brim- 
 stone from the other world and started a small- 
 sized hell on earth." 
 
 "Listen," exclaimed Anderson, "do you hear 
 the roaring of the flames?" 
 
 "Yes, I should think so. It is growing louder 
 every moment !" 
 
 "I tell you what it is, the house is on fire. Wait 
 a moment and the flames will burst through the 
 roof." 
 
 "No," answered Gleaton, "the fire has been 
 seen there for the last week, just as it is now. 
 It's always confined to the one room." 
 
 At this moment groans and shrieks issued 
 forth as of some lost spirit in anguish. They 
 grew louder and louder till they filled the room 
 with their wild melody! Meanwhile the red 
 flames poured forth in huge volumes till they lit 
 up the garden with a ghastly glare. The men 
 looked at each other, pale and terror-stricken. 
 
 "There's something supernatural about this 
 thing," exclaimed Anderson. 
 
 "Yes," replied Gleaton, "there's a deep weird 
 mystery here." 
 
 "The devil himself must be loose. Let's leave, 
 IVe seen enough," cried Johnson, pale and trem- 
 bling. 
 
 "No, not yet, u replied Gleaton, "let's see the 
 mystery to the end!" 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 27 
 
 "No," answered the former. "I've seen 
 enough. I'm going to get out." 
 
 "Don't leave yet, Johnson. I know it seems 
 as if there were something supernatural about it, 
 but stay and see the thing out." 
 
 "No, my curiosity is satisfied, I am going. I've 
 seen enough for my peace of mind. It must be 
 a demon's work." 
 
 "By thunder," exclaimed Gleaton, when John- 
 son had left them, "I don't believe in spirits; but 
 there's something here I can't account for by hu- 
 
 man causes." 
 
 "Yes, there's something strange and unearth- 
 ly," replied the other. 
 
 "And we must try to discover it." 
 
 "I don't know," said Anderson, with a shake 
 of the head, "we had better leave unnatural 
 things alone." 
 
 "No; let's see more of the spirits; if they are 
 spirits they won't hurt us, and if it's a trick, let 
 us find it out." 
 
 The other shook his head in a deprecatory 
 manner as he answered: "I can't see who would 
 play the trick. What would they gain by it? Be- 
 sides, it's strange and unnatural. I'm convinced 
 that it's the work of ghostly beings." 
 
 "Ghost or no ghost," said the other, "I am 
 determined to see more. You may go if you wish 
 to do so, but I intend to remain." 
 
 "No, Fll stay with you. But I believe these 
 strange scenes are the work of no human hands. 
 It may be the work of the old Nick himself. But 
 I'll stay and see the program out." 
 
28 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 "Bravo! Anderson, that's right, I'm glad 
 you'll stay and see the thing through." 
 
 "I'll stay as long as you will," said Anderson. 
 
 "That's right. Now let's move forward." 
 
 Meanwhile, the strange lights and noises con- 
 tinued to issue from the old house. 
 
 "What do you propose to do, Gleaton?" asked 
 Anderson. 
 
 "Climb that tree that stands near the house and 
 look through the window. We will be able to 
 see a good deal of the interior of the room from 
 the tree top. It's a high tree nearly on a level 
 with the window." 
 
 When they had climbed nearly two-thirds of 
 the way up the pine tree they took a firm hold of 
 the limbs and eagerly looked into the room. At 
 first they could see nothing but a mass of red 
 flames; but gradually they could distinguish a 
 huge furnace whence the red fire issued. It was 
 a large room, and they were unable to see the 
 walls. Wild ghostly figures seemed flitting about, 
 while loud groans and shrieks continued to issue 
 forth. They gazed on the scene but a few min- 
 utes, when a tall, old man appeared before the 
 furnace. He had a long, white beard reaching 
 far down upon his flowing robe; a wrinkled face, 
 pale and ghostly, around which hung masses of 
 long white hair. 
 
 At intervals, he would throw some object into 
 the flames and this would be followed by shrieks 
 and groans. 
 
 The two men clung to the tree and looked at 
 each other white and trembling. 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 29 
 
 "It is the Evil One himself holding his hellish 
 carnival." 
 
 "Yes, it must be a demon at his devilish work." 
 
 "This certainly is no human being's work." 
 
 "No, it is some foul spectre at his dreadful 
 play. Have you seen enough, Anderson?" 
 
 "No, as you said, Gleaton, let's see this thing 
 to the end." 
 
 "What do you propose to do?" 
 
 "We must get down and try and get a closer 
 view." 
 
 "Yes, we ought to do that; but how will we ac- 
 complish it?" 
 
 "We can climb upon that porch that runs along 
 beneath the window. By going to the edge of 
 the porch we can look through the window." 
 
 "Yes, I think we can struggle to the top of 
 the portico." 
 
 "Then let's go down to the ground and make 
 the attempt." 
 
 The two descended to the ground, and cross- 
 ing the yard to the house they ascended the steps 
 with hearts beating like trip hammers and their 
 faces pale, but determined. They commenced to 
 climb up one of the columns, grasping hold of 
 the vines that twined about it. After a short 
 struggle, they reached the top of the portico. 
 
 "Well," said Gleaton, "like the clown in the 
 circus, 'here we are.' ' 
 
 "And now for a peep at the Demon's cham- 
 ber," cried the other, while the roar of the flames 
 nearly drowned his voice. 
 
 Slowly and tremblingly the two approached 
 the window and eagerly gazed into the haunted 
 
30 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 chamber. They could see wild tongues of flame 
 licking up all before them with hissing sounds and 
 terrible groans. Suddenly two bloody hands rose 
 amid the flames and then disappeared, while 
 shriek followed shriek, as if a thousand lost 
 spirits were bewailing their anguish. 
 
 The two stood terror-stricken, unable to move. 
 They were leaning upon the window-sill for sup- 
 port, when, unexpectedly, the old man appeared 
 before their vision, the colored flames giving a 
 weird expression to his face. He stood gazing 
 with a grim smile of satisfaction at the roaring 
 flames and then turned toward the window. The 
 two sprang from the window, pale, and trembling 
 in every limb, fled down the column and across 
 the yard, not halting till they stood outside the 
 iron fence. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 THE CHANCE MEETING. 
 
 'Tis sweet to remember, I would not forego 
 
 The charm which the past o'er the present can throw, 
 
 For all the gay visions that fancy can weave 
 
 In her web of illusions that shines to deceive. W. G. Clark. 
 
 It was a bright, spring morning, as Miss Bertie 
 Merton stood on the steps of her father's house, 
 attired in her blue riding habit, holding a silver- 
 mounted riding whip, with which she was gently 
 tapping a large New Foundland dog that lay at 
 her feet. The dog wagged his tail, and looked 
 proudly up in his mistress' face as if he felt duly 
 honored by her patronage. 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 31 
 
 As she stood waiting for her horse to be 
 brought, the little blue figure formed a pretty 
 picture against the grey granite steps. The 
 queenly little head surmounted by the velvet hat 
 with its scarlet feather drooped over her plump 
 shoulders, as she placed it on her head that morn- 
 ing, and looking into the mirror, she noticed with 
 pleasure how becoming it was to her pretty face. 
 
 She had not worn the hat since her fall into 
 the river and her noble rescue by the handsome 
 stranger nearly a year ago. She could not help 
 wondering why she had not heard of him since, 
 and if she would ever meet him again. 
 
 As she stood on the steps she formed quite a 
 contrast to her cousin, Miss May Wentworth, 
 standing near her, who, since the death of her 
 parents, had come to live with her uncle. Miss 
 May was a handsome blonde, with a tall graceful 
 figure, nearly a head taller than Bertie long 
 silken hair, reaching nearly to her waist; a clear 
 white forehead, and an aquiline nose; a pearly- 
 white complexion; a small rosy mouth, that 
 showed two rows of even white teeth when the 
 lips parted, and melting blue eyes that strongly 
 contrasted with Bertie's bright black ones. She 
 wore a white dress, cut low at the neck, showing 
 a bosom and throat as white as alabaster, with 
 a blue sash encircling her waist and fastened in 
 a bow at the back; a little white hand was partly 
 buried in the folds of her dress, and a small, 
 arched foot peeped out from beneath the white 
 robe. 
 
 She was a noble, sweet-tempered girl, whom 
 Bertie had learned to love dearly in the three 
 
32 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 months that they had been together. And one 
 could soon see, by May's gentle ways, that their 
 love was mutual. Miss Wentworth was but a 
 year older than her cousin, though she looked 
 much the elder. Bertie's small stature and pretty 
 face gave her a more youthful appearance. "So 
 you won't go with me to-day, May," said her 
 cousin Bertie, when the horse was brought around 
 to the steps. 
 
 "No, not to-day, Bertie; I don't feel well, I 
 have a headache." 
 
 "I am sorry you don't feel well, May, it is the 
 first time I've ridden without you since your ar- 
 rival, and I don't like to leave cousin May be- 
 hind." 
 
 "Oh, never mind, Bertie, enjoy your ride. The 
 pain in my head will soon go away, when I lie 
 down." Miss Merton, after kissing her cousin, 
 bounded into the saddle, and throwing a kiss to 
 her father, who was at the window, she galloped 
 out into the street. 
 
 She rode rapidly onward, till she reached the 
 bridge, where a year before she had been so un- 
 ceremoniously pitched into the river and rescued 
 from drowning. Since that day she had neither 
 seen nor heard one word of the handsome 
 stranger, and as she came in view of the bridge 
 her thoughts wandered back to the event. 
 
 "I wonder what has become of him? I should 
 really like to see him again. He was a hand- 
 some fellow; but he is too independent, not even 
 to come and be thanked. Of course he has heard 
 all about me, and his brave act has been the town 
 talk ever since. Well, I don't like him a bit if 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 33 
 
 he is brave and handsome. It was naughty in 
 him not to make himself known after the excite- 
 ment he caused," continued the little beauty, as 
 she turned her horse and rode up the road that 
 ran along the river. She had ridden about half 
 a mile along the river, thinking of the handsome 
 stranger, when suddenly her horse came nearly 
 opposite a path leading into the road, and the 
 object of her thoughts stepped into the highway. 
 He was dressed in a black suit, the same double- 
 breasted, black velvet vest or one that looked 
 exactly the same with the heavy gold chain 
 across it; and the same military hat, with the 
 double silken cords around it. He held a large 
 book under his arm. All this Miss Merton took 
 in at a glance, as her heart gave a wild bound be- 
 neath the blue waist. 
 
 She drew up her horse beside him. The recog- 
 nition was mutual, for she had been as much the 
 subject of his thoughts as he had been of her 
 cogitations. 
 
 She held out her hand as he raised his hat, and 
 as he grasped the little hand, she said with a 
 winning smile i 
 
 "Why, how are you, Doctor?" 
 
 "How are you, Miss Merton? I see you have 
 dried yourself after your impromptu bath." 
 
 "Yes," she replied, smiling, "but it did not take 
 quite a year to do it." 
 
 "No, I suppose not. The same jaunty hat with 
 its scarlet feather. How becoming," he con- 
 tinued, smiling. 
 
 "No, not the same feather. The water spoiled 
 
34 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 that one and I had to get another. A scarlet 
 feather is essential to my happiness." 
 
 "Yes, I suppose so," he replied, smiling, "but 
 this plume is just like the other." 
 
 "Yes, exactly the same. Now, I must thank 
 you for rescuing me from* the water you know 
 I didn't have time to do it then. You hurried 
 me away. But why didn't you let me know where 
 you were, so that I could have thanked you long 
 ago ? You've heard all about me. Now, haven't 
 you?" 
 
 "Yes," he replied, laughing. 
 
 "Now, wasn't it naughty in you to keep me in 
 ignorance?" 
 
 "I don't know." 
 
 "Yes, you do know! Wasn't it?" 
 
 "Yes," he replied, laughing. 
 
 "I know you have learned my name. But I 
 don't know yours." 
 
 "Yesf" he replied, smiling. "Mine is Charles 
 Landon." 
 
 "Dr. Charles Landon?" she asked. 
 
 "Yes," he replied. 
 
 "I've heard of you before, but I never met you 
 to know you." 
 
 "This is a beautiful day to ride?" 
 
 "Yes, a very pleasant day." 
 
 "A nice day for you to take a bath in the river." 
 
 "I have no doubt, sir. But I don't intend to 
 do so. By the way, what did you do with those 
 fish you caught that day you helped me out of the 
 river?" 
 
 "I forgot them and left them lying on the 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 35 
 
 rocks. I suppose they latf there till they de- 
 cayed." * 
 
 "No," she replied with an arch smile, "I stole 
 them that night, and they were splendid, too." 
 
 "Oh, were they?" he replied, laughing. "I'm 
 glad to hear it." 
 
 "Yes, indeed, they were. You are going to the 
 University on the hill. You are their Professor 
 of Chemistry, are you not?" 
 
 "Yes," he replied. "I am going to lecture to 
 the students." 
 
 "Well," she said, "I must ride on. But you 
 must come and see my father to-night, and give 
 him an opportunity to thank you for saving his 
 daughter's life." 
 
 "I cannot pay you a visit to-night, although it 
 would afford me great pleasure to do so. But to- 
 morrow evening I can, if agreeable to you." 
 
 "Well then, see that you come to-morrow 
 evening. I must go now, good-bye !" 
 
 "Farewell," he said as he raised his hat and 
 walked a short distance; then stopped and stood 
 watching the little figure in blue as she rode out 
 of sight. "She's as handsome as a Houri, and 
 she rides like a queen. No wonder she has many 
 admirers." 
 
 "Fair tresses man's imperial race ensnare, 
 And beauty draws us with a single hair." 
 
 "I must visit her to-morrow evening. They 
 say she's a schooled coquette, but never mind, my 
 beauty, you won't add me to the moths around 
 your candle." 
 
 Thus the young Doctor's thoughts ran on the 
 
36 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 pretty face he had just left, as he strode rapidly 
 towards the college which stood on the outskirts 
 of the village. He held, as the reader is aware, 
 the professorship of chemistry, and lectured every 
 morning to the students on that science. 
 
 Dr. Charlie Landon, as he was usually called, 
 was a noble, brilliant fellow, the most popular 
 professor in the college, and a great favorite with 
 the village. He was one of those men, whom, 
 when we meet, something irresistibly seems to 
 draw us toward them, making us feel that we 
 kave met one of nature's noblemen. Many a 
 poor man had blessed him for his generous aid 
 in time of sickness and his kind words of encour- 
 agement. As Miss Merton rode onward, she fell 
 into a deep train of thought, of which the young 
 physician was the subject. 
 
 u So, then, it was Dr. Charlie Landon who res- 
 cued me from drowning. The man the whole 
 town has been praising, till I was sick of hearing 
 his name. I imagined him to be a conceited fellow, 
 but he's not the least bit conceited or proud. It 
 was real mean in him not to let himself be known, 
 when he knew his bravery in jumping into the 
 river was the talk of the village. It was he who 
 said I was a thorough coquette, when I jilted 
 poor Dick Benedict; but, then, Dick soon recov- 
 ered and married Nellie Brown. Never mind, 
 Doctor, I'll make your heart burn yet for that 
 remark. Then he is so provokingly cool ; he knew 
 who it was he had rescued from the water, but he 
 never even mentioned it. Kept it a secret for a 
 year, nobody knows how much longer, had I 
 not accidently met him. I don't like those kind 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 37) 
 
 of men, they are so hard to do anything with. 
 But when they do yield, they're gone. Coaxing 
 and petting at first, and by and by they yield." 
 
 Lost in these reflections, she rode rapidly on- 
 ward till she reached home. As she was dis- 
 mounting from her horse, she exclaimed to her 
 cousin, who was standing on the steps: 
 
 "Oh, May, I've found the man who pulled me 
 from the river. And who do you think he is?" 
 
 "Why, how should I know, Bertie?" 
 
 "Why, it's Dr. Charlie Landon." 
 
 "Dr. Landon? Why, I had no idea it was he. 
 I am indeed surprised." 
 
 "Yes, it was he; and I don't believe I like 
 him." 
 
 "Don't think you like him? Don't you know, 
 whether you do or not?" 
 
 "Well, I don't like him for staying away and 
 not letting me know who it was that fished me 
 from the river, as if I were nobody. It wasn't 
 even polite." 
 
 "How do you know he did, Bertie?" 
 
 "Why, the circumstance was talked of all about 
 the neighborhood, and don't you believe, he had 
 the audacity to tell me so. I really feel quite 
 piqued." 
 
 "That's something new to Miss Bertie. But 
 where did you meet him to-day?" 
 
 "I met him on the road." 
 
 "Why, did you never meet him before?" 
 
 "No, I never saw him till the day I fell so 
 unceremoniously into the river. I've heard so 
 much about him, I thought he must be a conceited 
 fellow." 
 
38 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 "Well, do you find him so?" 
 
 "I don't exactly know, May. But, then, he 
 treats me with such coolness. He doesn't seem 
 to care whether he pleases me or not." 
 
 Miss Wentworth laughed, for she had often 
 heard Bertie speak admiringly of the handsome 
 stranger who rescued her from the water. 
 
 The next evening found Dr. Landon knocking 
 at Captain Merton's residence. Bertie answered 
 the door herself, and when she saw him, ex- 
 claimed : 
 
 "Oh, Doctor, I'm glad to see youVe kept your 
 promise." 
 
 "Are you? I always keep my promises with 
 pretty girls." 
 
 "Now, sir, no compliments," she replied, 
 laughing. 
 
 When they had entered the parlor Bertie said: 
 "This is my cousin, Miss May Wentworth." 
 Miss Wentworth arose and held out her hand, as 
 she said: 
 
 "The Doctor and I have met many times be- 
 fore." 
 
 "Oh, have you? Then I suppose you are old 
 friends." 
 
 "Yes," she replied, "we have met quite often." 
 "I think, Bertie," continued May, laughing, "that 
 you ought to be introduced to Dr. Landon. I 
 don't believe you everwere." 
 
 "But, when a man takes a girl in his arms, 
 that ought to be introduction enough." 
 
 "And kisses her, too," replied Landon. 
 
 "No, sir, you didn't kiss me; I would not al- 
 low that !" 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 39 
 
 "How do you know? Weren't you insensible 
 when I was swimming out of the river with you?" 
 
 "No, not for an instant. Why, did you think 
 so?" 
 
 "You kept so quiet, I thought you were insen- 
 sible." 
 
 "And you thought about kissing me. Well, sir, 
 you'd have got your ears boxed if you had." 
 
 "That wouldn't be a very severe penalty for 
 kissing a pretty girl. Do you think it would, Miss 
 Wentworth?" 
 
 "I don't know," she replied laughing. 
 
 They all laughed, and Miss Bertie said: 
 
 "May says you've been in California. It must 
 be a wonderful country, where they find so much 
 gold. Please tell us something about it. I am 
 very anxious to hear about the land of gold." 
 
 "Yes, I went there in charge of a geological ex- 
 pedition. From California, we went into Ari- 
 zona, and thence into Mexico, seeing in our 
 travels quite a variety of wild life." 
 
 Thus they spent a very pleasant and instructive 
 evening, as he described to them the scenes and 
 adventures in those new countries, often telling 
 them in such a humorous and droll manner that 
 they laughed till they almost cried. Then he told 
 so vividly and pathetically of the sad death and 
 burial of noble comrades, while bravely doing 
 their duty in those wild lands, (always keeping 
 himself in the back ground) that several times 
 tears shone in the young ladies' eyes. For, 
 though he was but twenty-six years of age, he 
 was old in experience, for he had studied deeply 
 in science, and was an interesting talker. 
 
40 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 LOVE AND SCIENCE. 
 
 Like the lone bird that flutters her pinion, 
 
 And warbles in bondage her strain, 
 I have struggled to fly thy dominion, 
 
 But find that the struggle is vain. Morris. 
 
 As the summer days passed rapidly away, many 
 an evening found Dr. Charlie Landon at Captain 
 Merton's residence; and on bright evenings Miss 
 Bertie and he strolled along the river in pleasant 
 conversation. It is said forewarned, fore- 
 armed so he thought there was no danger that 
 he would ever fall in love with the golden-haired 
 little lady, for he had often been told that she 
 was a finished coquette. Though it was pleasant 
 to linger near her, it meant nothing more. But 
 as the poet says : 
 
 For love at first is but a dreamy thing, 
 
 That slyly nestles in the human heart, 
 A morning lark which never plumes his wing, 
 
 Till hopes and fears, like lights and shadows, part. 
 
 But he was only human after all, and his heart 
 soon learned to beat quicker whenever the neat 
 little figure with the jaunty hat and scarlet plume 
 floated before his vision. So he took his first 
 lessons in love, and rapidly became as adept a 
 student as he ever had been in the field of science. 
 Till now, he had been fancy free, impregnable 
 to every woman's pretty face. But when those 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 41 
 
 men who are slow to join the ranks of cupid be- 
 gin to love, they plunge in with all the passion of 
 their heart and soul; unlike those shallow swains, 
 who imagine themselves enamoured with every 
 pretty form they see till some other equally 
 pretty draws them away. Thus unconsciously he 
 was falling in love insensibly learning the bright 
 lessons of love. The lessons, gentle reader, you 
 and I have learned, or shall in the years to come. 
 Love, the old, old story, yet ever fresh and new. 
 The story of the heart; one of the feelings 
 "Time cannot benumb." 
 
 Coquette, he heard Miss Merton to be, there- 
 fore she could have no influence on him. But 
 often where the head is cool and collected, the 
 heart grows stronger and bravely pushes on. 
 Perhaps it is better so; for the heart is often 
 noble, where the intellect would be severe. So, 
 in these three months, he had made such progress 
 in love that to retreat was almost impossible, but 
 to press on was easy. 
 
 This clear summer evening, Dr. Landon put 
 his books on the shelves in the laboratory, pushed 
 aside the chemical apparatus, and kicked the new 
 box of minerals under the table, though there 
 were several rare ones, and a new metal just dis- 
 covered which chemists were eagerly investigat- 
 ing. He had taken great pains to obtain it, hav- 
 ing sent nearly a thousand miles for the ore con- 
 taining the metal. But he was studying another 
 science now, even more interesting and compli- 
 cated than chemistry that of love. When he 
 had extinguished the light in the laboratory, he 
 closed the door, and walking down stairs, bent 
 
42 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 his steps rapidly toward Captain Merton's resi- 
 dence. On ringing the door bell, Miss Bertie an- 
 swered it in person. 
 
 "Oh, Dr. Charlie," she exclaimed, "I'm glad 
 you've come ! Ned Wilberton and May went out 
 walking, and I could not go with them; for two 
 are company and three are none. It is such a 
 beautiful evening, I longed to take a stroll in the 
 open air." 
 
 "How do you know I'll go with you?" he 
 asked, laughing. 
 
 "Oh, I know you will. That's a good fellow. 
 Now, won't you?" 
 
 "I don't know. But get ready and then I'll 
 tell you." 
 
 "I knew you would," she said, laughing. 
 
 "I didn't say so." 
 
 "But you will." And she 'hurried away, leaving 
 him seated on the stone steps. 
 
 Presently she returned, wearing the becoming 
 hat with its scarlet plume and the shawl on her 
 arm. He wrapped it around her plump shoul- 
 ders, and they turned down the garden walk to- 
 ward the river. 
 
 "Well, Dr. Charlie," said she, "I thought you 
 were not coming to-night. You said you were 
 going to examine those rare minerals and that 
 new metal, which has just been discovered." 
 
 "Yes, I ought to have investigated them, but 
 I thought more of you than of them. Don't you 
 feel flattered?" he asked, smiling. 
 
 "Yes," she replied archly, "I should think so, 
 to be compared to rare minerals," and she added, 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 43 
 
 "even if they are new ones. By the way, what 
 are the names of the metals?" 
 
 "They are called Germanium Indium, and 
 Radium.' " 
 
 "And what are their uses?" 
 
 "Chemists have found no use for them all, 
 except Radium." 
 
 "And the new mineral is called Achrematite, 
 isn't it?" 
 
 "Why, yes! The little lady has done well 
 to remember that hard word." 
 
 "But what does the ore contain besides 
 silver?" 
 
 "I do not think it contains silver at all, 
 though it was sent from Mexico to the Univer- 
 sity as such. It undoubtedly contains lead, mixed 
 with arsenic and molybdenum; if you remember, 
 that rare metal I showed you in the laboratory 
 the other day was molybdenum." 
 
 "Oh, yes, that white one almost as lustrous as 
 silver, but not near so heavy." 
 
 "Yes, that's the metal," he replied, laughing. 
 "Why, you will soon become a chemist." 
 
 "Oh, I should dearly love to study chemistry. 
 But I don't like those hard formulas you gave the 
 students, H* S and C H Cl 3 ." 
 
 "Why," he exclaimed, "you do remember 
 those formulas. I had no idea you would. No, 
 of course, you wouldn't begin chemistry by learn- 
 ing those dry symbols. But they become easy 
 enough after you understand their meaning. 
 Since you haven't forgotten the formulas, can you 
 tell what they represent, Pussie?" 
 
 "No, I do not know what both of them sig- 
 
44 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 nify," she replied, as she nestled her head against 
 his shoulder. 
 
 "They stand for sulphuretted hydrogen and 
 chloroform." 
 
 "Then, Charlie," said she with an arch smile, 
 "why don't you say sulphuretted hydrogen and 
 chloroform, instead of those letters?" 
 
 "Because those letters tell of what the sub- 
 stances are composed; which is the idea of chem- 
 istry desolving a substance into its simplest parts. 
 For instance, H 2 S, stands for one part or one 
 molecule of sulphuretted hydrogen, and it also 
 tells that one part is composed of two atoms of 
 hydrogen and one atom of sulphur; C H Cl s, 
 indicates that chloroform is composed of one 
 atom each of carbon and hydrogen, and three 
 atoms of chlorine; another reason for using let- 
 ters is, that it is a shorter method of expression. 
 And then by using letters, chemists have a uni- 
 versal nomenclature or language, understood by 
 all, be he a French, German or Russian chemist. 
 Just as a physician's prescription can be read by 
 all druggists whatever their nationality may be. 
 You know how these letters are derived, Bertie?" 
 
 "Yes, they are the first letter or two letters of 
 the metals or element's Latin name. As S stands 
 for sulphur; Co for cobalt; Au for gold, from 
 its Latin name, aurum; and Fe for iron, its Latin, 
 ferrum. But I did not know before why the first 
 letters of their Latin names were used instead of 
 their English." 
 
 "Yes, these symbols are used so as to have a 
 unity in the science all over the civilized world. 
 As you know, there are seventy-five elements in 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 45 
 
 Chemistry, of which five are gases, sixty-two are 
 metals and eight are metaloids. All compounds 
 are made from these seventy-five elements." 
 
 "I thought there were sixty elements." 
 
 "Did the book you studied at school give that 
 number?" 
 
 "Yes, I think it did." 
 
 "I have no doubt. But chemists have discov- 
 ered ten new metals since the book was written." 
 
 "How do you know some metals from others, 
 when they look so much alike?" 
 
 "Oh, chemists have many ways by which they 
 can determine a metal, and even quickly extract 
 it from a compound of many different matters." 
 
 By this time they had reached the river, and 
 as they stood gazing upon its bright surface 
 gleaming in the moonlight, she exclaimed : 
 
 "How bright and beautiful it looks." 
 
 "Yes, wouldn't you like to plunge into it, just 
 as you did when I first saw you, on purpose to 
 have me pull you out." 
 
 "No, sir, I didn't fall into the river purposely! 
 How could I prevent my horse from plunging 
 into the water?" 
 
 "You might have made him," said he teasingly. 
 
 "No, I didn't, and it's real naughty in you to 
 say so, Charlie?" 
 
 "Well, then, it 'might have been' purely acci- 
 dental." 
 
 "You know it wasn't on purpose, now don't 
 you?" 
 
 "No, I don't know it. But, then, as they say in 
 law, we put the best construction on the matter, 
 
46 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 and say it was accidental. But still you may 
 have fallen " 
 
 "No, but I didn't," she exclaimed with a stamp 
 of her little foot, "and it's real mean in you to 
 say so; besides it was you who frightened my 
 horse, when I wasn't looking and he plunged into 
 the river." 
 
 "But weren't you looking at me all the while?" 
 
 "Yes No!" she exclaimed, turning her head 
 away and blushing. 
 
 "Come now, Bertie, honor bright, weren't 
 you?" 
 
 "I won't answer you, Charlie. Because it's 
 none of your business !" 
 
 "That's acknowledging it," said he, laughing. 
 
 "No, it isn't. I don't know why you want to 
 tease me about falling into the river. But then 
 you got a good wetting, and lost your fish, too," 
 she retorted gleefully. 
 
 "And I suppose, that was good also," said he, 
 smiling. 
 
 "Yes," she replied archly, "they were nice 
 large fish. I sent the boy down and stole them." 
 
 "I've no doubt of that, for I came back and 
 looked quite a while for them." 
 
 "Oh, I'm glad of that," she exclaimed, clapping 
 her hands. 
 
 "Glad that I lost the fish intended for my sup- 
 per?" 
 
 "No," she replied demurely, "that I had them 
 for mine." 
 
 "So, then, you got repaid for falling into the 
 river?" 
 
 "No, I didn't fall in intentionally!" she ex- 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 47 
 
 claimed with a pout of the pretty red lips. "But 
 you were going to say so," said she somewhat 
 mollified, "now weren't you?" 
 
 "I don't know, Pussie." 
 
 "Yes, you were. But what made you keep out 
 of the way so long?" 
 
 "Oh, because I didn't know what a charming 
 little lady you were." 
 
 "Now, none of your compliments, sir. Tell 
 me really what the reason was?" she asked, turn- 
 ing her large liquid black eyes up to his face. 
 
 "Why, I've told you." 
 
 "But tell me the true reason. Now, honor 
 bright." 
 
 "Well, I'll tell you; because I heard you were 
 a thorough coquette, and I wasn't anxious to play 
 moth to your candle." 
 
 "Why, who told you such naughty things about 
 me? And you didn't believe it?" 
 
 "Yes, of course, 'how could I help it?" 
 
 "But you don't believe it now?" 
 
 "Why, certainly not, Bertie." 
 
 At this moment the other lovers came in view. 
 
 "Why," exclaimed Miss Merton, "there's Mr. 
 Wilberton and May coming toward us." 
 
 u Yes, they seem to be enjoying the evening 
 together." 
 
 "Yes," replied Bertie demurely, "I wonder if 
 he's telling her about the legality of being out in 
 the moonlight. I don't think he looks as if he 
 were. Does he?" 
 
 "I do not know. He once told me, it wasn't 
 legal to have two beaux at the same time! I in- 
 
48 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 formed him that Congress had repealed that law 
 long ago." 
 
 "But, then, you wouldn't want two beaux?" 
 
 "Yes. For one might get intoxicated and fall 
 into the river. Then, if I only had one lover, 
 I'd be bankrupt." 
 
 "Why, that's so, and it's a poor rule won't 
 work both ways, so I must try and find another 
 sweetheart." 
 
 "No ; it's illegal for a man to have two strings 
 to his bow." 
 
 "I don't know. Suppose you ask Ned, when 
 he comes up. He looks as if he were engaged 
 in a legal question, doesn't he?" Landon asked, 
 laughing. 
 
 "No; he looks as if he were trying to solve the 
 problem of love." 
 
 For the young lawyer had dropped his arm 
 about Miss Wentworth's waist, unconscious that 
 they were watched by the others, till he glanced 
 toward them, then his arm dropped to his side. 
 
 "There," said Miss Merton, shyly as Mr. 
 Wilberton's arm dropped from May's waist, 
 "he's solved the problem." 
 
 "Do you think so? Perhaps they were only 
 flirting." 
 
 "No, May never flirts; she's too honest for 
 that. May is a true, darling girl, and I love 
 her better than anybody else in the world, ex- 
 cept papa and " 
 
 "And me," said the Doctor, laughing. 
 
 "How do you know, I was going to say that? 
 What an egotistical fellow?" 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 49 
 
 "But that's what you were going to say. 
 Wasn't it, Pussie?" 
 
 "Why, sir, how conceited you are. But isn't 
 it time to turn homeward?" 
 
 When Wilberton and Miss May had passed 
 them, the former said: 
 
 "I think your pretty cousin is caught at last. 
 He looks down on her as if he owned her, and," 
 he added, "nearly as much as you do me." 
 
 The pretty blonde blushed; the hot blood 
 mantled her fair face, as she answered shyly: 
 "I thought it was you who owned me?" 
 
 "I think," he replied, as his arm resumed its 
 former position, "the ownership is mutual. Isn't 
 it, May?" 
 
 "Yes, I think so," she answered archly. 
 
 As Dr. Landon and Miss Bertie were part- 
 ing at her father's house, she said: "I shall be 
 at the laboratory to-morrow. I want to see you 
 analyze those new minerals; farewell." 
 
 "Vale!" said he, as he kissed his hand to her. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 THE CHEMICAL LABORATORY. 
 
 In the chemist's wondrous laboratory! 
 What a weird mystery seems to dwell 
 About those many shaped glasses and bottles; 
 And what curious stories they could tell ! 
 
 The afternoon of the next day was clear and 
 bright, and Miss Merton as she tripped through 
 the gate and up the graveled walk that !ed to the 
 College thought it a very pleasant day; the air 
 
50 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 seemed so fresh and light, that she felt as if 
 thrown into some fairy land. 
 
 The University buildings three in number 
 stood on a low hill, commanding a view of the 
 surrounding country. The middle and largest 
 building was used as an academical department, 
 containing the lecture rooms and Professor's of- 
 fices. It was a huge, brick house, two stories in 
 height, with numerous running roses clambering 
 up its broad walls and hanging festoon-like 
 over the broad pediments above the windows. 
 The edifice on the right of this one was the Col- 
 lege museum and library; while the stone build- 
 ing, standing in the midst of a garden, with a 
 bright green lawn between it and the road, was 
 the Medical College. At the left of these build- 
 ings were the lodging and dining houses of the 
 students. Miss Merton went up the stone steps 
 and, entering the hall, ran up the stairs. The 
 College halls were almost deserted, for, it being 
 Saturday, but few students were in the building, 
 and the first person she met was the janitor, at 
 the head of the stairs. 
 
 "Is Dr. Landon in his lecture-room?" she 
 asked. 
 
 "No, miss, the Professor has gone to the ho- 
 pital, with a class of students." 
 
 "When do you expect him back?" 
 
 "He may be here at any moment. He usually 
 gets here long before this time." 
 
 The Professor's hospital was four miles dis- 
 tant, and it took but twenty minutes to go there 
 by the railroad. It was situated about two miles 
 from the city, toward the village, the city being 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 51 
 
 nearly six miles from St. Arlyle. Miss Merton 
 turned down the stairs again, and, walking out 
 of the hall, stood on the massive granite steps 
 looking fresh and pretty, all unconscious that she 
 was in full view of the young Doctor, who was 
 coming up the hill hidden by the grove of trees. 
 And it made his heart beat with pride to see how 
 beautiful she looked. Her small head sur- 
 mounted by the jaunty velvet hat, with its long 
 scarlet plume drooping down on the little shoul- 
 der was turned slightly from him, and the mass 
 of long golden curls was fastened back with a 
 blue ribbon, and hung nearly down to her waist. 
 They shone in the summer sunlight like threads 
 of gold. Her long drooping eyelashes shaded 
 the lustrous eyes, and her little mouth was pout- 
 ing, all unconscious that the plump red lips 
 looked so temptingly pretty, and formed a dimple 
 in each cheek. Her graceful form was attired 
 in a well-fitting dress of light grey, fastened at 
 the waist with a scarlet sash. The skirt was 
 swept picturesquely back by the gentle breeze, 
 displaying the tips of two plump little shoes. The 
 dress was cut low at the neck, and displayed a 
 throat and bosom of alabaster whiteness, one 
 -h#>ft|iof almost snowy clearness, was toying with 
 a gold locket, while the other hung listlessly by 
 her side. 
 
 "Well, Miss Pussie, have I kept you waiting?" 
 asked Dr. Landon, as he came up the walk. 
 
 "Oh, no, I arrived here only a few moments 
 ago." 
 
 He dropped his arm about her, and they went 
 upstairs together, her long curls sweeping 
 
52 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 against his shoulder. They entered the labora- 
 tory, a very large and high room, situated in the 
 front part of the building, and commanding -a 
 beautiful view of the surrounding country. The 
 floor was covered by a light, soft carpet and the 
 ceiling was handsomely frescoed. On one side of 
 the apartment was built a huge rosewood cabinet 
 reaching half way across the large room, and 
 extending from the floor nearly to the ceiling, 
 surmounted by a heavy cornice, on which stood 
 the bust and figures of a dozen noted chemists. 
 It contained shelf after shelf, all closely packed 
 with innumerable minerals of every size, shape 
 and hue, and covered by glass doors. There 
 were literally thousands of them to dazzle the 
 eye with their gay colors and beauty. There 
 were to be seen bright, transparent lexagonal 
 quartz crystals, stalactites of lime, resembling 
 huge cylindrical icicles, large six-si decUblocks of 
 basalt, so that they looked as if the^iad formed 
 in a mould, cubic and octahedral crystals of fluor- 
 spar, and glassy crystal feldspar. One shelf was 
 completely filled with precious stones that dazzled 
 the eye with their brilliant lustre and beautiful 
 tints. Among these were sapphires of blue, yel- 
 low, violet and green colors; emeralds of yellow 
 and green; tourmalines of blue, violet, green, yel- 
 low and red; topazes of blue, yellow and red; 
 garnets, beryls, turquoises, amethysts, variegated 
 agates, cornelian, varieties of jasper^ and many 
 more, too numerous to mention. Pijed on the 
 other shelves, were ores of gold, silver, lead, 
 antimony, arsenic, bismuth, copper, iron, man- 
 ganese, quicksilver, nickel, cobalt, etc. Their 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 53 
 
 colors were as varied as rainbow hue; from the 
 white quartz glittering all over with gold and sil- 
 ver^ to the blue and green colors of carbonate of 
 copper, and the crystaline red resinous ores of 
 taugstate of lead. Against the opposite wall stood 
 another glass case fully as large as the one al- 
 ready mentioned. It was closely packed with 
 chemical apparatus, and numbers of bottles, filled 
 with solids and liquids, of every color, from 
 which came that peculiar, agreeable odor, preva- 
 lent in all laboratories and drug shops. Against 
 the other walls stood several book cases well 
 filled with scientific works; and in the middle of 
 the room stood a long rosewood table, scattered 
 over in picturesque confusion with minerals and 
 chemical apparatus. In the centre of the table 
 was a balance in a glass case; around it lay glass 
 tubes, funnels, flasks, matrasses, beakers, re- 
 torts, test tubes, etc. ; while near these stood sev- 
 eral spirit-lamps, an iron stand, crucibles, stone 
 mortars, bell glasses, wash bottles, moulds, and 
 the many other paraphernalia of a chemist. In 
 one angle of the room was a furnace surrounded 
 by its necessary utensils. 
 
 In the corner by the window, which com- 
 manded a fine view, stood a large walnut desk, 
 with books, papers, and minerals. Among the 
 books lying on the desk wSfpUre's Dictionary of 
 Chemistry, and the works of Moore and Byron. 
 
 "Science and literature mixed," he said, smil- 
 ingly, as Miss Merton stood examining the sur- 
 face of the desk. 
 
 "Yes," she replied, "irrevocably, mingled like 
 
54 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 the waters of rivers and sea. But, which do you 
 love the better, science or literature?" 
 
 "It would be hard to tell. But then science 
 could make no progress without a full literature, 
 or language. For literature is the record of the 
 thoughts of the mind and the means of refining 
 and polishing them. Without the use of a cor- 
 rect language all the arts and sciences would be 
 in a wild, chaotic state. Scientists would continu- 
 ally misunderstand each other and endless argu- 
 ments would ensue upon the same thing expressed, 
 only, in different ways. As it is, words or sen- 
 tences misunderstood have caused the squander- 
 ing of many a life time and millions of dollars. 
 It has been estimated by an Attorney General of 
 the United States that this country pays annu- 
 ally over twenty million of dollars for the abuse 
 of the English language concerning contract leg- 
 islation. Among nations, misunderstood words, 
 or sentences of statesmen, have engendered 
 deadly hatred, leading to the clash of arms, and 
 the destruction of an almost inestimable amount 
 of property, as well as the loss of millions of 
 human lives. These mistakes often become evi- 
 dent to the combatants when too late to be recti- 
 fied. 
 
 "So you see literature is the treasure-house of 
 thought, accumulated through bygone ages, where 
 all may gather the beauties of language, science 
 or art; and a polished literature must always pre- 
 cede science, for letters are its foundation." 
 
 "Yes," she replied, smilingly, "one would think 
 you an enthusiast in literature as well as in sci- 
 ence. But I can fully understand the force and 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 55 
 
 truth of your argument. And I can see plainer 
 the deep meaning of Cowper's couplet: 'Sa- 
 cred Interpreter of human thought, how few re- 
 spect or use thee as they ought/ But what is this 
 ore?" she asked, taking up a mineral that lay on 
 the desk. 
 
 "It is loadstone, an iron ore. It comes from 
 one of the most noted iron mines of the world; 
 not celebrated on account of the great amount 
 of iron, but on account of their peculiar property, 
 that of magnetism." 
 
 "And where are the mines situated?" 
 "They are on the Black Sea, near the ancient 
 city of Magnesia, which in ages gone by was the 
 seat of government and oriental splendor. Mag- 
 nesia is but a short distance from Constantinople, 
 which was the capital of the Byzantine Empire 
 the last vestige of the great Roman government 
 to decay. Being the last resort of Roman civil- 
 ization, men of science and letters naturally con- 
 gregated there. This peculiar and wonderful 
 property of the ore that of magnetism and 
 polarity soon engaged their attention. Thus the 
 name magnetism was given to this strange prop- 
 erty of the ore from the name of the ancient 
 city of Magnesia, where the ore was first found. 
 But, finally, learned men had to leave for this 
 being the last Christian stronghold in eastern 
 Europe the Mohammedans concluded to capture 
 it. So, after a desperate resistance, in which the 
 Christians fought with a bravery never excelled, 
 and a desperation akin to death, their king rush- 
 ing nobly to the front and falling in the thickest 
 of the fray, the Mohammedans captured Con- 
 
156 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 stantinople. Now, Miss Bertie, can you tell in 
 what century the downfall of the Byzantine Em- 
 pire occurred? Let us see what kind of an his- 
 torical scholar you are?'* 
 
 "Yes, I can; you professors think none but 
 yourselves know anything." 
 
 "But when did this event occur?" 
 
 "In the 1 5th century." 
 
 "Yes, you did know." 
 
 "Oh, I do know a little. But how did you 
 get this ore from Magnesia?" 
 
 "It was given to me by a person who has been 
 traveling in Europe. If I take a thin, narrow 
 piece of this loadstone, and balance it on a point, 
 it will take a direction exactly north and south. 
 The needle of the compass, as you know, is but 
 an arrow of steel, one end of which is rubbed 
 with loadstone, or as mineralogists call it, mag- 
 netic iron ore." 
 
 "Is this loadstone found only at Magnesia?" 
 
 "Oh, no, it is found in many other places. It 
 is one of the common iron ores of the United 
 States." 
 
 "There is another kind of magnet, produced 
 artifically. Can you tell me how it is made?" 
 
 "It is made with a galvanic or electric battery. 
 Isn't it?" 
 
 "Yes, you're right, Pussie," said he, patting 
 her cheek. 
 
 "I do know a little, don't I?" she asked archly. 
 
 "Yes," replied he, teasingly, "a very little bit." 
 
 "You ought to have your ears boxed," said she, 
 slapping his ears, gently. 
 
 "There is another curious matter about these 
 
(A Village Mystery and 
 Through War to Peace} 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 57 
 
 mines, near Magnesia, they are undoubtedly the 
 same mentioned in the Arabian Nights Entertain- 
 ment which it calls the mountain of adamant. 
 You remember, don't you?" 
 
 "Oh, yes, the story of Sinbad the Sailor. That 
 when the ship came near the shore, the attrac- 
 tion from the mountain was so great that the nails 
 and iron in the ship flew with violence toward 
 the mountain, and then, it says, the ship sank." 
 
 "Yes, you remember the story, and curious to 
 say, since navigation has commenced on the Black 
 Sea, many ships at night and in fogs have ran 
 ashore on account of the deflection of the com- 
 pass, by magnetic influence, thus, somewhat 
 verifying the old legend of the Arabian Nights." 
 
 "It is very strange, that we should have a par- 
 tial realization of this ancient legend. I've heard 
 that the Arabian Nights was written hundreds 
 of years ago." 
 
 "Yes, it is at least over two thousand years 
 since it was written. For it was nearly as popu- 
 lar before the Christian Era as it is now." 
 
 "Oh, I did not suppose it to be near so old 
 and that it is one of the links of the ancient world 
 with the modern." 
 
 "Yes, it is one of the world's oldest books." 
 
 "Why, this is common salt!" exclaimed Miss 
 Merton, picking up a bottle from the desk con- 
 taining the salt. "Do you use it in chemical 
 manipulations?" 
 
 "Oh, yes, it is a very useful chemical. Can 
 you tell me of what elements salt is composed? 
 Oh, you can't. So you don't know even a little 
 bit this time, Pussie. 
 
58 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 "Salt is composed of two deadly poisons. But 
 when these two are chemically united, they be- 
 come inert, that is, lose their poisonous proper- 
 ties, and we may eat them with impunity." 
 
 "It is a curious phenomenon, isn't it, Charlie?" 
 
 "Yes, but salt is not the only mixture of two 
 poisons that become inert. 
 
 "Salt is the most familiar because of its uni- 
 versal use. The two virulent poisons, opium and 
 belladonna, counteract each other. I know of 
 a case in which a man took an ounce of laudanum, 
 and its poisonous effects were counteracted by 
 the other toxical drug, belladonna, and the man's 
 life was saved. 
 
 "As I said before, salt is composed of two 
 virulent poisons, chlorine and sodium, thirty-five 
 parts of the former to twenty-three of the latter. 
 That brilliant white metal that I showed you in 
 the glass case is sodium. And chlorine is a 
 
 S-eenish gas the name being derived from the 
 reek word Chloros, meaning green." 
 
 "Oh, yes, I've seen the gas produced." 
 
 "Then you know how it appears." 
 
 "Yes, Dr. Charlie, but what is this, in this jar." 
 
 "That is sea water, taken from the ocean, for 
 the purpose of analyzing it." 
 
 "Do you know how much salt sea water usually 
 contains?" 
 
 "Yes, it contains about a pound and a half." 
 
 "No, you're wrong, Pussie." 
 
 "Ami?" 
 
 "Yes; it contains two and a half pounds to 
 every hundred pounds of fluid mixture. Do you 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 59 
 
 know of anything else the sea almost always con- 
 tains?" 
 
 "Oh, yes, it contains iodine, and I believe, also 
 bromine." 
 
 "Yes, good; and it also contains silver in so- 
 lution." 
 
 "I did not think that, but I suppose it is in 
 small quantities." 
 
 "Yes, chemists have analyzed the waters of 
 almost innumerable parts of the ocean, and they 
 find by a careful computation that the ocean can- 
 not hold less than two millions of tons of silver, 
 in solution, and a grain of gold to every ton of 
 water. It's a good deal of silver, isn't it, Ber- 
 tie?" 
 
 "Yes, truly wonderful." 
 
 "Now, Pussie, can you tell me what gives the 
 green color to the ocean?" 
 
 "No, I cannot." 
 
 "It is caused by dissolved copper floating in 
 it. Did you ever notice that some seas or oceans 
 are green, while others are quite blue?" 
 
 "Yes, quite often, so that one could almost see 
 where the green and blue come together; they 
 somewhat resemble two fields of green grass and 
 blue violets." 
 
 "The bluish oceans are caused by ammonical 
 salts of copper, while the green color of others 
 is caused by the chloride of copper." 
 
 "So, then, we can see the copper in the water 
 but not the silver." 
 
 "Yes, for it gives a bright color to the water, 
 just as Miss Bertie does in a crowd." 
 
6o THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 "Now, sir, none of your compliments, for you 
 once said I was a coquette." 
 
 "Yes, but I was a naughty fellow then, and 
 I didn't know what I was talking about. I was 
 not aware then that you were the grandest little 
 nuisance in the world." 
 
 "Now, sir, take that," she said, gently box- 
 ing his ears. "But why can't we see the silver 
 in the water?" 
 
 "Because it is in an invisible state. If we take 
 an ounce of silver and dissolve it in nitric acid, 
 and then throw it into a bucket of water, we can- 
 not see a particle of silver. In this way we may 
 dissolve more than nine pounds of silver in the 
 bucket, and not a particle will be visible in the 
 water. In fact, the water will be as clear to our 
 view as before putting in the silver." 
 
 "Oh, I see now why the silver is not visible," 
 she replied. 
 
 "We may show in the laboratory how the sea 
 is colored by dissolving a few pieces of copper 
 in an acid, and then throwing it into a bowl of 
 water; the liquid will immediately become a 
 bright green. If we then add hartshorn, or aqua- 
 ammonia, we will have a miniature bluish sea 
 or rather, bluish purple. But it is time to go 
 home, is it not, Bertie?" 
 
 "Yes, I did not think it was so late," she an- 
 swered, looking at her watch. "The afternoon 
 has passed very quickly and pleasantly." 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 61 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 GLEATON'S VISIT TO THE GHOST. 
 
 "On a sudden, shrilly sounding, 
 
 Hideous yells and shrieks were heard; 
 Then each heart with fear confounding 
 A sad troop of ghost appeared." 
 
 Weeks and months glided by, but the phantom 
 still held his quarters in the old Haunted House 
 on the hill. On moonlight nights, or on dark, 
 dismal ones, the weird, mystic colored lights are 
 ever seen to float from the spirit window. The 
 terrible demon of the fiery world here seemed to 
 hold his wild carnival with the grim spectres of 
 the infernal regions. Often, all night the bright 
 lights gleamed from the window; but they always 
 disappeared when the first beams of day burst 
 in the east; as if the monster hated the daylight 
 for his ghastly work. 
 
 As the old house stood on a hill the colored 
 lights that burst from its window shone as a 
 beacon to the surrounding country; and many 
 were the hideous stories told by belated travelers 
 of the strange phantoms seen floating in the col- 
 ored flames. Superstitious people of the village 
 long since agreed that the house was the abode 
 of spectres. And the more incredulous persons, 
 who had been loth to believe in the supernatural, 
 had at last confessed that there was something 
 beyond their comprehension, though they had 
 
62 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 made many efforts to discover the mystery. The 
 question, "Is there a ghost in the old house ?" 
 was no longer asked, for it was an admitted fact 
 that the house was haunted. 
 
 The strange story of the village ghosts spread 
 to the city, and many came from there, return- 
 ing wonderstruck. 
 
 Among the last of the villagers to believe that 
 the house was haunted was Thomas Gleaton; 
 though he was half convinced that there was 
 something unearthly about the strange beings, he 
 wished to be farther satisfied and determined 
 to visit the spectral scene and see more. His 
 friends tried to dissuade him from this rash act, 
 but he was determined. He tried to induce his 
 boon companions, Johnson and Anderson, to ac- 
 company him, but they had no further curiosity 
 in that direction they were satisfied. Those ter- 
 rible shrill shrieks, as if of some lost soul in tor- 
 ment, and those mystic flames that ever shone at 
 night, struck an indescribable terror that nothing 
 earthly could cause. 
 
 The village had become so noted on account 
 of these spectral scenes that in the neighboring 
 country it had almost lost its name of St. Arlyle 
 and was known as the Phantom Village. After a 
 while it became so that children, women and even 
 men went into the street after dark with a feel- 
 ing of dread, lest they should meet this minion 
 of Pluto. Several persons in passing the Haunted 
 House just at day-break had seen the spectre leave 
 it, cross the garden and approach the gate which 
 flew open before his touch like the magical door 
 of the secret cave of the Forty Thieves in the 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 63 
 
 Arabian Nights before the charmed word "Se- 
 same." Its lock had long grown rusty, and no 
 key had been fitted to it for more than a quarter 
 of a century, yet it swung back on its rusty hinges 
 at the spirit's mystical touch. 
 
 The demon was described by those who had 
 seen him to be terrible. Wild tales were told of 
 his hideous aspect the clouds of infernal vapor 
 that surrounded him, the saucer-shaped eyes, sur- 
 rounded by masses of tangled grey hair; the claw- 
 like hands and, some even added, a tail and horns. 
 In fact, he was described as one of the nine de- 
 mons of the Infernal Empire, of which Beelze- 
 bub is the sovereign, so radiantly painted in myth- 
 
 thology. 
 
 ******* 
 
 It was a dark, windy night when Thomas Glea- 
 ton entered the garden of the Haunted House. 
 The walls were dark and gloomy, except for the 
 lurid blue light that gleamed from the spectre 
 window, shining forth Argus like, as if watching 
 over the pandemonium of death. Blue and 
 ghostly were the gleams it cast on tree, shrub and 
 marble statues, looking deathlike in the gloomy 
 shadows that lay between. As he passed along 
 the rank growth of bushes and vines his wild 
 imagination fancied every shadow to be some 
 spirit of the infernal regions. 
 
 The clock in the church tower had toled the 
 hour of eleven, and as he walked up the stone 
 steps he saw the last light in the village disap- 
 pear. Alone in the darkness he muttered: 
 
 "Now to unravel the mystery, or to be in com- 
 pany with the spectres of Hell? 7 ' 
 
64 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 Though was his heart beating wildly with a 
 strange terror, and his brain on fire with excite- 
 ment, he went to work filing off the staple that 
 held the iron shutters of the window. Though 
 he worked rapidly, the bell struck sharply the 
 hour of midnight ere he cut the staple in two. He 
 felt a strange terror creep over him as he stood 
 there at midnight. 
 
 Noiselessly raising the window he sprang into 
 the hall. Silence, except now and then the wild, 
 demoniacal shrieks that echoed and reechoed 
 through every part of the building, almost stag- 
 nating his blood. 
 
 Slowly and tremblingly he felt his way up 
 stairs in the Egyptian darkness. Occasionally 
 the piercing and terrible yells held him spell- 
 bound. He leaned pale and trembling against the 
 balusters for support. When they died away he 
 would press bravely on again. At last he reached 
 the head of the stairs, but was again checked by 
 those wild, unearthly screams following each 
 other in rapid succession till his heart seemed to 
 stand still and his head to swim like that of a 
 drunken man, while he leaned against the wall 
 almost unconscious. But he was a man that noth- 
 ing earthly could daunt; so when the sounds died 
 away, and he had recovered somewhat from the 
 stupor, he pushed on toward the haunted room. 
 Tediously feeling his way in the gloom he came 
 in view of a light which shone from the other 
 end of the hall. Gradually he approached, his 
 heart beating wildly with fear. Looking through 
 the opening, he saw huge masses of flame rolling 
 from an immense cauldron in the centre of tlu 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 65 
 
 room, whence issued ever and anon those hideous 
 yells, as if of lost spirits in torment. 
 
 He could distinguish the weird demon, stand- 
 ing amid the flames, his long hair and grizzly 
 beard hanging about the leering face like a pall. 
 His countenance was sallow, and around his thin 
 lips played a smile of devilish satisfaction, while 
 his eyes were lit up with an awful twinkle, as he 
 gazed into the seething, roaring cauldron as if 
 gloating over the anguish that he was causing 
 some condemned spirit! It was a scene Gleaton 
 could never forget to his dying day. The apart- 
 ment was filled with a myriad of distorted forms 
 floating about in mid air, their faces wearing a 
 look of terrible anguish! It was a sad, hideous 
 spectacle, having its horrors augmented by the 
 arch-fiend pushing a haggard form into the burn- 
 ing pit, followed by terrible, blood-curdling yells 
 and groans. 
 
 Almost unconsciously, Gleaton approached the 
 fearful scene, when suddenly there arose before 
 him a huge form as if it came out of the solid 
 stone wall. The spectre was as black as mid- 
 night, his eyes shone like balls of fire, and were 
 distorted by rage at the encroachment. 'Ere 
 Gleaton could move, the fiend's black hand de- 
 scended upon his shoulder with a grasp that felt 
 as if it would crush the bone, and the next moment 
 he was hurled with a terrible force down the 
 steps into the gloom of the hall. Bruised and 
 bleeding, Gleaton drew his knife and staggered 
 up the steps, but 'ere he could use it the same 
 black form rose again as if out of the solid stone 
 and in greater rage than before hurled him back. 
 
66 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 Human nature could bear no more, and in horror, 
 with but one idea that of escape he staggered 
 along the hall, while great beads of cold sweat 
 ran down his face. He had groped his way for 
 some distance along the wall, every moment ex- 
 pecting to feel the hot breath of the black monster 
 upon his cheek, when he reached another hall, 
 turning into which, he found a flight of stairs 
 leading to the floor beneath. He felt his way 
 down, each instant expecting the vice-like grip 
 of the demon. Reaching the foot, he turned to 
 the left, and found himself in a huge apartment 
 dimly lighted, at the further end. The magnifi- 
 cence of the room struck him with such wonder 
 that it seemed as if he had suddenly been thrown 
 into some palace of wealth, like those creations 
 of the Arabian Nights. A brilliant, soft carpet 
 covered the floor on which stood beautifully 
 carved stands, tables and desks, while along the 
 walls were scarlet-covered chairs and sofas. On 
 the walls hung many paintings in gold frames, 
 representing battle scenes and days of chivalry. 
 Between the seats and pictures stood large cab- 
 inets, and book-cases handsomely formed of in- 
 laid wood, and surmounted by marble and bronze 
 statues. The ceiling was beautifully frescoed 
 with paintings of by-gone ages. From it hung a 
 number of chandeliers, their long glass prisms 
 glittering like icicles in some wondrous cave. He 
 entered the room, and found its magnificence al- 
 most beyond description. He stopped before a 
 large cabinet with glass doors. Here a sight met 
 his gaze that held him spell-bound with wonder. 
 The case contained hundreds of precious stones, 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 67 
 
 of every hue and color, that danced and glittered 
 in the dim lamplight like stars at midnight. He 
 stood for some time lost in wonder at their beauty 
 and splendor! "Here," he thought, "are dia- 
 monds, topazes, emeralds and rubies by the hand- 
 ful. Here is wealth almost beyond one's power 
 to calculate ! Probably, millions of dollars worth 
 of precious stones lying full in view?" As he 
 moved onward, his wonder grew even greater, 
 for he found cabinet after cabinet filled with valu- 
 able stones and minerals glittering with gold and 
 silver. 
 
 "This," he continued, "must be the wondrous 
 abode of the good Genii, while above, Beelzebub 
 and his imps hold their wild carnival." 
 
 He walked a few paces further on, when sud- 
 denly a hideous skeleton stood before him! Its 
 fleshless bones, white and marrowless, and the 
 bony sockets of its eyes seemed lit with a strange 
 fire, the bony jaws, half open, showing two mas- 
 sive rows of grinning teeth ! The sight struck an 
 indescribable terror into his very soul. "This," 
 he thought, "is the skeleton of the former owner 
 of the house, who was foully murdered." He 
 stood in terror gazing at it, when, suddenly, the 
 skeleton raised a bony arm, and pointed with a 
 gory finger toward the door ! He turned his gaze 
 in the direction, and beheld in horror the large 
 form of the black fiend! His heart beat wildly, 
 his head swam with fright, his legs gave way 
 under him, and he fainted. How long he lay thus 
 he could not tell, but it must have been for some 
 time, for when he gained consciousness he was 
 cold and stiff, only having power enough to drag 
 
68 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 his limbs along as he hugged the wall for sup- 
 port. Dragging himself out of the apartment, 
 then along the hall into another, at the end of 
 which he saw with joy the light shining through 
 the window by which he had entered, he slowly 
 crawled toward it with all his strength. It seemed 
 hours ere he reached it and sprang with a cry 
 of joy into the garden, just as the earliest sunlight 
 was flooding the village. He lay there, wita a 
 feeling of gladness at his escape from the demons. 
 He was so weak from terror, and the rough usage 
 he had received, that it was with difficulty he 
 could struggle to his feet. He finally reached 
 home, though it was a very severe task on his 
 failing strength. 
 
 Gleaton was so prostrated after this terrible 
 adventure that he was unable to leave his bed 
 for more than a week. The first few days he 
 was delirious, continually muttering about the 
 scenes he had beheld, often crying out in hor- 
 ror, "take them away." 
 
 The next day the whole town was talking about 
 Gleaton's visit to the Archfiend's den, and many 
 were the conjectures and wild stories told. But 
 the blacksmith was too ill to give a lucid account 
 of his adventures. 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 69 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 THE VILLAGE VANDALS. 
 
 One glaring chaos and wild heap of wit. Pope. 
 
 Rare compound of oddity, frolic and fun, 
 
 Who relished a joke and rejoiced in a pun. Goldsmith. 
 
 At one extremity of the village of St. Arlyle, 
 near the river, stood the tailor-ship, a small 
 wooden building. Here on Saturday nights and 
 sometimes oftener, the Vandal Club or Vandal 
 Congress met. The club was composed of the 
 boys of the village, headed by the town wits, who 
 held their positions by common consent, as, one 
 by one the rising generation left it, leaving their 
 places to be filled by new recruits. They were a 
 wild, jolly set always ready for a frolic. Many 
 of the sober villagers had been members in early 
 manhood, including Dr. Landon. 
 
 Here were discussed the questions and myster- 
 ies of the town, and the news of the day dissemi- 
 nated. Nothing occurred but it was told and 
 passed upon in the tailor-shop. It was the centre 
 of gossip, and the Vandals made it a rule to know 
 more about every one than the person himself. 
 All kinds of mischief was hatched and plots 
 formed, although the Vandals always pretended 
 to be ignorant of them. They were a motley 
 crowd composed of many different characters. 
 Some were nomadic and generally wandered 
 about spending their money recklessly until they 
 
70 t THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 found themselves on the ragged edge of despair. 
 It was then they sought board and lodging at the 
 tailor-shop till ready for another campaign. 
 Though many had taken quarters at the shop, 
 none were ever known to pay; yet the place was 
 never without boarders. The tailor, Mr. Elton, 
 received them not even expecting thanks in return. 
 He was noted as the best-natured man in the 
 country nothing disturbed him. He took life as 
 it came, his mind ever calm, even when cheated or 
 treated meanly. He regarded things philosophic- 
 ally and boarded the Vandals year after year, 
 never asking whether or not they were grateful. 
 And they took their quarters there without as 
 much as asking, for the custom of years had given 
 them that privilege. 
 
 It was Saturday night. The Vandals were con- 
 gregated in the tailor-shop to discuss news of the 
 village and form plans for future fun or mischief. 
 The building consisted of two large rooms. The 
 first apartment was used as a shop and work- 
 room, while the second was employed as an eat- 
 ing, cooking, sleeping and store-room. It was in 
 this room that the Vandals were assembled. The 
 club, when full, consisted of about twenty mem- 
 bers. They were seated in various parts of the 
 room, on barrels, boxes, chairs, benches, and the 
 two beds held occupants. Gleaton the witty 
 blacksmith, and his two boon companions, Dave 
 Johnson and Bill Anderson, were seated on the 
 table, while five others occupied a bench in a 
 corner. Four reclined on the beds, and the rest 
 were arranged around the stove. Among these 
 latter was Dick Lex, the drunken lawyer, and 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 71 
 
 Jerry Marshall, editor of the village newspaper. 
 Marshall was the town poet, being always ready 
 to produce poetry on any occasion. It was not al- 
 ways original, for lines could often be found 
 copied from Shakespeare, Byron, Shelley, Pope, 
 Moore, and others. But he was ready with an 
 apt quotation and seemed to have learned half 
 the poets by heart. He was a brilliant man, and 
 spoke fluently half a dozen languages. At twenty 
 years of age he was graduated from Dublin Uni- 
 versity, and began the study of law. After nearly 
 two years he met with a sad calamity in the death 
 of his sister. From that day he took to drinking, 
 and fell a victim to the intoxicating bowl. Of 
 her death he seldom spoke; but those about him 
 learned that she committed suicide by taking 
 poison after being seduced under promise of mar- 
 riage, and that Marshall had challenged her be- 
 trayer. Instead of accepting the challenge, the 
 villain had the brother of his victim arrested and 
 lodged in jail. After his release, Marshall left 
 his native country to become a wanderer. After 
 traveling from one country to another and losing 
 position after position, through his dissipated 
 habits, he found himself in Turkey; he soon 
 learned that language, and gained a high position 
 in their service, but soon lost it, through drunken- 
 ness. From Turkey he went to Mexico, and 
 understanding the Spanish language, he joined in 
 with the affairs of the state. In that insurrection- 
 ary country he was sometimes placed in political 
 positions when his party was successful. He next 
 went to California, and after drifting about like 
 
72 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 a cork on a wave, he took up his residence in 
 St. Arlyle. 
 
 The chairman of the club occupied a stool in 
 the corner. He said: 
 
 "The roll has been called, and we have con- 
 cluded to dispense with the reading of the minutes 
 of the last session. The next order of business, 
 is information by Mr. Gleaton, concerning his 
 visit to the ghost ! Mr. Gleaton has the floor." 
 
 "Yes, tell us about it," cried half a dozen 
 Vandals. 
 
 "What did Old Nick look like? Did he have 
 horns and a tail? Was his Satanic Majesty armed 
 with a pitch-fork?" and many other like questions 
 assailed him from all sides. 
 
 "Well," said Gleaton, amid a death-like silence, 
 during which every face was turned eagerly to- 
 ward him, "there wasn't much fun in my visit to 
 the Devil's den!" 
 
 "He must have used you pretty roughly to lay 
 you up for a week," suggested Stanton. 
 
 "Yes, he made it extremely lively for a while 
 during my stay. A little too lively to be com- 
 fortable." 
 
 "What did he say to you?" 
 
 "Oh, he was quite talkative, said he was glad 
 to see a friend from this world, and asked me 
 about my health. 'But,' continued he, 'you needn't 
 have come hunting around for me, you'll get a 
 taste of hell and brimstone soon enough.' I told 
 him, I wasn't particularly anxious for a taste of 
 hell. 
 
 " 'Oh, no,' said his Satanic Majesty, 'they never 
 
(A Village Mystery and 
 Through War to Peace) 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 73' 
 
 are when they once feel my roasting machine. 
 It's a big improvement on your earthly furnaces 1' 
 
 "I informed him that I had no doubt it was." 
 
 "But, how does the Devil look?" asked Ander- 
 son. 
 
 "He's a rough-looking old fellow, rigged out 
 with a tail, horns, and necessary appendages." 
 
 "You know," suggested Marshall: 
 
 "Spirits freed from mortals laws, with ease, 
 Assume what shape and sex they please." 
 
 "Well," continued the blacksmith, "his Satanic 
 Majesty said, 4 Mr. Gleaton, it's about time to go.' 
 But I demurred. Then he started the ball to roll- 
 ing by giving me a kick in the rear. Then a lot 
 of sub-devils sprang out of the gloom, and used 
 more boot-leather! They kicked me through 
 half a dozen glass doors ! And then through 
 several wooden ones! I tell you, boys, it was 
 particularly lively, until I reached the street. I 
 couldn't sit down on anything harder than a 
 feather pillow for more than a week." 
 
 "You must have felt sort of annihilated, kind 
 of Vandalized!" remarked Marshall. 
 
 "Yes, and if any of you don't believe it, you can 
 try it for yourselves." 
 
 "I wish to make a motion, Mr. Chairman," 
 said Johnson, arising to his feet. 
 
 "Proceed, Mr. Johnson." 
 
 "Resolved: That Thomas Gleaton did a brave 
 act in visiting the Haunted House; and deserves 
 the thanks of this congress." 
 
 They were both unanimously carried. 
 
74 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 "The next order of business," said the chair- 
 man, u is the report of the committee on marriage. 
 The wedding of William Glass to Nellie Pitcher." 
 
 "Mr. Chairman," said Ned Stanton, "a ma- 
 jority of the committee is favorable to the mar- 
 riage." 
 
 "The question is now open for discussion." 
 
 "I tell you, boys," said a member sitting near 
 the stove, "it was about time Nellie got married; 
 she was getting pretty well along in years. And 
 then Bill Glass was a slow sort of a fellow; if he 
 hadn't got Nellie, he'd never got married in the 
 world." 
 
 "Yes, it's a good thing," suggested Gleaton, 
 "for Bill will stick to Nellie's father in his old 
 age." 
 
 "I don't know about that," said Frank Mere- 
 dith, the medical student, "Bill was always a lazy 
 fellow." 
 
 "That's just the reason, he'll stick by the old 
 man, he'll be too tired to leave," answered the 
 blacksmith. "But still," he continued, "there's 
 a good deal of work in Bill. But mighty little 
 of it will ever come out." 
 
 "But," said a Vandal rising, "I'm opposed to 
 losing a Pitcher for a Glass. It's retrograding, 
 not advancing." 
 
 "Yes, it is true," replied Marshall, "that a 
 Pitcher is changed to a Glass. But, then, we'll not 
 complain, there'll soon be enough little glasses to 
 fill the pitcher once again." 
 
 "It has been moved and seconded," said the 
 presiding officer, "that the marriage of William 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 75 
 
 Glass to Nellie Pitcher is a good thing, and ought 
 to be endorsed by the Vandal congress." 
 
 "I have," said Dick Lex, u an amendment to 
 offer. It is, providing the marriage produces 
 enough little Glasses to fill the Pitcher again." 
 
 The amendment was immediately seconded and 
 carried. The whole resolution was then put and 
 carried, though there were several dissenting 
 voices. 
 
 "Now," said Marshall: 
 
 "May they jog along easy, o'er life's rugged course, 
 Or the next thing they'll want, will be a divorce." 
 
 "Then they'd feel sort of annihilated, kind of 
 Vandalized," suggested a member. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 THE VANDAL CLUB. 
 
 There was a moment's silence in the club, 
 broken by the sudden entrance of a long absent 
 veteran Vandal. 
 
 "Hello, Kelly the Pirate. Hello! Where've 
 you been wandering around?" cried a dozen 
 Vandals. 
 
 "Been tramping out West migrating. Seeing 
 the sights, and the ilephant!" 
 
 "You look kind of used up," said a Vandal. 
 
 "Yes," continued Marshall, "sort of annihil- 
 ated, kind of Vandalized." 
 
 "But when did you get back?" 
 
 "Got home yisterday, just in time for the 
 
76 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 foight at the Thunder hotel," answered the 
 Pirate. 
 
 Kelly had gained the soubriquet of the Pirate, 
 from his nomadic mode of life and his grasping 
 nature. He was a wild, rollicking youth, of 
 about twenty-two years of age, born of Irish 
 parentage, a native of the United States, but still 
 showing his progenitors by a slight Irish brogue. 
 
 "I move, Mr. Chairman," said a Vandal when 
 the assembly had greeted the latest arrival, "that 
 the congress resolve itself into a committee of 
 investigation, and hear the evidence concerning 
 the recent fight in the Thunder hotel." 
 
 The motion was immediately carried. 
 
 The first witness to give his version of the 
 affair was Kelly the Pirate. 
 
 Amid silence the Pirate began: "We wuz down 
 at the Thunder bar-room las' night, and Pate 
 Pugnare, of Warin' Cove, wuz there. And sez 
 he: 'Me name's Pate Pugnare, and I'm on the 
 muscle bigger'n an ilefant, an' while I'm in St. 
 Arlyle, the byes have got to behave themselves. 
 I'm goin' to have ordher in this town, ef I have to 
 clean out the whole insthitution. 
 
 "While Pate wuz a gallantin 'round, a tootin' 
 his horn, he accidently collided wid Big Mike, 
 and Mike het him a belt under the butt of the 
 left ear, and his heels shot up inter the air, and 
 his cocoanut came in contact wid a chair and be- 
 dad he finely sat down lively on the floor! He 
 got up and wint for Mike, but Mike floored him 
 agin ! But he got on his fate agin, and thin they 
 went at it solid! And finely, Pate got his back 
 toward me, and, sez I to meself, 'Kelly, now's yer 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 77 
 
 chance fur fame an' glory!' So I gub him a 
 kick, and a pelt in the nape of the nick, an 1 he lit 
 on top of the hot sthove ! He didn't sthay there 
 long. As he was gitin' up, Ned Stanton smashed 
 a chair over his head, and I an' another feller, 
 guve him a couple of kicks, and he caflumexed 
 on the floor! 'Bout thie time, one of Pate's 
 friends from the Cove, hit me a lively one in the 
 back, and I shot up inter th' air an' sat down 0:1 
 the sthove! Begorra, I tell yer, I didn't think 
 that sthove wuz so hot, till I felt it! I got off 
 the sthove an' looked around; Jerry Marshall 
 an' a Cove chap were wading in rid hot! 'Bout 
 this time a lot of Cove byes arrived, and took 
 a chance in the malay. 
 
 "One of them Cove byes smashed me in the 
 mouth, another kicked me in the stomick; while 
 another chap lifted me in the ribs. Me schull 
 started fur the floor, an' it samed like as ef the 
 floor flew up and mit me. Shure an' I didn't 
 care a darn who won the fight after that!" 
 
 "You felt," suggested Marshall, "sort of anni- 
 hilated, kind of Vandalized!" 
 
 "Yis, yis, exactly. And whin I got up, I saw 
 thim a totin' Pate out on a door. I axed 'im 
 how he liked th' programme? Sez he: 
 
 1 'I wuz a fightin' galoot, but I'm cleaned out, 
 cleaner'n a shot gun !' ' 
 
 "And then," said Marshall, "Pete felt sort of 
 annihilated, kind of Vandalized!" 
 
 Kelly sat down, and Marshall obtained the 
 floor and began his description of the fight: 
 
 "We were congregated in the Thunder bar- 
 room, discussing the topics of the day, when Pete 
 
78 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 Pugnare entered, from Waring Cove. He began 
 a series of boasts, to the effect that Sampson's 
 fighting qualities were nowhere when compared 
 to his own. He was an elephant, a mammoth, 
 a megatherium, in fact, a regular menagerie com- 
 bined in one, who was spoiling for a fight ! Well, 
 while he was enlightening the boys concerning his 
 bellicose qualities, he ran against Big Mike, who 
 gave him a full broadside of muscle that caused 
 him to seat himself on the floor ! When the fight- 
 ing rhinoceros of the Cove gained his equilibrium 
 he went forward to battle again. While Mike 
 attacked him in front, Kelly the Pirate opened 
 fire on his rear, causing him to sit down on the 
 stove. But the extreme heat soon radiated him 
 off, and he came forward for more warfare. And 
 he got it! Ned Stanton kicked him in the 
 stomach, Mike hit him in the mouth, while Kelly 
 and a half dozen other pirates attacked him in- 
 front and on both flanks. 
 "I felt neutral, for, 
 
 'Those who in quarrels interpose, 
 Must often wipe a bloody nose/ 
 
 till one of Pete's friends fired away in my rear, 
 then I became suddenly bellicose. In fact, it 
 gave me a terrible belligerent feeling; I wanted 
 to go to war, real bad. And I went! I saw a 
 small Cove man standing near me, so I hit him 
 a blow under the chin, gave him a kick and lifted 
 him out of the door! I looked out, and saw 
 him resting in a mud-puddle. After that I had 
 some lively engagements, I kept reclining on the 
 floor and getting up again! As Byron says: 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 79 
 
 "Twas blow for blow, disputing inch by inch, 
 For one would not retreat, nor t'other flinch/ 
 
 I kept on fighting, until they got in my rear, in 
 front, on each flank and poured in a murderous 
 fire, and then as the poet says : 
 
 *I curled upon the floor, 
 
 And the subsequent proceedings, 
 
 Interested me no more!'" 
 
 At the conclusion of Marshall's remarks Dick 
 Lex arose and moved, 
 
 "Resolved: That St. Arlyle boys deserve the 
 praise of the Vandal congress for whipping the 
 roughs from the Cove." 
 
 It was immediately carried. 
 
 "The next order of business," said the chair- 
 man, "before this body, is courting. 
 
 "Has any one had any experience on or perti- 
 nent remarks to make on the subject?" 
 
 "Mr. Chairman," said Ned Stanton, the law 
 student, "I've had some experience in courting." 
 
 "Mr. Stanton has the floor." 
 ^ "Well," began Ned, "I fell in love with 
 Colonel Johnson's daughter, and I called quite 
 often to see her. But one day I met the Colonel 
 just as I was leaving the house, and he put an 
 injunction on my courting by informing me he 
 didn't want me fooling around there any more. 
 But I soon dissolved the injunction, for I called 
 on Nellie when he wasn't around. Then the 
 Colonel went to see the judge with whom I am 
 studying, and filed a complaint against me. I 
 demurred to the complaint, and I sustained the 
 
8o THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 demurrer. But old Johnson went around to the 
 judge again, and this time he got a judgment 
 against me. After that I had to look out lively 
 to prevent an execution. I mean from old John- 
 son's boot. But I got a stay of proceedings, until 
 the Colonel found out I still went to see Nellie. 
 Then he made things lively in trying to get an 
 attachment. But one day he caught me, and then 
 things were warlike for a while, and old Johnson 
 got an attachment and an execution both at the 
 same time. But I got away, and then the de- 
 fendant did some tall running, while the plaintiff 
 followed but was distanced! 
 
 "Then the Colonel sent a summons for me, but 
 I didn't consider it a copy of the original, so I 
 didn't appear. But when he came around, I 
 used an alibi, in other words, got out of the way. 
 Then Johnson swore he'd whip me on sight. But 
 he didn't ring in any post facto law on me. But 
 he did send a big Irish coachman after me with a 
 sort of a writ of Habeas Corpus. But we thought 
 he lacked the jurisdiction, 'till one day he caught 
 me fishing; then I changed my mind and used 
 an alibi by sliding under the wharf I After that, 
 things ran rough, or, as Shakespeare says: 
 
 'We were tossed on fortune's fickle flood.' 
 
 "And at last the coachman caught me, and 
 brought me around to the Colonel's office. Then 
 came a trial, not by a ]ury but by a magistrate. 
 There was plenty of evidence for conviction, and 
 a cross-examination, but no evidence allowed in 
 rebuttal, and the result was a writ of prohibition. 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 81 
 
 And we obeyed it, for even the Spartans were 
 crushed when the enemy got in their rear. But I 
 felt " 
 
 "Sort of annihilated, kind of Vandalized I" 
 interposed the editor. 
 
 "Yes, I felt exactly so.;' 
 
 "Love's a very mysterious thing," remarked a 
 Vandal solemnly. 
 
 "Been there, I suppose," said the blacksmith. 
 
 "Yes," said Jerry, "love's a curious thing, as 
 Addison sings: 
 
 'Mysterious love! uncertain treasure, 
 Hast thou more of pain or pleasure? 
 Endless torments, dwell about thee, 
 Yet who would live, and live without thee?' 
 
 But then: 
 
 'There's nothing half so sweet in life, 
 As love's young dream.'" 
 
 "Resolved:" said Gleaton arising, "that court- 
 ing is a necessity, and that it is against progress 
 and civilization to interfere with it." 
 
 The vote was strongly in the affirmative. 
 /'Never mind, Ned," said Marshall, "you'll 
 win your girl yet : 
 
 'Who listens once, will listen twice 
 Her heart, be sure, is not of ice.' " 
 
82 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 THE VANDALS. 
 
 Without or with offence to friends or foes, 
 
 I sketch the world exactly as it goes. Byron. 
 
 ."The next order of business is a description of 
 life in Turkey, by Mr. Jerry Marshall," said the 
 chairman. 
 
 The village editor again rose and began. 
 
 "As regards the Turks, slightly change the 
 words of Shakespeare. 'There's a pleasure in 
 being a Turk, that none but a Turk knows/ if 
 it's only to be lazy and rob your more industrious 
 neighbors. 
 
 "Well, to begin, Fate, or at least circumstances, 
 went against me in Ireland, so I concluded to 
 emigrate, for 'fields and pastures new.' I formed 
 a traveling partnership with Pat Malory, and we 
 set out for the land of the Mohammedans. When 
 we arrived in Constantinople we began by turn- 
 ing Musselmen, (for in Rome do as Romans 
 do), with the hope, or at least the ambition, of 
 some day becoming a kalif, a pasha, or better 
 yet, a grand vizier, or even the sultan himself. 
 For Sultan Marshall and Pasha Malory would'nt 
 sound bad. 
 
 "On arriving in Constantinople the first tussle 
 we had was with the language. But we got a 
 good deal of help in it from two Irishmen, who 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 83 
 
 went by the names of Mohammed All and Ben 
 Selim, although they were known in Ireland as 
 Pat Murphy and Tim Flannigan. But, as Byron 
 says: 
 
 'As custom arbitrates, whose shifting sway 
 Our life and manners must alike obey/ 
 
 "The next tussle we had was with the food, 
 and that was worse than the language. It came 
 near annihilating, sort of Vandalizing us. 
 
 "We went to eat at a house where there were 
 a dozen Turks. Real, lazy Turks. They had a 
 huge pot hung over the fire, and after it boiled 
 sufficiently, they took it off the fire and set it in 
 the middle of the floor. When it had cooled, 
 the Turks collected around it, and each one put 
 his fist into it and drew out a piece of meat or 
 a vegetable. They're opposed to using knives or 
 forks; it's too slow a process of eating. They 
 gnawed away on the eatable like a cat on a mouse. 
 I looked at their fingers; they didn't look as if 
 they'd been stirred in water for a month. About 
 this time a dozen or more dogs came rushing 
 into the room. The streets of Constantinople 
 are full of canines; there seems to be a couple 
 of dogs for every inhabitant, and three or four 
 over, and these superfluous dogs always follow 
 a stranger; they followed me. Well, the dogs lay 
 down near the Turks, sometimes one on each side 
 of a man. And whenever the man brought the 
 meat from his mouth, the dog would bite off a 
 mouthful too. So the dogs and the Turks sat 
 there taking turns on the food. But Pat and I 
 
84 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 were hungry; so we slid toward the pot to make 
 a grab; but just then a dog pushed his head into 
 it up to his eyes and pulled out a bone. We 
 looked at the dog, and then at the door, and then 
 we turned around and slid out. After that, we 
 found some American-Turks to board with. 
 
 "I next began studying the Koran, and looking 
 toward Mecca. For you know, when in Rome, 
 do as Romans do." 
 
 "Well, Jerry, how'd you progress in religion?" 
 asked a Vandal. 
 
 "Oh, I progressed rapidly. Soon became a 
 Musselman, from the top of my head down to my 
 boots." 
 
 "What kind of an institution is their religion?" 
 asked Gleaton. 
 
 "To begin with, the Turks believe Mahomet 
 is the high muck-a-muck, or in the words of their 
 creed, the Apostle of God, who perfected the 
 laws of Moses and Christ. The next thing they 
 believe in is the pilgrimage to Mecca and the 
 festival of Ramadan. Like the Jews, they don't 
 believe in eating hog-meat." 
 
 "Do they believe in Heaven?" asked Kelly. 
 
 "Oh, yes, they have a grand description of 
 Heaven, for true Musselmen, they have it divided 
 into different degrees of felicity, for the different 
 grades of believers. Prophets have the most em- 
 inent degree; doctors and teachers of the Mosques 
 come next; and the common clod-hopper 
 Musselmen come last. This Heaven they de- 
 scribe as containing rivers of water, precious 
 stones, trees of gold, beds of musk, garments of 
 the richest cloth, silken carpets and couches, and 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 85 
 
 crowns of diamonds, to be worn by the blessed. 
 They also believe they shall eat and drink in that 
 world, as well as in this. So there will be an 
 abundance of food served on golden dishes, and 
 immense silver casks of wine, which one may 
 drink without becoming intoxicated. I think that 
 part would suit the Vandals to a dot. They will 
 all collect under an immense tree of happiness 
 called the Tooba, which is as large as half a con- 
 tinent, and which shall bear fruit of all kinds of 
 immense size. Meantime, the ear will be filled 
 with the songs of birds and sirens of paradise. 
 And each Musselman shall have seventy-two 
 wives, whose beauty shall be beyond anything 
 imaginable. In fact, he shall be an improvement 
 on Brigham Young. 
 
 "No matter at what age the faithful shall die 
 in this world, it shall never exceed thirty years 
 in paradise." 
 
 "Quite a handy age to always remain," said 
 Gleaton. 
 
 "Do they believe in hell, and what kind of a 
 place is it?" asked a Vandal. 
 
 u Yes, they have several hells, or degrees of 
 punishment. It is an accommodating religion, 
 and warms a man up to his heart's content, if not 
 more so. The prophets are the only ones who 
 go direct to heaven. The martyrs even suffer a 
 sort of Pythagorean punishment in the gizzard 
 of green birds, but are finally rescued. Another 
 class is put in the archangel's trumpet, or thrown 
 into Zemzen's well, or squeezed under a rock, 
 called the Devil's Jaw. The seventh Plutonion 
 cauldron is the worst hell of all, and is used to 
 
86 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 warm up hypocrites of religion. This place of 
 torment, this Ultima Thule of perdition, is filled 
 with fire, smoke and terrible screams, while the 
 lost spirits will have for company hideous, hiss- 
 ing reptiles, and a myriad of demons, who will 
 stir them up with their double-tined pitchforks. 
 Spanning this hell is the famous bridge of Al 
 Sirat, over which every soul must pass to the 
 world of bliss. It is represented to be finer than 
 a thread, and sharper than the edge of a sword, 
 beset with all kinds of danger; but the good easily 
 pass over, while the wicked tumble in. Prophets 
 pass this bridge with the rapidity of lightning, 
 others at snail's pace, according to the load of 
 their sins. The Turks believe that every corpse, 
 after being buried, is awakened at midnight by 
 two black and weird demons of fearful appear- 
 ance, called Monkir and Nekir, who commanded 
 it to sit erect in its sepulcher and pass the sub- 
 lime examination for heaven or hell! If he 
 passes, he is promoted to heaven; if he fails, he 
 falls to the freshman class in Pluto, never to rise 
 again. 
 
 "You see, it is a religion that suits a Turk's 
 wild imagination. 
 
 "To be brief," continued Jerry, "I learned their 
 language, religion, and habits; in fact, their every 
 thing and rose, step by step, till I became a 
 Pasha. But it was the same old story of my life 
 before, and since; whiskey got the best of me, 
 and my fall was quicker than my rise. You know 
 when a man's unfortunate he loses most of his 
 friends; so it was with me, though a few remained 
 firm to the last. But like Othello, my occupation 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 87 
 
 was gone. So ex necessitate rei, I concluded to 
 leave. 
 
 u As I was drifting from the shores of Islam, 
 and saw friend and foe disappear in the twi- 
 light, I thought forcibly of those lines of Byron : 
 
 'Here's a sigh for those who love me, 
 
 And a smile to those who hate; 
 And whatever sky's above me, 
 
 Here's a heart for every fate.'" 
 
 "I never knowed but one Turk," said Kelly 
 the Pirate. "Saw him out in Californy. He 
 was in the mule business. He had an awful big 
 mouth on 'im for vittles." 
 
 "Could bite an awful big hole in a pumpkin," 
 suggested Gleaton. 
 
 "Yis, exactly, he had the habit of slappin' 
 mules on the rump. He hit a big black mule one 
 day, and the mule fired out wid both hind legs 
 together. An' begorra there wuz one Turk to 
 cross the bridge of Al Sirat in less than a minute." 
 
 "The motion to adjourn, is now in order," 
 said the chairman. 
 
 It was immediately put and carried, followed 
 by a general scattering of those present. 
 
88 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 THE HAUNTED GRAVEYARD. 
 
 If the spirit ever gazes, 
 
 From its journey back; 
 If the immortal ever traces 
 
 O'er its mortal track ; 
 Wilt thou not, O brother, meet us, 
 
 Sometimes on our way, 
 And in hours of sadness greet us, 
 
 As a spirit may? Whittier. 
 
 It was nearly mid-night, shortly after the scene 
 described in the Vandal club as Frank Meredith 
 strode down the stone steps of the Medical Col- 
 lege with Gray's Anatomy under his arm and 
 pressed along the solitary path that lead over the 
 lonely hills to his home. The storm-threatening 
 clouds swept along the sky like masses of sul- 
 phurous smoke above a field of battle. The dis- 
 tant village was silent and dark, except for the 
 single mystic blue light that rolled forth in vol- 
 umes from the spectre window of the haunted 
 house, darting and reflecting from cloud to cloud, 
 as if Argus-like, watching over the pandemonium 
 where the demons were counseling together ere 
 day-light should force them back across the Styg- 
 ian stream to the Plutonian shore. 
 
 Meredith pressed rapidly along in the gloom, 
 which was occasionally illumined by a stray moon- 
 beam that struggled through the black clouds and 
 threw its rays across his track. After walking 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 89 
 
 about three-quarters of a mile over the hill, he 
 reached the cemetery through which his way led, 
 and as he mounted the stile to enter, the distant 
 church clock struck the hour of twelve. 
 
 "Tis mid-night's holy hour and silence now 
 Is brooding like a gentle spirit o'er 
 The still and pulseless world." 
 
 He quoted, as he entered the silent city of the 
 dead and pressed on amid the marble monuments, 
 without the thought whether or not, at 
 
 "Mid-night, in the lonely grave yard, 
 
 Amid the silent dead, 
 Does some restless spirit wander 
 Where the soul its body fled?" 
 
 He had nearly reached the center of the ceme- 
 tery, when he was aroused from his reverie on 
 the anatomy of arteries, veins and nerves, by 
 the rattle of a chain. He stood and listened; 
 the sound was repeated. It seemed to come from 
 behind a tall marble monument. He ran toward 
 it but seemed to recede, although rattling louder 
 than ever. He followed without a moment's 
 hesitation, for like all medical students, he had 
 dissected too many dead to feel any superstition 
 in their presence. As ghosts, it was an excellent 
 thing to crack a grim joke about in the dissect- 
 ing room, while cutting the cadaver to pieces, but 
 nothing more. 
 
 He chased the clinking chains around among 
 the tombstones and trees for nearly an hour. For 
 he was determined to solve the mystery, if possi- 
 ble. Several times he thought he had the phan- 
 
90 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 torn within his grasp, but it seemed to melt away 
 in the gloom. At last, tired out and bruised from 
 tumbling over tombstones and roots of trees, he 
 sat down on a stone to rest. 
 
 "Confound the thing! It's the worst puzzle 
 I ever tried to solve. If I wern't so tired and 
 sleepy I'd give the thing another race. There's 
 something peculiar about this. The whole town 
 seems haunted by these strange doings. I hope 
 one of these ghosts will haunt the Medical Col- 
 lege, I think we could catch one." 
 
 As he muttered this last remark he arose and 
 pressing through the graveyard wound his way 
 home. 
 
 The next day the news of his adventure spread 
 through the whole village. The tale was heard 
 by the people without much surprise, for ghosts 
 had been seen in nearly all parts of the town, and 
 was not the cemetery a natural place for one to 
 wander where his body had mouldered to dust? 
 
 That night the Vandal club held a meeting to 
 discuss the phantoms, and Frank Meredith told 
 his adventure. A committee of five Vandals was 
 appointed (three of whom were medical stu- 
 dents) to investigate the ghost in the graveyard. 
 
 The club adjourned at ten o'clock and the five 
 Vandals started for the haunted cemetery. They 
 walked rapidly out of the village and over the 
 low hills to the burying ground. Climbing over 
 the stile, they sat down on a group of tombstones 
 to await developments. 
 
 "I wonder whose ghost it is; he seems to be a 
 lively fellow?" said one. 
 
 "Yes, I think it must be old Jack Jones' phan- 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 91 
 
 torn. You know he was a junkman and had a 
 hankering after old chains. Perhaps he found 
 one in the other world," replied another. 
 
 "Or, it may be Joe Moon, the cow jobber, he 
 always led his cattle with a chain." 
 
 "But," said a medical student balancing him- 
 self on a marble headstone, "I rather think it's 
 Tim Murphy's spectre, for you know when he 
 died in jail they buried him with his chains on." 
 
 "Oh, no, they'd melt off in the Plutonian pit, 
 for Jim undoubtedly got a taste of it." 
 
 "Yes," said Marshall, "the fire and brimstone 
 would sort of annihilate, kind of Vandalize the 
 chains ! 
 
 'Would evaporate them away, 
 As stars before the light of day. 5 
 
 At this moment they were interrupted by the 
 rattle of a chain, when all instantly sprang to 
 their feet and rushed in the direction of the 
 sound. They followed the fleeting monster 
 around trees and monuments at a full run. Oc- 
 casionally one of their number went tumbling 
 head-long over a stone or root, the others press- 
 ing on leaving him alone to rub his bruised shins. 
 They thought the mystery was surrounded a 
 dozen times or more, but it was certain to break 
 away, while one of their number was sure to be 
 stretched on the earth from a severe blow, though 
 no power was visible. But they were a plucky 
 crowd, and each prostrate Vandal recovered and 
 followed again in the chase. Finally they were 
 compelled to give up the chase ; they seated them- 
 
92 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 selves for rest near the stile in a demoralized 
 condition and looked as if they had been engaged 
 in a prize fight. Their faces were bruised, 
 bloody and stained with mud, so that it would 
 be difficult to tell whether they were white or 
 black men. 
 
 Slowly and sadly they started homeward, as 
 Marshall said: 
 
 "Well, boys, we're sort of annihilated, kind of 
 Vandalized! But me must solve the mystery." 
 
 "Yes, we must catch the ghost/' they cried in 
 chorus. 
 
 , "I tell you, boys," said Meredith, "he's a lively 
 ghost; he struck me a blow on the skull that 
 nearly broke my head!" 
 
 "Yis,'; said Kelly the Pirate, "bedads, he hit 
 me one in the stomick that doubled me up like a 
 jack-knife." 
 
 The following evening the Vandals held an 
 extra session and appointed a second and larger 
 investigating committee, but it met with no better 
 success than the first. 
 
 They immediately held another meeting. It 
 was a wild and stormy one in which every one 
 spoke, for the club had never been beaten in 
 solving secrets before, and they were determined 
 to conquer if it lay in their power. They said: 
 "We must win, it will never do to allow the club 
 to be beaten by the ghost! We must ferret it 
 out." So they appointed a still larger committee 
 to investigate the mystery. They were to make 
 the attempt the succeeding night, but a strange 
 phenomenon occurred that evening which still 
 more complicated the matter, and completely non- 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 93 
 
 plussed the Vandals as well as the entire village. 
 
 The night set in dark, but grew occasionally 
 brighter as the moon appeared from behind a 
 mass of clouds and myriads of stars shone out. 
 
 A small crowd of men was collected in front 
 of the village hotel discussing the ghost, when 
 one gazing toward the Haunted House saw a 
 volume of dense black smoke arise a short dis- 
 tance above the roof and hang in mid-air. He 
 called the attention of others, and soon every eye 
 was directed toward the old house. It remained 
 a black mass for several moments, then gradually 
 grew brighter and a human form began rapidly 
 to take shape. With excited faces they gazed 
 at the strange spectacle. In a few seconds amid 
 the smoke appeared the distinct form of a man, 
 with a huge gash in his throat, from which the 
 blood seemed to flow over his garments. An 
 expression of wonder burst from the spectators, 
 as one of them exclaimed: 
 
 "It is the spirit of the murdered man of the 
 old house." 
 
 Soon the whole village was gazing at the ap- 
 parition. The excitement was intense, and the 
 villagers earnestly discussed the matter, and 
 eagerly sought the cause of the murdered man's 
 appearance from the confines of the tomb. 
 
 Could one longer doubt that the old house 
 was haunted? If they had lacked proof of it be- 
 fore, it was now given by the ghostly form of the 
 murdered man in full view. Women and chil- 
 dren, as well as men, fled in terror from the aw- 
 ful spectacle. But still there was something irre- 
 sistible tempting them to turn back and look at 
 
94 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 the restless spirit who was unable to remain in 
 the quiet of the tomb, but who was like Hamlet's 
 father : 
 
 "Doom'd for a certain time to walk the night." 
 The apparition would grow bright, then fade 
 away, and then become visible again. It usually 
 appeared between nine and ten o'clock at night. 
 For six successive nights the ghastly spectre stood 
 bright and clear against the sky, then faded away 
 to be succeeded by that of another, the form of 
 a woman, or rather that of a young girl of great 
 beauty, with a spotless white robe and mass of 
 long yellow hair. This apparition formed a 
 pleasing contrast, with its angelic face and calm, 
 sweet smile playing about the lips, compared with 
 the furrowed features, clenched teeth, and agon- 
 izing look of the other. 
 
 The third night of the appearance of the ap- 
 parition, the Vandal club held a secret session. 
 It lasted till late in the night, and the discussions 
 were long and animated, everything was con- 
 ducted sub rosa, but the result was that the 
 Vandals made no further attempt to investigate 
 the spirits. 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 95 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 SPIRITUALISM. 
 
 Angels and ministers of grace, defend us! 
 
 Be thou a spirit of health, or goblin damned, 
 
 Bring with thee airs from heaven, or blasts from hell, 
 
 Be thy intents wicked or charitable, 
 
 Thou comest in such a questionable shape. Shakespeare. 
 
 Toward the close of a cold, blustering day, 
 nearly a week after the appearance of the spectre 
 in mid-air, a mysterious, weird-looking stranger 
 entered the village of St. Arlyle. He was tall, 
 lank and cadaverous, with long black hair reach- 
 ing to his shoulders. He was over six feet in 
 height, and his clothes were much too short, fit- 
 ting his narrow chest and pole legs like a scare- 
 crow. He moved with a swinging stride, as if 
 stepping over ditches, turning the toes of his 
 large feet inward, while his arms, with one of 
 which he carried a large valise, were moving for- 
 ward and backward, like the oars of a boat. He 
 cut a ludicrous figure as he strode into the village, 
 and when he passed the few loungers at the door 
 of the blacksmith shop, Gleaton remarked that 
 he looked like a ghost who had out-grown his 
 clothes while meandering around purgatory. 
 
 "Looks as if he'd been living on wind pudding 
 and shadow soup," suggested Kelly. 
 
 "Oh, he's just walking around to save funeral 
 expenses. He's hunting for a big fire to be cre- 
 mated in," said Marshall. 
 
96 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 "He needn't trouble himself about that, he'll 
 soon dry up and blow away," said the blacksmith. 
 
 "I wonder what he's got in that valise?" 
 
 "Oh, I suppose the skeleton keys of the Plu- 
 tonian world." 
 
 Meanwhile the gaunt individual strode onward 
 till he reached the largest hotel, which he entered. 
 He was followed soon after by two Vandals for 
 the purpose of making inquiries. Thus it became 
 known that he was a spiritual medium. 
 
 That night the Vandals held a meeting, and 
 resolved to visit the medium in a body. 
 
 It was late when the Vandals, nearly twenty in 
 number, reached the hotel. Calling for the 
 spiritualist, the landlord informed them that he 
 had retired. They desired to be shown to his 
 room. This the proprietor refused on the plea 
 that he did not wish to disturb his guest. But 
 the Vandals insisted on seeing the medium, and 
 the proprietor at last yielded. Leading them to 
 the bedroom of his guest, he left them. One of 
 the club rapped on the door, when a voice cried 
 "Come in." They all pressed into the room. 
 
 The spiritualist was lying in bed, but on the 
 entrance of the Vandals he raised himself to a 
 sitting posture, with a frightened look apparently 
 caused by the large number of visitors. 
 
 "Don't be alarmed," said Gleaton, who acted 
 as spokesman, "we heard that you were a spirit- 
 ualist, and merely called to learn something about 
 that science, in which we are all interested. My 
 name is Gleaton, and these men are members of 
 the Vandal club." 
 
 "Very glad to meet you, gentlemen," gasped 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 97 
 
 the spiritualist, his sallow face beginning to lose 
 its scared look. 
 
 "My name is Phantom, Professor Phantom. 
 Fm a spiritual medium." 
 
 "Happy to meet you, Professor Phantom," 
 cried a half dozen Vandals in chorus. 
 
 "I suppose," continued the blacksmith, "you 
 have direct communication with the other world." 
 
 "Yes, when I go into a trance." 
 
 "Say, Phantom," said the Pirate, in a muffled 
 tone, "got any ghosts wid yees, now?" 
 
 "Let's see one." 
 
 "Hush up ! keep quiet," said Marshall, poking 
 the Pirate in the side. 
 
 "This town seems to be a good field to develop 
 the science of spiritualism," continued Gleaton, 
 not noticing Kelly's remarks. "We have a great 
 many spiritual manifestations here." 
 
 "Oh, yes, it is only more evidence corroborat- 
 ing the fact that the departed visit this world in 
 spiritual form," replied the Phantom. 
 
 "Departed spirits of a whiskey bottle," sug- 
 gested the Pirate. 
 
 "Would you like to see some of my power 
 with the spirit world?" 
 
 "Well, no, not to-night," answered Gleaton, 
 "some of the young men here are of a very ex- 
 citable nature, and are apt to have fits at any- 
 thing unusual. For example, this young man 
 here," pointing to Kelly. 
 
 "Yes, spirits seem to stick in my throat, and 
 somehow or other they won't go down." 
 
 "Just as I remarked, he's of a delicate dispo- 
 sition and can't stand excitement." 
 
98 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 "I suppose you intend remaining here for some 
 time," said Marshall. 
 
 "Yes, and form a spiritual circle for the benefit 
 of the citizens of St. Arlyle." 
 
 "That is, you intend to hold communication 
 with those volatile spirits who are evaporating 
 around the world," replied the editor. 
 
 "Good-night, Professor." 
 
 "Good-night, gentlemen." 
 
 "Kelly," said Gleaton, when they had reached 
 the street, "you should have more respect when 
 you are in the presence of a phantom of the other 
 world." 
 
 "Sure, he looks loike a phantom in fact, as 
 well as name." 
 
 "I think he's an animated stiff anyhow." 
 
 "Yes," said Marshall, "hunting for a grave- 
 yard." 
 
 "Bedabs, an' he'd make a peaceable looking 
 corpse." 
 
 The next day the medium rented a house in 
 the central part of the village, and posted a sign 
 bearing the following in golden letters: 
 
 "Professor G. S. Phantom, 
 
 Greatest Living Spiritual Medium; communica- 
 tions with deceased friends; answers all questions 
 correctly. Seances 
 
 Tuesdays and Saturdays." 
 
 This announcement created excitement in the 
 village, and soon drew a large number of be- 
 lievers in spiritualism to the medium's seances. 
 At these seances the medium went into trances, 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 99 
 
 and showed that he was insensible to earthly 
 things, but in communication with the spirit 
 world. Many persons asked questions concern- 
 ing deceased friends, to all of whom he gave an- 
 swers of surprising accuracy as to place, date of 
 death, and other circumstances. He soon made 
 acquaintance of most of the people in the town, 
 and among the first with whom he became inti- 
 mate were the Vandals. He even dropped in at 
 the club, remaining half an hour or more. 
 
 About two months after his arrival, Phantom 
 announced that on the coming Saturday night a 
 grand seance would take place in the large hall, 
 at which spirit wonders would be performed. 
 
 The hall was completely filled with an eager 
 crowd. At the appointed hour, Phantom drew 
 aside the curtain and revealed the stage, which 
 was hung around with black cloth. In the middle 
 of the floor stood a small oak table, and at the 
 back was a cabinet, about the size of a wardrobe. 
 The stage was lighted by blue flames, emitted 
 from a brazier standing on a tripod. Phantom 
 stood by the table looking more ghastly than 
 ever in the blue light. His sallow face deathly 
 white, his long black hair hung like a pall about 
 it, and his eyes seemed blacker in the corpse-like 
 pallor of his countenance. 
 
 He stepped to the front and spoke as follows: 
 
 "Ladies and gentlemen: You will to-night wit- 
 ness the wonders of spiritualism, the greatest 
 power given to civilized man. I refer to necro- 
 mancy, or the power of communicating with the 
 dead. Spiritualism is of very ancient origin, in 
 fact it is cotemporaneous with the world's his- 
 
ioo THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 tory. We can trace it from age to age, although 
 bearing different names. For example, in the 
 eighteenth century we find it known as the illumi- 
 nati, of which the illustrious Swedenborg and 
 Cagliostro were apostles. The seance will now 
 begin." 
 
 Four spiritualists immediately seated them- 
 selves around the table, with the medium at its 
 head, and after a short silence one of them asked 
 of a deceased brother: 
 
 "Brother, are you in heaven?'* 
 
 After a few moments, one rap came from the 
 table, meaning yes. 
 
 "Are you happy?" 
 
 Again the table rapped yes. 
 
 "Would you wish to be on earth again?" 
 
 The table rapped twice, for no. 
 
 After several moments' silence, the table began 
 a dancing motion. 
 
 "It is John Eal !" cried several. 
 
 Eal was a man who had been hanged in the 
 village about six months before. 
 
 "Are you in heaven?" 
 
 Two raps, no. 
 
 "Where are you then?" 
 
 At this question the table began to jump wildly 
 about, striking its legs heavily against the floor. 
 
 None wished to pursue this inquiry further. 
 
 But numerous other questions were asked and 
 answered by the raps. The spiritualists then left 
 the table and the audience were allowed to ex- 
 amine it. They examined closely for a cord or 
 device which could have communicated motion 
 to it, but in vain. They turned it upside down 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 101 
 
 and thoroughly looked at every part, but they 
 found nothing unusual about it. 
 
 Phantom next brought forward a small tin 
 box, about five inches square, which he placed on 
 the table, as he said: 
 
 "I will show you that by the aid of this little 
 casket we can communicate with the spirits of 
 the departed." 
 
 He next produced a small sheet of white paper. 
 
 "Now," he continued, "will any person ask a 
 question of some friend in the spirit land?" 
 
 Kelly immediately asked, "What was my 
 brother's name, and how old wuz he whin he 
 died, and is he happy?" 
 
 Phantom took one of the sheets of paper and 
 making a pass over it, said, "I will put this sheet 
 in the tin case and place it over the spiritual 
 flames, when the answer will be found written 
 upon the paper. You see the sheet is blank. I 
 will now pass it to the audience, that you may 
 
 examine it." 
 
 The paper was examined by a number, all of 
 whom found it to be blank, when it was placed 
 in the tin box by one of the audience and the case 
 locked. The medium then placed it on a wire 
 tripod above the flames. After waiting a few mo- 
 ments he removed the case to the table again, 
 then requested any one to unlock the box and 
 take out the answer. One of the audience did 
 so, and read in bold black letters : 
 
 "John Kelly, age 19 years, I am happy." 
 
 "May I ask a question?" said an old farmer. 
 
 Certainly replied the medium. 
 
102 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 "What was my wife's maiden name? and what 
 was her age? An* ask her if she's happy ?" 
 
 As the old man finished his questions, he re- 
 marked to several around him, "I guess I gave 
 him a poser this time." 
 
 Phantom left the stage for a few minutes; on 
 returning he hands the farmer a sheet of paper, 
 remarking, "You see it is blank." 
 
 "Yes, it is," replied the old man putting on his 
 spectacles and examining it closely. 
 
 "Now," continued Phantom, "seal it up in this 
 envelope and place a private mark on it." 
 
 "May I put the envelope in the box," asked the 
 farmer. 
 
 "Yes, certainly." 
 
 The farmer mounted the platform and put the 
 envelope in the case. 
 
 "Lock it," said the medium. 
 
 "I have." 
 
 "Then place it above the spirit flames." 
 
 The farmer did so, and then left the platform. 
 A deep silence followed. 
 
 There was a loud rap, and Phantom said, 
 "Your questions are answered." 
 
 "May I remove the box?" asked the farmer. 
 
 "Yes, take it, open it, open the envelope, and 
 read your answers." 
 
 He sprang upon the stage, and, removing the 
 case and unlocking it, took out the envelope. 
 With trembling hands and a face flushed with 
 excitement, he read, amid an almost deathlike 
 silence : 
 
 "Helen Porter, age 48, I am in heaven, I can- 
 not describe the bliss." 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 1031 
 
 "It is true!" wildly exclaimed the farmer. "It 
 is true! I never believed in spiritualism before, 
 but I do now. It's as true as gospel." 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 THE DEVIL*S CASKET, AND THE AWAKENING OF 
 
 THE ANCIENT EGYPTIAN VICTIM OF 
 
 SUSPENDED ANIMATION. 
 
 Black it stood at night, 
 Fierce as ten furies, terrible as hell. Milton. 
 
 But the audience were to witness a more 
 wonderful and thrilling performance than any yet 
 seen. The medium brought upon the stage a 
 black box about a foot square, and covered with 
 hieroglyphics. 
 
 "This case," said Phantom, "is known as the 
 Devil's casket, because at times Satan is known to 
 inhabit it. You may know when it is invested by 
 its great weight, for a dozen men can not lift 
 it. But when not invested by Satan, a child may 
 pick it up." 
 
 "Be dabs," said Kelly, in an undertone, "is he 
 there now? If he is, give us an introduction." 
 
 "This casket," continued the medium, not notic- 
 ing the Pirate's remarks, "belonged to a great 
 Egyptian necromancer over five thousand years 
 ago, and it is therefore thousands of years old 
 and has been in the possession of many noted 
 mediums." 
 
 "It's a wonder," murmured Marshall, "it 
 hasn'.t been annihilated, sort of Vandalized, in 
 passing through so many hands." 
 
104 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 "It passed," continued the medium, "from 
 century to century with its mysterious secret, till 
 it finally became the property of that great 
 medium, Cagliostro, who gave exhibitions of his 
 marvelous power of raising the spirits of the dead 
 in the eighteenth century. He received the honor 
 and attention due to such a great and wonderful 
 spiritualist. For he was called to the thrones of 
 kings and emperors, to exhibit his wonderful 
 power. Among many others, that of Louis XV 
 and XVI of France." 
 
 u Be jabers," muttered Kelly, "it's a wonder 
 he iver died. Why didn't he raise the breath in 
 him whin he lost it?" 
 
 "Oh," remarked Gleaton, "he found a warmer 
 place, more suitable to his Satanic taste." 
 
 Phantom raised the lid of the box and took out 
 four eggs, about the size of a pigeon's egg. 
 
 "These are serpent's eggs, such snakes as dart 
 about in the bottomless pit of fire and brimstone. 
 They are true to their nature, and will instantly 
 hatch if touched or placed in fire." 
 
 He then placed four iron dishes upon the floor, 
 and put an egg in each. Then taking a burning 
 torch, he applied its flames to an egg for a short 
 time. There was a hissing sound and a serpent 
 began to issue forth. He treated the others in 
 like manner, and in a few minutes, amid fire and 
 smoke, four striped serpents were uncoiling their 
 bodies on the floor. In a short time the fire and 
 smoke ceased, and there they lay contorted in 
 various shapes, each nearly two yards in length. 
 The medium dropped the curtain, and when it 
 arose again the reptiles had been removed. 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 105 
 
 "Now I will open the Devil's box, and you 
 will see that it is empty. Anyone may examine 
 
 it." 
 
 Several persons stepped upon the stage, and 
 one after another examined it inside and out, 
 each being surprised at its lightness. 
 
 "You have seen how light the case is," said 
 the medium. "I will now repeat the cabalistic 
 formula, when it will be invested by Beelzebub. 
 I order you in the name of Odanai, of Elohim, 
 of Muthrattam and of Semaphoris, to appear to 
 me. It is now inhabited by Satan. You may 
 try and move it." 
 
 Several brawny young men sprang upon the 
 stage, and pulled and jerked at the box but in 
 vain. Then three men lifted together, but they 
 could not stir it. It seemed as if it weighed tons. 
 After a large number had exhausted their strength 
 upon it, the Phantom said: "I will repeat another 
 formula. Now you see a child can lift it." 
 
 The box was again examined by the audience, 
 who could discover nothing peculiar about it, and 
 all expressed their surprise at its lightness when 
 not inhabited by the evil one. 
 
 "Be jabers!" said the Pirate, "the divil's a 
 heavy old chap whin you've got 'im boxed up." 
 
 Phantom opened the doors of the cabinet, re- 
 vealing its interior, which was hung with black. 
 It contained a plain bench, a drum, a tin horn and 
 a bell. 
 
 "I will now proceed to show you that great 
 spiritual feat, performed so often by the Daven- 
 port brothers, of which you all have heard and 
 some of you may have witnessed. I refer to their 
 
io6 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 being securely bound by ropes and immediately 
 being freed by spirit power." 
 
 The medium then had the lights extinguished, 
 and producing a rope lay down upon the bench 
 and was securely bound to it by two old sailors 
 from the audience, who twisted the ropes in every 
 conceivable shape about him and tied knot after 
 knot. 
 
 "I guess,'* remarked one of the old salts, "the 
 spirits won't loose that spar from its lashin'." 
 
 The two men left the stage, and the doors of 
 the cabinet closed of their own accord. And 
 immediately in the cabinet, the bell was rung, the 
 drum was beaten and the trumpet blown, and the 
 next instant two hands were thrust through the 
 small holes in the upper part of the cabinet. In 
 a few moments more the doors swung open, and 
 Phantom was seen bound as before. The doors 
 again closed, but in a few seconds opened again 
 and the medium was seen sitting on the bench 
 entirely free. 
 
 "Shiver my timbers!" shouted the sailor, "if 
 the lubber aint loose from his lashin' :" 
 
 "Now," said the medium, "to show you that 
 I do not use my hands, you may place flour in 
 each of them, and you will find it in them when 
 the doors open. Will some one be kind enough 
 to obtain some flour?" 
 
 "I will," said Kelly, and he immediately left 
 the room. 
 
 He soon returned and, mounting the stage, 
 placed the flour in both hands of the medium. 
 The latter then lay down upon the bench and 
 was bound as before. To show the audience that 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 107 
 
 he had no confederate, Phantom had the cabinet 
 moved to the centre of the stage, and four of 
 the spectators were placed on each side of it to 
 watch. The cabinet was closed and the same per- 
 formance as before repeated. The hands were 
 extended wide open through the aperture, show- 
 ing that they could not retain the flour, and when 
 the doors opened Phantom arose from the bench 
 and moving to the edge of the stage, said: 
 "I still retain the flour in my hands." 
 "Bedabs it wuzn't flour at all I guve yees. It 
 wuz chalk." 
 
 This created some excitement, till Frank Mere- 
 dith, who sat behind the Pirate, said: 
 
 "Yes, it was flour; I saw it in your hand." 
 "Thin, be jabers, they fooled me!" 
 "Of course they did, Kelly," cried several 
 Vandals. 
 
 "You will relight the lamp," said the Phantom 
 to his assistants, "and remove the cabinet. Now, 
 ladies and gentlemen, I will exhibit to you the 
 spirit-writing in letters of blood." 
 
 After removing the cabinet, the table was 
 brought back covered with a black cloth, lapping 
 about six inches over its edges. He seated him- 
 self by it, first removing his coat and rolling up 
 his shirt sleeves. 
 
 "Now, will someone ask a question?" 
 "How old am I?" asked Meredith. 
 The medium immediately placed his naked 
 arm beneath the table and the other above it in 
 full view of all. 
 
 In a few moments he drew it forth, and, leav- 
 ing the stage, held it before the audience. All 
 
io8 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 beheld upon it in blood-red letters: "Twenty-two 
 years and six months." 
 
 "Correct. That's my age, 1 * answered Mere- 
 dith. 
 
 Several other questions were then proposed 
 and answered in the same manner. 
 
 "I will show you another spirit manifestation 
 of the power of writing. Now for a question." 
 
 "How old was my father when he died?" said 
 Johnson, the butcher. 
 
 "You see that sheet of paper, upon it will ap- 
 pear the answer. It is blank, as you see. I will 
 now apply this fluid and by the aid of spiritual 
 power the reply will appear. 
 
 "There is your answer." 
 
 "Sixty-one years," read the butcher. "Cor- 
 rect," said he, as he handed it to the others to 
 examine. 
 
 "I will now close the seance," said Phantom, 
 "by the great spiritual manifestation of produc- 
 ing Satan before you in visible form. This de- 
 moniacal spirit will impart to you an astounding 
 secret of the Haunted House, which you may all 
 see proven. A secret over four thousand years 
 old, which in a few weeks will be revealed." 
 
 The lights were extinguished. And by the dim 
 light emitted from the brazier the audience 
 watched excitedly amid an almost breathless 
 silence the movements of the medium. 
 
 Phantom threw a mixture into the Devil's box, 
 then muttering a short incantation, he applied a 
 burning torch to the contents. A dense black 
 smoke arose. As the vapor grew gradually 
 brighter, amid it (with a cry of horror from a 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 109 
 
 number of persons present) appeared the black 
 form of the devil, with his cloven feet, his claw- 
 like hands, and his long tail with its arrow-shaped 
 end. His head surmounted by two horns, his 
 sharp pointed chin, his forked tongue, his wild 
 flaming eyes, and the diabolical leer on his face 
 struck terror to the beholders. 
 
 Amid a deep silence, the demon opened his 
 mouth and in terrible accents spoke: 
 
 "Mark ye! Mark ye! In the garden of yon 
 Haunted House, of St. Arlyle, near its entrance, 
 stands a statue enveloped in armor. This mail 
 envelopes an Egyptian, who for horrible crimes 
 was doomed to remain inanimate for forty cen- 
 turies. But as the first hour of the new year 
 'dawns, he will burst his bondage, move from his 
 pedestal and be seen no more. For then ends 
 the centuries of his earthly bondage. Beware! 
 Beware! For who breathes the Egyptian's 
 breath looses his reason. I I must go back to 
 hell!'; 
 
 With the last words the demon vanished. 
 
 "The seance is at an end," said the medium. 
 
 "And the end of the spirit-business, too," said 
 a Vandal. 
 
 The next day nearly two-thirds of the village 
 visited the Haunted House and gazed at the 
 statue clad in mail. For it was but three days 
 before the new year when the statue would move 
 away. 
 
 The legend which had been told for years in 
 the village concerning this statue read, that : "It 
 was a mummy in armor, which the former owner 
 of the Haunted House, who was a great traveller, 
 
no THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 brought from Egypt. And that the mummy was 
 not really dead, but had been doomed for a thou- 
 sand years to stand inanimate in defiance of wear 
 and decay, and that some day, the Egyptian 
 would awake from his lethean sleep, but would 
 live long enough to reach his former home." 
 
 The eventful new year's night was clear and 
 bright, a full moon illuminating every object. 
 Hundreds of people had gathered, waiting for 
 the hour of mid-night. 
 
 "It wants but ten minutes of the hour," ex- 
 claimed one. 
 
 Then another said: "We have but five min- 
 utes more to wait." 
 
 Then the time dwindled to three minutes. 
 Then it lacked but one minute, and each looked 
 eagerly at his watch. 
 
 "It wants but half a minute!" exclaimed one. 
 Then conversation ceased, and all stood with 
 bated breath and wildly throbbing hearts, gaz- 
 ing intently at the statue. 
 
 "But five seconds," whispered one. 
 
 Then each seemed to hold his breath with 
 eager anticipation. The clock in the church 
 steeple began striking the last hour of the old 
 year. As the first stroke rang out on the air, the 
 figure in armour, slightly moved on its pedestal, 
 and as the last stroke sounded, it stepped from 
 its marble base and strode through the gate, 
 which opened at its touch, turned down the street 
 at a rapid pace. The crowd fled in all directions, 
 except the Vandals, who followed after the statue 
 yelling : 
 
 "Hold on, old Egypt! Give us a speech, old 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE in 
 
 man! Ain't you going to be sociable after your 
 long silence?" 
 
 While others answered: 
 
 "His jaws are stiff! He can't wag 'em! He's 
 lost his tongue! He can't talk our language!" 
 
 "Then let him give us some Egyptian," an- 
 swered another. 
 
 But the figure in armor strode on until it 
 reached the river, when it was lost to view; or, 
 as Jerry Marshall said: "He became sort of 
 annihilated, kind of Vandalized. I hoped to 
 have interviewed him for a newspaper article. 
 It would have been a fine historical sketch, ever 
 so many thousands of years old. But: 
 
 Oh ! ever thus, from childhood's hour, 
 I've seen my fondest hopes decay !" 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 THE ESTRANGEMENT. 
 
 Alas ! how light a cause may move, 
 Dissension between hearts that love! 
 And sorrow but more closely tied; 
 Hearts that the world in vain had tried, 
 
 That stood the storms when waves were rough, 
 Yet in a sunny hour fall off, 
 Like ships that have gone down at sea, 
 When heaven was all tranquility. Moore. 
 
 ^ It was the close of a bright spring day as Dr. 
 Charles Landon walked up the path in the grove. 
 A day that he did not dream would so affect his 
 after life and be fraught with so much sadness 
 to him. 
 
ii2 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 As he sprang over the stile into the road, he 
 saw Miss Merton's handsome little figure slowly 
 walking alone the highway. Although she was 
 neajly a quarter of a mile distant, he knew the 
 petite form in blue in an instant. And as his 
 heart beat quicker with expected pleasure, he 
 accelerated his pace to overtake her. She saun- 
 tered slowly onward, occasionally glancing back, 
 as if expecting some one, though she did not see 
 him. When he was within about two hundred 
 yards of her she suddenly caught sight of a 
 person for whom she had evidently been waiting, 
 for she immediately hurried forward and soon 
 overtook the figure, who placed an arm about her. 
 Landon pressed rapidly forward eagerly scanning 
 the newcomer. 
 
 He knew Miss Merton had no brothers, or 
 male cousins, and it was certainly not her father. 
 
 "Heavens! Bertie is false!" he exclaimed, just 
 as her musical laugh rang out on the evening air. 
 "False!" he continued, "but oh! how dearly I 
 love her!" 
 
 He followed them, and though he could not 
 hear their conversation, he could see their ac- 
 tions, and catch the sound of Miss Merton's 
 merry laughter. Her queenly head was nestled 
 as contentedly on her companion's shoulder as 
 it ever had been on his own. At last the pair 
 turned into a path leading into her father's gar- 
 den, and were soon lost to view. He turned his 
 steps homeward with a heavy heart. He might 
 have seen death rob him of his idol and bowed 
 submissively to God's will, but for her to prove 
 false, on whose faithfulness he would have more 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 113 
 
 than staked his life, was almost more than he 
 could bear. 
 
 j "She cannot be false!" his heart kept saying, 
 but his cooler reason kept arguing her faithless- 
 ness. 
 
 > In this despondent mood he reached the col- 
 lege, and entered the laboratory. But each fa- 
 miliar object in the room only brought back to 
 his memory the happy moments they had spent 
 together. 
 
 f "Happy days," he thought, "I never more 
 shall know. How true are the words of the poet: 
 
 'Ah ! tell me not that memory 
 
 Sheds gladness o'er the past; 
 What is recalled by faded flowers, 
 
 Save that they did not last?'" 
 
 He could not bear to look longer at them, and 
 flinging himself down in the chair by the window, 
 he sat gazing out at the shadowy scenery fast fad- 
 ing in the twilight. 
 
 "Thus," he thought, "as fades the familiar 
 scenes, so flies my happiness !" 
 
 At last, even the room grew hot and oppres- 
 sive. He arose and went out into the cool night 
 air. He walked about at random like one in a 
 dream; and it was after midnight before he re- 
 tired to his bed. He tossed about upon the pil- 
 low till daylight, when he fell into a light slum- 
 ber, disturbed by fantastic dreams. 
 
 The next day he attended to the routine of du- 
 ties, lecturing before the students as usual. A 
 close observer could see no change in his man- 
 ner or his face, except its paleness. Those about 
 
I [114 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 I 
 
 him had always observed his calmness amid 
 dangers and difficulties, and now in his greatest 
 trial his habitual coolness did not desert him. 
 
 Early in the forenoon, he sat down at his desk, 
 and wrote a short note to Miss Merton, as fol- 
 lows: 
 
 "My DEAR BERTIE: I thought I saw you 
 strolling along the river road last night with a 
 man's arm about your waist Was I mistaken? 
 I know we are all liable to err; and in the depth 
 of my heart I hope for once that my vision has 
 played me false. Craving your pardon, my darl- 
 ing, for even doubting your love and truth, 
 I remain, Ever yours affectionately, 
 CHARLES LANDON." 
 
 Hastily posting the letter, he waited anxiously 
 all that day, and the next for an answer, but none 
 came. 
 
 "She does not consider it worth the trouble to 
 reply," he thought. 
 
 He paced the floor of his room the greater 
 part of that night. Late in the evening, receiv- 
 ing no answer from Miss Merton, he wrote 
 again: 
 
 "Miss BERTHA MERTON: 
 
 Dear Miss: I suppose you do not consider 
 it worth the trouble to explain. I also suppose 
 that our engagement has become distasteful to 
 you, as well as to myself. And where there is 
 no union of hearts, mere pledges of love are a 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 115 
 
 mockery. I should very much like to meet you 
 if agreeable. I remain, 
 
 Ever your true friend, 
 
 CHARLES LANDON." 
 
 The first letter Miss Merton did not receive, 
 for some unaccountable reason. But the last one 
 she took from the post-office, and her heart beat 
 quicker, as she recognized Dr. Landon's hand- 
 writing. She tore open the envelope and read 
 its contents. Her heart gave one wild bound of 
 terror, ,and then it seemed as if it had ceased to 
 beat. Her face grew as pale as marble, and she 
 would have fallen, had she not supported herself 
 against a column; but recovering her self-posses- 
 sion, she walked rapidly homeward, her mind 
 dazed and bewildered. She went directly to her 
 room. As she entered it, she caught sight of her 
 face in the mirror, now so sad and destitute of 
 color that it almost frightened her. She sat 
 calmly down and read the cruel letter through, 
 every word striking anguish into her heart. 
 When she had finished, she exclaimed, in the 
 deepest agony: 
 
 "Oh! my brightest hopes are blasted! I never 
 knew till now, how deeply I loved him ! Can it 
 be possible, with all his nobleness, that he is false? 
 Oh! how I have trusted him! Trusted, as I 
 would my faith in heaven! My sorrow seems 
 more than I can bear!" 
 
 Then, unable to control her anguish any longer, 
 she threw herself upon the bed and burst into a 
 flood of passionate tears. It seemed as if her 
 young heart would break with the terrible pain 
 
n6 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 tearing at its very core. Was there no relief 
 from her agony, she thought. At last nature 
 could bear no more, and she swooned. 
 
 How long she remained insensible, she never 
 knew, but when she regained consciousness, it 
 was quite dark. 
 
 When her father rapped on the door, calling 
 her to supper, she excused herself, pleading a 
 headache. And her head did ache, but not half 
 as badly as her heart. 
 
 Cousin May was absent from home, so she was 
 left alone with her grief. She retired early, but 
 not to sleep. Through that long night it seemed 
 as if her young hopes were crushed, never to 
 rise again, and her pillow was wet with tears. 
 The next day she bravely bore her grief without 
 a murmur, though her face was paler than ever. 
 So she remained in her room, not daring to show 
 her too evident suffering. 
 
 The next day she decided to answer Dr. Lan- 
 don's letter. It was a hard task, but her pride 
 came bravely to her rescue, and she began: 
 
 "DR. CHARLES LANDON: 
 
 Dear Sir: I received your letter, in which 
 you wished to annul our engagement. Certainly, 
 let us sever the bond that has become so distaste- 
 ful to you. I am very sorry that it has enthralled 
 you even for a moment. Hoping that our en- 
 gagement has caused you no inconvenience, 
 I remain 
 Ever your friend, 
 
 BERTHA MERTON. 
 "P. S. I regret, that I cannot meet you at 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 117 
 
 present, as I am not well. I will send you your 
 letters and gifts in a few days. B. M." 
 
 She signed the letter with a steady hand, 
 though she felt as if she were putting her signa- 
 ture to the death warrant of her happiness. 
 
 "Thus fades my brightest dream of life. He 
 is so wise and handsome, but so false ! Yet I love 
 him still!" 
 
 The next day she returned his letters and gifts, 
 while dreaming over the happy days, 
 
 "Now anchored in memory's sky." 
 
 No, not all his gifts; she retained his portrait 
 in the locket on her bosom. As she opened it, 
 and scanned its well known features, a sad smile 
 played on her face. 
 
 "No, I cannot give it up. It is the only picture 
 of him I have left. Perhaps he will not remem- 
 ber it. How foolish in me to love him, after he 
 has flung me from his heart! But, by and by, 
 I shall learn to forget him." 
 
 When Miss Merton left her room and min- 
 gled again with the household, each noticed that 
 her face, though still plump and dimpled, had 
 grown as white as marble, and her pretty black 
 eyes wore a sad expression, while ever and anon 
 a tear shone on the long drooping lashes. 
 
 On her cousin's return, she met her in the hall. 
 
 "Come in my room, May, and I'll tell you 
 all." 
 
 Entering the room, she handed her Dr. Lan- 
 
n8 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 don's letter. The handsome blonde read it 
 through, in silence, then exclaimed: 
 
 "Why, he is a cruel scoundrel!" 
 
 "Hush, May, don't say that, I love him too 
 well to hear him abused," cried Bertha, passion- 
 ately. 
 
 "But he must have some reason for wishing to 
 break the engagement. Don't you know the 
 cause for his strange action?" 
 
 "None whatever. I knew nothing, till I re- 
 ceived this letter." 
 
 "Bertha, meet him as he desires, and ask an 
 explanation." 
 
 "Ask him not to break our engagement? No, 
 never!" she exclaimed passionately. 
 
 "No, I do not mean that, my poor girl. Give 
 him an opportunity to explain his strange con- 
 duct." 
 
 "No, May," she answered sadly, her eyes fill- 
 ing with tears, "it is humiliation enough to think 
 that he valued my love so lightly as to throw it 
 aside without even giving a reason!" 
 
 "But, Bertie, dear, he has some pretext for 
 his conduct. And I intend to find it out!" 
 
 And with a woman's tact and energy, she did, 
 but not till long afterward when too late to 
 change the course of events. 
 
 Miss Wentworth learned that Dr. Landon had 
 seen Bertie walking along the river road with a 
 man's arm about her waist, on a certain evening. 
 That evening, she remembered very well, for she 
 and Bertie took a walk along the road and met 
 Ned Wilberton, when Miss Merton facetiously 
 declared that two were company, and three were 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 119 
 
 a crowd! So she left them to visit a lady friend. 
 When she returned, it was late, and her cousin 
 had been waiting some time for her. 
 
 The evening grew cold, though the day had 
 been quite warm, and May having brought no 
 shawl, and suffering from a severe cold, caught 
 the day before, her lover persuaded her to put on 
 his overcoat, remarking that no one would see 
 her in the dark. 
 
 When she met Bertie, the latter exclaimed with 
 a laugh: 
 
 "Why, May, you make a first-class man." 
 
 It was the two cousins, whom Dr. Charles Lan- 
 don had followed. 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 THE FAREWELL. 
 
 One struggle more, and I am free 
 From pangs that rend my heart in twain! 
 
 One long last sigh to love and thee, 
 Then back to busy life again. Byron. 
 
 Dr. Charles Landon was sitting in his labora- 
 tory at the close of the bright spring day when he 
 received Miss Merton's answer to his last letter. 
 After reading it he murmured, "It is all over at 
 last. The bright days have fled. But I shall 
 love her as long as my heart beats. Sweet mem- 
 ories tinged with sadness cling around her still. 
 Though lost, 'tis sweet to remember love's thrills 
 of joy. For 'tis said true love is the seraphic 
 flower of earth that draws us nearest heaven; it 
 is the only unselfish passion of life." 
 
120 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 It was his last evening in the old familiar 
 room, for he felt the erratic spirit he had long 
 thought dead, coming back with more than its 
 former force; so he resolved to leave the old 
 scenes and in a new field of action perhaps for- 
 get the old life, or at least bury it in the clash of 
 strife or death. For it was just at this time that 
 the American Civil War burst upon the nation. 
 Fort Sumter had fallen and every city and village 
 in the United States was wild with excitement 
 over the coming struggle. Soldiers were enlist- 
 ing in every part of the country and moving to 
 the front to join in the first great battle, soon to 
 be fought between the divided sections of the 
 nation, and Dr. Charles Landon had concluded 
 to take his stand under the u Old Flag," and do 
 his humble part in the struggle. 
 
 "Why should I shrink duty's post, when I have 
 so little to relinquish, while others are leaving 
 wives and sweethearts behind at their country's 
 call? Amid a soldier's exciting duty, I shall have 
 little time to think, and if I fall, then this heart 
 will be free from every pang." 
 
 As he sat for the last time watching the fa- 
 miliar scenes grow dim in the fast fading day- 
 light the old life seemed fleeting, too, with all its 
 joys and tears. And there in the quiet summer 
 evening he resolved to forgive, and as far as his 
 heart could, forget the past, and begin a new 
 work on the ashes of the old. 
 
 Charles Landon took a wrong course that 
 night, but like many others, he did not see it till 
 long years after. 
 
 He had fallen into a deep reverie in the even- 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 121 
 
 ing twilight when he was aroused by the entrance 
 of half a dozen friends. 
 
 "Hallo, Doctor, playing solitaire?" 
 
 "Yes," he answered absently. 
 
 Then the conversation turned on the war and 
 Landon asked: 
 
 "What's the latest news?" 
 
 "St. Arlyle is raising two companies for the war, 
 one is to be commanded by Marshall and the 
 other by Tom Gleaton. Nearly all the Vandals 
 have enlisted, and nearly half the young men in 
 town." 
 
 "What do you think of it, Doctor?" 
 
 "The country was never more in need of sol- 
 diers than now; I shall offer my services." 
 
 "Bravo!" cried several, "you're just the man 
 for Colonel." 
 
 The conversation ran on, the merits of the con- 
 flict was discussed, and it was late before they 
 parted. 
 
 Two days after it became generally known 
 that Landon had been commissioned the Colonel 
 of nine companies, seven enlisted in the neighbor- 
 ing towns, and two raised in St. Arlyle. His 
 experience in fighting Indians in the western ter- 
 ritories and his early education at a military 
 school pointed to him as the proper man. 
 
 Thomas Gleaton and Marshall had been com- 
 missioned captains of the two companies raised 
 in the village; Ned Stanton had given up the 
 study of law, and had been made a second lieu- 
 tenant. Frank Meredith, just graduated, had 
 been appointed a surgeon, while Kelly the pirate, 
 Dave Anderson, Jo Green, and other Vandals 
 
122 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 were made, as Kelly remarked "high privates in 
 the rear rank." 
 
 For about a week the regiment was encamped 
 at the edge of the village, and daily drilling be- 
 gan to convert the raw recruits into soldiers. 
 
 At last the important day came when the troops 
 were to leave for the field of strife. Nearly the 
 whole town had turned out to bid farewell to the 
 soldiers. The space around the camp was 
 thronged with an excited crowd, from early 
 morning till the troops moved away. It was a 
 lovely June day, and the earth and the trees were 
 dressed in their brightest green. At eleven 
 o'clock the troops fell into line for the last time 
 in St. Arlyle, and forming into a column, Landon 
 gave the command, "Forward, March." The 
 band struck up a national air, the regiment moved 
 down the street toward the railway station. They 
 formed an imposing picture, with their bright 
 blue uniforms, and gleaming bayonets, and their 
 flags floating out on the gentle breeze. Landon 
 rode at their head, and upon his figure Bertie's 
 eyes became riveted in a moment. She thought 
 she had never seen him look so handsome as now 
 in his dark blue uniform encircled by a red sash 
 and the golden eagle:; on each shoulder, while his 
 dark brown hair clustered in curls beneath his 
 hat, forming a dark frame to his pale, handsome 
 face. 
 
 The soldiers reached the station and stood in 
 broken ranks, waiting for the train and bidding 
 farewell to friends. 
 
 Bertie drove to the station and as she alighted 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 123 
 
 ./ 
 
 from the buggy, Landon saw her, and leaving the 
 station went toward the spot. 
 
 He had called twice the previous night to see 
 her, but she had refused to meet him. But that 
 morning, repenting her action, she sent him a note 
 informing him that she would meet him at the sta- 
 tion; the old tender feeling coming back, she 
 longed to see him again, perhaps for the last time. 
 
 Reaching her side he held out his hand and 
 said with a smile : 
 
 "Good morning, Miss Merton." 
 
 "Good morning," she answered calmly, as she 
 felt her eyes drop before his gaze, but not before 
 she had noticed how pale his face had grown. 
 Though her heart beat wildly she spoke so calmly 
 that her voice sounded strange and cold even to 
 herself, while Dr. Landon's calm voice and man- 
 ner showed no signs of the storm of emotion 
 struggling in his breast. 
 
 There was a moment's silence, then she said in 
 the same cold tone, but with a strong effort: 
 
 "You are going away?" 
 
 "Yes, I shall try and do my part for my coun- 
 try. This quiet life has no charm for me now," 
 he added bitterly. "You know," he said, smil- 
 ing, "a good soldier must wear his heart at will." 
 
 At this moment the train thundered up to the 
 station, and there were but a few moments ere 
 they must part. She looked up into his face and 
 in a sweet voice that had a tone of sadness in it, 
 said: 
 
 "I wish you great success, may you pass un- 
 scathed through the fields of. battle; good-bye 
 and may happiness be with you." 
 
124 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 "Farewell," he answered, "I shall never forget 
 you, 'though it may be for years, it may be for- 
 ever I'" 
 
 "Farewell, and God be with you !" 
 
 He unclasped her hand, hurried to the car, and 
 in a few moments the train rolled away from 
 view. 
 
 Miss Merton rode home like one in a dream, 
 with a terrible pain at her heart On entering 
 her room she threw herself upon the bed. Then 
 the tears she had restrained so long burst forth 
 in a flood as she said: "Oh, how I love him! 
 Oh, how I love him!" 
 
 It is said that when a woman has a "good cry," 
 she always feels better. It relieves her over- 
 charged nervous system. For it is a well known 
 fact to surgeons that, tears alleviate pain, physi- 
 cal and mental, in both women and men; but 
 more particularly in the fair sex. 
 
 After her paroxysm of grief, she arose and 
 bathing her face, went down stairs and took her 
 old place in life again. But with a scarred and 
 wounded heart. 
 
 "We look before and after, 
 
 And pine for what is naught; 
 Our sincerest laughter 
 With some pain is fraught." 
 
PART II. 
 THROUGH WAR TO PEACE. 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 127 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 THE LAST MEETING OF THE VANDAL CLUB. 
 
 Here's a parting clasp and a parting smile, 
 For the good old days of yore. 
 
 The Saturday night before the regiment 
 marched away to the field of battle, the Vandal 
 club held its last meeting. Important business 
 was announced for that night : it was nothing less 
 than to make arrangements for the exposure of 
 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY. 
 
 There was a large attendance, every member 
 of the club being present. Tom Gleaton occu- 
 pied the chair, while near him were seated Dick 
 Lex, Ned Stanton, the law student, and Frank 
 Meredith, just graduated, and who had been ap- 
 pointed a surgeon in the regiment. On a bench 
 near the window sat Dave Johnson, Anderson, 
 Foghorn Joe, (who received this sobriquet from 
 the fact of his having once engineered a steam fog 
 whistle), Blowhard Jack, and fire tail Bill, (thus 
 nick named on account of his excitable disposi- 
 tion), Kelly the Pirate, and Professor Phantom. 
 The last three were seated on a couple of boxes 
 in a corner, while the tailor, "Governor" Elton 
 was engaged in cooking his supper. 
 
 After calling the roll and reading the minutes 
 
128 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 of the last meeting, the chairman said: "The 
 first order of business is the report of the com- 
 mittee on marriage. " 
 
 "The report," said Marshall, "is favorable 
 on the marriage of James Moore to Susan Plenty, 
 and may they pull well together in the double 
 team of life: 
 
 Although she was Plenty, 
 
 Yet, still she wanted Moore, 
 Perhaps, since she's got him, 
 
 She'll want a little more." 
 
 "The committee also reports favorably on the 
 wedding of Thomas Williams to Mary Williams. 
 But they think the Bills have got sadly mixed." 
 
 "But," answered Gleaton, "both Bills have 
 been presented and accepted. And they will now 
 proceed to issue small Bills." 
 
 "The third wedding," said Marshall, "of 
 
 Jane Mirror to James Glass, 
 Is a very brittle wedding, 
 But still, we'll let it pass!" 
 
 "The next order of business is the reading of 
 communications. The secretary, Captain Mar- 
 shall, will read Sam Green's letter from Southern 
 California." 
 
 Marshall read as follows: 
 
 "DEAR JIM, AND OTHER VANDALS : 
 
 "It is some time since I heard from any of you. 
 
 Between the Indians and Mexicans we have it 
 
 right lively here. 
 
 "I got in a row with them Cannon boys. They 
 
 live just below us. They are a mighty tough 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 129 
 
 pair, decidedly on the shoot, that is, they used to 
 be; they made it extremely lively for me a while. 
 They shot part of my nose and one ear away 
 and put a bullet in my skin. But I scooped 'em 
 in. I layed behind the old pig-pen with my old 
 goose-gun, with nigh a pound of buck shot in 
 each barrel. I shot off Pete's left leg, and Tom's 
 right arm. 
 
 "Now, boys, I want you to send two pistols, a 
 bowie knife and a rifle, and five hundred rounds 
 of cartridge. Because when them Cannon boys 
 come fooling around here, I want to be a sort 
 of walking battery. 
 
 "I don't look like I did, since I lost part of an 
 ear and got my nose knocked out of plumb. 
 
 "You might send us a couple of newspapers, 
 we sometimes feel literary, that is, when the Can- 
 non boys ain't around. Then it's too lively to 
 read. 
 
 "My respects to the boys, 
 
 Yours very truly, 
 
 SAM GREEN. 
 
 "P.S. I am a mighty sight better shot than I 
 was, I've been practicing on stray Indians around 
 town. S.G." 
 
 "It must be an extremely lively place out 
 
 there," said one. 
 
 "Yes," answered the editor, "a good place to 
 get annihilated, kind of Vandalized." 
 
 "I suppose," said Gleaton, "they adopt, 
 
 'The good old rule, the simple plan, 
 That he should take who has the power, 
 And he should keep who can.'" 
 
130 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 At this moment Elton was called into the front 
 room and immediately a raid was made on the 
 food, as Marshall quoted: 
 
 "'The world's a well-furnished table, 
 
 Where guests are promiscuously set, 
 Where all fare as well as they're able, 
 And scramble for what they can get.'" 
 
 The bread, meat, eggs, cake and preserves, 
 were soon devoured, and as the crowd finished 
 the coffee, Gleaton remarked : 
 
 "This is worse than the barbarian's descent on 
 Rome." 
 
 "Yes," answered the editor, "sort of annihil- 
 ated, kind of Vandalized the 'Governor's' sup- 
 per." 
 
 A few minutes after Elton entered and stood 
 gazing in amazement at the empty plates. 
 
 "Well, boys, I have had my supper or else 
 you've had yours." 
 
 "Be gorra, it's kind of evaporated," said 
 Kelly. 
 
 Elton said nothing more but began cooking 
 again. 
 
 "The next report is that of the committee on 
 fighting." 
 
 "Well," said Dave Johnson, "there were two 
 fights since our last report, one of them was be- 
 tween the two bakers. It didn't amount to much, 
 it was more talking than fighting." 
 
 "Yes," said Marshall, 
 
 "In every age and clime we see, 
 Two of a trade can ne'er agree/" 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 131 
 
 "The other row was between Kelly and Bullet- 
 head, a continuation of the old fight." 
 
 "Then it can't be reported here; it comes under 
 the head of unfinished business," said the chair. 
 
 "I don't know anything about that, but I tell 
 yees he finished me!" 
 
 "Now comes the committee's report on news 
 about town." 
 
 Frank Meredith, who was chairman of the 
 committee, arose and said: 
 
 "It is rather meager, so I will give it to you 
 in a nutshell, so to speak. Tom Flanagan started 
 a whiskey saloon in the old trunk factory. The 
 boys got a ladder and climbing up erased the T 
 and painted a D, making it read Drunk Factory." 
 
 "Good! bravo! very appropriate," cried 
 several. 
 
 "Old Jones went home the other night," con- 
 tinued Meredith, three seas over, in fact, drunk; 
 the boys had stretched half a dozen ropes across 
 the side walk, and as he fell over the fourth one, 
 he said: 
 
 14 * Tears to me (hie) the road's a little un- 
 even to-night. But (hie) there's nothing like 
 perseverance to climb a hill.' ' 
 
 'Oh, wad some power the giftie gie us, 
 To see oursels as ithers see us.' " 
 
 
 
 Meredith resumed, "Charlie Wilson lost his 
 sweetheart the other night under very sad cir- 
 cumstances. Very painful to them both, but more 
 particularly to her. 
 
 "Charlie lives in a little cottage at the upper 
 end of the village all by himself; but he hoped 
 
132 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 soon to have had Miss Emma Thorne to share 
 the joys of life with him, 
 
 'But the best layed plans of men 
 And mice gang aft aglee/ 
 
 "A few nights since, Wilson was very much 
 annoyed by the boys ringing his door bell and then 
 slipping behind the fence to see the fun and hear 
 him call them uncomplimentary names. 
 
 "They repeated the trick five or six times, and 
 at last Charley's patience was exhausted, so he 
 resolved to make an example of one of them; he 
 took his position behind the door and waited for 
 a victim. Just at this time his betrothed and 
 another young lady were passing, and she said 
 to her companion: 
 
 " 'I'm going to play a joke on Charley !' Leav- 
 ing her companion, Miss Thorne ran lightly up 
 the steps, and pulling the bell started to get be- 
 hind a column; but Charley sprang out of the 
 door, and gave her a kick as he yelled 
 
 " 'There, you darned fool ! I guess, I kicked 
 you higher than the moon!' 
 
 "She sailed out into space, over a couple of 
 rose bushes and landed in the middle of the grass 
 plot. The boys in the street gave a wild yell that 
 would have shamed an Indian war dance, and 
 then fled. 
 
 "Charley hastened to his betrothed, but she 
 arose and casting one withering glance of con- 
 tempt at him departed. She won't even look at 
 him now; and he sits and ponders on what might 
 have been." 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 133 
 
 Suggested Marshall, "she must have felt sort 
 of annihilated, kind of Vandalized!" 
 
 "That expresses it exactly," replied Meredith. 
 
 "Several persons in the village," continued 
 Meredith, "have been talking about it. In fact, 
 they said we were a lot of rascals, rogues, etc. 
 I believe in going for them in return; what does 
 the club think?" 
 
 "I would suggest," said Gleaton, "that we 
 adopt in this matter the principle of Frederick the 
 Great, who said that he had made an agreement 
 with his subjects, that they were to say what they 
 pleased and he was to do what he pleased." 
 
 This suggestion was put in the form of a 
 motion, and immediately carried. 
 
 "Old Sam Jones got intoxicated the other 
 night, and started home with a jug of whisky. As 
 he was climbing over the fence enclosing his yard, 
 thinking of 'little brown jug how I love thee,' the 
 top rail broke, he fell on one side and the jug 
 on the other. The cork came out of the jug, 
 but he was too drunk to get up again. And as 
 the whiskey ran out, it went goody ! good ! goody ! 
 'Yes/ said he, 'I know you're good, but I can't 
 gityer!" 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 THE LAST OF THE VANDAL CLUB. 
 
 We're bidding now a sad adieu 
 To the dream-lit years gone bv 
 
 "The next order of business, is the report on 
 The Village Mystery," said the chairman. 
 
134 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 Ned Stanton arose and began: "We have come 
 to the conclusion that these spectral illusions and 
 ghostly performances, have been carried far 
 enough; and as this is the last meeting of the 
 Vandal congress it becomes our duty to expose 
 them." 
 
 "I object," cried Phantom. 
 
 "Yes," said Marshall, "I have no doubt, for 
 like Othello, 'your occupation's gone/ ' 
 
 "It's no use, Phantom," exclaimed the Pirate, 
 "the jig's up. Ye's got ter go!" 
 
 "Yes," remarked Gleaton, "the play's ended. 
 It's time to drop the curtain ! But," he continued, 
 "there seems to be some opposition to the ex- 
 posure of the Village Mystery. I will now put it 
 to the sense of the club. Will some one make the 
 motion?" 
 
 Marshall arose and read: 
 
 "Resolved: That the Vandal club now fully 
 expose the Village Mystery, including all strange, 
 ghostly, spiritual and supernatural performances, 
 or occurrences. 
 
 "Also, resolved: That being deficient in scien- 
 tific knowledge, we request Dr. Charles Landon 
 to aid us with his scientific attaintainments, in the 
 performance of the same." 
 
 These motions were immediately carried, there 
 being only one dissenting voice, that of Phantom. 
 
 "It is carried, and the exposure of the Mys- 
 tery will begin on Monday next. In the mean- 
 time, our friend Professor Phantom will have 
 time to depart, if he wishes to do so." 
 
 "It's no use Phantom," said Marshall, "it's 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 135 
 
 time to ring the curtain down. The audience has 
 had enough of the play. 
 
 'Farewell, a long farewell, to all your greatness; 
 This is the state of man/ " 
 
 "Shure," said the Pirate, interrupting, "it's 
 time fur Phantom to evaporate, as will as the 
 ghosts." 
 
 "The next subject before the club is the war," 
 said Gleaton. "As there is no committee on the 
 belligerent art, the club will resolve itself into a 
 committee of the whole, and briefly discuss it as 
 the hour is late, and it is nearly time to adjourn. 
 
 "I am pleased," he continued, "to see that so 
 many of you have enlisted under the 'old flag/ 
 and are going forward to do your duty for your 
 country on the field of battle." 
 
 Marshall arose and said: 
 
 "Comrades: It is with pleasure and with pride 
 that I see you have resolved to take your stand 
 for the best republic a flag ever floated over. 
 There may be at times, wrong things done by 
 those who hold power in the government, but it 
 is not the fault of the republic but the bad deeds 
 of unprincipled men, who must and will be crushed 
 in the end. Then let us do our duty to liberty 
 and the republic, and remember, 
 
 The sword may pierce the bearer, 
 Stone walls in time may sever 
 'Tis the heart alone, worth steel and stone, 
 That keeps men free forever!" 
 
 He sat down amid a burst of applause, as the 
 chairman called, 
 
136 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 "We will now give our farewell toasts; but you 
 must be brief, as it is growing late." 
 
 When they had filled their glasses they all 
 sprang to their feet and Meredith gave the first 
 toast. 
 
 "Here's to the Vandal club; and may we pass 
 unharmed through the fields of blood, and meet 
 again when the war is over." 
 
 "Here's to our Colonel, Charles Landon; may 
 he pass untouched through the fields of death, and 
 may fame place her laurel wreath on his brow." 
 
 Said Marshall: "Here's to the ladies! The 
 fairest and brightest stars of earth to guide us in 
 the noble paths of duty, and the pleasant paths of 
 love. The most fascinating book in all romance, 
 whose pages we never grow weary of reading, for 
 we find them ever new. For women are the 
 deepest and sweetest mysteries of all. And may 
 our love ever cherish their devotion, and our arms 
 ever be ready to defend and encircle them!" 
 
 "Now," said the chairman as they drank the 
 last toast, "we will sing our farewell song: 'The 
 Good Old Days of Yore.' ' 
 
 Then followed, "Auld Lang Syne," and as the 
 last words echoed through the room, Gleaton 
 arose and said: 
 
 "Comrades: It becomes my sad duty to bid 
 farewell to the club, ere we wander down the dif- 
 ferent paths of life. Sad, because through the 
 flooding years we may never meet again. For 
 amid the shock of battle, some of us, perhaps 
 many of us must fall ! But whatever fate has in 
 store for us, let as meet it like men and be true 
 to each other, true to our country, true to our 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 137 
 
 fellow man, and, above all, let us be true to 
 Heaven. Yet, I hope that when the dark vista 
 has cleared away that mystic book of the future, 
 whose leaves God alone can turn we shall meet 
 again amid the old familiar scenes. 
 "Till then: 
 
 "Farewell a word that has been and must be, 
 A sound that makes us linger yet farewell." 
 
 "I now adjourn the Vandal club, sine die!" 
 
 There was a silence for several moments, then 
 they arose and, filing out of the room, one after 
 another, they shook hands for the last time with 
 Elton, and sadly bade him farewell in such words 
 as: 
 
 "Good bye, old fellow; we'll not forget you!" 
 
 u Yes, good bye, we'll keep you in remem- 
 brance." 
 
 "Good bye!" "Good bye!" "Good bye!" re- 
 peated one after another as they departed. 
 
 A tear glistened in the old man's eyes as he 
 bade adieu, perhaps forever he thought, to those 
 associates he had known for nearly twenty years. 
 And although they were a wild, jolly crowd, many 
 an eye was full at parting with the old friend of 
 by-gone years, for it struck a tender chord in 
 their hearts. 
 
 The last farewell was said, and Elton stood 
 alone in the room, as he muttered : 
 
 "They were a wild crowd, and sometimes 
 bothered me. But they were good-hearted after 
 all. And it strikes a tender chord in my heart 
 to part with them ! But then, I suppose the war 
 will soon be over and they'll all be back again." 
 
138 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 But in this he was mistaken, for ere the close 
 of the conflict, many of them would cross the dark 
 River of Death I 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 THE EXPOSURE OF THE VILLAGE MYSTERY. 
 
 Oh, mysteries so mysterious, 
 Ghosts and demons drear ! 
 
 Late the next evening, after the last meeting of 
 the Vandal Club, Phantom took his departure 
 from St. Arlyle. 
 
 "Good bye, boys," he said from his seat in the 
 carriage, surrounded by the Vandals. "The play 
 is ended, and I'm not the man to add an epilogue 
 when the curtain's down. I'm much obliged to 
 you all, for the aid you've given me, and I shall 
 always keep the Vandal club in remembrance. 
 You might have given me a little more time and 
 not exposed the spirit mystery till business began 
 to dull. But then, I'm satisfied." 
 
 "Bejabers, yes ought ter be, fur yes walked 
 inter this town wid yer carpet bag, and now yes 
 ridin' out wid a chase, and yer pockets filled wid 
 coin ! But I've nothing to say agin yes, Phantom, 
 only, yes play a stiff game of cards. And I've 
 nothin' to say agin that. But whin yes drew five 
 aces out of a dick, bedabs, it's an insinuation on a 
 square game." 
 
 "Well, you soon learned that part of the game 
 yourself," replied Phantom. 
 
 "Yes, I did, for it wuz the only way to keep 
 
 avin." 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 139 
 
 "Good bye, boys," said the ex-medium as the 
 carnage started, "the spiritualistic business is 
 ended 1" 
 
 "Yes," replied Marshall, "sort of annihilated, 
 kind of Vandalized!" 
 
 "That's so," answered the Pirate, "we'll 'ave 
 no more spirits 'ere, except them in a whiskey 
 bottle." 
 
 The next day the Vandals placarded every 
 available wall in the village with the following 
 announcement : 
 
 The Village Mystery Exposed! 
 In the Town Hall, To-night. 
 Admission, - Free. 
 
 That evening the public hall was crowded with 
 a larger and more excited audience than ever 
 Phantom had congregated. Not only was every 
 seat and part of the hall occupied, but a number 
 stood outside the windows and doors. 
 
 The curtain was removed from the front of the 
 stage, revealing Phantom's cabinet, "devil's box," 
 table and other paraphernalia, which he had left 
 in his precipitate flight. Besides these was a table 
 covered with chemical and optical apparatus. 
 
 Gleaton mounted the stage and said: 
 
 "Ladies and gentlemen: The other night the 
 Vandal club passed resolutions to expose The 
 Village Mystery, and Phantom's spiritualistic per- 
 formances. To tell the truth, the Vandals had a 
 hand in this ghostly programme, and so, to free 
 their somewhat elastic consciences, before bid- 
 ding you farewell, for most of them have enlisted 
 
140 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 to do their humble part in the war, they con- 
 cluded to make a complete exposure. 
 
 "Being deficient in scientific knowledge, they 
 requested the well known chemist, Dr. Landon, 
 to assist, which he has very kindly consented to 
 do. Since the Vandals' last meeting events have 
 transpired which have given them the power to 
 explain all. So as our Warwickshire friend has 
 said: 
 
 'There's a divinity that shapes our ends, 
 Rough hew them how we will.' 
 
 "I now introduce to you, Dr. Charles Landon, 
 professor of chemistry in the University." 
 
 Dr. Landon mounted the stage amid applause, 
 and began: 
 
 "We have met to-night to consider an old fa- 
 miliar subject, for it had its birth far back in the 
 morning of time before the historian's pen had 
 left a record, for it is almost cotemporaneous 
 with man's creation. In every age, in every 
 clime, and under every form of government, and 
 in all grades of society, either savage, barbarian 
 or civilized, we find superstition, like the scene- 
 shifter on the mimic stage, always there. For 
 man has always had a longing to look through the 
 mystic future, and see what fate has in store for 
 him. But through all the faded centuries, in the 
 book of the future he has never turned a page, or 
 read a line. It is said, and truly so, that in every 
 person's mind is some form of superstition; it 
 may be far less in some persons than in others, 
 but it is there nevertheless. 
 
 "The Bible, our oldest authentic history, gives 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 141 
 
 us many instances of the parts played by 
 magicians. It informs us that Saul consulted 
 the Witch of Endor, concerning his power to de- 
 feat the Philistines ; and that God's chosen people 
 made a golden calf to worship, and that even the 
 great and wise Solomon forsook his allegiance to 
 his God and worshiped Astoreth the goddess of 
 the Zidonians. 
 
 "Thus in the earliest legends and records of the 
 world, we find superstition existing. We can 
 trace it back through the Judaic history, in the 
 books of Buddhaism, of Brahmanism, of Chal- 
 deism, in the legends of the Northmen, and in 
 the fanciful, dreamy tales of primitive men. 
 
 "Then when we reach the annals of history we 
 follow superstition's unbroken line, age by age, 
 year by year, till the past becomes but yesterday. 
 
 "Greece, the land of arts and sciences, and the 
 birthplace of modern civilization, believed im- 
 plicitly in its gods or oracles of Jupiter at 
 Dodona, and Apollo at Delphos. 
 
 "Learned Rome had her sacred college of 
 soothsayers, her sybils and augurs; the Middle 
 Ages its sorcerers, who flourished and increased 
 in defiance of torture and death, modern times has 
 had its witchcraft, and Illuminati, and the pres- 
 ent time has its spiritualism, but the offspring of 
 the Illuminati. 
 
 "Thus, we see that superstition and error have 
 flourished in every age and country, in defiance of 
 persecution, torture and death. But what all 
 these have failed to do, the more powerful 
 weapons of truth, light and science will accom- 
 plish. 
 
142 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 "We will now proceed to expose 'The Village 
 Mystery,' and Phantom's legerdemain. First, 
 taking up the spirtualist's impostures in the order 
 in which he performed them. We shall then 
 turn our attention to the Sleeping Egyptian, the 
 Haunted House, and the Graveyard Ghost. 
 
 "Modern spiritualism originated in the City of 
 'Rochester, New York, about the year 1848, by 
 two women named Fox, who announced to the 
 public that they were capable of producing super- 
 natural knocks and noises, by which they could 
 communicate with spirits of the dead. They im- 
 mediately caused great excitement, and were 
 visited by hundreds of people, including phy- 
 sicians, clergymen, editors and lawyers, who, un- 
 able to give any satisfactory reasons for the gen- 
 eration of the strange raps, and apparently true 
 answers to their questions, came to the conclusion 
 that the knocks were the result of divine inspira- 
 tion. From its cradle in Rochester, spiritualism 
 spread rapidly in all directions. And the me- 
 diums, as the promulgators of the art called 
 themselves, drew large crowds to their seances, 
 always held in the dark, for like the magicians 
 and sorcerers of early ages, they disliked the 
 light. 
 
 "Although Rochester was the birthplace of 
 spiritualism of the present day, strange raps and 
 noises attributed to the supernatural, were known 
 in nearly every age. In England, among many 
 others, the Newgate criminal calendar records 
 the celebrated trial of the Cock Lane Ghost, 
 which rapped, and was supposed to have com- 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 143 
 
 munication with the departed, but which proved 
 to be a living woman. 
 
 "We shall now turn our attention to the so- 
 called spirit rappings. I regret that our mys- 
 terious friend Phantom is not present, but to use 
 the words of the Vandal, u has evaporated." As 
 you see, in his hasty exit, he has left his table, 
 cabinet and other material behind, which will 
 prove useful to us in illustrating his legerdemain." 
 
 Four Vandals and Dr. Landon seated them- 
 selves around the table, and placing their hands 
 upon it, almost immediately raps were heard, and 
 in a few minutes the table began a dancing motion. 
 
 "You see," said Charles Landon, "we have 
 spirits present, though no questions were asked. 
 Now, what caused these raps and gave motion to 
 the table, for there are no wires or cords attached 
 to it? 
 
 "The first raps heard were produced by the 
 forefinger of one of the hands lying flat upon the 
 table. This is accomplished by slightly raising 
 the finger and striking it upon the hard table. 
 The movement is so slight that you would not 
 perceive it, perhaps, even if your attention were 
 called to it. For those who repeatedly practice 
 it grow very expert at the deception. And there 
 would be far less probability of your seeing the 
 movement of the finger if it were in a dimly 
 lighted room such as mediums always use. But 
 there is another and truly wonderful method of 
 producing knocks by electricity. It was this hid- 
 den electrical phenomenon that, at first, puzzled 
 so many persons and caused them to attribute 
 these strange raps and motions to the super- 
 
144 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 natural. But where does this electricity come 
 from, or, in other words, how is it produced? The 
 truth is, it is caused by the human body, for, under 
 certain circumstances, it has the power of con- 
 verting itself into an electrical machine, which 
 can often be operated at the will of the person 
 himself. It has often been observed that a per- 
 son gazing fixedly at the Aurora Borealis for a 
 short time, will become impregnated with the 
 fluid, and, upon approaching a negative substance, 
 will give off a spark. And even instances are re- 
 corded in which the human body has become so 
 electrically excited, by sliding rapidly over a carpet 
 as to yield a spark capable of igniting gas. And 
 even this electrical power is possessed by some 
 fishes, particularly the torpedo and electric ray of 
 South America, which have a special organ for 
 this purpose, capable of developing such an elec- 
 trical force as to stun, and very often kill their 
 prey by the shock. 
 
 "Although this self-generating electricity is pos- 
 sessed by every one, some persons inherit it in a 
 far greater degree than others, just as in animal 
 magnetism. But like many other powers in life, 
 it may be greatly increased by cultivation, giving 
 those who have practiced it a wonderful power 
 over the beginner. 
 
 "It is a well known fact that, when a strong 
 electrical discharge passes through an imperfect 
 conductor, it either knocks it about, or breaks it 
 to pieces, in accordance with the violence of the 
 discharge. 
 
 "This is just what has happened in the case of 
 the table. The five persons seated about it act 
 
(A Village Mystery and 
 Through War to Peace) 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 145 
 
 as electrical machines and the table being a neg- 
 ative substance, the electrical shock causes it to 
 rap and move about. 
 
 "Let us now turn to Phantom's trick of answer- 
 ing spirit questions, through the medium of a tin 
 box, by placing apparently blank sheets of paper 
 in it. But the paper was not blank, it had the 
 answers to questions written upon it with dilute 
 sulphuric acid, which is invisible until the sheet 
 is gently heated, when the words appear in black 
 letters. The medium accomplished this by plac- 
 ing the tin case containing the paper over the 
 flame of the tripod for a few seconds. 
 
 "If you remember, the Vandals asked the first 
 questions which were answered by the so-called 
 'spirit-flame.' And I am sorry to say they were 
 Phantom's confederates, and had the whole mat- 
 ter pre-arranged with him. But when the farmer 
 asked a question, the 'medium' was nonplussed for 
 moment, but his trusty friends, the Vandals, soon 
 came to his rescue. As they make it their busi- 
 ness to know the history, or peculiarities of every 
 one in the village, they soon gave him the answers 
 to the farmer's questions. 
 
 "Phantom showed you another method of pro- 
 ducing writing on seemingly blank paper, by 
 moistening it with a liquid. This is merely a 
 chemical principle. The sheets had been pre- 
 viously written upon, by a solution of sulphate of 
 copper, which is invisible until moistened by aqua 
 ammonia, when the chemical reaction produces the 
 blue letters. 
 
 "The hatching of the 'devil's serpent eggs,' as 
 the spiritualist called them, is simply another 
 
i 4 6 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 chemical performance. These 'eggs' are com- 
 posed of dilute nitric acid, quicksilver, sulpho- 
 cyanidum of ammonium and gum tragacanth. 
 This mixture is made into a paste and divided into 
 pellets. When these pellets, or "eggs," are dry 
 and fire is applied to one of them, a body is 
 evolved from it, which at a short distance re- 
 sembles, identically, that of a snake. 
 
 "The production of 'blood writing' upon the 
 arm, is very simple. A red lead pencil is fixed 
 under the table, beneath the point of which the 
 naked arm is moved about." 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 THE EXPOSURE FINISHED. KELLY'S SPEECH. 
 
 Error's monstrous shapes from earth are driven 
 They fade, they fly but truth survives the flight. 
 
 Bryant. 
 
 "We will now explain the mystery of the 
 Devil's Box, which, like most of his parapher- 
 nalia, he neglected to carry away. The box, he 
 affirmed, was covered with Egyptian hiero- 
 glyphics; but upon a close inspection it is more 
 probable that some industrious Vandal used his 
 spare moments in copying upon it the characters 
 from a Chinese tea chest. And if a certain Van- 
 dal present were charged with the deception he 
 would undoubtedly be forced to acknowledge 
 that he acted in this instance as the 'medium' 
 Egyptologist. 
 
 "But how is the casket made heavy or light at 
 the will of the operator and without his touching 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 147 
 
 it? It is accomplished in the following way: 
 Upon first examination the box appears to be com- 
 posed entirely of wood; but it is not; it has an 
 iron bottom. But what has the iron bottom to 
 do with changing the weight of the box? Simply 
 this: Phantom has an opening cut in the centre of 
 the stage in which is placed a powerful electro- 
 magnet hidden by the surrounding carpet. To 
 this is attached wires, along which a strong elec- 
 tric current is sent from beneath the stage. The 
 bottom of the case being of iron adheres to the 
 other metallic plate, as long as the current is con- 
 tinued, with such power that a horse could not 
 pull them apart. But when the electricity is cut 
 off it loses its power of a loadstone. 
 
 "This wonderful property of electricity was 
 taken advantage of by the magicians of the middle 
 ages, who used to accomplish some strange and 
 wonderful performances, which, by the ignorance 
 of the age, were attributed to the supernatural. 
 Among these magicians was Albertus Magnus, 
 the greatest of them all. He was born in the 
 year 1 193, and was the most renowned scholar of 
 the age in which he lived; was well acquainted 
 with this principle of natural philosophy and took 
 advantage of it to terrorize his followers and to 
 throw a mystery about himself. He left a book 
 called The Admirable Secrets of Albertus Mag- 
 nus, in which are some very useful receipts, but 
 they are mixed with much nonsense. 
 
 u We will now consider the cabinet mystery. 
 These performances of pretended miracles, by the 
 aid of a cabinet, originated with the Davenport 
 Brothers, who gave exhibitions of these spiritual 
 
148 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 manifestations, as they called them in the United 
 States, England and France, from which they 
 made thousands of dollars. 
 
 "The Davenports' spiritual performances con- 
 sisted of the two brothers being securely bound 
 to a bench in a cabinet; which contained drums, 
 bells and musical instruments. The moment the 
 doors were closed and the light turned down, the 
 drums were beat, the bells rung, the musical in- 
 struments played, and hands were thrust through 
 the small openings in the upper part of the doors 
 of the cabinet. Then the doors swing open of 
 their own accord and the brothers are found 
 bound as before. Again the doors are closed, the 
 drums beat and musical instruments played as 
 previously, and when the doors open they are still 
 bound. The doors are again closed and almost 
 instantly opened, when the brothers are seen un- 
 bound, sitting on the benches. Of course, the 
 Davenport brothers claimed that all the per- 
 formances inside the cabinet were executed by 
 spiritual power. Although they exhibited their 
 performances both in Great Britain and America 
 without direct detection, they came to grief in 
 Paris, a city prolific in wizards and magicians. 
 They had only given their first performance when 
 Robin, a noted scientist and lecturer of the Boule- 
 vard du Temple, announced to the city, through 
 the papers, that he would fully expose the Daven- 
 port's cabinet feat in full view of all. But that 
 evening a laughable incident revealed the Daven- 
 port brothers' secret, forestalling Robin's ex- 
 posure. It occurred in the following manner: 
 After the brothers were bound to the bench, a 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 149 
 
 magician examining it, found a secret spring which 
 he touched, when, lo ! the bench fell to pieces and 
 the mediums rolled upon the floor, amid the up- 
 roarious, wild yells and laughter from the audi- 
 ence. The secret was out: the bench had many 
 joints. 
 
 "A few evenings after, Robin gave a complete 
 expose of the Davenports' exhibition, and showed 
 how, without a jointed bench, he could release 
 himself when bound. 
 
 "I will take this rope and show you how easily 
 it is performed. By a simple turn of the wrist, 
 you see how an apparently secure square knot 
 can be converted into a half hitch, through which 
 that part of the rope held by the one bound can 
 be pushed. Any rope will admit of a little slack, 
 so almost any knot can be converted into a slip- 
 knot; and when this is accomplished, the greatest 
 difficulty in untying one's self is overcome. 
 
 "The leading point with the Davenport 
 brothers was to have the knot at their wrists ap- 
 pear solid, although it was really a slip-knot. 
 This may be accomplished in many ways, among 
 others, thus: a square knot is made in the middle 
 of a rope and the ends put through in opposite 
 directions beneath the knot, which is then pulled 
 tight. This operation forms two loops, which 
 are made just large enough to thrust the hands 
 through. Then the hands are pulled out of the 
 loops, and used to put the ends of the rope 
 through the holes in the bench, and then the feet 
 are tied and also the ends of the rope fastened to 
 the rounds of the bench, when the hands are again 
 inserted into the loops and the latter drawn tight 
 
150 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 and the operation of tying is finished. The Daven- 
 port brothers claimed that they did not use their 
 hands in untying themselves, but were freed by 
 spirit power. To prove this, they had flour 
 placed in their hands, and when they were un- 
 bound the flour was still found in their fists. Ap- 
 parently it had been there all the time, but such 
 was not the fact, for they had transferred it to 
 their pockets, and again filled their hands just 
 before exhibiting them. 
 
 "You will recollect that when Phantom gave 
 this exhibition of slight of hand, our friend, Mr. 
 Kelly, claimed that it was chalk he had given the 
 medium and not flour, which was the fact. But 
 the other Vandals, to use Mr. Kelly's words, out- 
 talked him and forced him to acknowledge that 
 chalk was flour. Thus showing you that the 
 Vandals were almost indispensable to Phantom, 
 in his many spiritualistic peformances. 
 
 "We will now turn our attention to Phantom's 
 last magical feat, that of raising the devil out of 
 his casket into full view. Many of you have al- 
 ready anticipated the explanation it lies in the 
 one word phantasmagoria. A phantasmagoria 
 is nothing more than a perfect magic lantern. 
 
 "Once more, we call your attention to the 
 Devil's Casket, as Phantom named it, not to ex- 
 hibit it, but to give you a practical illustration of 
 how the medium caused the devil to rise out of 
 it. In the box I have placed a brazier contain- 
 ing burning charcoal. Upon these coals is thrown 
 olibanum many other gums would serve the 
 same purpose and the black smoke arising from 
 the gum immediately above the box, forms an 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 151 
 
 excellent screen upon which to reflect the image 
 thrown from the phantasmagoria, which is hidden 
 from view by the'wings of the stage. 
 
 u Now, as my assistant turns the focus of the 
 lantern upon the smoke, you see Phantom's devil 
 appears in all his hideousness." 
 
 "Begorra !" said Kelly, "that's the idintical ould 
 bog-throtter!" 
 
 "It is to Dr. Robertson/' continued Landon, 
 "that we owe the first perfection of the phantas- 
 magoria. Robinson was an English scientist, 
 who lived in Paris during the Reign of Terror, 
 and brought the optical science to a wonderful 
 degree of perfection. His exhibitions caused 
 even more excitement and wonder among the 
 French public than had been caused by Cagliostro 
 and Mesmer, but his purpose was far different 
 from that of these two charlatans; while Mesmer 
 and Cagliostro held that their performances were 
 caused by spirits and demons Robertson ridiculed 
 these ideas and showed that the strange scenes 
 were wholly due to to the principles of science. 
 
 "To perfect and heighten the effect of his 
 science, he obtained a room over eighty feet long 
 and twenty-four wide which he hung entirely with 
 black. At one end of the room he had a raised 
 stage, across the front of which was stretched a 
 white sheet previously soaked in a mixture of gum 
 arabic and stretched to render it transparent, 
 which was protected by a black curtain till the 
 moment of his operations. 
 
 "Robinson's fame spread so rapidly and such 
 crowds flocked to his wonderful performances 
 that, for the want of space to accommodate them, 
 
152 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 he removed to the Capuchin convent. The ro- 
 mantic and gloomy appearance of this old build- 
 ing Robertson augmented, by giving his most 
 wonderful and appalling exhibitions. When the 
 audience were assembled, he began by a short ad- 
 dress on spectres and demons, and when he had 
 excited their imaginations to the highest pitch, he 
 suddenly plunged the room into total darkness. 
 Instantly in the gloom there arose a storm of 
 thunder, lightning and rain, amid which could be 
 heard the solemn tolling of bells, as if calling the 
 dead from their tombs, sad dirges were sung, 
 amid wild shrieks, while the thunder rolled 
 heavier each moment, the lightning flashed in 
 every direction, and the rain fell in torrents. But 
 suddenly, amid it all, came the low, sweet strains 
 of music, and the storm began to clear away, and 
 a faint light appeared in the distance. This 
 luminous cloud as it grew brighter, gradually be- 
 came the form of a man, approached nearer and 
 nearer until it seemed as if about to be precip- 
 itated upon the spectators. There was a cry of 
 terror from many, when it instantly faded away. 
 Again and again, figures of spirits and demons 
 arose out of the gloom, growing brighter and 
 brighter, till they seemed to fall upon the audi- 
 ence, when they suddenly disappeared. 
 
 "Then the scene changed, and a cave appeared, 
 from which flowed a dark, sluggish stream, on 
 which floated a boat crowded with spectres, as if 
 crossing the River of Death. 
 
 "It was by similar scenes to these (and no 
 wonder, in the ignorance of the times, the pop- 
 ulace attributed them to the supernatural), that 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 153 
 
 the priests of Memphis, Ancient Greece and 
 Rome, in their subterranean vaults excited the 
 wonder and terror of the beholders. 
 
 "Phantasmagoria has but been re-discovered, 
 in modern times, for undoubtedly its originators 
 were priests of antiquity. It is recorded in 
 ancient writings that in these dimly-lighted cav- 
 erns the priests showed their followers the shades 
 of the departed, and also the future bliss in store 
 for them in the Elysian fields. 
 
 "The next subject to which we will turn our 
 attention is the 'Sleeping Egyptian/ Mr. Mere- 
 dith will take the subject in hand, and explain it 
 thoroughly to you." 
 
 Meredith then took the platform, and began: 
 
 "You will remember that Phantom announced 
 to the public that on New Year's night the mailed 
 figure in the garden of the haunted house would 
 step down from his pedestal and walk away never 
 to be seen again. It was very necessary to the 
 medium's fame, that his prophecy should be ful- 
 filled; so he engaged the Vandals to aid him. An 
 hour before midnight, last New Year, we re- 
 moved the wooden image out of its armor, and I 
 took my place inside and mounted the marble 
 base. At exactly twelve o'clock, I stepped down 
 and walked into the street and along it till I 
 reached the river, into which I threw the coat of 
 mail, where it may still be found, if any of you 
 doubt the truth of my words." 
 
 Meredith left the stage, as Gleaton announced 
 that Kelly would give an account of the capture of 
 the graveyard ghost. 
 
 The Priate mounted the platform amid wild 
 
154 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 applause and laughter. When it had ceased, he 
 began: 
 
 "Ladies and Gintlemin, I ain't mouch of a 
 sphaker. But begorra ! I'm goin' to do th' bist I 
 kin, under the thryin' circumstances. We wint fur 
 that ghoast in the grave-yard siveral times, bud 
 we didn't git 'im. On the contrary, he rather got 
 away wid us. For as we lift the simetary, and 
 shlid over the fince, wid sore shins and bloody 
 faces, we looked as if we'd been run through a 
 thrashing machine and kome out wid the grain. 
 But foinely, we wint there to sthay! And fur 
 about two hours we 'ad it extramely loively. It 
 wuz the divil's own philimaloo ! fur we wuz bate 
 in ivery tussle. Bud we froze to the sphirut 
 loike an Esquemo to a taller candle. The first 
 tussle I had wid the ghost, he butted me in the 
 stomache an doubled me up loike a jack-knife. 
 Not long after he sint Marshall sprawling on the 
 grounnd, and ilevated Stanton over a couple ov 
 grave stuns, and hit Meredith a clout that made 
 im dhream astronomy. 
 
 "Bud foinely, we made it so extramely hot fur 
 the ghost, that he skipped over in widder Flan- 
 nigan's yard. I wint afther 'im, an' I cornered 
 'im on the back poarch, an' after knocking over 
 half a dozen pots an' ivery thing in gineral, and 
 smashin' a winder, I got the sphirrut. An' what 
 do yes think he wuz? 
 
 "Nothin', bud Mistress Flannigan's ghoat. 
 
 u jist thin, the widder kome out an' sez she: 
 'Howly muther of Moases! Iz that ye, Kelly 
 the Pirate" 
 
 "Sez I, it's meself." 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 155 
 
 "Sez she, I belave ye's been afther me goat? 
 ye dirty spalpeen ! 
 
 u Sez I, I belave I have, too. Bud Mrs. Flan- 
 nigan," sez I, "ye ought to be ashamed of yer- 
 self to let yor baste run over dead paple what 
 can't defind themselves." 
 
 "Sez she, git out wid yes, ye Pirate, or I'll 
 twist yer lugs off! Ye bogtrottin' calf!" 
 
 "Aisy, Mistress Flannigan," sez I, as I leaped 
 over the fince. 
 
 "An' that's all there's about the simetary 
 ghoast." 
 
 Kelly then left the stage and Dr. Landon, re- 
 suming, said: 
 
 "We have now reached the last subject for con- 
 sideration, the mystery of the Haunted House. 
 These scenes in the old house, that have been at- 
 tributed to the supernatural originated by acci- 
 dent, for the author of them is the last person in 
 the world who would attempt to impose upon the 
 credulity of any one. The author of these curi- 
 ous lights and fires being none other than Dr. 
 Benj. Granville, the president of the University, 
 with whom many of you are acquainted. 
 
 "You will probably remember that it was re- 
 ported, some years since, that the Haunted House 
 was sold to a chemist, but as the purchaser's name 
 was not made public, few were aware that it was 
 Dr. Granville. About a year ago, the Doctor, 
 wishing to prosecute some experiments in the 
 manufacture of diamonds and other precious 
 stones, and also to perfect several chemical dis- 
 coveries, had a furnace and chemical apparatus 
 placed in the Haunted House. He selected the 
 
156 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 old house, as he thought he would be free from 
 intrusion, never even dreaming that he would 
 cause the public to believe that the old house was 
 inhabited by ghosts. 
 
 "In prosecuting his work, he required a large 
 fire and a great heat, and the chemical used in it 
 often changed its color, and at other times gave 
 the fire great brilliancy. 
 
 "Many of his experiments were a perfect suc- 
 cess; but he feels exceedingly sorry that uninten- 
 tionally he deceived the public and caused a be- 
 lief in the supernatural. He also informed me 
 that he very much regretted that he could not 
 be present to-night, and explain all to you ; but that 
 he would do so at the earliest opportunity. 
 
 "The spectral figures that appeared in mid air 
 above the old house, Dr. Granville was in no 
 way connected with, for they were the work of 
 the Vandal club. Many of you will remember 
 for some time the Vandals made strong efforts to 
 discover the mystery of the Haunted House, but 
 suddenly they ceased to do so, and acknowledged 
 it was haunted, though they had ridiculed the idea 
 before. It was at that time they discovered the 
 whole mystery, but instead of exposing it, they 
 resolved to add to it, so they produced the spec- 
 tral images in mid-air. They accomplished it in 
 the following manner. Among the Vandals are 
 students well advanced in scientific knowledge, 
 for you are aware, they are a heterogeneous 
 crowd. Some of them climbed to the roof of 
 the Haunted House, taking with them a phantas- 
 magoria and concealing it as well as themselves 
 behind a battlement, while others, also hidden on 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 157 
 
 the roof, produced with chemicals a dense black 
 smoke, which formed an excellent screen upon 
 which to reflect the image from the magic lantern. 
 Of their success you are all aware. It was splen- 
 didly accomplished, and they deserve much praise 
 for their scientific skill; though we must strongly 
 condemn their motives. 
 
 "We have now exposed the 'Village Mystery/ 
 step by step, and you see that at every point of 
 its progress it is but the offspring of science and 
 human labor. 
 
 "Thus ever, when the dark vista of ignorance 
 and error is illuminated by the torch of light and 
 truth, we find but one magician, one sorcerer, 
 science and human power!" 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 BERTHA'S VISIT TO THE HAUNTED HOUSE. 
 
 Through knowledge we behold the world's creation, 
 
 How in his cradle first he fostered was, 
 
 And judge of nature's cunning operation, 
 
 How things she formed of formless mass : 
 
 By knowledge we do learn ourselves to know; 
 
 And what to man and what to God we owe. Spenser. 
 
 After the sad parting with Charlie Landon, 
 Bertie Merton so bravely took up the duties of 
 life again that only her dearest and nearest 
 friends knew, or suspected, of the wounds she 
 bore in her heart. She had feared and dreaded 
 this last farewell, as a brave soldier often does 
 a pending battle, but when he is once in the shock 
 of the conflict he heroically presses on in the path 
 of duty, regardless of danger, thinking only of 
 
158 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 winning; thus when the last adieu was said, and 
 it seemed as if her heart would break and her 
 anguish overpower her, she nobly summoned all 
 her courage and never for a moment thought of 
 yielding to despair. 
 
 She knew that there is nothing like employment 
 to prevent one from brooding over sorrows, so 
 she applied herself assiduously to study. She 
 had inherited a natural talent for drawing and 
 painting, which she so rapidly improved by close 
 study, that her instructor declared that he could 
 teach her no more, and she began to be looked 
 upon as a rising young artist. 
 
 She rarely went into society, or even left her 
 home, except to visit some sick or .needy persons. 
 But there was one person, Dr. Granville, to whom 
 she had taken a fancy, not particularly on account 
 of his kind, fatherly ways, or his great learning 
 although she fully appreciated them but from 
 the fact that he had once been Dr. Landon's in- 
 structor, and was still his strong friend. A mutual 
 friendship that had grown stronger between the 
 two men with each fleeting year. Thus, she and 
 Dr. Granville could converse on a subject agree- 
 able to him and doubly dear to her, for she still 
 loved Charlie Landon with a fervor which dis- 
 tance or time could not quench. So when the 
 Doctor invited her to visit him in his den (as he 
 called it, but which had been known to the vil- 
 lage as the Haunted House), she readily accepted 
 his invitation. One bright afternoon she walked 
 up the hill to the old house, and ascending the 
 stairs, stood knocking at the door of the scientist's 
 study. 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 159 
 
 It was truly a study and not a cozy place of 
 amusement, but a retreat for brain-work and busi- 
 ness, where intricate and important subjects of 
 science were examined by the most crucial tests, 
 and if found wanting were cast aside, or if proved 
 to be facts were given to the world. 
 
 The walls of the study, where not occupied with 
 maps and charts, were covered with shelves, and 
 nearly all of them were closely packed with books. 
 Here in dark studious-looking covers were repre- 
 sented science, philosophy, history and poetry. 
 
 Dr. Benjamin Granville was a hard working, 
 indefatigable student, an enthusiast in science, 
 who never spared himself from days and nights 
 of continuous toil in his favorite studies, until at 
 last his profound scholarly attainments in chem- 
 istry, geology and mineralogy had attracted the 
 attention of other scientists, who looked upon 
 him with admiration, and quoted him as author- 
 ity in these branches of science. He was pres- 
 ident of the University of St. Arlyle, and numer- 
 ous colleges had conferred their highest degrees 
 upon him. There was scarcely a kind of mineral 
 substance in the world he had not passed through 
 his crucible or test tubes. He could almost tell 
 at a glance the composition of minerals and rocks 
 and their geological history. In geology, he had 
 examined strata after strata of the earth, with 
 their fossils, shells and huge fishes, reptiles and 
 mammals, and estimated and recorded the order 
 of the epoch in which they had existed till it 
 reached back thousands of years. 
 
 When Miss Merton knocked at the door of 
 Dr. Granville's study he was seated in an oaken 
 
160 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 chair before a large desk covered with books, pa- 
 pers and apparatus, while around were heaped 
 masses of minerals, fossils and charts. With 
 his head bent down to the desk he was oblivious 
 to the outside world, for his thoughts were far 
 back in the globe's existence thousands of years 
 ere man's feet trod its crust. For scientists had 
 recently discovered a new formation, of which 
 he was eagerly endeavoring to determine the 
 geological age. 
 
 After knocking repeatedly for some time, Miss 
 Merton at last grew impatient, and, pushing open 
 the door, entered. 
 
 "Excuse me, Doctor," said she, "but I have 
 been rapping for the last four minutes. I know 
 you were so busily engaged that you did not hear 
 
 me." 
 
 "No," he answered, absently, "I was engaged 
 on this geological problem. It is of great im- 
 portance to science Oh, bless me! Miss Merton! 
 I did not recognize you. Be seated ! I'm some- 
 times a little yes, a good deal absent-minded." 
 
 "Oh, do not let me interrupt you," she ex- 
 claimed. 
 
 "Really, it is no interruption at all! It does us 
 old fellows good to see a young person. It 
 brings us back to the world again, and rests the 
 weary brain. I'm very glad you've come; I see," 
 he continued, noticing the smile playing around 
 her mouth, "you think my thoughts go wool- 
 gathering sometimes. Don't you?" 
 
 She made no reply, but burst into a laugh. 
 
 "Well, you're right!" he said, smiling as he 
 arose. 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 161 
 
 Dr. Granville was quite tall and stood erect as 
 a pine (in defiance of his three score years), with 
 broad, well-formed shoulders, finely developed 
 chest a.nd body, small arched feet, and plump, 
 white hands. He moved with a firm, graceful 
 stride and there was a carelessness, even boyish- 
 ness in his manners, that showed his heart was 
 still young in its purity and sweetness. For we 
 often find the greatest scholars, like the greatest 
 truths, the simplest. He was dressed in a black 
 broadcloth suit, neatly fitting his well-developed 
 figure, and its dark hue contrasting vividly with 
 his pale, calm face. 
 
 He had a grandly formed head, covered by an 
 abundance of wavy black hair pushed back from a 
 broad white forehead, finely cut lips, an aquiline 
 nose, and dark grey eyes, that Bertie Merton 
 said were fatherly ones, always beaming with 
 kindness. And no doubt she was right. 
 
 Altogether, it was a remarkable face, which 
 once seen was not easily forgotten, and that made 
 strangers gaze a second time to admire it and 
 eagerly inquire concerning the person. It was 
 not particularly in its beauty that the charm lay, 
 but in the nobleness and power stamped in the 
 brow and the firm lines about the chin. That 
 grand power we admire and trust without ask- 
 ing the reason why. 
 
 And in the large, liquid eyes there was a rare 
 sweetness and depth of feeling that only those 
 who have watched over others in pain, trouble and 
 death, have learned to feel. In his practice as a 
 physician, ere other sciences had claimed so much 
 of his time, he had met every form of pain and 
 
1 62 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 despair, and learned to see and inspire hope and 
 comfort where others could only see despondency, 
 for he had studied deeply and truly in the world 
 of science, and even looked beyond it to the Eter- 
 nal Power, till he knew life's value, and fearlessly 
 waited for heaven's reward. 
 
 "Yes," continued the doctor, "interruptions are 
 beneficial to us, they rest our brains, and help 
 them to recover their power again." 
 
 "Yes," she replied, "rest must be sweet when 
 earned by toil, as peace is doubly dear when 
 gained by turmoil." 
 
 "Very true. It is only after weary labor that 
 one can fully appreciate the Italian proverb, 
 Dolce far niente. But," he continued, "what do 
 you think of my den? Does it look as if it were 
 haunted, as the public suppose it to be?" 
 
 "No," she replied, laughing, "but it has a 
 studious air about it. I suppose it is because 
 you have solved so many great problems of science 
 in it. And, perhaps," she added demurely, "it 
 is that which gives the house its mysteriousness. 
 But your study is quite picturesque." 
 
 "I don't know about its picturesqueness. It is 
 littered in wild confusion. We old fellows have 
 so much to study and try to discover, that we 
 begrudge even the few moments it would require 
 to put things in order." 
 
 "I am not surprised at your enthusiasm. For 
 I think chemistry is a very wonderful science, and 
 geology also. But I know very little about 
 geology." 
 
 "Then you have studied chemistry?" 
 
 "Yes, a very little, but I have often watched 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 163 
 
 Dr. Landon's manipulations in it that seemed 
 truly magical to me." She blushed slightly as 
 she mentioned Charles Landon's name, but Dr. 
 Granville was looking down at the desk and did 
 not notice it. 
 
 "Yes," he replied, "Dr. Landon is a fine 
 chemist. Remarkably so for so young a man. 
 You could not have had a better instructor. I 
 have no doubt he has made quite a chemist of you. 
 Did he also give you lessons in geology?" 
 
 "Oh, yes, but I know very little about it. From 
 the little I have learned, I should not think it as 
 perfect a science as chemistry? But, of course, 
 I am not competent to judge." 
 
 "Perhaps it is not. But it is only within the 
 last half century that sufficient truths have been 
 discovered to enable scientists to study geology as 
 a science. Like all sciences, it arose amid a wild 
 confusion of theories, from which were gradually 
 'discovered the great truths of the earth's history, 
 indelibly written in the stratas by the rocks, fos- 
 sil animals and plants of by-gone epochs." 
 
 "It must have taken immense periods to pro- 
 duce those changes. Did it not?" 
 
 "Undoubtedly, millions of years !" 
 
 "Then, does not geology seem to disagree with 
 the Bible, which says that man was created about 
 six thousand years ago?" 
 
 "No, indeed. In that they agree. Although 
 we cannot estimate the geological time exactly, we 
 have numerous scientific facts to prove that since 
 man's appearance on earth, it could not have been 
 more than six thousand years. Again, they con- 
 cur that man was the last animal created. For 
 
1 64 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 we never find human remains below the alluvial 
 deposits (except when they have been placed there 
 by subsequent action), although we frequently find 
 the fossil remains of other animals often in a good 
 state of preservation far down in the earth 
 through vast epochs of time. 
 
 "Again, science and the Scriptures coincide 
 that fire and water were the agencies that pro- 
 duced changes on the globe; also, that at first the 
 'earth was without form and void' ; again, that 
 land was covered by an ocean; and they also 
 agree that the work of creation was progressive 
 after the matter of the universe had been 
 created." 
 
 "But does not the Bible say that God created 
 the earth in six days?" 
 
 "True, but what constitutes a day in popular 
 language?" 
 
 "From sunrise until sunset." 
 
 "Exactly, that suits the point I wish to make. 
 Now, Genesis says: the sun, moon and stars, were 
 not made till the fourth day. But that God 
 caused a light to shine before lie made them. And 
 then, the Bible defines day and night thus: And 
 God called the light Day, and the darkness he 
 called night. Therefore, showing that the days 
 and nights could have been of great length. For 
 as long as the light shone it would be called a day, 
 without any regard to the length of time that 
 might be. And we also know that God's power 
 is infinite and that time is entirely under his con- 
 trol. For the Scripture says: That one day is 
 with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand 
 years as one day. 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 165 
 
 "But again, an immense space of time must 
 have elapsed from the 'beginning' that is the 
 creation of matter to the six days' work. For 
 the Bible says: In the beginning, God created the 
 heaven and the earth. And the earth was with- 
 out form and void. Therefore, from the begin- 
 ning or creation of matter to the present order 
 of things, about six thousand years ago, an im- 
 mense gulf of time must have intervened in which 
 the earth changed from a gas to a liquid, and 
 again from a liquid to a solid state, and then be- 
 came cool enough for animal life to exist upon it. 
 And then came another period, in which myriads 
 of animals lived and died, and were entomed in 
 successive strata, making the oldest over six miles 
 in depth." 
 
 "Oh, I am so glad you believe in the Bible," 
 she exclaimed enthusiastically, "and find more 
 proof of its truth in all your deep study and in- 
 vestigation. For in this age there are so many 
 scientific men who are infidels and even atheists." 
 
 "Yes, I put my trust in it years ago, and I have 
 never felt it falter yet. For the more we in- 
 vestigate and study truly, the more we must see 
 and feel that there is a ruling power over all. 
 Chance never could perform the perfect concord 
 and action of the universe. Chance would some- 
 times err, or, at least, make a false motion, but 
 the Great Ruler never does. So, as we study his 
 great laws deeper and deeper, we can only learn 
 to admire and trust them more and more." 
 
 "Yes, truly," she replied, "one should never 
 fear that God's written records and his records 
 
1 66 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 imprinted on the strata of time can ever disagree 
 when interpreted correctly." 
 
 At this moment they were interrupted by the 
 entrance of Dr. Granville's negro servant, who 
 inquired about removing some chemicals. 
 
 When he had left the room, the Doctor turned 
 to Miss Merton and said, smiling: 
 
 "Do you think he looks like an imp of the in- 
 fernal regions, as Mr. Gleaton and others took 
 him to be?" 
 
 "No," she replied, laughing, "he resembles 
 most other colored men. But it would probably 
 be easy for one's excited imagination to believe 
 him such." 
 
 "True, fear and excitement often make our 
 imagination turn mole hills into mountains. 
 
 "I little dreamed while I was pursuing my 
 chemical experiments, I was aiding the belief that 
 the house was haunted. And that the colored 
 flames as shown from the window, (produced by 
 the various chemicals used), were attributed to 
 the imps of Pluto. On the contrary, I thought 
 the old house was so secluded that but few would 
 know, of my experiments. And all the time while 
 the neighborhood was telling of the fiery demon 
 that inhabited the house, I was in blissful ignor- 
 ance. I did not even suspect anything when Mr. 
 Gleaton paid his visit of investigation. When 
 the negro informed me he had twice prevented 
 a man from entering the room containing the fur- 
 nace, I thought he must be mistaken, until the next 
 day I found the window open and the iron staples 
 filed in twain. Even then, I supposed some one 
 had broken in for the purpose of robbery. On 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 167 
 
 that night, I remember well the circumstances that 
 occurred, when the blacksmith entered the large 
 mineral room, but attributed them to other causes. 
 I was seated at the further end of the room writ- 
 ing, when I heard a noise as if of the door open- 
 ing. I looked up but saw. nothing, as that part 
 of the room near the door was dimly lighted. In 
 a few moments I again heard a noise, and gazing 
 up, I saw one arm of the skeleton suddenly raise. 
 I was surprised at this until I noticed a window 
 was open, and that it was caused by the action 
 of the wind. 
 
 u At that moment the negro entered, and I nat- 
 urally supposed the noise was caused by him. But 
 I have since learned that it was produced by Mr. 
 Gleaton fainting and falling behind a cabinet." 
 
 "No wonder," she said, "such a combination 
 of circumstances would cause him to suppose him- 
 self in the presence of supernatural beings." 
 
 "By the way," said the Doctor, "would you 
 like to see the haunted room?" 
 
 "Oh yes, very much, for I have inherited that 
 womanly curiosity that was inborn with Eve when 
 she longed to taste the forbidden fruit!" 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 THE SECRETS OF THE HAUNTED CHAMBER. 
 
 Boldly he knocks at wisdom's inmost gate, 
 With nature counsels, and communes with fate. 
 
 Charles Sprague. 
 
 They ascended a short but wide flight of stairs, 
 and Dr. Granville pushing open a large oaken 
 
1 68 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 door, they entered the "haunted" chamber; but 
 now no longer considered so, as the entire village 
 had learned its secrets. The room was large and 
 occupied fully one-fourth of the upper part of the 
 house; the floor was covered with smooth, white 
 tiles; the walls were nearly all twenty feet in 
 height and contained two large double windows 
 diagonally opposite each other, which offered a 
 fine view for a number of miles around on account 
 of their height above the surrounding country, 
 and at night when illuminated by the flames from 
 the furnace, shone forth like some tall beacon 
 light. 
 
 Nearly covering one of the walls of the room 
 stood several huge cases with glass doors, the 
 shelves of which were well filled with books, bot- 
 tles of chemicals and scientific apparatus, while in 
 one corner stood a desk, strewn over with books, 
 and manuscripts, and in the middle of the apart- 
 ment was a long table, on which stood crucibles, 
 mortars, glass retorts, evaporating cups, test 
 tubes in racks, iron moulds, spirit lamps, a blow 
 pipe, chemical balances and numerous other chem- 
 ical apparatus besides minerals and metals. 
 
 Against the opposite wall stood the massive 
 brick furnace with heavy iron doors lined with 
 fire clay, while on top were iron covers which 
 were raised and lowered by means of a pulley. 
 Directly above the furnace was fixed a mirror at 
 an angle enabling one to see the interior of the 
 furnace. 
 
 "Well my little lady, what do you think of my 
 den?" said the scientist. 
 
 "It has a true air of strangeness about it, and 
 
(A Village Mystery and 
 Through War to Peace) 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 169 
 
 no wonder the village people thought it the home 
 of supernatural beings. I suppose the mirror is 
 to enable you to see the contents of the furnace?" 
 
 "Yes, that is its use, for I sometimes have^the 
 furnace so hot that it is impossible to look into 
 it. But the mirror played a ghostly part of which 
 I was entirely ignorant, for it reflected wild, fan- 
 tistic figures of light into the darkness that the 
 beholder's imagination easily converted into spir- 
 its and demons." 
 
 "And what caused the wild screams and col- 
 ored flames that shone from the window?" 
 
 "They were the roar of the fire, and the col- 
 ored lights were produced by the different chem- 
 icals used." 
 
 "Did you really succeed in making diamonds?" 
 
 "Yes, but it can hardly be called a success, for 
 I was only able to make very small ones, and the 
 cost of manufacturing them was more than their 
 value." 
 
 "How are diamonds made, or is that not to be 
 told?" 
 
 "It is no secret. It's a long operation, but you 
 are quite a chemist and I will tell you the prin- 
 ciple of the process in a single sentence; but first, 
 what is a diamond?" 
 
 "It is crystalized charcoal or carbon." 
 
 "Well, when carbon is separated, at an intense 
 heat, from its compound by the aid of a flux, the 
 diamond crystals are formed. But it was not so 
 much the production of precious stones I wished 
 to accomplish as to perfect some valuable inven- 
 
 tions." 
 
 "And were you successful?" 
 
170 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND , 
 
 tj 
 
 "Yes, even beyond my anticipations; andJiave 
 already sold the inventions for large sums of 
 money besides retaining a royalty upon them." 
 Then his face lit with enthusiasm and his eyes 
 sparkled with animation as he talked of his pet 
 scheme. For he had a hobby, and how he was 
 able to put it into execution as wealth flowed rap- 
 idly into his hands. The project was to erect a 
 large building in the neighboring city where any 
 poor, homeless person could obtain a night's lodg- 
 ing free of charge. 
 
 "But," he continued, speaking of his inventions, 
 "several times, when explosions ruined the work 
 of years, I almost lost hope of success, yet the 
 knowledge I had gained by experimenting soon 
 enabled me to reproduce the work." 
 
 "Is there not, frequently, danger from explo- 
 sions in chemical operations?" 
 
 "Yes, sometimes when chemists are experiment- 
 ing with new elements or compounds the proper- 
 ties of which they are unacquainted, although they 
 seldom occur when using familiar chemicals. If, 
 however, a novice in the science were to enter a 
 laboratory and pour together the two first liquids 
 he found, he might be blown to atoms in an in- 
 stant. Thus it frequently was with the old al- 
 chemists, in their search after the philosopher's 
 stone, who lived in the days of Artephius, Basil 
 Valentine, Roger Bacon, Albert Magnus and 
 Flamel. Some of them were blown to fragments, 
 others poisoned with noxious gases. When they 
 suddenly vanished from the earth amid a flash 
 of flame and smoke, the superstitious had an easy 
 explanation, which was that they were in league 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 171 
 
 with the devil and that he had only taken them 
 home." 
 
 "I suppose there are many terrible explosives 
 known to chemists ?" said Bertie. 
 
 "Yes, so powerful and dangerous that no chem- 
 ist dare keep them; for a slight jar of the vessel 
 containing them would cause the mixture to ex- 
 plode." 
 
 "I have read that the person who discovered 
 the fulminate of silver lost his life by it." 
 
 "It is supposed so, but we do not know, for 
 his records perished with him when one day there 
 came a flash of flame and he and his laboratory 
 were reduced to fragments. So it was with the 
 discoverer of prussic acid, he was poisoned by it." 
 
 "Prussic acid must be a fearful poison," said 
 Bertie, "for I have read that a few drops upon 
 the pulse of the wrist produced instant death. If 
 I remember the story correctly, 'two lovers were 
 imprisoned in France in two cells with but a small 
 opening between them; and despairing of ever re- 
 gaining their freedom, they resolved to die. The 
 lady pushed her hand through the opening when 
 her lover poured several drops of the pure acid 
 upon her wrist; death instantly followed. Imme- 
 diately he was liberated, and repented the deed 
 for the remainder of his life." 
 
 "A very romantic tale," he said, laughing, "but 
 it cannot be quite true, for pure prussic acid is 
 such a deadly volatile poison that if a bottle con- 
 taining but a half a tea-cupful were broken in the 
 largest church not a person would escape instant 
 death." 
 
172 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 "Do they not sell the acid in the apothecary 
 stores?" 
 
 "Yes, but it is very much diluted, consisting of 
 but three or four drops of the pure acid to a pint 
 of water." 
 
 "Chemistry is a very interesting study, and the 
 more one learns of its value for discovery and in- 
 vention, the more it excites wonder and admira- 
 tion." 
 
 "Yes, it is undoubtedly the science and power 
 of the future, for however much we may admire 
 and wonder at mechanical and engineering 
 achievements of ancient times, chemistry holds the 
 power of reducing them to fragments in an in- 
 stant. For chemistry can produce a shell no 
 larger than an orange that can tear to atoms the 
 largest Egyptian pyramid, the strongest bridge or 
 the most massive fortress. Naval warfare has 
 been completely revolutionized by the terrible tor- 
 pedoes, which, if exploded near a large iron-clad 
 vessel, would tear her to fragments as if she were 
 but an egg-shell. In fact we can hardly estimate 
 the fearful strength of such powerful explosives 
 as dynamite, vigorite, nitro-glycerine, and even 
 still more terrible in strength, the fulminates of 
 the higher metals. 
 
 "But chemistry played another part during the 
 Middle Ages, that of aiding the magicians by its 
 principles, with some of which they were familiar, 
 to impose upon the ignorant and superstitious. 
 But as knowledge became diffused they lost their 
 power even before Cicero said of them, 'One 
 could not look at another without laughing.' Yet 
 in the Middle Ages nearly all placed implicit trust 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 173 
 
 in the prophesies of magicians, and even kings 
 consulted them in affairs of state. It is related 
 that Louis XI of France kept an astrologer named 
 Galeotti, whose advice he followed in all of his 
 enterprises. But once, at least, this astrology's 
 counsel got the king in serious trouble. Under 
 Galeotti's advice Louis journeyed to Peronne to 
 visit his old enemy, the Duke of Burgundy. The 
 Duke, delighted at having the king in his power, 
 imprisoned him in the citadel at Peronne. The 
 king became wild with anger at his astrologer and 
 sent for him, but he first notified Tristam, the 
 headsman of France, to assassinate him as he left 
 the prison; but Galeotti seeing the executioner as 
 he entered matured his plans. 
 
 "Louis, after venting his anger on the astrolo- 
 ger's head, asked: 'If you know all things will 
 your science permit you to name the hour of your 
 death?' 
 
 " 'Yes,' answered Galeotti, not unprepared, 'I 
 will die just twenty-four hours before your ma- 
 jesty.' 
 
 "The king was astonished and frightened by 
 the answer and allowed him to go unharmed. His 
 quick wit had saved his life; and ever after they 
 lived happily together." 
 
 Bertha laughed as she said: "That's the old 
 stereotype ending; but in spite of all the nonsense 
 these adepts in natural magic have left us, did they 
 not make many valuable discoveries in science?" 
 
 "Yes, particularly the old alchemists in their 
 search after the philosopher's stone, the elixir of 
 life and power of projection have enriched the 
 healing art, mineralogy, geology and chemistry. 
 
174 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 "In the Middle Ages alchemists were numer- 
 ous, and in their ranks were the greatest scholars 
 of the day, such as Roger Bacon, Valentine, De 
 Meany, Artephius, Sinesius, Villeneuve, Flamel 
 and a host of other noted names. Among the 
 most famous of the seekers after the philosopher's 
 stone was Basil Valentine, and to him chemistry 
 owes a great debt of gratitude for the discovery 
 of sulphuric acid. He accidently stumbled upon it 
 while endeavoring to turn the baser metals into 
 gold. It was a great aid to chemistry, for sul- 
 phuric acid is one of the greatest powers in the 
 
 science." 
 
 "And was not the discoverer of gunpowder, 
 Roger Bacon, an alchemist?" asked Bertie. 
 
 "Yes, perhaps the greatest of them all, for he 
 was a very learned man. He was the re-discov- 
 erer of gunpowder in modern times, but he 
 acknowledged that it was already known. Though 
 we can trace its use back to the Byzantine Empire 
 and even among the Arabs, the Chinese were its 
 discoverers. One of their books entitled Wu- 
 Yuen, meaning, "The Origin of Things,' informs 
 us that one 'Makuin, of the kingdom of Wei, first 
 made fire crackers about the year 220. It was not 
 till 1270 that Bacon became acquainted with its 
 composition. By the way, do you remember when 
 and where gunpowder was first used in warfare?" 
 
 "I think it was at the battle of Creasy, fought 
 between the English and French, I do not remem- 
 ber the date." 
 
 "Correct," he said, smiling, "it was the year 
 1346, and the English used six pieces of cannon 
 and gained a complete victory. It was a great 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 175 
 
 epoch in the world's history, for the overthrow 
 of civilization can never occur again, since science 
 has furnished civilized man with such terrible ex- 
 plosives to hurl the thunderbolts of war that he is 
 capable of forever crushing the barbarian's power 
 of physical strength and numbers. So when the 
 old alchemist discovered gunpowder, though he 
 made many other valuable discoveries, this was 
 more valuable than all the rest." 
 
 "Are there alchemists at the present time," she 
 asked, smiling, "or have they all passed away. n 
 
 "Oh yes; but they are generally ignorant of the 
 principles of chemistry. For it has taught us that 
 gold or silver is an element; that is, a thing in 
 its simplest and purest form. In other words, 
 gold is gold and silver is silver, and nothing 
 more. 
 
 "It has grown so dark," continued Dr. Gran- 
 ville, "that I must get a light." 
 
 "So it has," exclaimed 3ertie. "The time has 
 passed so pleasantly and I have been so deeply 
 interested that I did not think it was so late. I 
 must hurry home." 
 
 They descended the stairs, and as she passed 
 out of the hall door she held out her hand, saying, 
 "good-bye, I will come and bother you again?" 
 
 "Do so, I always admire a pretty girl," he said, 
 smiling, as he clasped the extended hand and 
 looked into her pale, sweet face. As he watched 
 her queenly little figure moved away he solilo- 
 quized: "She's as beautiful as an angel; and as 
 noble as she is beautiful. Charlie Landon must 
 have been a fool to quarrel with her! But then, 
 
176 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 the young are always quick-tempered. I wish I 
 could see him, for he deserves a scolding." 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 SAD PARTINGS. 
 
 Oh! I am sick of this dark world, 
 
 My heart, my best affections blighted, 
 My sails of joy forever furled, 
 
 My dawning hopes so soon benighted Mcllvane. 
 
 One warm evening in June about two months 
 after the commencement of the American $vil 
 Sjfar, May Wentworth came up into Bertie's cham- 
 ber with a slow step and grave manner, but there 
 was an unusual flush on her handsome face and 
 a rare sparkle in her blue eyes. 
 
 "Bertie," she said, and there was something 
 so unusual in the tone of her voice that it in- 
 stantly gained the other's attention. 
 
 "You know," May Wentworth continued, "Ned 
 Wilberton is a Virginian by birth, and since that 
 state has joined the Southern Confederacy, it is 
 only natural that his sympathies are with the 
 South. So he has resolved to cast his lot with 
 her by accepting a commission in the army. 
 Whether her cause be right or wrong, God, in his 
 infinite wisdom, is the best judge, but they are 
 Edward's people and with them he has decided 
 to meet success or defeat. And to-morrow we 
 shall be quietly married, in the presence of a few 
 of our best friends and then we shall hasten 
 away." 
 
 "I very much wish," said Bertha, "that you 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 177 
 
 were going to join the Union side instead of the 
 Confederate. But then, we can not all think alike 
 and perhaps it is better so, for it is through dis- 
 agreements and arguments that we arrive at the 
 truth and right, as precious metals are refined by 
 rejecting the dross and baser ones." 
 
 Thus they talked till late, entering into several 
 spirited arguments, but without an atom of bit- 
 terness in them, for they loved each other too 
 dearly to ever say or even intimate, an unfriendly 
 word or thought. But Bertie was a true Union- 
 ist, and was spurred on by the thought that the 
 man whom she dearly loved was risking his life 
 for that cause. 
 
 The next day Edward Wilberton and May were 
 married with only Bertha and a few other of their 
 dearest friends present. Then came the sad, tear- 
 ful parting between the two girls, whose hearts 
 hadever beat with the dearest friendship for each 
 other. At last, May, with a shower of kisses 
 upon Bertha's upturned lips, tore herself away 
 from the dear arms that encircled her with a 
 heart too full of sadness for utterance! 
 
 It was a heavy blow to Bertha but she bore it 
 bravely, for she had learned to 
 
 "Know how sublime a thing it is 
 To suffer and be strong." 
 
 It is said that misfortune never comes single, 
 and so it seemed to Bertha, for a few weeks after 
 May's departure, death robbed her of her father. 
 By his death she was left without a relation, for 
 her aunt had died nearly a year before. 
 
 After the first pangs of her grief wore away 
 
178 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 and she began to rally from the blow, she thought 
 that since her cup of sorrow had been filled to the 
 brim, there must come a change for the better. 
 But alas! for human knowledge, there were yet 
 other trials in the future for her. One day, a 
 few weeks after the loss of her father, she re- 
 ceived a note from Dr. Granville, informing her 
 that he, too, was going to answer his country's 
 call by giving his services to the sick and wounded. 
 
 For Dr. Granville was the only true friend left 
 her in whom she could confide her sorrows and 
 ask advice in her trials. And she had learned to 
 love and look up to him, as to a father, for he had 
 always gladly given her words of advice and en- 
 couragement; and he soon learned to soothe and 
 even pet her, for the sweet, pretty face, worn pale 
 by trials, had won his heart and even his admira- 
 tion, too, when he saw how nobly she bore up 
 under her troubles. 
 
 "It seems," she thought, as the tears welled up 
 into her large black eyes, "as if fate had marked 
 me for her own ! Of the future I dare not think 
 for it looks dark and sad, without even a ray of 
 light across its path. One by one my friends 
 have left me, as my brightest hopes have fled. 
 And truly may I exclaim, 
 
 'The hopes my soul have cherish'd 
 
 Have withered one by one, 
 And tho' life's flowers have perish'd, 
 
 I'm left to linger on!' 
 
 "But though my troubles grow thick as leaves 
 in a forest, I'll not yield to despair, but I'll pray 
 to my God to guide me in the path of duty and 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 179 
 
 of peace, for He has said: 'Underneath are the 
 everlasting arms.' ' 
 
 Dr. Granville knew that it needed no words in 
 his note to bring Bertie to his side, but that her 
 noble heart would turn to him, like a child to its 
 father. So he watched eagerly through the win- 
 dow for her coming, and he had not long to look 
 ere he saw her walking up the path to the house. 
 
 As he caught sight of her handsome little figure 
 a shade of sadness came over his face as he 
 thought. "It gives me pain to leave her, but I 
 owe it as a duty to my suffering countrymen. 
 Still, she is young, brave, and noble enough to 
 conquer her sorrow. There may be and I think 
 there is a wealth of happiness in store for her 
 yet. I hope God, in his infinite goodness, will 
 spare Charles Landon for her sake. For surely 
 he will come to his senses and learn what a noble 
 treasure he has thrown away. I know she would 
 be happy as his wife, possessing his whole love." 
 
 She entered the house and pushing open the 
 door of the study, entered. He met her with a 
 smile as he clasped the little extended hand. 
 
 "So you are going away," she said in a choked 
 voice. "I shall miss you very much. But I know 
 you are right." 
 
 "And it pains me sadly to leave you. But the 
 sick and wounded soldiers of our country need all 
 
 our assistance." 
 
 "Yes, I know it is your duty to go. But it 
 seems harder, for you are the only friend I have 
 left!" 
 
 "And it grieves me, as it does you. For no 
 personal reason would I think of doing so." 
 
1 8o THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 "I know you would not," she said warmly, "I 
 did not mean to complain. For I can truly appre- 
 ciate your sacrifice, and the duty we all owe to the 
 suffering soldiers on the field of battle." 
 
 "I did not even for an instant suspect you of 
 complaining. But we all feel a regret at parting 
 from a friend. For a friend is the greatest and 
 best gift on earth. But after all," he said with 
 a smile, "there will be a compensation for your 
 loss in knowing that I will be near to help one in 
 whom we both take a deep interest, if he should 
 need it, though I hope he may never require it." 
 
 "Yes," she answered, with expressions of pain 
 and hope sweeping across her face. "But " 
 
 "But, you were going to add," he said, read- 
 ing the expression of her features, "that Charles 
 Landon is nothing to you. That he threw you 
 cruelly aside." 
 
 "Oh, no ! not that, yet he did treat me unkindly. 
 But perhaps he grew weary of silly me, or found 
 some brighter face to allure him? If he has, I 
 wish him only happiness." 
 
 "No, Bertha, I assure you he has found no 
 other ladylove to fill your place in his heart. For 
 his last words to me were solicitude for your wel- 
 fare, and he requested me to always be a friend 
 to you for his sake. He told me he still loved 
 you dearly, though he feared your heart had been 
 estranged from him." 
 
 Her face brightened with hope and pleasure at 
 his words, though she could not help claiming a 
 woman's privilege of sweet archness, by asking: 
 
 "Then, why did he write that cruel letter be- 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 181 
 
 fore ever asking a word of explanation? I would 
 not have treated him so!" 
 
 "Of course not," he replied, smiling. "But he 
 has an excuse, too, for the letter he wrote to you 
 asking an explanation you did not receive. It was 
 destroyed by a fire that occurred in the post-office, 
 which the post-master endeavored to hide from 
 the public, but that has since been found out. I 
 did not know of the loss of the letter when I last 
 saw him, or I should have told him of it, and it 
 would undoubtedly have changed his ideas." 
 
 "Then he wrote a letter before the one I re- 
 ceived?" she asked eagerly. 
 
 u Yes, did you not know of it?" 
 
 "No, I never even dreamed of one. But then, 
 he should not have trusted to a letter, but have 
 come manfully forward and asked for an explana- 
 tion." 
 
 "Yes, it was an unreasonable action. But it 
 was caused by a wild delusion on his part that you 
 had ceased to care for him. An hallucination, 
 that I should have thought him too fair-minded 
 to have originated!" 
 
 "I told him that he must be laboring under a 
 misconception, but he argued that you would not 
 answer his first letter and that you refused even 
 to meet him." 
 
 "Well," she replied, "I should have felt dif- 
 ferently toward him if I had known he had writ- 
 ten a letter that I did not receive. But still he 
 acted rashly. I should not have thought it of 
 him!" ^ 
 
 "Neither should I. But never mind. I shall 
 see him in a short time, and explain all to him 
 
1 82 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 and tell him to go and ask the little lady's pardon, 
 as he ought to have done long ago!" 
 
 "Oh no !" she said, "I could not beg him to love 
 me ! My pride would not let me do that. n 
 
 "I know it would not. And I admire it, too. 
 But I shall give Dr. Charles Landon a scolding 
 nevertheless. And perhaps give you one, too. 
 It does young people good to find fault with them 
 once in a while. You are willing to trust me, are 
 you not?" 
 
 "Yes, indeed," she replied, laughing. 
 
 "Good! And bear in mind, as some one has 
 said: 'To let by-gone faults and errors sleep, and 
 in future years a noble peace will reign/ ' 
 
 "Yes " she said hesitatingly. "But some 
 things are hard to pardon, especially when we 
 think we do not deserve the treatment we have 
 received." 
 
 "Indeed it sometimes seems hard to do. But 
 one of the noblest lessons I've learned in life, is 
 to forgive and as far as the heart can, forget; 
 so through the march of years one's heart grows 
 lighter and more peaceful down earth's rugged 
 way. I think you can learn the lesson, too?" 
 
 "Yes, I think I can. For he's a pretty good 
 fellow, after all!" she replied, laughing. 
 
 "You're on the right road now," he said, with 
 an arch smile. 
 
 It was growing late, and Bertha had several 
 times risen to go, but she found it harder than 
 she had expected to leave her only friend to whom 
 her heart clung so closely. At last, with a des- 
 perate effort, she sprang to her feet, saying, "I 
 must go now." 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 183 
 
 He saw the pain in her face that the parting 
 cost her, and he knew it would be cruel to detain 
 her longer, besides he felt his own heart grow- 
 ing each moment heavier. 
 
 "Good-bye, Bertha," he said, gently stroking 
 her long golden curls and stooping down to kiss 
 her white brow, as a father would that of a darl- 
 ing child. "And don't forget," he continued, "to 
 keep up a brave heart and all will be well yet. 
 The darkest hour is just before the dawn. And 
 remember, that the brightest years and the noblest 
 are often those after emerging from the gloom of 
 strife and care, like a star that shines at night the 
 brighter for its struggle through the gloom. Put 
 your trust in God's wisdom, and you'll find at last 
 that 'her ways are ways of pleasantness and all 
 her paths are peace.' ' 
 
 "I shall try to do so," she said, as her beautiful 
 eyes filled with tears, "for I know He does all 
 things for the best. May heaven bless you for 
 your kindness. Farewell !" And she was gone. 
 
 He stood motionless, watching the pretty, re- 
 ceding figure with moistened eyes. "It is harder," 
 he thought, "to leave her than I imagined it would 
 be! She is so young and inexperienced in the 
 world's rough ways, that I dread its sordid touch 
 upon her. But then she has a brave, noble heart 
 that will help her through many a trial. She is 
 in God's hands, and I hope and pray that He may 
 guide and protect her through the dark path of 
 trials and temptation, and show her at last that, 
 'They that sow in tears shall reap in joy/ " 
 
1 84 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 BERTHA'S GUARDIAN. 
 
 A fugitive from heaven and prayer, 
 
 Mocked at all religious fear, 
 Deep-scienced in the mazy lore 
 
 Of mad philosophy. Horace. 
 
 When her father died Bertha had not reached 
 the legal age of womanhood. Therefore it was 
 necessary that a guardian should be appointed. 
 Although she was old enough to choose one she 
 gladly acquiesced in her father's wishes. Little 
 did he dream into what a cunning villain's hands 
 he was placing his daughter. 
 
 John Shackle had so engrafted himself into 
 Captain Merton's good-will by his affected affable- 
 ness and pretended goodness of heart, as to win 
 the captain to believe that he was the exact person 
 to take charge of his daughter. 
 
 The people of the village shook their heads and 
 doubted whether he was the right man for 
 Bertha's guardian. He was a stranger in the vil- 
 lage; from whence he came and of his previous 
 career none knew anything; and all that could be 
 said of him, like Banquo's ghost, he was there. 
 The Vandal club, what remained of it, had tried 
 to investigate him, but, as yet, without success. 
 He was a lawyer, and it was while acting in his 
 professional capacity for Captain Merton that he 
 gained his full confidence, the captain being in 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 185 
 
 feeble health for some time before his death, gave 
 the rascal a good opportunity to mature his plans. 
 A few days after Dr. Granville's departure 
 Shackle called on Bertie for the first time. She 
 had met him several times before, and though he 
 had always exhibited the greatest kindness to- 
 wards her, she could not help distrust in him. 
 She could not have told why. Perhaps it was that 
 intuitive knowledge by which a woman reaches a 
 conclusion which, nineteen times out of twenty is 
 a correct one, though she may not be able to give 
 a reason and if asked would be forced to answer 
 as Shakespeare says: 
 
 "I have no other but a woman's reason: 
 I think him so, because I think him so." 
 
 When Bertha entered the parlor Shackle arose 
 with his face wreathed with smiles and held out 
 his hand. She slightly touched it and coldly 
 bowed in answer to his condescending "Good- 
 morning." He was a tall, thin man with wide, an- 
 gular shoulders, a narrow chest and body to which 
 no amount of tailor's padding could give rotund- 
 to rather than fitted his emaciated legs. He had 
 a slim neck in which the blood-vessels stood out 
 prominently and like whip cords. His face was 
 ity, spider-like legs and long, slim feet, of which 
 the Vandals said : "If so much of his legs had not 
 turned up for feet he would have been a very 
 tall man." He was dressed in the height of 
 fashion, a black frock coat that hung loosely from 
 his long, broad shoulders, a vest buttoned closely 
 about his narrow body and almost hidden by the 
 lapping breasts of his coat. The pantaloons clung 
 
1 86 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 sallow and cleanly shaven, with a long, narrow 
 chin; lips thin and flabby with a peculiar curl of 
 contempt when not wreathed in smiles. His nose 
 was prominent and of the Roman type; his eyes 
 were large and black and at times might be called 
 handsome; but when excited with passion they 
 become of a greenish shade with a cold glitter in 
 them, darting their gleams around like a wild 
 animal seeking his prey. His forehead was large 
 and bony, surrounded with long, straight, black 
 hair. It was a repulsive countenance, but still 
 there was a fascination about it. The countenance 
 also showed cunning determination and no small 
 amount of conceit which he sometimes expressed 
 in words, as when trying to intimidate or carry a 
 point, he would say: "I am a lawyer, I have 
 several times refused a seat upon the bench." 
 
 Seating himself in a large arm chair, Shackle 
 said with nonchalance, in a calm, oily tone: 
 
 "Really, Miss Merton, I am very glad to see 
 you. I hope you are well; you look quite pale." 
 
 "I am not ill," she replied laconically. 
 
 u But you are not in good spirits, and I am not 
 surprised. You have had a great deal of trouble 
 lately and I am truly sorry for you. I was grieved 
 to learn that your friend, Dr. Granville, was com- 
 pelled to leave you. He is a great and good 
 man, and I know you will sadly miss him. But 
 you must try and let my humble self fill his place 
 as far as possible, for God knows I have your 
 happiness at heart, my dear Miss Merton." And 
 his glittering eyes lost their coldness and really 
 seemed to grow beautiful while his homely face 
 lit up with warm pleasure. Undoubtedly her 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 187 
 
 sweet face had won his heart for the few mo- 
 ments and made him forget his cold, calculating 
 nature. For sinful as a man may be, he still has 
 a love for the beautiful and true. There is a 
 mystic charm about modest beauty that wins the 
 heart's truest qualities as well as the eye's ad- 
 miration. 
 
 Bertha instantly noticed the change that came 
 over his face and her heart softened as she 
 thought: "Perhaps I have wronged him, he may 
 have a noble purpose hidden behind his homely 
 countenance." And when she spoke again her 
 voice had lost its restraint and regained its usual 
 sweetness. 
 
 He quickly detected the change, his face became 
 animated with gratification and exultation. 
 
 "Yes, Dr. Granville is truly a good man." 
 
 "One of God's noblemen," he replied, with a 
 crafty smile, as he saw he had touched a tender 
 chord in her feelings and resolved to take ad- 
 vantage of it. "I know," he continued in his cun- 
 ning way, "that Dr. Granville is a rare scholar 
 and worthy man, whose place in your affections 
 it will be hard to fill; for his nature is sweetness 
 itself. But keep up a brave heart my dear Miss 
 Merton, and perhaps, ere long, he will be back 
 again. In the meantime do not despair, but re- 
 member I am always your friend and it will al- 
 ways give me pleasure to do you a favor." 
 
 "Oh, thank you very kindly, and I can appre- 
 ciate your offer, for a friend is one of the greatest 
 of blessings. In return I shall try and not be a 
 trouble to you." 
 
 A triumphant smile stole over his face as he 
 
1 88 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 said, "You can never be that, for it will always 
 be a great pleasure to me to help you." 
 
 "I am very much obliged to you for your kind- 
 ness," she answered as a slight blush of shame 
 tinged her cheek at the thought of how she had 
 doubted his good intentions. 
 
 He noticed it with satisfaction as he said in an 
 oily tone: 
 
 "Yes, I know you will. It is natural to your 
 sweet nature; but I will say no more about it," 
 noticing her confusion at his words of praise. 
 
 "Certainly, I shall always value your kindness." 
 
 "Good-bye, Miss Merton, and remember I am 
 always at your service." 
 
 "Thank you," she replied. 
 
 Nearly a month passed during which Shackle 
 called on Bertha every day. Though his langu- 
 age showed the greatest solicitude for her welfare, 
 some indescribable feeling made her doubt his 
 sincerity in spite of all her reasoning. 
 
 "I know," she thought one day, "it is wrong 
 to attribute sinister motives to his expressions of 
 kindness. I will conquer this aversion to him, 
 for unprepossessing in face and form, he has a 
 noble heart. His every word and act have shown 
 only gentleness and regard." Here she was in- 
 terrupted in her reverie by the announcement of 
 a servant that the object of her thoughts was 
 waiting for her in the parlor. She immediately 
 went down, and as she saw him, suddenly the old 
 antipathy arose in her breast; but she instantly 
 mastered it and met him with a sweet smile. 
 
 "I am pleased to see you looking so well, Miss 
 Merton." 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 189 
 
 "Thank you, I could not help gaining good 
 spirits, under all the kindness I am receiving." 
 
 "I am very glad to hear you say so. For I 
 always have your happiness at heart. But do you 
 not become lonesome at times ?" 
 
 "Oh, no, I am kept busy nearly all the time 
 with my painting and other studies. You know 
 there is nothing like employment to keep away 
 
 ennui." 
 
 "Yes, I know. But do you not miss your 
 friends?" 
 
 "Oh, yes. But then you are all so kind that I 
 should be ungrateful to complain." 
 
 "I always try to be kind to you. n 
 
 "And you always are." 
 
 "It affords me great pleasure to hear you say 
 so. For as I said before, Miss Merton, I love 
 you! I know," he added quickly, "I am not a 
 handsome man, and I am older than you. But I 
 love you dearly and sincerely. I had not thought 
 to speak to you of it, but my heart gained the 
 mastery over myself." 
 
 Her countenance grew deathly pale at his 
 words, while an expression of bewilderment came 
 into her beautiful face, mingled with fear, as she 
 arose and stood clinging to the chair for support 
 and casting furtive glances toward the door, as 
 if longing to run away. 
 
 "It it is is so sudden!" she stammered. 
 
 "Yes, I know, my dear Miss Bertha, but take 
 your own time to consider it. Think it calmly 
 over and I know you will decide right. I will 
 leave you now. Good-bye," he said, far too dis- 
 creet to push his suit further and risk defeat. 
 
1 90 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 "Good-day," she said mechanically, still too be- 
 wildered to collect her thoughts. 
 
 He gave a triumphant chuckle as he left the 
 house, and muttered to himself: 
 
 "It wasn't a bad beginning. She only seemed 
 bewildered, not angry. She wants working upon 
 gradually, and I'll win her yet, by fair means if 
 I can, by foul if I must." 
 
 She stood for several moments supporting her- 
 self by the chair, like one in a trance, till the warm 
 blood began surging back to her heart again, and 
 then she threw herself upon the sofa, realizing 
 for the first time the full meaning of Shackle's 
 words. 
 
 Her first thoughts were: "Have I done any- 
 thing to encourage him, or even lead him to this 
 action? I am sure I never dreamed of this! He 
 is old enough to be my father, and I never thought 
 of him in any other sense than a girl would of a 
 father. Oh, have I? Have I done wrong? 
 Have I made this man believe I loved him? I 
 am sure I have never thought of anything but the 
 purest friendship toward him. It is impossible; 
 and I am compelled to make him my enemy when 
 I need a friend so much! But I must be true to 
 my heart and conscience," she thought bravely, 
 "let come what may!" 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 191 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 BERTHA'S CAPTIVITY. 
 
 Thy love is lust, thy friendship all a cheat, 
 Thy smiles hypocrisy, thy words deceit. Byron. 
 
 Nearly a week had passed since the last conver- 
 sation recorded between Bertha and Shackle, 
 and not a word of love had been spoken to her 
 although he called regularly every day, but it was 
 only part of his strategy, for one afternoon he 
 gradually led the conversation up to the subject 
 always uppermost in his mind, in his shrewd man- 
 ner. But this time he did not find her unprepared 
 for his glib, adroit words, besides, the Vandals 
 had discovered bad actions in his past life (which 
 had reached her ear) and since they had obtained 
 a clue, detective-like, they were making rapid 
 strides towards revealing his former villainy. 
 Although their knowledge of Shackle's former 
 career consisted only of rumors and general gos- 
 sip, (far from positive proof), they had accumu- 
 lated a wonderful amount of it. But in their work 
 of unearthing his rascality, they sadly missed the 
 valuable services of Jerry Marshall, Jim Kelly, 
 Dave Johnson, and above all, Tom Gleaton, who 
 were far away on the battle fields. 
 
 In answer to the question, why they were so de- 
 termined in exposing him, instead of aiding him as 
 they did Phantom? They replied: "That he 
 would not fraternize with, or even recognize them. 
 
192 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 Besides, he was a bad fellow, and they were going 
 to 'crush' him!" 
 
 Bertha listened in silence to Shackle's long sen- 
 tence of honeyed words, then she said, respectfully 
 but firmly: 
 
 "Mr. Shackle, I am sorry for this. It is im- 
 possible!" 
 
 " Why impossible ?'\ 
 
 "Because my heart is not mine to give. It be- 
 longs to another." 
 
 "But you may forget him." 
 
 "No, I have not a fickle fancy to become enam- 
 ored with every fresh face I see." 
 
 Her answer nettled him, though he endeavored 
 not to show it as he said, "But, if that person had 
 thrown you aside as not worth his affections?" 
 
 "You are presuming." 
 
 "No, I think not. But I never would have 
 treated you so, for I love you dearly, aye, desper- 
 ately." 
 
 "Mr. Shackle, I beg of you to talk no longer 
 upon the subject. It is not in rny power to grant 
 your wish." 
 
 "You are mistaken, my dear Miss Merton. 
 You are not acting for your own good." 
 
 "Perhaps not. But I think I am the best judge 
 of that." 
 
 "I beg your pardon, my dear Miss Merton, but 
 I am afraid you are in error and " 
 
 "Then, be so kind as to leave me in error!" 
 she answered, interrupting. 
 
 "I cannot, I have your welfare too much at 
 heart." 
 
 "Mr. Shackle," she said in a confused manner, 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 193 
 
 "I can never love you, though I may very much 
 respect you !" 
 
 "All I ask of you is to try, and I am sure you 
 will succeed !" 
 
 "I should make but a poor attempt at it. I 
 will promise you anything else. But that I cannot 
 do." 
 
 "Then promise me that you will try to fulfill 
 an engagement with me. I will not consider it 
 binding. You may break it whenever you wish. 
 I only wish you to endeavor to do so. You know 
 ^ou are alone in the world, and I am thinking only 
 C f what is best for you. And " 
 
 "What!" she exclaimed, interrupting him, 
 "enter into an engagement of mere empty words 
 that my heart would not sanction! No! never! 
 never!" she cried, turning her gaze full upon his 
 face for the first time, her large, black eyes flash- 
 ing defiance. 
 
 His features were convulsed with subdued pas- 
 sion that made her apprehensive of danger, but 
 her brave nature did not cower. 
 
 He was a good diviner of character, and in- 
 stantly saw that he had played stratagem to the 
 end, as he thought: "She has more pluck than 
 I gave her credit for. But I'll conquer her in 
 spite of all." 
 
 "You must remember, my lady!" he said with 
 a sneer, "that you are my ward!" 
 
 "But that does not make me your slave!" 
 
 "But it is your duty to obey me till you are of 
 legal age." 
 
 "Ah, indeed! how considerate you are!" 
 
i 9 4 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 "It is evident," he cried savagely, "that you are 
 not aware of my power!" 
 
 "I think I am," she exclaimed contemptuously, 
 "and it amounts to but little!" 
 
 "Ah!" he cried with a sneer, "you are quite 
 mistaken. But I am fully aware of it, as a man 
 learned in the law, who has several times refused 
 a seat on the bench." 
 
 "You are more learned in villainy, I should 
 think!" she cried scornfully. 
 
 "You are not acting as a lady should, when ad- 
 dressing a gentleman." 
 
 "But am I addressing a gentleman?" 
 
 "You are!" he exclaimed haughtily. 
 
 "I suppose you rest your qualities of being a 
 gentleman upon your past life?" 
 
 "What do you know about my past life?" 
 
 "Enough for me, that it is far from that be- 
 coming a gentleman!" 
 
 "To what do you refer? I demand to know!" 
 he cried angrily. 
 
 "But suppose I do not choose to tell?" 
 
 "I demand to know!" 
 
 "Well, I have no objection to tell you." 
 
 "Well, what! what!" he yelled angrily. 
 
 "That your name is not Shackle ! In fact, that 
 you change it at pleasure," she replied coolly. 
 
 "It's a lie !" he yelled wildly, his eyes protrud- 
 ing and his body writhing with anger. 
 
 "If it is a falsehood, it seems to excite you very 
 much." 
 
 "And justly," he said, more calmly, "when an 
 honest man is traduced in this base manner ! But 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 195 
 
 who informed you of all this?" he asked with a 
 sneer. 
 
 "Is it not sufficient to say that I heard it?" 
 
 "No, madam ! But I know the authors of this 
 cowardly falsehood! It is those contemptible vil- 
 lains the Vandals ! And I will have every one of 
 them in prison for slander before they are a week 
 older," he cried passionately, bringing his clenched 
 fist heavily down upon the table. 
 
 "Every one of them?" she asked sarcastically. 
 
 "Yes, every one of them! The infernal 
 sneaks!" 
 
 "Indeed!" she replied, in her most insolent 
 tone. 
 
 "Indeed In deed!" he cried, stammering 
 with passion. "I I will soon show them ! But 
 do you believe these infernal lies?" 
 
 "I decline to answer your question." 
 
 "You do?" 
 
 "Yes," coolly. 
 
 "Then, take care that you do not occupy a cell 
 with them." 
 
 "You need not try to frighten me." 
 
 "I am not trying to frighten you, I mean it. 
 You do not know me?" sarcastically. 
 
 "No," she answered, "not even your name!" 
 
 "Take care, Miss, that you do not lay yourself 
 liable to the law. You are treading on dangerous 
 ground." 
 
 "Ami?" 
 
 "You shall suffer for this insolence!" 
 
 "How?" 
 
 "Never mind!" 
 
 "But how?" 
 
196 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 "By law. Remember you are my ward." 
 
 "Yes, I do, and it has been very forcibly im- 
 pressed upon my mind lately!" 
 
 "Not half as forcibly as it will be if you do 
 not act more reasonably. Bear in mind that I am 
 a lawyer. I have several times refused a seat 
 upon the bench. And I will show you the power 
 of the law!" 
 
 "What can you do?" 
 
 "What can I do?" he cried sneeringly. "I 
 could give you a character that no respectable 
 person would wish to associate with you! And 
 make you glad to accept me as a husband!" 
 
 "You are a villain!" she cried with alarm. 
 
 "Ah, ha!" he said tauntingly, "it is your turn 
 to grow excited." 
 
 "But the law would not give you that power?" 
 
 "Perhaps not. But you would have no wit- 
 nesses to refute my words. And the law puts you 
 under my control. You are my ward!" 
 
 "We shall see!" 
 
 "What do you mean?" 
 
 "I mean that with all your cunning, I may yet 
 be able to outwit you." 
 
 "Ah! my lady, do you think so? Be not too 
 sure of that. For I could so have you in my 
 power, that if that young lover of yours, Dr. 
 Landon, were to meet you in the street, he would 
 pass you by as if you were a woman of the town! 
 How do you like it?" 
 
 Her face blanched, even whiter, while a strange 
 fear seized her heart. 
 
 He watched her dejection for several moments 
 with a fiendish smile, then said exultingly: 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 197 
 
 "You don't like the picture, eh? Then act rea- 
 sonable and promise to be my wife. And not a 
 power on earth shall hurt a hair of your head!" 
 
 "You are very considerate!" she replied, dis- 
 gust pictured on her face and scorn in her voice 
 that words could not express. 
 
 "Oh, ho!" he said sarcastically, "you play 
 tragedy very well ! You would make a fine 
 actress. But wait a moment, I have something 
 to show you which I think will interest you !" 
 
 Shackle slowly drew from the breast-pocket of 
 his coat a parchment, and quickly unfolding it, 
 held it up before her gaze. 
 
 She hastily read it, and saw that it was a 
 printed marriage certificate, in the blank spaces of 
 which her name and that of Shackle had been 
 written, and that it was signed by the clergyman 
 of a neighboring town, and also by two witnesses 
 whom she did not know. 
 
 A spasm of anguish and terror shot through 
 her heart as she realized its meaning, and thought, 
 "what is not this man capable of doing?" But 
 she hastily controlled her feeling, and asked 
 calmly, though her voice slightly trembled: 
 
 "Let me have it a moment?" 
 
 "No, you might destroy it. And it may prove 
 useful to me." 
 
 "It's a forgery ! And you know it ! The whole 
 thing is a miserable sham written by you !" 
 
 "Did you notice the clergyman's name and 
 those of the two witnesses signed to it?" 
 
 "Yes, and they were written by you." 
 
 "No, they were not." 
 
 "Then who wrote them?" she asked, contemp- 
 
198 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 tuously. "You know very well, I never was mar- 
 ried to you, nor ever went anywhere with you in 
 public!" 
 
 I am willing to admit nothing of the kind! I 
 shall simply tell you that two persons were mar- 
 ried last Thursday in the church, in the neighbor- 
 ing town, by the clergyman whose name is signed 
 to the certificate and in the presence of the two 
 witnesses. One of the contracting parties was 
 myself, the other very much resembled you. And 
 your name was the name she gave." 
 
 "How have you accomplished this villainy? 
 Have you hired some one to personate me?" 
 
 "That might be? Money will do almost any- 
 thing. But were you not really the person?" he 
 asked sneeringly. 
 
 She was too much stunned by these terrible 
 words to make any reply. For there crept into 
 her heart a terrible fear that she was in this man's 
 power, and that he could claim her as his wife. 
 
 He saw her dejection as he arose to leave, and 
 an expression came over her features that made 
 him resemble a human fiend as he said: 
 
 "In the eye of the law you are my wife, Mrs. 
 Shackle, I shall now leave you to realize that fact. 
 When you wish to see me you need only send me 
 word and I will come." 
 
 When he was gone she remained reclining in 
 the chair, deathly pale with a terrible anguish 
 tearing at her heart. It was only with a strong 
 effort that she kept herself from fainting. 
 
 "I little imagined what villainy that man was 
 capable of doing. He is bad enough to do any- 
 thing. But I will never yield to him. I will fly 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 199 
 
 from my home first! Oh, how I long for Charlie 
 Landon's strong arms to protect me from him, 
 and for his dear kind breast to rest my weary, 
 aching head upon. I know if Charlie were here 
 he would protect me from this villain and would 
 soon drive him hence. If I could only go to 
 noble Dr. Granville and ask his advice, and re- 
 ceive his aid, all would be well. But he, too, is 
 gone. I have not a friend in the world. Must 
 I yield to this villain's power? Never! I must 
 outwit him!" But a terrible fear swept over her 
 mind lest she could not do so. "I will resist him 
 to the last, if it be to death." 
 
 That night after she had prepared for bed, she 
 knelt down and prayed fervently for aid and di- 
 rection in her troubles. Then she lay down and 
 tried to sleep, but in vain. Her head tossed rest- 
 lessly upon the pillow until nearly morning, when 
 she fell into a fitful slumber broken by wild 
 dreams. 
 
 She arose late the next morning and went down 
 to breakfast. She was surprised to see a strange 
 woman attending the table. Her first impulse was 
 to inquire for the old servant, but the next instant 
 the truth flashed upon her that Shackle had dis- 
 charged her and placed this one in her place. 
 Bertha longed to make inquiries of the woman but 
 the latter's cold, calculating eyes, and sallow, mas- 
 culine features with sternness stamped upon them, 
 gave her no encouragement. So she sat drinking 
 her tea in silence, and watching the powerful, an- 
 gular form of the woman as she moved about the 
 table, while she thought, "I have no pity to expect 
 from her." 
 
200 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 After drinking her tea and eating a few mor- 
 sels of food, Bertha arose from the table and di- 
 rected her steps toward the stable, thinking that 
 after her bad night's rest, a ride in the open air 
 would revive her drooping spirits. The woman 
 followed to the door and stood watching her 
 closely, though Bertha did not notice her. She 
 entered the stable, expecting to find Tom (the 
 old hostler), and to tell him to saddle her fav- 
 orite horse, but Tom was not there; another man 
 had taken his place. 
 
 She stood motionless, biting her plump, red lips 
 with subdued anger, as she thought: 
 
 "So, Shackle has discharged good faithful Tom 
 also." 
 
 But she said calmly, "Will you saddle my black 
 horse for me, please?" 
 
 "I beg pardon, Miss," said the man respect- 
 fully, "but Mr. Shackle said as how you was not 
 to ride out without his leave." 
 
 The hot blood rushed to her face from indig- 
 nation and she was about to make an angry reply, 
 but the next moment she thought, "I will not let 
 this man see my humiliation," so she said quietly: 
 
 "Very well," and turning on her heel, left the 
 stable. 
 
 "By jingo!" said the hostler, "she's a beauty! 
 But old Shackle says she's a wild 'un. But she 
 was civil to me, I'll be bound." 
 
 Bertha entered the house humiliated and angry, 
 sweeping past the woman without even a look, 
 walked to the front door and opened it. There 
 stood a man, a short, broad-shouldered fellow 
 with a bullet shaped head on which the hair was 
 
(A Village Mystery and 
 Through War to Peace) 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 201 
 
 cut close, a scarred face and a disfigured blood- 
 shot eye over which a green shade was tied. 
 
 "Good morning,'* she said, "you are Mr. 
 Shackle's man?" 
 
 "Yes, Miss," he replied with a silly grin. 
 
 She turned and walked to the window, as she 
 muttered thoughtfully to herself: 
 
 "I'm a prisoner in my own house. It has come 
 to the worst!" 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 A STORMY INTERVIEW. 
 
 Though at times my spirit fails me, 
 
 And bitter tear-drops fall, 
 Though my lot is hard and lonely, 
 
 Yet I hope I hope through all. Mrs. Norton. 
 
 Three days of Bertha's captivity had passed 
 and nothing of particular importance had oc- 
 curred, though she had endeavored to engage the 
 woman in conversation but she proved taciturn, 
 repelling every action or word in her cold, heart- 
 less way. So she gave up all hopes of gaining 
 any aid or friendship from her and turned her 
 attention to the bullet-headed captor. She always 
 met him with a smile and even words of kindness 
 that she thought were not entirely wasted, for 
 though he met her with a shame-faced smile which 
 seemed to say that though his task was a dis- 
 agreeable one he meant to perform it, still there 
 gradually came into his manner and words a rude, 
 gentleness, bordering on kindness. He was only 
 on watch at night, being relieved during the day 
 
202 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 by a dressy villain whom Bertha disliked from 
 the first, so she made no advance toward him, but 
 treated him with silent contempt. 
 
 On the third evening of her imprisonment she 
 was standing at the parlor window looking out, 
 and feeling more sad and disheartened than usual; 
 it was fast growing dark, yet in the fading twilight 
 she could still discern shadowy objects. 
 
 Suddenly the rose-bush under the window 
 moved, and the next instant a curly head popped 
 in sight. It did not startle her, for she had be- 
 come too used to surprises in the last few days 
 to heed one now. . 
 
 The curly head doffed his hat and said in a 
 muffled, though distinct tone : 
 
 "Miss Merton, here's a letter. Don't let 
 Shackle see it, or his friend?" 
 
 She eagerly seized the letter and put it in her 
 pocket. 
 
 "Thank you. I will not." 
 
 Instantly the head disappeared from sight, then 
 she noticed a bush move near the window, then 
 another, and another still further away, and a few 
 seconds after she saw a Vandal rise up near the 
 garden fence and look eagerly around as if to 
 see whether or not he was watched and then 
 lightly vault over it, and walk down the street 
 whistling "The Girl I Left Behind Me." 
 
 Bertha placed her hand upon the letter in her 
 pocket, as if she feared it might fly away, and then 
 hurried to her room. She lit a lamp, and lock- 
 ing the door, took the letter, carefully examined 
 the address, but it was strange writing that she 
 had never before seen. It resembled that of a 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 203 
 
 school boy just learning to write, or that of a 
 person who was unused to writing. 
 
 Her curiosity excited, she eagerly tore it open 
 and glanced at the signature. It was from the 
 Vandal Club, and was a literary curiosity as the 
 combined production of that institution. It be- 
 came evident to Bertha as she read that the lit- 
 erary talent of the club was absent, for there was 
 a recklessness of grammar that would have scan- 
 dalized Lindley Murray, and a disregard for 
 spelling that would have routed Johnson, Walker, 
 Webster and the host of other lexicographers and 
 caused them to fear that they had wasted their 
 time in compiling dictionaries, but that would have 
 delighted Josh Billings in its freedom, or the most 
 radical of spelling reformers. 
 
 One could easily see by the epistle that Jerry 
 Marshall, Gleaton and several other Vandals 
 were absent, for they never would have allowed 
 such a composition to leave the club. But where 
 was Dick Lex? the reader asks. Away on one of 
 his periodical drinking frolics. 
 
 Bertha could not help smiling in spite of her 
 low spirits, as she read over the unique epistle. 
 It was as follows : 
 
 "Miss MERTON: Dear Miss. We has been 
 investigatin' this fellar Shackle's reckord an' it's 
 a gud deel like a mule's. Nuthin' to brag of. 
 He's not to be trusted, he'll kik every pop. An' 
 like a mule he's a heap of ugliness between his 
 big ers. An' he must bee rellated to a jackass fur 
 he's allways brayin', an he's no pride of ancis- 
 try and no hope fur gloray. 
 
204 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 "He's rel name is James Sneaker. An* you 
 bet he's a rel sneek. It wuz him, as led Jerry 
 Marshall's sister astray. An' ef Marshall wuz 
 here, he'd nock" (here a word was so perfectly 
 blotted that a Philadelphia lawyer could not make 
 it out) "out of him. Thin this sam old snooser, 
 we mean Shackle Sneaker, fearged a chick on the 
 Dooblin bank, thin he slid out to Lundun. But 
 the perlice follered him. An' won nite a Lundun 
 perliceman jumped him, an' Shackle stabbed him 
 and thru his body in Tames river. That wuz 
 murder! Sine thin, the Brittishe dertectives hav 
 ben hot after him. 
 
 "Aboudt that marage sirtificate, it iz a" (here 
 another word, evidently an oath, was blotted out), 
 "humbug. It's a lye. He writ it hisself. We 
 fond it out this way, He wint inter the Kort 
 House an' hung his big coat on a peg, and we 
 went threw it. For we thort that he wuz up ter 
 somthin'. We found that sirtifikate, an' we thut 
 it was a kunundrum. We wint an' seed that 
 preecher in Newtown as wuz to hav sined it. He 
 sed it wuz a fraud all the way threugh. 
 
 "But 'kep your eys brite, an' we'll mak it so hot 
 fur him, he'll jump the toun more rapid then eny 
 nigger iver did fur stealin' chickens. We Re- 
 main, 
 
 Your Ruff Bud Tru Frinds, 
 
 THE VANDAL CLUB." 
 
 This curious piece of composition amused and 
 comforted Bertha, for it informed her that the 
 marriage certificate was worthless and gave her 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 205 
 
 information with which to resist this villain's dev- 
 iltry. For she knew that the Vandals had a won- 
 derful power of gaining information, as well as 
 did many others in the village, and some of them 
 to their sorrow. And she had no doubt that, be- 
 fore long, they would make Shackle "jump the 
 town," as they expressed it, much quicker than 
 any of the Vandals ever had for "depopulating 
 a hen roost," as Marshall would say. 
 
 The next day Bertha sent Shackle a note re- 
 questing another interview, for she felt that she 
 had an advantage over him by the knowledge she 
 had gained through the letter. 
 
 He quickly responded to her request, and met 
 her with a triumphant smile and look that a per- 
 son's face wears when he thinks he has everything 
 his own way. But there came over his counten- 
 ance a shade of surprise when she met him with 
 a calm, easy manner, for he had expected to find 
 her sorrowful and dejected, while on the con- 
 trary, she seemed far more at her ease than at 
 the last interview. 
 
 "Is she going to yield?" he thought triumphant- 
 ly, "or does she think with sweet, honeyed words 
 to deceive me? If she thinks so. she is much mis- 
 taken!;' 
 
 "This is an unexpected pleasure, Mrs. Shackle," 
 he said, "but quite wife-like." 
 
 "My name is not Mrs. Shackle, as you know 
 well enough, but Bertha Merton!" 
 
 "This means fight," he thought, as he said, "I 
 beg your pardon, but it is in law. Would you 
 like another look at that marriage certificate to 
 convince yourself?" 
 
206 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 "No; it amounts to nothing. It is a miserable 
 sham!" 
 
 "How do you know?" he asked sarcastically. 
 
 "I have positive proof!" 
 
 "From whom?" 
 
 "From the clergyman whose name is forged to 
 it" 
 
 "How do you know that?" he cried excitedly. 
 "You have not been away from the house? You 
 have received no letters nor sent any?" 
 
 "Then you have intercepted my letters? By 
 what authority?" 
 
 "I am your guardian." 
 
 "Does that give you such right?" 
 
 "Yes, certainly." 
 
 "I don't believe it!" 
 
 "I can't help what you believe !" 
 
 "And does the law give you a right to keep me 
 a prisoner?" 
 
 "Yes, when it is for your good." 
 
 "I don't believe that either." 
 
 "I can't help that, but it is a fact, as you al- 
 ready see !" 
 
 "But it is unjust!" 
 
 "Granted," he said sneeringly. "But how do 
 you know anything about this certificate? You 
 acknowledge by your own words, that you have 
 not been away from the house nor received any 
 letters. How, then, do you know?" 
 
 "That may be, but still I know!" 
 
 "You need not think that you can cajole me 
 with your stories, madam!" 
 
 "Perhaps not. But I learned it from the same 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 207 
 
 source that informed me you forged a check on 
 the Bank of Dublin and ran away!' 
 
 His face grew, perfectly livid with rage, while 
 his eyes protruded and rolled about, and his body 
 writhed like that of a serpent, as he yelled, "It's 
 an infernal lie!" 
 
 She started from her seat in fear lest he would 
 strike her, in his wild rage. 
 
 In a few moments he became almost calm 
 again, when he asked, "Who told you this lie?" 
 
 "If it is a falsehood, what made it affect you 
 .so?" 
 
 "Righteous indignation. Because it is a lie ! 
 But who has been imposing on your credulity?" 
 
 "I should think there was no need to tell you. 
 tYou are so smart you ought to know!" 
 
 "And I do. It was some of those hell-hound 
 Vandals! And I'll knock the life out of them 
 yet if they don't attend to their own affairs!" 
 
 "I would advise you to let them alone," she 
 said aggravatingly, "some of them are muscular 
 men, and you might get the worst of it." 
 
 "But still I'll teach them, as well as you, that I 
 am not to be played with!" 
 
 "But it would not be law," she said aggravat- 
 ingly, "to kill them. Would it?" 
 
 He glared at her for a moment and then said, 
 savagely, "That's what the contemptible curs de- 
 serve! But I'll have every one of them in jail 
 before they are a day older! You must be a 
 nice kind of a lady to be in communication with 
 such trash! You deserve to be kept a prisoner 
 to keep you out of such low company. No one 
 
208 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 but a woman of the town would speak to, or even 
 notice them !" 
 
 "They are far more respectable than you!" 
 she retorted indignantly. 
 
 "You had better speak more carefully!" he 
 thundered, "or " 
 
 "Or, what?" 
 
 Tr Never mind. What did these villains tell 
 you?" 
 
 "Nothing that you would wish to hear." 
 
 "But what other lies?" 
 
 "You say they are lies." 
 
 "Never mind, I wish to hear them. 1 * 
 
 "That you forged a check on the Dublin Bank." 
 
 "You've told me that!" he hissed through his 
 teeth. "But what more?" 
 
 "That you murdered one of the London police, 
 and threw his body in the Thames river!" 
 
 He could subdue his passion no longer, for he 
 sprang to his feet, perfectly wild with rage, and 
 yelled through his gnashing teeth, with a volley 
 of oaths, "I'll cut yours and their hearts out!" 
 
 She sprang from the chair just in time to escape 
 a blow from his fist which he struck in his blind 
 madness, and, opening the door, stood ready to 
 escape if he approached her. Though she feared 
 him no scream escaped her lips, and she remained 
 waiting with all the defiance of a brave nature, 
 for his fit of passion to subside. It lasted for 
 nearly a minute, and was fearful to witness, then 
 it gave way to an uncontrollable fear, as he sank 
 exhausted into a chair, trembling from head to 
 foot. His face was colorless as marble, his 
 eyes protruded, rolling wildly about, his fists were 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 209 
 
 so tightly clenched that the nails cut the flesh, and 
 his body was contorted and froth covered his 
 thin, bloodless lips, as he muttered slowly to him- 
 self, "They know that ! They know that !" 
 
 Gradually, he became calm again, and their 
 eyes met; in her face was a desperate calmness 
 that spoke volumes of determination as she stood 
 there in her beautiful paleness; her large, 
 lustrous eyes appearing even blacker in contrast 
 with the marble whiteness of her face, while one 
 hand was still grasping the knob of the door. 
 Though his countenance was still very white with 
 fear, and dread pictured upon it, there was an 
 aspect of determination there. 
 
 They looked at each other for several moments, 
 then he spoke in a calm tone, but with a slight 
 tremble in it. 
 
 "You see, I have a temper. It won't do to 
 fool with me! We must understand each other. 
 The sooner the better for you !" 
 
 She did not reply, but waited in silence for him 
 to speak again. 
 
 "I should like you for a wife for you're a 
 beauty if it were not for your infernal stub- 
 bornness! But there is another thing, I must 
 have, I will have?" 
 
 "What is that?" 
 
 "Money. I must have it, or all is lost!" 
 
 "I have but little to give you." 
 
 "Sign this," he said hastily, drawing a parch- 
 ment from his pocket, "and I can soon convert it 
 
 into com." 
 
 "Give me my freedom, and I will sign it." 
 "Sign it and I will set you free." 
 
210 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 "Give me my liberty, and then I will sign it. 
 I promise you on my word of honor." 
 
 "I would not take an angel's word. No, that 
 will not do!" 
 
 u Then I will not put my name to it!" 
 
 "Beware ! You do not know what I am capable 
 of doing! You say I killed a London policeman 
 and threw his body into the river. Take care that 
 you are not found missing some morning, and 
 your body afterward be discovered in the river! 
 
 "I will give you until to-morrow to sign this 
 paper. And then !" he suddenly ceased speak- 
 ing with a warning look. 
 
 "Good day," he said after a pause, then arose 
 and left the room. She did not deign a reply, 
 but watched him out of sight as she slowly re- 
 peated his last words: 
 
 " 'And then' That means murder!" 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 THE FINAL STRUGGLE. 
 
 "Though all around is dark and cheerless, 
 
 And on high my star looks pale, 
 My heart is steadfast still and fearless, 
 Still my lips disdain to wail." 
 
 When Bertha had watched Shackle out of view 
 she threw herself into a chair by the table, and, 
 resting her head upon her arms, fell into a rapid 
 train of reflections. 
 
 "Yes," she thought, "I will escape from this 
 man's power, to-night, if possible. And then 
 away to the battle field! Why should I not go? 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 211 
 
 My heart is ever wandering thitherward, for the 
 dearest and best friends I have on earth are there. 
 And then, it is my country, too. Even I can do 
 something for the sick and wounded men; and 
 that would be all the reward I would wish; and 
 I am sure I can be of some use. Then I shall be 
 near Charley if he should be wounded (the last 
 with tenderness), and Dr. Granville, and many 
 more of the friends of my childhood. I shall go, 
 if I can escape." 
 
 She went down to supper, but having no ap- 
 petite simply took a cup of tea, and after nerv- 
 ously wandering about the house went to her room 
 to think on plans of escape. Until ten o'clock 
 the flashy-dressed villain would be on guard, and 
 she had no hope of effecting an escape through 
 him. But after that time the bullet-headed guard 
 would take the watch, and she hoped, by coaxing 
 and, perhaps, bribing him, to gain her ends. 
 
 It was not yet eight o'clock, and she had two 
 hours to wait before attempting escape. She drew 
 a chair to the open window, and sat in the semi- 
 darkness watching the familiar objects of her 
 childhood slowly fade away in the gloom. "How 
 often shall I think of them when far away near 
 the field of strife? And even now around their 
 shadowy forms cling memories of many happy 
 days. Thoughts that are linked by an invisible 
 chain of many precious hours. And now the mist 
 is hiding the hilltops where many a happy sum- 
 mer's ^ day I've gathered wild roses and butter- 
 cups till the sun dipped behind the western waves. 
 There is the glen, a dark, dim spot now, with its 
 cool, shady nooks and bubbling spring, from 
 
212 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 which I so often drank of its cool waters. And 
 the woods along the river are fast fading into 
 darkness. How well I know each brier-tangled 
 path through them to the river. And that river 
 a few moments ago a bright, gleaming line is 
 now nearly hidden. Yonder is the old bridge 
 nearly enveloped in a cloud of mist; how many 
 memories cling around it. It was there I first 
 met Charley Landon. What sweet, thoughtless 
 days those were, when 'life seemed bathed in 
 Hope's romantic hues.* But they are over, and, 
 perhaps, I shall never see such golden days again. 
 Truly 'A sorrow's crown of sorrow is remember- 
 ing happier things.' ' Soon after, even the 
 shadowy forms of hills, rivers and vales were en- 
 veloped in the mist that rolled in from the bay, 
 and then she watched the lights of the village 
 burst into view as, almost unconsciously, she re- 
 peated the familiar lines, feeling all their depth 
 of meaning: 
 
 'I see the lights of the village 
 
 Gleam through the rain and mist, 
 
 And a feeling of sadness comes o'er me 
 That my soul can not resist/ 
 
 At last she lit a lamp, and looked at her watch. 
 It was nine o'clock. u An hour yet to wait," she 
 thought, "I will try to read." She took a book 
 and attempted to get interested in its contents; 
 but in vain, for it seemed dull and monotonous. 
 She threw it aside in despair, and extinguishing 
 the light, sat down by the window again to watch 
 the lights of the village. Many of them had 
 now been extinguished. At last the town clock 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 213 
 
 struck ten, and as its finishing stroke 'died away 
 she saw the last light in the village disappear; 
 but she sat in the gloom for several minutes 
 longer, then she arose, braced herself for a deter- 
 mined effort, relighted the lamp and exclaimed, 
 "Now to succeed or fail!" 
 
 She dressed in a thick, blue robe and white fur 
 jacket, fastened a pretty scarlet bow at her bosom 
 and a sash around her waist; then she brushed out 
 her long curls and hung the gold locket around 
 her neck. After finishing her toilet, as carefully 
 as if she were going to meet a lover, she glanced 
 in the mirror and knew that she looked ravish- 
 ingly beautiful. She went forth to conquer. 
 Bertha entered the parlor, and placing the lamp 
 on a table sat down by the window, first throwing 
 it wide open. She had not long to wait, for soon 
 the bullet-headed guard appeared. 
 
 "Good evening," she said, sweetly. 
 
 "Good evenin, Miss," he replied with a silly 
 smile, but with a look of admiration on his face. 
 This, with a woman's intuitiveness Bertha in- 
 stantly recognized, and it encouraged her as she 
 said in the same musical tone: 
 
 "I was lonesome upstairs, and I could not 
 sleep, so decided to come down and talk to you 
 a while. You are not afraid I will escape, are 
 you?" 
 
 "No, Miss." 
 
 "It's a dark night, don't you get lonesome 
 sometimes?" 
 
 "Yes, Miss." 
 
 "Mr. Shackle always puts you on guard at 
 
214 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 night, why do you not change with the other man 
 who watches during the day?' 1 
 
 "Shackle's afraid of them Vandals. They're 
 mad at him. They swears they'll come some 
 night an' clean us all out. But I ain't afraid of 
 'em. But they'es got one feller as is a good 
 fighter. It was him as put this eye on me. That 
 kid glove feller as is here day times wouldn't 
 stand no chance with 'em." 
 
 "I wish they would drive you away," she 
 thought, but said, "Will you have a cigar?" 
 
 "Thank'e, Miss." 
 
 She went to a bookcase, where there was a box 
 of cigars that had been there since her father's 
 death, and set it on the window-sill. He opened 
 it and taking out a cigar, asked: 
 
 "You don't object to smoking?" 
 
 "Oh, no, not at all." 
 
 He lit the cigar and stood puffing it in silence 
 for several moments, when she suddenly said: 
 
 "You're a villain!" 
 
 "I beg your pardon, Miss," he answered in a 
 tone more of excuse than resentment, "bud " 
 
 "Excuse me," she interrupted, "I mean you are 
 a man of the world! One who wishes to make 
 money." 
 
 "Yes, Miss," he replied, not fully comprehend- 
 ing her meaning. 
 
 "W^ how much does Shackle pay you?" 
 
 "Fifty dollars ef it's fur two weeks, an' a 
 hundred ef fur a month." 
 
 "Well, I will give you a hundred dollars if you 
 will let me escape. Shackle has not a shadow of 
 law or right to keep me here. And to-morrow 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 215 
 
 he says he will murder me, and throw my body 
 into the river!" 
 
 "I wouldn't let him do that, Miss." 
 
 "Thank you. What do you say to my proposi- 
 tion?" 
 
 The fellow was silent for several moments, 
 then he said: 
 
 "Make it two hundred, an' it's a go !" 
 
 "I will," she replied, "wait until I get my hat 
 and satchel?" 
 
 "All right," he answered. 
 
 She went to her chamber, put on her hat and 
 taking a small satchel, in which she had placed a 
 few articles of necessity to the traveler, imme- 
 diately rejoined the guard and handed him the 
 price of her liberty. 
 
 "Thank you, Miss, I'll make Shackle pay me 
 that fifty dollars, too." 
 
 "Do," she said, with a smile. "Now help me 
 out of the window." 
 
 "Put out the light first, please, or some one 
 might see you." 
 
 "Oh, yes, I forgot it." 
 
 She extinguished the light, and returning to the 
 window he assisted her to the ground. 
 
 "Do ye want me to go with ye?" 
 
 "No, I'm not afraid. Good-bye!" 
 
 "Good-bye, Miss." 
 
 She walked rapidly out of the garden and along 
 the deserted streets of the village until she reached 
 a livery stable. She met the proprietor at the 
 door, just as he was leaving for the night. 
 
 "Why, bless me! Miss Merton," said the old 
 
216 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 man, who had known her since she was a child, 
 "what takes you out at this time of night?" 
 
 "I am compelled to go to the city. Will you 
 take me?" 
 
 "Why, certainly. 1 ] 
 
 On reaching the city she directed her companion 
 to drive to a hotel where she had often been be- 
 fore, but she did not intend to remain there, for 
 when he had driven away she walked up the street 
 to another, which she entered. 
 
 "Now," she thought, "no one knows me here, 
 and Shackle cannot easily trace me." 
 
 In this she was very judicious, for before clay- 
 light Shackle had learned of her escape, and was 
 in hot pursuit. 
 
 Walking up to the desk Bertha wrote a fictitious 
 name on the register (she ought to be forgiven 
 for it under the circumstances), and requested a 
 bedroom, at the same time inquiring the hour of 
 the departure of the first train for Washington. 
 
 "At five o'clock," replied the clerk. 
 
 "Will you please have me awakened in time to 
 catch it?" 
 
 "Yes, Miss," he replied. 
 
 Bertha slept but little that night, and was up 
 and dressed in the morning before the servant 
 rapped on her chamber door. After a hearty 
 breakfast she hired a cab, and was driven to the 
 station, which she reached a half hour before the 
 train was due. Minutes seemed like hours. She 
 was nervously anxious to be flying from Shackle. 
 
 It wanted but four minutes of the arrival of the 
 train, and she was still sitting in the waiting room 
 looking through the window which commanded a 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 217 
 
 view of the platform, when suddenly she beheld 
 Shackle enter the station, and walk rapidly to- 
 ward the apartment, with anger impressed on 
 every feature. 
 
 Her heart gave a wild bound of fear and dis- 
 appointment as she thought: "All my efforts at 
 escape are lost! I am in his power again!" But 
 she quickly sprang behind the door just as he 
 entered the room. Passing into the room, he 
 looked carefully around, and then moved on 
 again without discovering the object of his search. 
 He walked the platform apparently wild with 
 anger, several times passing the door behind 
 which Bertha was concealed, and each time her 
 heart beat wildly with fear lest he should discover 
 her. 
 
 The train thundered into the station, but she 
 did not move till the bell from the locomotive 
 gave the last warning peal, when she sprang from 
 her concealment and ran for the nearest car, but 
 before she reached it Shackle caught her by the 
 shoulder ! 
 
 She gave a slight scream of disappointment, 
 and attempted to tear herself away. The scream 
 attracted the attention of several persons, one of 
 whom said angrily: 
 
 "Ye villain, let go of Miss Merton!" 
 
 Bertha turned in surprise, as she thought: 
 "Have I found a friend at last, when I so sorely 
 need one?" And when she saw Jim Kelly's 
 muscular form standing near her, his eyes flash- 
 ing fiercely, she knew she had found one. 
 
 It should be explained how Kelly came to be 
 there. The reader will remember that he went 
 
218 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 away as a soldier in the regiment that left St. 
 Arlyle. But in the first great battle at Bull Run 
 he was wounded and taken to Washington, from 
 whence, on account of the crowded condition of 
 the hospitals, he was removed to this city, where, 
 after weeks of careful nursing, he had fully re- 
 covered, and was now returning, as he said, to 
 "fight the thing out!" 
 
 "Who are you?" yelled Shackle. 
 
 "Niver mind," replied the Pirate, "bud let go 
 of her, or I'll make ye! Ye dirty spalpeen!" 
 
 "She's my ward!" roared Shackle, wild with 
 rage. "I'm a lawyer. I have several times re- 
 fused a seat upon the bench. And I know my 
 rights!" 
 
 "Well," retorted Kelly, "if ye have siveral 
 toimes refused a sate on the bench, I'll give ye a 
 sate on the flure!" 
 
 And he struck Shackle a blow in the face that 
 caused him to measure his length on the platform. 
 
 "That's what ye git fur insultin' a lady!" 
 
 Shackle regained his feet and yelled wildly: 
 "This is outrageous ! Won't some one arrest the 
 villain?" 
 
 The people evidently believed that a lady had 
 been insulted, and sided with Kelly, for they 
 laughed and jeered at the lawyer. 
 
 "Then," cried Shackle, "I must arrest him my- 
 self!" 
 
 But the next moment he wished he had not 
 attempted it; for he received a fearful blow that 
 again laid him at full length on the platform. 
 
 The train was now rapidly moving away from 
 the station, and Kelly had all he could do to 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 219 
 
 catch the steps of the last car, as he called back to 
 the discomfited Shackle : 
 
 "Don't niver say ye refused a sate on the flure, 
 if ye did on the bench!" 
 
 Kelly pressed through the train till he reached 
 the car in which Bertha was seated. 
 
 "Where is Shackle?" she asked excitedly, when 
 Kelly stood by her side. 
 
 "Faith, an 5 that villain's all right. He would 
 not take a sate on the bench, so I gave 'im one 
 on the flure !" 
 
 "Thank you," she said, smiling. 
 
 "I'm goin' in the nixt car," he continued, "wid 
 the byes, where I belongs. Bud if that dirty 
 spalpeen troubles ye, jist sind me word, an 1 I'll 
 ilevate him over the moon." 
 
 "Thank you kindly," she said, smiling, as the 
 Pirate walked away. 
 
 Shackle went back to St. Arlyle, and swore 
 vengeance against the Vandals, and wanted them 
 all arrested. 
 
 But the Justice of the Peace would not issue 
 warrants for the entire body. 
 
 "For," said he, "if we arrest them all the devil 
 will be to pay!" 
 
 Perhaps he was afraid of their vitriolic tongues, 
 or it may have been as the election was soon to 
 take place, he was desirous of not losing their 
 votes and influence. 
 
 Anyhow, Shackle was compelled to concentrate 
 his wrath on only one Vandal at a time. So he 
 had Dick Lex arrested. 
 
 They found Dick Lex intoxicated, as usual, 
 and put him in jail. The Vandals were furious,^ 
 
220 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 and set all their wits and ingenuity to work, and 
 soon had the British detectives on Shackle's track, 
 and, as they predicted, made him fly from the 
 town. 
 
 So when the trial was called there was no one 
 to prosecute, and Lex was set at liberty, while 
 the justice was profuse in his apologies and ex- 
 cuses for the latter's arrest 
 
 "Oh! I don't blame you," said Lex, in his 
 felicitous way. "It was a fair game as far as 
 you were concerned, but he slipped in a cold deck 
 on us! But," he continued, "I have dr.:nk my 
 last drop of liquor !" 
 
 And after years proved the truth of his words. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 THE BATTLE OF BULL RUN, OR MANASSAS. 
 
 Then shook the hills with thunder riven, 
 Then rushed the steeds to battle driven, 
 
 And louder than the bolts of heaven 
 Far flashed the red artillery. 
 
 Campbell. 
 
 It was a calm, beautiful Sunday morning, on the 
 2 ist of June, 1 86 1 ; the sun arose in all its splen- 
 dor and threw its bright rays down on the glens, 
 woods and clear, bubbling streams of the Plain of 
 Manassas, while far away in the distance, robed in 
 their azure hue, stood the tall summits and pin- 
 nacles of the Blue Ridge, guarding, like sentinels, 
 around a field of death! 
 
 But ere long, ever and anon, the calm was 
 broken by the roar of artillery, and white wreaths 
 of smoke were seen ascending from the cannon's 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 221 
 
 mouth, into the clear, blue sky above the two long, 
 glittering lines of the contending armies, telling 
 of the fearful struggle soon to begin ! 
 
 It was the battle field of Bull Run, the first 
 great, bloody conflict of the Civil War. Side by 
 side, the men stood in the long, gleaming lines 
 of battle, waiting for the orders to rush forward 
 into the vortex of death ! And standing there in 
 that short interval with thoughts flashing over 
 their minds as thick as waves on an ocean beach 
 ere they met amid the awful clash of arms, 
 many a soldier's thoughts were wandering far 
 away to Northern and Southern cities and vil- 
 lages, where friends and loved ones were answer- 
 ing the Sabbath bells' sweet peal of love and 
 peace ; and many a soldier in his imagination could 
 see dearly loved ones walking up the old familiar 
 church steps, that he knew so well, but that, per- 
 haps, he would never see again; for before that 
 Sabbath sunlight faded into night many a one 
 would be called to "join that silent number in the 
 land whence none return!" 
 
 The St. Arlyle regiment arrived on the field the 
 evening before the battle, and had been assigned 
 to General Hunter's division, one of the first 
 bodies to become engaged on the following morn- 
 ing. There had been during the day several 
 severe but short engagements between the ad- 
 vance skirmishers of the two armies, but they 
 had now fallen back on the main bodies, and all 
 was again quiet. But it was but the lull before the 
 great struggle on the morrow ! 
 
 It was a beautiful night; the moon was full, 
 and shed a soft, mellow light down from a cloud- 
 
222 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 less sky, while not a breath of wind ruffled the 
 gleaming surface of the rippling streams, or 
 rustled the leaves of the surrounding forest, ar- 
 rayed in all the brightness of a midsummer's night, 
 while in every direction thousands of camp fires 
 glared forth, throwing weird, fantastic shadows 
 against the thick foliage of the trees. 
 
 Around one of the numerous camp-fires a party 
 of Vandals were collected, discussing the impend- 
 ing battle. 
 
 "Well," said Ned Stanton, "we'll have a lively 
 time to-morrow. Some of us will have to do a 
 good deal of dodging to save our skulls." 
 
 "Yah," said Blowhard Jake, "bud by Shim- 
 many! von't ve mak dem Rebil runs!" 
 
 "Look out they don't make you run," said an- 
 other Vandal. 
 
 "Not much dey von't 1" 
 
 "I don't know about that," said Gleaton, "some 
 of you fellows will want to go home mighty bad 
 when the Rebel bullets are whistling around your 
 ears; and then fight the rest of the war with 
 your jaws, in the tailor shop." 
 
 "Well," said the Pirate, with his usual non- 
 chalance, "we'll take a few shots at 'em fhirst, 
 ahnyhow, just to kape things loively, afore we 
 lave." 
 
 Thus the conversation ran on, for most of them 
 slept but little that night, and eagerly they re- 
 sponded to the rolling of the drums ere daylight 
 broke on Sunday morning. Then followed a 
 rapid march, until they could see the enemy's 
 forces in the distance, when a short halt was 
 ordered. Here we have already described them x 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 223 
 
 waiting for the final order to move on to the 
 attack. 
 
 Between the two armies flowed the Bull Run 
 stream, and at a considerable distance from it, on 
 the summit of the ridges, gently sloping to the 
 plain, were posted the Confederate forces, nearly 
 three miles in length. Almost opposite the 
 enemy's center was a stone bridge, spanning the 
 stream, which was guarded by a Confederate 
 regiment. 
 
 It was planned by the Federal commander, 
 General McDowell, that a feint attack should be 
 made on the bridge by one of the divisions, while 
 the two others, of Heintzieman and Hunter (the 
 latter containing the St. Arlyle regiment), were 
 to make a detour through the thick woods, and 
 fall upon the enemy's flank and rear. 
 
 The battle began a few minutes after six o'clock 
 by the discharge of a shell from a mortar in the 
 direction of the regiment guarding the stone 
 bridge. Then followed a rapid cannonade from 
 both sides, but the Union forces did not advance 
 to drive the regiment from the bridge, but re- 
 mained firing at long range, as their desire was to 
 attract the enemy's attention, while the two divis- 
 ions pushed through the thick forest. 
 
 But the Confederates were on the alert, and 
 before long they became aware that a large body 
 of men were pressing through the dense forest to- 
 ward their left and in their rear. They imme- 
 diately wheeled around and formed a new and 
 stronger line as it was on elevated ground, and 
 partly sheltered by the houses, barns, sheds, hay- 
 stacks and fences of a farm situated there and 
 
224 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 at the same time rapidly reinforcing the line to 
 meet the attack of the Federals. 
 
 Meanwhile, the divisions having forded the 
 Bull Run stream, and filled their canteens with 
 water, were pressing on as rapidly through the 
 woods as the tangled vines and thick undergrowth 
 would permit. But their progress was so re- 
 tarded that it was ten o'clock before the advance 
 brigade reached the open field. 
 
 Among the first troops to reach the edge of the 
 wood was Landon's regiment, and as they came 
 into the open ground they were received with a 
 perfect storm of cannon balls and bullets from the 
 enemy's elevated position. The severe fire for a 
 few moments made the raw troops recoil, as the 
 dead and wounded fell around them, but they 
 were pressed forward by those in the rear, and 
 were soon rushing up the rising ground, sharply 
 replying to the enemy's fire, while several bat- 
 teries or artillery had emerged from the wood and 
 were firing over their heads with telling effect on 
 the Confederates. 
 
 "Bejabers!" exclaimed Kelly, wildly, "it's ex- 
 tramely loively! An' thar aint mouch fun fightin' 
 Ribils!" 
 
 u No," replied his comrade, also a Vandal, "I'd 
 rather be back in the tailor shop." 
 
 "Dunder und blitzen!' yelled Jake, "dey 
 mights hit somebodies in der eye!' 
 
 "Put yer eyes in yer phocket!" answered the 
 Pirate. 
 
 "Shiver me timbers!" cried Sailor Jack, as he 
 glanced down the line, "ef the boys ain't fallin' 
 overboard lively!" 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 225 
 
 They were now in the hottest part of the battle, 
 and there was no longer any time for words, as 
 they pressed rapidly up the hillside, firing volley 
 after volley at the Confederate ranks, while bul- 
 lets and balls went plowing through their own. 
 Each moment fresh companies of troops emerged 
 from the wood and rushed up the gentle slope, till 
 the Confederate commander, Evans, was on the 
 point of falling back, when he was reinforced by 
 General Bee's division. The National forces 
 were now sorely pressed, but they were rapidly 
 supported, and their line greatly strengthened. 
 The buttle now raged desperately, the air was 
 filled with bullets, cannon balls and shells; the 
 dead and wounded lay thick on the field, while the 
 roar of the firearms was almost deafening. Al- 
 though the enemy, from his elevated position, was 
 doing terrible execution especially with his artil- 
 lery on the National line, the rapid reinforce- 
 ment of the latter was slowly pressing his lines 
 back. Just at this time the Federals were again 
 reinforced by Sherman's brigade, and the Con- 
 federates could resist no longer and began a re- 
 treat. Over the ridge and down the southern 
 slope of a small valley the Confederates fled, but 
 in good order, as they were aided in the retreat by 
 Hampton's famous legion, which had just arrived 
 on the field. Across the valley they rushed, and 
 up a gentle slope leading to a large plateau above, 
 closely followed by their pursuers. 
 
 Cheers broke from the Federal lines, as they 
 considered the victory complete, and the com- 
 manders were already congratulating each other, 
 
226 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 when suddenly an incident of determination and 
 valor occurred, that turned the tide of victory. 
 
 As the flying troops, under General Bee, 
 reached the brow of the plateau there stood a 
 brigade drawn up in line of battle, seemingly as 
 immovable as the rocks themselves, waiting for 
 the coming struggle. At its head sat a com- 
 mander whose name became famous on many a 
 bloody field in after years. It was Gen. T. J. 
 Jackson. 
 
 General Bee rode up to the tall Virginian, who 
 sat on his horse with a face like marble, and ex- 
 claimed, with despair imprinted on every line of 
 his face: "General, they are beating us back!" 
 
 "Then, sir," answered Jackson, calmly, "we'll 
 gave them the bayonet!" 
 
 The words sent a thrill of hope through the dis- 
 heartened Bee, and turning to his men, he ex- 
 claimed: "There are Jackson and his Virginians 
 standing like a stone wall!" 
 
 And ever after he was known as Stonewall 
 Jackson. 
 
 Although the Confederates had been driven up 
 the hill to the plateau above, Jackson's stubborn 
 resistance here held the Federals in check, while 
 the former were rapidly reinforced with infantry 
 and artillery, and took up a strong position on 
 the brow, sheltered by the thicket of pines. Up 
 these hillsides, against this strong line, the Fed- 
 erals hurled brigade after brigade, till the slopes 
 were black with men. It was now afternoon, and 
 the heat was intense. The battle raged fiercely, 
 the roar of the conflict was terrific, as the cannons 
 belched forth their thunder, mingled with the 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 227 
 
 crash of the musketry, the heavy tramp of the 
 cavalry, the screams and groans of the wounded, 
 and the shrill shriek of the bursting shell. The 
 air was thick with dust and smoke, completely 
 hiding the combatants from each other, as if 
 struggling in a mist, while red flashes of flame 
 darted high into the aii> above the pandemonium 
 of death and destruction. The Confederates 
 were inferior in numbers to the attacking forces, 
 but they had by far the advantage, in their 
 elevated position, and the cover afforded by the 
 pine trees. And from the elevation the Con- 
 federates poured a raking artillery fire into the 
 advancing masses. But on the National soldiers 
 came, every moment pressing the enemy harder. 
 At last the critical moment had arrived. The 
 loss had been severe on both sides. Though the 
 Federals had not broken the enemy's line, the 
 latter's situation had now become desperate. 
 Every one of their available men had long since 
 been hurried to the heart of the struggle, while 
 on the National side fresh troops were already 
 hurrying to the front. The Confederate Gen- 
 erals, Bee and Baxter, had been killed, Jackson 
 and Hampton wounded. 
 
 "Oh, for a brigade!" cried the Confederate 
 commander to a staff officer. 
 
 At this period, to add to General Beauregard's 
 despair, telegraphic signals warned him to look 
 out for a body of troops advancing on his left. 
 
 "At this moment," said Gen. Beauregard, in 
 mentioning the occurrence afterward, "I must con- 
 fess my heart failed me." 
 
 It was a strong column of men, and at their 
 
228 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 head was a flag, but Beauregard could not tell, 
 even through a strong field glass, whether it was 
 the stars and bars or the stars and stripes. 
 
 A look of despair and sadness swept over the 
 Confederate General's face, as he turned to an 
 officer and ordered him to hasten to General 
 Johnston and request him to do what he- could to 
 support and protect a retreat. 
 
 Again Gen. Beauregard fixed one last linger- 
 ing gaze through his field glass upon the advanc- 
 ing flag, but he could not distinguish it, as it hung 
 limply around the staff. But, just as he was lower- 
 ing his spy-glass, a gentle breeze sprang up, and 
 slowly, steadily, the banner unfolded and floated 
 full out on the warm air. It was the stars and 
 bars! Instantly the Confederate General's face 
 lighted up with triumph and pleasure, as he cried 
 exultantly to a staff officer: 
 
 "Col. Evans, ride forward and order Gen. 
 Kirby Smith to hurry up his command, and strike 
 them on the flank and rear!" 
 
 The advancing troops, under Kirby Smith, were 
 a part of Johnston's army from the Shenandoah 
 Valley, that had eluded the Federal General, Pat- 
 terson, who was to have held them in check. 
 They were moving toward Manassas Junction by 
 railway, when Kirby Smith, hearing the heavy 
 firing, knew that a great battle was in progress. 
 So he stopped the engine before reaching the 
 Junction, and, forming his men, pushed forward 
 to the struggle. 
 
 The fresh command struck the National troops 
 full on the right flank, ere they could form a new 
 line. For a few moments the Union right fought 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 229 
 
 desperately, but their efforts were in vain. 
 Flanked and under a terrible cross fire, they were 
 forced to fall back, slowly at first, then more 
 rapidly. As the Federals saw their right wing 
 fall back in confusion, the cry rapidly went along 
 the line: 
 
 ''Here's Johnston from the Valley! Here's 
 Johnston from the Valley!" And in a few 
 minutes the entire army began to retreat, and then 
 broke into a wild rout. The battle was lost. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 THE RETREAT FROM THE BATTLE FIELD OF 
 MANASSAS. 
 
 For those that fly may fight again, 
 Which he can never do that's slain; 
 
 Hence timely running's no mean part 
 Of conduct in the martial art. 
 
 Butler. 
 
 Among the few regiments that retained their 
 order, and remained firm to the last, was the St. 
 Arlyle one. But at last, far out-numbered by the 
 enemy, and each moment being cut through by 
 their own fugitive infantry and artillery, they were 
 forced to scatter in every direction. Gleaton's 
 company formed a part of the extreme left of the 
 regiment, and, unlike the rest of the command, 
 was unprotected by the bushes and undergrowth; 
 therefore was the first to be overrun by the flying 
 artillery and cavalry. Helter skelter his men 
 fled to escape the wheels of the cannons and the 
 hoofs of the horses. Gleaton soon found himself, 
 to use his own expression, u in command of him- 
 
230 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 self only." He ran on for quite a distance, till 
 he came to a clump of bushes where another 
 Vandal had already taken refuge when he 
 sprang behind them. But ere long the enemy's 
 bullets began to whistle thick around their heads, 
 and it got by far too hot to be comfortable, as 
 Gleaton remarked to his companion, laughingly: 
 
 "'As custom arbitrates, whose shifting sway 
 Our lives and manners must alike obey/ 
 So I guess we'd better run away." 
 
 But Gleaton was a little too late in this move- 
 ment, for before he could reach the open ground 
 he was captured by two Confederates, who, seiz- 
 ing him by each arm, led him rapidly through the 
 thicket toward their lines. But as they were 
 emerging from the undergrowth with their pris- 
 oner they were suddenly met by a flying piece of 
 artillery, which knocked one of the Confederate!, 
 down, while the other and Gleaton had just time 
 to spring out of its way. Finding himself free, 
 Gleaton sprang quickly forward, just as the 
 muzzle of the gun was passing, and, seizing hold 
 of it, with a strong effort swung himself up on 
 the breech, where he clung desperately, as he 
 yelled at the discomfited Confederate: 
 
 "'Fare thee well! yet think awhile 
 
 On one whose bosom bleeds to doubt thee !' " 
 
 The soldier also proved to be a wit, for he re- 
 plied in the words of Pope: 
 
 "I hold sage Homer's rule the best, 
 Welcome the coming, speed the going guest!" 
 
 And, by way of emphasizing his words, he 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 231 
 
 fired point blank at Gleaton, but, luckily for the 
 ex-blacksmith, the ball went wide of its mark. 
 
 Let us now turn to Marshall. When his men 
 scattered and left him alone, he started to run 
 rapidly toward the rear, when he was halted by 
 the enemy, who had nearly surrounded him. 
 
 "Surrender!" shouted one of the Confederates, 
 "you're our prisoner!" 
 
 "Ah! yes, indeed; I've been looking for some 
 one to surrender to," he exclaimed, as he threw 
 up his arms. 
 
 But at the same time, seeing an opening in the 
 underbrush, he popped into it, as he remarked in 
 his usual reckless manner: 
 
 "The mouse that always trusts to one poor hole 
 Can never be a mouse of any soul !" 
 
 But he did not escape without a volley of harm- 
 less bullets following him. At least they were 
 harmless so far as he was concerned, for none 
 of them struck him. He ran through the thicket, 
 and near its edge, finding a disabled baggage 
 wagon, he cut a mule loose from the traces, and 
 mounting him, started "to leave the field," as he 
 afterward said, "as a cavalryman," but, the mule 
 not going fast enough, he struck him, when the 
 animal suddenly stopped, and, rearing up behind, 
 the ex-editor shot over his head, or, as Marshall 
 afterward told it in rhyme : 
 
 "I seized and mounted a black artillery mule, 
 
 Made up my mind that he or I must rule; 
 But as I raised the whip o'er his left ear, 
 The mule raised up his heels and shed a muleteer!" 
 
2 3 2 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 The rest of the way the ex-editor pursued on 
 foot. For, as he remarked, he didn't wish to ride 
 mules, as he "didn't understand their nature." Be- 
 sides, he didn't like the "feeling" way the animal 
 had of "shedding a muleteer!" "It sort of an- 
 nihilated, kind of Vandalized a fellow." 
 
 Another Vandal, who was tardy in "beating" a 
 retreat, was Sailor Jack. And, being far behind 
 the rest, he became confused, and ran in the wrong 
 direction toward the enemy's lines. As he sub- 
 sequently expressed it, "he got befogged and went 
 sailing around on a dead reckoning." 
 
 At last he became surrounded by the Con- 
 federates in nearly every direction, and the bul- 
 lets whistling around his head as thick as hail on 
 a winter's day. 
 
 "Shiver me timbers!" he exclaimed, "ef there's 
 much chance to go fore or aft. So I guess I'll 
 take a starboard tack," he continued, as he fled 
 into a neighboring wood. 
 
 Of all the Vandals, only one was severely 
 wounded. That was Jim Kelly, though several 
 others received slight bruises, though not bad 
 enough to necessitate their entering the hospital. 
 But poor Kelly had received a dangerous gash in 
 the side, and had just strength enough left to 
 crawl behind a tree, before he swooned away 
 from the loss of blood. Here he was found the 
 next day, and carried to the hospital by a number 
 of Vandals who had gone out in search of him. 
 
 "Be jabers, byes," said he, between his groans 
 of pain, as they raised him on the stretcher, "they 
 kum mighty near sinkin' this pirate. They put 
 an awful big howl in 'er side." 
 
(A Village Mystery and 
 Through War to Peace) 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 233 
 
 Of the remaining Vandals, Frank Meredith 
 and Dave Johnson were taken prisoners, or, as 
 Gleaton remarked, "the Rebels borrowed them 
 for a while." 
 
 But there was one Vandal the "Rebels" did not 
 "borrow" or shoot. True, he did not give them 
 much of a chance to do either that was Blow- 
 hard Jake. Almost at the first fire his courage 
 "oozed out," so to speak, and he took French 
 leave. As he was starting toward the rear one 
 of the officers ordered him back, but this only ac- 
 celerated his motion. 
 
 "Never mind him," remarked Marshall, "he's 
 only going off to catch his breath." 
 
 But it took Jake a long while to "catch his 
 breath," for he did not stop retreating until he got 
 back to St. Arlyle, and he never returned, for he 
 had enough of war for the rest of his life. 
 
 "Dunder und blitzen!" he used to exclaim, in 
 speaking of the battle afterward, "dem Rebils 
 mights er hit er feller in der eye !" 
 
 He seemed to have a great respect for his eyes. 
 
 As Marshall ran onward, after being so uncere- 
 moniously dismounted from the mule, he overtook 
 Gleaton, who was also journeying along on foot, 
 having tumbled off his seat on the cannon. 
 
 "Hello, Captain Marshall!" exclaimed the lat- 
 ter, emphasizing the word "Captain," "why don't 
 you rally your men, and make a brave stand and 
 turn the tide of the battle?" 
 
 "Ah," replied the ex-editor, 
 
 "My tongue within my lips I rein, 
 For who talks much must talk in vain." 
 
234 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 "But why don't you, Captain Gleaton?" 
 U I have given a very good command, and I 
 think they'll obey it. It's found in Shakespeare, 
 and it is: 'Sweep on, you fat and greasy citizens.' 
 But what do you think of things in general, Mar- 
 shall?" 
 
 "They seem to be mixed; in fact, sort of an- 
 nihilated, kind of Vandalized." 
 
 At this moment they came upon a mounted 
 officer, who was making a buncombe speech to the 
 flying men, urging them to rally and drive back 
 the enemy. But all the while the officer's horse's 
 head was turned toward the rear, and the warrior 
 himself was every few seconds casting furtive 
 glances toward the enemy, so as to be ready to 
 flee at a moment's notice of danger. 
 
 "Fine words; I wonder where he stole 'em," 
 exclaimed Gleaton, just as the officer rode away 
 at full speed toward the rear as he caught sight of 
 Stewart's Confederate cavalry in the far distance. 
 "That fellow," said Marshall, as he watched 
 him disappear, "has mistaken his calling. He was 
 ,made for an orator, not a warrior." 
 
 The rout had now turned into a panic. All 
 kinds of encumbrances had been thrown away. 
 The field was strewn with muskets, belts, knap- 
 sacks and every conceivable kind of baggage and 
 article, while the huge, surging mass, without 
 form or order, rushed on to Centerville, and 
 from there to Washington. In this huge, chaotic 
 crowd, mingling with the soldiers, were citizens, 
 members of Congress, governors and various 
 other state officials and their wives, who were now 
 all fleeing for dear life, some in carriages, others 
 
* . THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 235 
 
 on foot, leaving behind them elegant lunches and 
 forgotten speeches, which they had intended to 
 make over a glorious victory. 
 
 As Gleaton and Marshall hurried onward they 
 passed a group of soldiers surrounding a large 
 table cloth, on which was spread some flown Con- 
 gressman's banquet of savory dishes and bottles 
 of wine. They would hardly have noticed the 
 cluster of men had they not heard their 
 names called. Looking toward the impromptu 
 banqueters, they saw two Vandals seated in their 
 midst, helping themselves to the wine and other 
 good things, perfectly regardless of the enemy's 
 bullets. 
 
 "Come on, Marshall! Come, Gleaton!" they 
 shouted. "There's a mighty good spread-out 
 here! The best you ever saw in your life!" 
 
 "Look out," answered Gleaton, "the Rebels 
 don't borrow you." 
 
 "Oh, confound the Rebels ! this is a Vandal lay- 
 out!" 
 
 But they were shortly afterward interrupted in 
 their revelry by their Colonel, Charlie Landon, 
 who compelled them to move onward. During 
 the battle Charlie had set his men a brave ex- 
 ample, for he had rushed to every part of his line, 
 regardless of the enemy's fire, whenever he saw 
 the men heavily pressed, and encouraged them 
 with words and deeds. And when the retreat 
 began he actively engaged himself in trying to 
 save any of his men from being captured, for he 
 was among the last to leave the field. 
 
 "Move on, boys!" he cried. "Don't let the 
 enemy capture you, for we'll want you all another 
 
236 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 day. I know the battle is lost, and there is no 
 alternative but to retreat. But we'll whip them 
 the next time, and we want every one of you to 
 help. Fight your way through their ranks. Don't 
 let them take you prisoners !" 
 
 Charles Landon had generously given his horse 
 to one of his wounded men to ride, and had 
 filled, with the aid of others, an ambulance with 
 the wounded of the regiment, when a mob of 
 wild, excited men sprang forward to jump into 
 the wagon upon the wounded. Instantly Charlie 
 sprang in front of them and drew his sword. 
 
 "Back!" he cried. "Shame on you, to attempt 
 to impose on wounded men I" 
 
 But the excited crowd still pressed forward. 
 Then the brave firmness of his nature showed it- 
 selfthe ring of the true metal in the man, as he 
 exclaimed : 
 
 "The first man who attempts to spring into 
 that ambulance, I'll run my sword through him!" 
 
 The mass halted, for the calm determination of 
 that pale, handsome face awed them even if it 
 did not win their admiration, and then they sK 
 fell back, and the wagon proceeded unmolested. 
 
 Thus ended disastrously to the National cause 
 the first important battle of the War. On both 
 sides there had been some skillful movements, 
 and never, perhaps, in the world's history had r.iw 
 men done such good fighting. Had the Con- 
 federates pushed forward they might easily have 
 captured Washington City. But they were evi- 
 dently afraid of risking a defeat, for they had 
 not forgotten that they had been beaten back in 
 the early part of the battle, and they were not 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 237 
 
 sure it might not occur again. They were not 
 aware of the fact that when an army is com- 
 pletely routed it falls an easy prey to the victors; 
 besides, they had not yet been hardened to blood 
 and death. For there is no thorough school of 
 the soldier, except by months of experience on the 
 field of strife an experience they gained long be- 
 fore the close of the War. But so also had their 
 opponents. 
 
 After this battle came a quiet, but it was but 
 the lull before the storm of the most bloody and 
 destructive war the American continent had ever 
 yet known, and during its progress the produc- 
 tion of as fine soldiers and martial equipments as 
 the world had ever seen. In the meantime each 
 side began raising and organizing immense armies 
 of men. President Lincoln's first call, after the 
 battle, was for a half a million of men. Gen. 
 McDowell was removed from the command of 
 the army around Washington, and superseded by 
 Gen. McClellan. 
 
 Then followed the difficult task of organizing 
 and drilling the demoralized mass. General Mc- 
 Clellan proved equal to the exigency, and in a 
 few months had succeeded in converting these raw 
 men into a finely disciplined army, well prepared 
 for the bloody work in store for it. 
 
238 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 THE SOLDIER'S LAST WATCH. 
 
 "Oh! once was felt the storm of war! 
 It had an earthquake's roar; 
 It flashed upon the mountain's height, 
 And smoked along the shore. 
 It thundered in the dreaming ear, 
 And up the farmer sprang ; 
 It muttered in a bold, true heart, 
 And a warrior's harness rang." 
 
 Nearly a year had flown on the wings of Time 
 since the Battle of Manassas. Bertha had been 
 a nurse in the Army of the Potomac nearly seven 
 months. General McClellan had made his 
 famous Peninsula campaign those seven days of 
 continual fighting a series of the most desperate 
 and bloody battles that had ever yet been fought 
 on the American continent, beginning with the 
 field at Oak Grove, then followed each successive 
 day, by the terrible contests of Mechanicsville, 
 Gain's Mill, Savage Station, White Oak Swamp, 
 Glendale, and the final fierce and bloody struggle 
 at Malvern Hill, and now the army had fallen 
 back, and was lying on the James River. 
 
 This campaign, one of the most memorable in 
 history, on account of its severe and protracted 
 fighting, had cost the Federal Army, in sick, 
 wounded and killed, thousands upon thousands of 
 men. The multitude of hospitals hastily im- 
 provised in barns, churches, tents and every 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 239 
 
 variety of building, were filled to overflowing, 
 and Bertha and the many other noble women 
 found plenty of work for their willing hands 
 to do. 
 
 These months of service among the wounded 
 were fast winning for Bertha in the Army of the 
 Potomac a fame almost rivaling that of Florence 
 Nightingale in the Crimea. For the busy months 
 of work had made her an efficient nurse, by teach- 
 ing her to bravely control her nerves and remain 
 calm while assisting to dress those frightful 
 wounds which soldiers receive in warfare, and 
 also how to make and administer the sedative and 
 cooling potions to the fever-parched lips. Once, 
 only, in her trying service did she faint. It was 
 while engaged in bandaging a severe wound in 
 an officer's arm. The ligature of the artery 
 broke, and the hot blood spurted in a flood over 
 her white dress. Her head grew dizzy, while her 
 heart seemed to cease beating, and she would have 
 fallen had not a surgeon caught her and placed 
 her on the bed. When she recovered, which she 
 rapidly did, she found that the surgeon had lig- 
 ated the artery again, and was bathing her face. 
 
 "These are terrible sights, my little lady, n said 
 the surgeon, kindly, when she had opened her eyes 
 again. "I am afraid they will prove too much 
 for you.'* 
 
 "Oh, no!" she replied, "I shall try and be 
 stronger the next time." 
 
 After that, when serious accidents occurred 
 (for they often did), she pressed her thumb upon 
 the artery, thus stopping the flow of blood, and 
 quietly awaited the arrival of the surgeon. Thus 
 
240 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 when she found she could be truly useful to the 
 wounded, she threw herself with her whole heart 
 into the noble work. And many were the bless- 
 ings showered upon the beautiful little lady's head 
 by the suffering men, as she knelt by their beds 
 and administered to their wants, ever with words 
 of kindness. For a soldier in pain can fully ap- 
 preciate the soft, magic touch of a woman's hand. 
 
 Rough and bad as some of these men had been, 
 they never forgot her noble kindness, and when 
 many of them were again able to leave the hos- 
 pital, they could not employ words enough in 
 which to praise her to others. And afterwards, 
 when she passed groups of soldiers, containing, 
 perhaps, but a single one who had ever known her 
 gentle care (but he had informed the rest), every 
 cap was raised, their boisterous laughter ceased, 
 and a silence fell upon them, as if they were in 
 the presence of an angel. 
 
 It is no idle fancy that wins this respect from 
 men. For a noble woman is God's sublimest 
 work on earth. The brightest and richest diadem 
 beneath the blue of heaven. Her example good 
 men love to follow, and even evil ones learn to 
 admire. Noble, kind and true, she leaves a 
 record through the flood of years that time can 
 never efface. She has planted and nourished the 
 blossoms that will bloom beyond the skies. For 
 there is a power in a good woman's magic touch 
 naught else can win. It is the one foretaste of 
 heaven that few but a wounded soldier has ever 
 learned to feel, as she kneels by his side amid the 
 conflict, and does a noble work of mercy. 
 
 Bertha, during all these months in the army, 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 241 
 
 had had but several conversations with Charlie 
 Landon, for, although when they met it was in a 
 very friendly way, there was a constraint in their 
 manners that touched a tender chord in their 
 hearts and actually made the interview painful 
 as it became impressed upon their minds that 
 they were drifting farther and farther apart. 
 
 But, oh, how he longed at each meeting to place 
 his arm about her and tell her of the never-ceas- 
 ing love beating in his heart, as he called him- 
 self a thousand times a brute for his treatment 
 of her affections! "But, alas!" he thought, "I 
 have crushed the last spark of fondness from her 
 heart by my contemptible actions! And I will 
 not try to degrade or annoy her by offering a love 
 that must be distasteful." 
 
 So that powerful control of his nature crushed 
 down every impulse of his heart, and he met her 
 as calmly as if she were but a mere chance ac- 
 quaintance. 
 
 And at these moments in her bosom what a 
 wealth of tenderness lingered for the man she 
 loved, no words could express. But these many 
 days of experience with danger, death and care 
 had taught her well the lesson of self-control. So 
 when chance threw them together her little hand 
 touched his without a quiver, while the beautiful, 
 pale face showed not a sign of the strong emo- 
 tions that were struggling in the little heart. 
 
 Of course, Bertha found life in the army 
 fraught with many hardships and trials, but there 
 was a consolation for all its inconveniences, in 
 being surrounded by so many friends of her youth. 
 Though she met Charlie but seldom, she saw him 
 
242 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 often, and that was a pleasure that always had a 
 lingering, inexpressible sweetness about it. Then, 
 too, her true, noble friend, Dr. Granville, was 
 nearly always near, ever ready to assist and en- 
 courage her. And then there were the other 
 young men from St. Arlyle, not that she had 
 known them much in former years, but they were 
 from her native village, around which sweet mem- 
 ories still clung. And then, too, in the past year, 
 they had been so linked in her fortunes and mis- 
 fortunes, that almost unconsciously a strong 
 friendship had grown up between the little lady 
 and them. For it is said, and truly, indeed, that 
 kindred works, or trials, make kindred friend- 
 ships, too. And they on their part, were always 
 ready to add to her comfort or pleasure by bring- 
 ing her flowers, fruits or other gifts, often fraught 
 with great difficulty to obtain, in that war-swept 
 country. Thus, surrounded by so many well- 
 wishers, gradually came a home-like feeling in 
 her heart. For there is nothing that constitutes 
 home so truly as to be near friends and those 
 dear ones we love the best. 
 
 It was the evening of the 7th of July, but a 
 week after the last battle at Malvern Hill; the 
 Army of the Potomac was still encamped on the 
 James River, and in the homes in every part of 
 the Republic were still fresh the memories of the 
 dead, as mothers, wives, sisters and sweethearts 
 were sadly treasuring up the last mementoes of 
 the loved ones, sleeping forever in unmarked sol- 
 diers' graves in old Virginia ! 
 
 The night set in bright and clear, but ere long 
 a fog began drifting in from the bay, each hour 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 243 
 
 growing denser, till it enveloped the two armies 
 like a mantle, and hid from the Federal forces 
 their long picket line, nearly two miles distant. 
 
 At the extremity of the line, where it touched 
 the river, James Kelly was standing guard in the 
 silent gloom silent and gloomy indeed, except 
 for the occasional report and flash of a musket 
 from his own line or that of the enemy, for the 
 outposts of the contending armies were so near 
 together that they could hear the challenges of 
 each others' officers as they went their rounds. 
 
 It was just eight o'clock when Kelly took his 
 place on duty, relieving the former sentinel. The 
 mist had already begun to rapidly envelope the 
 field, and as he stood at his post and watched wist- 
 fully, almost sadly, the last gleam of the distant 
 camp fires fade away in the gathering gloom 
 shutting him in on his lonely vigil there came a 
 presentiment over the young soldier's heart that 
 the old life had faded, too; for an indescribable 
 something seemed to tell him that it was his last 
 watch on earth. But, in spite of his fears, not a 
 thought of deserting his post of duty ever crossed 
 the brave young fellow's breast. 
 
 At ten o'clock the relief came, but he gave no 
 answer to the challenge, so another sentinel was 
 placed on his post. Again, at midnight, the guard 
 was changed, but there were no signs of the young 
 soldier. He was hidden from view in the mist. 
 Once more the night wore on. At last, when day- 
 light broke, and the warm beams of the sun had 
 melted away the mist, they found the brave young 
 fellow lying at his post! A deep, crimson stain 
 on the rough, blue coat, just above his heart, told 
 
244 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 the sad story that he was "off duty" forever! His 
 eyes were gently closed, as if in sleep, while on the 
 cold lips was even impressed a smile, telling that 
 his death had been sudden and painless. The 
 pale face was wet with dew, as if, for fulfilling 
 his duty, Heaven had thrown down its cold kiss 
 of approval there! 
 
 His comrades raised his body gently, and as 
 they bore it away their weather-roughened faces 
 softened and their eyes grew moist. Even the 
 enemy's pickets, who were separated from them 
 by but a narrow cornfield, dropped the butts of 
 their muskets on the ground and waited in re- 
 spectful silence till the dead soldier was borne 
 from the field. Such was often the kindness 
 shown on both sides for the dead and wounded. 
 Is it any wonder, then, that the war was scarcely 
 over before these same men who had crossed arms 
 in deadly conflict began to bridge over the bloody 
 chasm, by forgiving and forgetting, till it seemed 
 that the Republic was growing stronger in the 
 union of hearts than ever? 
 
 Just before sunset that day all that was mortal 
 of James Kelly was brought in a rough pine coffin 
 to its last resting place a grave dug under a 
 willow, near the river. Bertha had twined a 
 wreath of white roses and geraniums which she 
 had gathered at a neighboring farm house and 
 placed it on his breast, as a tribute of her friend- 
 ship. Around the coffin were gathered the men 
 from St. Arlyle the friends of bygone years. 
 They removed the lid, and as each was taking a 
 last lingering look, Bertha knelt down and sev- 
 ered a lock of his brown hair and pressed the cold 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 245 
 
 lips that could never more know or feel a kiss 
 unless spirits can come back again from that land 
 beyond the skies. 
 
 Bertha arose, and as the tears stole down her 
 cheeks, said: 
 
 "Poor fellow! he's had a rugged life! But he's 
 at last at rest! Let us hope on heaven's bright 
 shore ! He once did me a noble favor, and I shall 
 always retain a warm place in my heart for his 
 memory!" 
 
 "Yes," said Charlie Landon, "he was as much 
 a hero as the greatest general in the army, for he 
 gave all he could give for his country his life !" 
 
 The chaplain then read the short burial service, 
 and when it was ended the escort fired three vol- 
 leys over the grave and quickly strong arms hid 
 him from mortal view. And the friends of by- 
 gone years turned sorrowfully back to camp, as 
 they felt that a link was missing in the silver chain 
 of friendship; endeared by the association of 
 years, till it almost twined with the golden chain 
 of love! 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI. 
 
 THE OLD ENEMY AGAIN. 
 
 An open foe may be a curse, 
 
 But a pretended friend is worse. Gay. 
 
 Late one afternoon, a few days after the great 
 Battle of Antietam, while Bertha was busily en- 
 gaged in attending the wounded in one of the large 
 hospital tents, where they had been crowded, a 
 letter was handed to her. After dressing the sol- 
 
246 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 dier's arm she was attending, she took the letter 
 and examined the directions. They were written 
 in bold, round letters, and addressed to "Miss 
 Bertha Merton." Hastily taking the note out of 
 the envelope, for it was not sealed, she read as 
 follows : 
 
 "Miss MERTON: A very dear friend is lying 
 dangerously wounded, perhaps dying. Will you 
 come?" * * * 
 
 Then followed a description by which she could 
 find the place. It was a small cottage situated 
 nearly three miles away, and fully a mile beyond 
 the Federal outposts, and nearly six miles from 
 one of the enemy's main bodies, which lay en- 
 camped across the Potomac River. 
 
 As she read the epistle her heart gave a wild 
 throb of fear and pain, and it was all she could 
 do to choke back the tears as she thought: "Is 
 it dear, kind May who is wounded and dying? 
 Oh, what a cruel thing is war! It has not even 
 spared dear, innocent May!" And then, in spite 
 of all her control, she burst into tears. 
 
 "Yes, I will go to her instantly." So, seizing 
 her hat and cloak, she started to leave the hos- 
 pital, when suddenly she remembered that she had 
 an engagement with Marshall to visit one of the 
 young men from St. Arlyle, who was lying 
 wounded in another tent. So she sealed the letter, 
 and, handing it to a surgeon, requested him to 
 give it to Major Marshall when he called, saying 
 that it would explain itself. Also requesting the 
 doctor to tell Marshall that she would immedi- 
 
[THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 247 
 
 ately visit the sick soldier on her return, she hast- 
 ened away. 
 
 When she started the last beams of day were 
 fast fading, and ere she reached the outposts of 
 the army it was quite dark. But she kept on in 
 the right direction, for she was too well acquainted 
 with the neighboring country to lose her way. 
 When she reached the Federal pickets there was a 
 soldier on guard whom she knew, and he allowed 
 her to pass without any questions. Leaving the 
 Union lines, she walked rapidly, yet cautiously, 
 toward the enemy. When within a couple of hun- 
 dred yards of the cottage, she suddenly came 
 upon an advanced post of Confederates evident- 
 ly a reconnoitering party which had crossed the 
 river consisting of three men, one of whom 
 cried: 
 
 "Halt! Who goes there ?" 
 
 But before she could reply one of his comrades 
 said: 
 
 "It's a lady. One of the officer's wives, I guess. 
 Let her pass." 
 
 Years after, when the war was over, she 
 learned that the soldier who had spoken last was 
 a Vandal who had left St. Arlyle and joined the 
 Confederate army. He had instantly recognized 
 her, and had made up his mind that she should 
 pass unmolested. 
 
 The direction in the letter had been so plain 
 that she easily found the house. Crossing the 
 small garden in front of it, she stood knocking 
 at the door before a thought of fear or of her 
 strange situation crossed her mind. For her brain 
 was so excited by emotion that, though her long 
 
248 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 wallc had almost exhausted her strength, she was 
 scarcely aware of it. 
 
 On knocking at the door a muffled voice within 
 cried: "Come in." 
 
 Pushing open the door, she entered. The 
 apartment was almost in darkness, except for a 
 lamp burning dimly. Her first thoughts were of 
 May, as she walked to a bed in one corner and 
 drew back the covering. It was unoccupied. At 
 that instant the lamp was turned up, flooding the 
 room with light, and the next moment a hand was 
 laid on her shoulder. She started, and, looking 
 up, saw the face of John Shackle! 
 
 Her heart gave a wild bound of terror, and her 
 pale face grew even whiter as she felt she was 
 again in this villain's power! 
 
 "Well, we've met again!" he said, trium- 
 phantly, while a sardonic grin curled his flabby 
 lips. 
 
 "So I see," she said, calmly, rapidly regaining 
 her self-possession. 
 
 "You take it very coolly," he exclaimed sarcas- 
 tically. 
 
 But he immediately recognized that she was no 
 longer the innocent though clever girl of a few 
 months before; but a woman, whom experience 
 with the world had rendered wiser and more dis- 
 cerning, though it had robbed her of none of the 
 noble sweetness of her nature. 
 
 "What else could I do?" she asked, demurely. 
 
 "You are not as innocent as you pretend to be," 
 he replied mockingly. 
 
 "Perhaps not; but, as I said before, what am 
 I to do? Cry?" 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 249 
 
 "No," he said sharply, "it wouldn't do you 
 any good if you did." 
 
 "No, of course not. But why cannot we be 
 friends?" 
 
 "Are you sincere?" 
 
 "Why should I not be? You have never in- 
 jured me." 
 
 "No, not that I remember. But are you willing 
 to aid me?" 
 
 "Yes, if your requests are reasonable." 
 
 "But who is to be the judge of that? You 
 or I?" 
 
 "Both of us, I suppose," she replied, smiling. 
 
 "Yes, it takes two to make a bargain. 
 
 "Then state your proposition." 
 
 "Not quite yet, my lady. You think you're 
 sharp, don't you? But I'm a lawyer, and I know 
 what's what." 
 
 "No, I don't think I'm a match for you." 
 
 "Oh, you don't?" sarcastically. 
 
 "No, indeed, Mr. Shackle." 
 
 "I supposed you did," he said sneeringly. 
 
 "But I do not." 
 
 "You escaped from me nicely last time. I sup- 
 pose you think you can do it again?" 
 
 "I don't see much of a chance," she said, laugh- 
 ing. 
 
 "Neither do I. I've got you in my power this 
 
 time." 
 
 "Yes, I suppose so," she replied, looking fur- 
 tively toward the door. 
 
 He saw her glances, as he said triumphantly: 
 "You needn't look at the door. I've locked it. 
 Now, why don't you cry?" 
 
250 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 "Why should I? You are not my enemy. You 
 never did me an injury." 
 
 "Then why did you run away before?" 
 
 "Because I was younger then, and knew no 
 better." 
 
 "I suppose you are smarter now," he said 
 sneeringly. 
 
 "I don't know." 
 
 "You wouldn't run away now, because you 
 haven't the chance." 
 
 "No," she answered, laughing. 
 
 "No, of course not," he said, as involuntarily 
 a smile crossed his lips. "You don't do anything 
 you can't." 
 
 "No, never," smiling. 
 
 "I suppose you thought the English detectives 
 had me safe long ago. But I was too sharp for 
 them." 
 
 "Yes, I see you were." 
 
 A look of pride swept over his face at her an- 
 swer, as he said: 
 
 "Yes, those London detectives will find me a 
 match for them. I've thrown them entirely off the 
 scent this time. They do not even dream that I 
 am in the Confederate States. They were look- 
 ing for me in Canada, the last time I heard from 
 them. They imagine themselves very smart, but 
 I'll show them a trick worth two of their* ! I'll 
 allure them here. And then, you know, in a war- 
 swept country like this, it is not an unusual thing 
 to see a man with a bullet hole through his head, 
 or a bayonet thrust in his heart! It doesn't even 
 excite comment. I'll soon have them out of the 
 way, when I once get them here. It's annoying, 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 251 
 
 to say the least, to have these London devils dog- 
 ging one around. But I'll give them more than 
 they bargained for! But there is one thing I need 
 to accomplish my little scheme that is money. 
 And you can help me obtain it. You must!'* 
 
 "Yes," she replied, "but as you are, perhaps, 
 well aware, I have none with me. But I can re- 
 turn to the Federal camp and undoubtedly obtain 
 it for you," she continued eagerly, as her heart 
 beat exultingly at the thought of escape. 
 
 u No douDt you could, if you would do so. But 
 if you were once to get back to the Federal lines 
 you would forget all about me. Your dear little 
 memory would be very short." 
 
 "No, I will surely fulfill my promise if you 
 will let me go." 
 
 "I doubt it." 
 
 "I will swear to it?" she cried desperately. 
 
 "I have no doubt. But I don't mean to trust 
 you. I don't intend to be hoodwinked." 
 
 "But I will surely fulfill my promise," she cried, 
 earnestly. 
 
 "Words are cheap, my lady. But you are deal- 
 ing with too sharp a man to so easily escape. So 
 don't waste your breath." 
 
 "Then how can I obtain for you the money?" 
 
 "Easily enough. Sign this check on the bank in 
 the city near St. Arlyle, and I can soon obtain the 
 money." 
 
 "I am not aware that I have a cent in that 
 bank." 
 
 "I will take my chances on that." 
 
 "I don't think the bank authorities are familiar 
 
252 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 with my signature, For if I have any money 
 
 there my father deposited it." 
 
 "I will attend to that. Sign this check." 
 "But," she said, "if you will let me go back I 
 
 will certainly obtain the money for you if it lies in 
 
 my power. I swear it." 
 
 "I see what is in your mind. It is escape. But 
 
 it is no use ! You are only wasting words. Sign 
 
 this check. For I inform you, most emphatically, 
 
 that all your promises and protests are wasted on 
 
 me." 
 
 "But if you would " 
 
 "Confound it!" he interrupted angrily, "you are 
 only wasting words, and making a fool of your- 
 self I Sign 1 1 tell you sign!" 
 
 "But will you let me return, if I sign it?" 
 
 "Yes" he said gruffly. 
 
 "Upon your honor?" 
 
 "Of course I will, you little fool!" he exclaimed 
 angrily. "What in thunder do you suppose I 
 would want with you?" 
 
 "Very well," she answered, as she seated her- 
 self at the little stand. 
 
 "Now," he said, "don't try to disguise your 
 handwriting, or I'll make you write it over again." 
 
 "No, I will not," she said, as she read the paper 
 over. Then, adding her name to it, she arose, 
 saying: 
 
 "Now, will you let me go?" 
 
 "No, I'm not through with you yet. Do you 
 suppose I am such an idiot as to allow you to go 
 and have the payment of the check stopped?" 
 
 "But I will swear to heaven that I will not do 
 80," she exclaimed, excitedly. 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 253 
 
 "Bah! no more of your promises. Have I not 
 told you often enough I would not trust you? 
 You are only wasting your breath I" 
 
 "But you promised to release me." 
 
 "Well, what of it?" 
 
 "Then you told a falsehood." 
 
 "That don't trouble my conscience much. I've 
 told many a lie before." 
 
 "But what am I to do? I can't stay here," she 
 cried pathetically. 
 
 "No, of course not. I will take you with me 
 to the Confederate camp. How do you like the 
 proposition?" 
 
 "I don't like it," she said tremblingly. 
 
 "I supposed you wouldn't." 
 
 "Are you an officer of the Confederate army?" 
 she asked suddenly. 
 
 "No." 
 
 "Then " she commenced, but suddenly 
 
 stopped. 
 
 "Then," he said, divining her question, "what 
 am I doing in it? I pretend to be a war corre- 
 spondent, but that is a mere blind, while I work 
 out a scheme of mine. My name is now Charles 
 Thorne. And don't you forget it. So you don't 
 like the proposition?" 
 
 "No," she said, struggling hard to keep back 
 her temper, fearing his violence. 
 
 "Well, there is a way to avoid it. You have 
 requested that we might be friends." 
 
 "Yes," shortly. 
 
 "And I have nothing against you, although 
 your stubbornness came near getting me into a 
 serious difficulty once. But I will let that pass. 
 
254 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 Of course you are aware that you are deucedly 
 pretty, in spite of all your mulishness?" 
 
 Instinctively she divined his meaning, but fear 
 and anger kept her silent. 
 
 "Well, I won't be hard on you," he continued, 
 after waiting several moments for her to speak. 
 "Now, if you will accept my proposition, you may 
 go back to the Federal camp. It is that you will 
 swear before heaven that you will marry me with- 
 
 in a year." 
 
 "NEVER!" she cried, the whole indignation and 
 scorn of her nature flashing forth in her face and 
 large, black eyes. 
 
 "Then I'll RUIN YOU!" he yelled, as a de- 
 moniacal expression of anger swept over his dis- 
 torted face, that sent a thrill of terror through 
 her heart. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXII. 
 
 A NEMESIS ON HIS TRACK. 
 
 Time at last sets all things even; 
 
 And if we do but watch the hour, 
 
 There never yet was human power, 
 
 Which could evade, if unforgiven, 
 
 The patient search, and vigil long, 
 
 Of him who treasures up a wrong. Byron. 
 
 About half an hour after Bertha left the hos- 
 pital tent Marshall entered and inquired for her. 
 He soon found the surgeon to whom she had 
 given the letter, and as he gave it to Marshall he 
 remarked that Miss Merton had said that it would 
 explain all. On receiving the epistle, Marshall 
 walked to an opening in the tent, and hastily 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 255 
 
 glanced at the address in the fast waning daylight. 
 He knew the handwriting in an instant. And over 
 his face came an expression of anger and determi- 
 nation that rapidly became mingled with sad- 
 ness, as the writing recalled the bitter memories 
 of long fled years. He tore open the envelope, 
 and without relaxing a muscle of his rigidly drawn 
 face, read the epistle through, then there escaped 
 between his set teeth but a single word: 
 
 "Entrapped!" 
 
 Turning on his heel he walked back to the sur- 
 geon, and asked: 
 
 "Doctor, how long is it since Miss Merton 
 left?" 
 
 "Not quite half an hour." 
 
 "Thank heaven! I'm yet in time to save 
 Bertha," he muttered to himself, as he strode 
 away toward his tent. Reaching it, he entered, 
 and taking his pistol and sword from a table, he 
 attached it to his belt, and buckling it on, walked 
 to the entrance way. As he stood leaning against 
 the tent pole he formed a fine manly picture in 
 the evening light, his thick, black wavy hair pushed 
 back from the broad, white brow of his uncov- 
 ered head, and his tall, full figure clad in a dark 
 blue uniform with its golden buttons across his 
 breast, while on each shoulder gleamed and 
 danced in the uncertain light the golden leaves 
 of a major. 
 
 Standing there in the dim, shadowy twilight, 
 oblivious to the noisy hum, and the thousands of 
 expiring camp-fires of the large army for his 
 thoughts were drifting backward to dear and sad 
 scenes of his boyhood, far across the dark, blue 
 
256 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 waves there came over his face a tender sad- 
 ness, that illuminated it with a nobleness that al- 
 most rendered it handsome, were it not for the 
 traces of dissipation there. 
 
 But gradually the sadness of his face melted 
 away like snow on a volcano's peak from the 
 internal fire and over it came a look of determi- 
 nation, mingled with anger, as he thought: 
 
 "So you've crossed my path again, James 
 Sneaker or John Shackle, as you call yourself 
 now! I think I would have known your hand- 
 writing for it seems engraven on my heart in 
 letters of fire had you attempted to disguise it, 
 or were my eyes grown dim with years. Your 
 cruel deed started me on the downward path, 
 twenty long years ago ! And you, alone, are re- 
 sponsible for the dissipated life I've led! You 
 allured my only sister on to ruin, as fair and noble 
 a girl as ever placed her heart and hand in a vil- 
 lain's care! You betrayed her and left her alone 
 to face a cold and heartless world! She felt her 
 disgrace bitterly, to her very heart's core, and 
 saw but one escape from her shame in death! 
 So she took the cup of poison and drank it to the 
 dregs ! And to-night she sleeps peacefully in her 
 tomb! And when her spirit is wafted beyond the 
 sky, I think the God of all will not judge her too 
 harshly for her only sin ! 
 
 "But, Shackle, I do not envy you your con- 
 science, or your reckoning with your Creator, 
 when your wicked course is run ! You had me 
 thrown into prison when I tried to avenge the 
 dearest and sweetest of sisters I can see her 
 now, in my wild imagination, and again stroke 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 257 
 
 her dark brown, wavy hair, and watch her liquid 
 black eyes look trustingly up to mine ! Yes, my 
 darling Nelly, I can see your sweet face gazing 
 up from the grave for vengeance ! And here, to- 
 night, amid the clash of war, between the contend- 
 ing armies, where there is no perverted justice 
 or judge, we shall meet, and then I shall show 
 you as little mercy as you showed to her! 
 
 "You think to have another victim in Bertha 
 Merton, but retribution is close on your track! 
 I'll cleave your wicked body, or else my right 
 hand has lost its cunning and my steel will re- 
 fuse to cut! Yes, I'll thwart your devilish pur- 
 pose, or leave another victim for you to gloat 
 over! 
 
 "But I must to action, and, ere the day dawns, 
 settle the old score with you !" 
 
 With these last thoughts he entered the tent 
 again, and putting on a large black overcoat, 
 which he buttoned across his breast to conceal 
 his uniform, he strode out and walked rapidly 
 through the camp. Reaching and passing the 
 Union pickets without difficulty, he moved rap- 
 idly, yet watchfully, toward the cottage. When 
 within about a quarter of a mile of it he suddenly 
 came upon four Confederates kneeling on the 
 ground in a group. They had been making a 
 reconnaissance in front of the Federal lines, and 
 had now fallen back to a more safe distance, out 
 of the range of the pickets' rifles. 
 
 Marshall, as he approached them, assumed a 
 bold demeanor, as if he were one of their officers, 
 and cried commandingly: 
 
 "Halt! Who goes there?" 
 
258 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 They made no reply at first, and seemed in- 
 clined to retreat, but after a hurried conference 
 one of them answered: 
 
 "Friends!" 
 
 "Advance, friends, and give the countersign!" 
 
 "Stonewall Jackson I" replied one of the sol- 
 diers. 
 
 "All right,'* said Marshall, as he passed on- 
 ward. 
 
 A few minutes after Marshall reached the cot- 
 tage garden and, pushing open the little gate, 
 
 walked up to the door. 
 
 ******* 
 
 As Shackle yelled the words, "I'll ruin you!" 
 he sprang forward and seized Bertha savagely by 
 the shoulder. When she felt his grasp all hope 
 died within her heart, and a feeling of horror 
 seized her. Almost at that instant a muscular 
 shoulder was thrown against the door, the lock 
 bursted from its fastenings, and as the door swung 
 open, Marshall sprang into the room! 
 
 "Back, villain!" he cried. Back I" 
 
 As he spoke he threw, off his overcoat which 
 he had previously unbuttoned while his hand, 
 almost involuntarily, grasped his sword. 
 
 "Save me!" cried Bertha, rushing to him for 
 protection. 
 
 He laid his hand gently on her shoulder, as he 
 said calmly, in a low tone: 
 
 "You are free, my little lady! I'll attend to 
 the scoundrel ! Now, go back to the camp." 
 
 "But he may wound you," she said, hesitat- 
 ingly. 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 259 
 
 "No danger of that; I'm too good a swords- 
 man for him!" 
 
 She still lingered, and he continued, "Go, Miss 
 Merton. Go! /'// soon settle with him! I want 
 you to leave." 
 
 "Very well," she answered, and left the room. 
 
 Shackle stood glaring at Marshall like some 
 wild beast at bay, his face convulsed with rage, 
 while his eyes seemed balls of fire, ready to start 
 from their sockets ! For some moments there was 
 a death-like silence, then Shackle hissed between 
 his tightly clenched teeth, with an oath, as he 
 grasped his sword handle almost convulsively: 
 
 "Marshall, I'm a dangerous man! /'// cut 
 your heart out if you don't leave!" 
 
 An expression of the strongest contempt and 
 defiance crossed Marshall's face, mingled with a 
 sneer, as he said, scornfully: 
 
 "I've courted death too often to have a SINGLE 
 fear now! My God! how I have prayed and 
 waited for this!" 
 
 At Marshall's words there swept over the vil- 
 lain's distorted face an indescribable expression 
 of fear, while his hand trembled. And as he 
 gazed into the face of the other, and saw there 
 a calm, cold desperation such as only comes 
 over a man through years of anger, suffering and 
 disappointment he saw but one chance of escape 
 that of killing his adversary. 
 
 The two men stood watching each other (like 
 two wild beasts of prey before making a spring), 
 for a few seconds, each waiting for the other to 
 commence the death struggle, then Marshall said 
 
260 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 in a calm, icy tone that rang out sharp and dis- 
 tinct: 
 
 "Are you ready? Then defend yourself!" 
 
 Instantly their swords crossed with a sharp, 
 metallic ring. Almost the next instant Shackle 
 disengaged his blade and made a thrust in carte, 
 which, though Marshall skillfully parried, just 
 grazed his arm, tearing the sleeve of his coat. 
 
 "Ah !" thought Marshall, "he's a better swords- 
 man than I thought. I must watch him!" 
 
 Then their blades crossed again, and for nearly 
 a minute the clash of the steel rang through the 
 apartment, each evidently waiting for the other to 
 make a thrust. At last Shackle grew furious with 
 rage, and stepping slightly backward, then ad- 
 vancing, made a quick, vigorous thrust, which the 
 other parried, instantly giving a counter thrust, 
 just scratching his adversary's arm with the point 
 of the blade. 
 
 With an oath of rage, Shackle made a furious 
 thrust that required all the other's skill and power 
 to parry. 
 
 Once more their swords crossed, and for fully 
 a minute and a half their blades clashed, as if 
 in sword-play. Shackle's face was distorted with 
 rage and fear, and his arm trembled, while the 
 other's countenance was calm and determined. 
 One would have thought, to have glanced at it, 
 that he was but playing with his adversary. As 
 the struggle went on Shackle grew more and more 
 furious, for the very calmness of his opponent 
 seemed to urge on his passion. 
 
 Finally he could bear it no longer, and with a 
 wild yell of rage, like a madman, he made a pow- 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 261 
 
 erful lunge at Marshall. The latter was fully pre- 
 pared, and, stepping backward, easily parried the 
 thrust, and then springing forward, gave a quick 
 one in return, piercing the other's shoulder. From 
 the wound the hot blood flowed freely, as with a 
 howl more of uncontrollable anger than pain, 
 Shackle leaped backward, knocking over the lamp, 
 and plunging the room in darkness ! 
 
 The next moment Marshall heard the crash of 
 a breaking window, and Shackle had sprung 
 through it, carrying with him sash and glass. Im- 
 mediately Marshall started to follow, but as he 
 stepped on the window-sill he heard two shots in 
 rapid succession, and Shackle fell dead, shot 
 through the heart! Springing upon the ground, 
 Marshall gazed in the direction of the flashes, 
 and saw two men, still grasping their smoking 
 pistols. 
 
 In answer to the former's inquiring looks, one 
 of the men raised his lantern, and unbuttoning 
 his coat, showed his badge of authority, as he 
 said: 
 
 "We're London detectives. He was a bad 'un! 
 A dangerous cove!" 
 
 "Yes, he was," replied Marshall. "I've been 
 amusing him, myself, inside, but it got too hot for 
 him, and he jumped out. But it seems, from ap- 
 pearances, that he jumped from the frying pan 
 into the fire!" 
 
 "Yes," replied one of the detectives, smiling 
 grimly, "we've tracked him over half the 
 continent, but we've got 'im at last! But I tell 
 you! he was a sharp 'un! Up to all kinds of 
 tricks and deviltry! He got away from us many 
 
262 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 a time by a close shave ! But I think we've made 
 short work of 'im this time !" 
 
 The three men knelt down by the prostrate vil- 
 lain and gazed into his face. It was horribly dis- 
 torted in death, with hatred, rage and fear im- 
 pressed upon it. And as used to death as these 
 men were, they started back in horror at the awful 
 sight, as one of the detectives said laconically: 
 
 "He's dead!" 
 
 And so he was, and Jeremiah Marshall's re- 
 venge was complete ! 
 
 Entering the house again, Marshall took his 
 overcoat from the floor, and putting it on, strode 
 out and stood looking at the body. 
 
 "We'll take care of him," said one of the de- 
 tectives. "There's a big reward for him in Lon- 
 don, dead or alive!" 
 
 "Very well," replied Marshall, as he moved 
 away in the gloom toward the Federal camp. 
 
 When he reached the Confederate outpost one 
 of the soldiers cried: 
 
 "Halt! Who goes there?" 
 
 "A friend." 
 
 "Advance, friend, and give the countersign!" 
 cried the Confederate, bringing his gun to a ready. 
 
 "Stonewall Jackson!" 
 
 "All right. Pass." 
 
 Again he pressed forward till stopped by a 
 picket, who cried : 
 
 "Halt! Who goes there?" 
 
 "A friend." 
 
 "Advance, friend, and give the countersign I" 
 
 "It's all right," replied Marshall. 
 
 "No, it is not! I have orders to hold you till 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 263 
 
 the arrival of the Corporal of the Guard." 
 
 "I am a Federal officer." 
 
 "So much the worse for you ! You have been 
 communicating with the enemy." 
 
 "How do you know?" 
 
 "You have been watched, and seen to enter 
 their lines. It is needless to talk further," said 
 the soldier, seeing Marshall hesitate, "my orders 
 are strict. I am compelled to call the Corporal 
 of the Guard." 
 
 Then he called out, "Corporal of the Guard, 
 post Number Four!" Then from post to post, 
 along the line, rang, "Corporal of the Guard, post 
 Number Four!" "Corporal of the Guard, post 
 Number Four!" 
 
 The Corporal of the Guard came up at a 
 double-quick, with his gun at right-shoulder-shift, 
 and, as he halted, he said: 
 
 "Well, what's up?" 
 
 "Major Marshall has returned." 
 
 "Major, I must arrest you. I have received 
 orders to do so," said the Corporal, as he placed 
 his hand on Marshall's shoulder. And without 
 further parley, Marshall was a prisoner of war! 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIII. 
 
 JUST IN THE NICK OF TIME. 
 
 There's a divinity that shapes our ends, 
 Rough hew them how we may. 
 
 Shakespeare. 
 
 Around a long pine table, in a large tent, were 
 seated thirteen officers, equal or superior in rank 
 
264 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 to Major Marshall, constituting a general court- 
 martial, that was to try the charges against the 
 latter, that of "holding correspondence with, and 
 giving intelligence to the enemy." These were 
 very serious charges, for, if proven, their punish- 
 ment, in time of war, was by death. A court- 
 martial during hostilities is entirely a different 
 body in its action from one in time of peace. 
 During tranquility a trial by court-martial may 
 drag along for weeks, even months, before arriv- 
 ing at a decision, but when the army is in active 
 hostilities its action is usually short and decisive. 
 And then again, the punishments meted out are 
 very different; in peace the penalties rarely exceed 
 fine or imprisonment, or, in the case of an officer, 
 dismissal from the service; but during war the 
 punishment is frequently by death. And this is 
 necessarily right, for a soldier or officer may in 
 tranquility give information to outsiders that may 
 make little or no material difference, but which, 
 given in the face of an enemy, may thwart a gen- 
 eral's plans, cost the army thousands of men, or 
 even bring upon it defeat or ruin. 
 
 The officers of the court-martial were seated at 
 the table according to rank, the president at its 
 head, the judge-advocate opposite, and the others 
 on the right and left of the former, beginning at 
 the head of the table with the highest rank. Mar- 
 shall was seated at the right hand of the judge- 
 advocate (the prisoner's place), while the wit- 
 nesses were standing at his left. 
 
 From the officers' sober faces, and their con- 
 strained, hesitating manners that spoke more 
 than words one could plainly observe that it was 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 265 
 
 an uncongenial duty for them. And it is nearly 
 always so, for in the army there springs up among 
 the soldiers a strong friendship, particularly in 
 each regiment, but still extending through the en- 
 tire army, engendered by the very hardships, 
 dangers and scenes of death they have passed 
 through together. But in Marshall's case it was 
 more so, for he, by his good-heartedness, genial 
 ways, and his ready, witty remarks and answers, 
 had won a host of friends, some of whom were 
 now members of the court-martial. 
 
 The court being called to order, the judge- 
 advocate read the order for its assembling, also 
 the charges to be investigated, then followed the 
 question whether or not the prisoner wished to 
 challenge any member. 
 
 "No, I do not," replied Marshall, calmly, "I 
 am perfectly satisfied with every officer chosen." 
 
 The members of the court were then sworn, 
 followed by the reading of the charges to the 
 prisoner, and the latter's arraignment by the 
 question: 
 
 "Major Marshall, you have heard the charges 
 preferred against you; how say you guilty or 
 not guilty?" 
 
 "Not guilty," replied Marshall, and the trial 
 began. 
 
 There were three principal witnesses against 
 Marshall, the picket who had arrested him, and 
 two police guards. 
 
 One of the latter was the first sworn, and tes- 
 tified that he had had his attention drawn to 
 Major Marshall by seeing him pass their pickets 
 and move directly toward the enemy. His sus- 
 
266 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 picions were aroused, so he followed him, first 
 calling another guard to accompany him. "He ap- 
 proached," the witness continued, "an outpost 
 or rather scouting party of the enemy, and after 
 a short parley passed. We could not hear the 
 conversation, as we were too far away, but we 
 supposed he gave their countersign, for the Con- 
 federates seemed satisfied. We then notified the 
 proper authority of Marshall's strange action, 
 who ordered the pickets to arrest him if he re- 
 turned. After this we hid in the darkness, as 
 near the Confederates as we could without at- 
 tracting their attention. After about three quar- 
 ters of an hour Major Marshall returned, and as 
 he was passing the enemy's scouts we heard one 
 of them demand the countersign, which he un- 
 doubtedly gave, for one of them replied, 'All 
 right, pass.' ' 
 
 The other police guard now gave his testimony, 
 corroborating that of his comrade. 
 
 The sentinel then gave the particulars of the 
 arrest, after which several other witnesses were 
 examined, but their evidence was of little value. 
 
 Then, amid an almost breathless silence, Mar- 
 shall arose and briefly stated his side of the case. 
 But it was evident from his careless manner and 
 words that he had no hopes of acquittal. For 
 from the moment he learned that he had been 
 followed and watched by the guards he yielded 
 to his fate. He stated that his reason for going 
 to the cottage beyond the Federal lines was to 
 rescue a lady friend from a scoundrel, who had 
 decoyed her there by a falsehood about a pre- 
 tended sick friend. He further said that he had 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 267 
 
 released the lady and become engaged in a duel 
 with swords with her former captor. That the 
 latter, becoming hard pressed, had sprung from 
 the window, but before he could escape he had 
 been mortally wounded by two English detectives, 
 who were searching for him for the crime of 
 murder. 
 
 "But who and where was the lady?" the judge- 
 advocate asked. "She would be an important wit- 
 ness in his favor." 
 
 This question he refused to answer unless the 
 court would guarantee that no charges should be 
 preferred against her. But this it did not have 
 the power to promise, as he very well knew. The 
 judge-advocate urged and entreated him to re- 
 veal the lady's name, but in vain, for in his resolu- 
 tion not to implicate Bertha he remained firm, 
 nobly declaring that if he must suffer, he would 
 not bring her into trouble. 
 
 But what had become of the English detectives ? 
 suggested a member. They would be excellent 
 witnesses in his favor. 
 
 He did not know where they now were, but 
 one of them had informed him that they were go- 
 ing to New York. Concerning them he spoke 
 freely, describing them, giving their names and 
 other particulars. But this information was of 
 no value, for no one knew where they were to be 
 found. 
 
 At last, animated by the warm zeal the others 
 had manifested in his favor, Marshall arose and 
 made a brilliant, logical argument in his own be- 
 half. But, taken as a whole, it was a poor de- 
 
268 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 fense, and no one knew it better than did Mar- 
 shall himself. 
 
 Then followed the finding of the court, but we 
 shall not go into details, but simply say that, not- 
 withstanding Marshall's weak defense, there were 
 three who voted u Not guilty." They were willing 
 to believe his simple story implausible as it may 
 have seemed to the others without asking for 
 further proof. But the other ten members made 
 the necessary two-third vote which is required to 
 determine the conviction of a prisoner, when, as 
 in this case, the law absolutely and without any 
 discretion in the court, condemns him to suffer 
 death. 
 
 As the guards led Marshall away, he appeared 
 by far the most calm and unconcerned person 
 present, and when he reached the open air and 
 his old village friends plied him with questions 
 concerning the result, he replied coolly, and with 
 a recklessness so characteristic of the man and the 
 life of danger and vicissitudes he had led for 
 years: 
 
 "Well, boys, they've sort of annihilated, kind 
 of Vandalized me!" 
 
 Marshall was placed in confinement and closely 
 guarded till the day for the execution arrived, but 
 five days after his sentence. 
 
 It was a warm, clear day, toward the close of 
 September; the sky formed a bright blue arch 
 above except for an occasional white cloud float- 
 ing here and there while a warm breeze swept 
 gently along the Shenandoah Valley, giving as 
 yet no signs of the approaching winter, when the 
 somber cortege containing Marshall and his coffin 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 269 
 
 in an ambulance, surrounded by a guard, started 
 for the place chosen for the execution, about half 
 a mile from the camp. Arriving near the spot, 
 Marshall left the ambulance and walked with a 
 firm step to the ground selected. Here a grave 
 had been dug, and near it was placed the coffin, 
 while Marshall took his place beside it. In front 
 of him stood the firing party, two from each regi- 
 ment, half of whom were held in reserve, while 
 outside of this was drawn up forming three sides 
 of a hollow square the long gleaming lines of an 
 entire division. Near Marshall's right stood a 
 small group of men, and the deep shadow of 
 gloom on their countenances showed that they 
 were more than ordinary observers. They were 
 his old friends from St. Arlyle. A few minutes 
 before, each had shaken hands with him and bade 
 him a sad farewell. During his imprisonment 
 they had led by Charles Landon made every 
 effort in their power to effect his release, but in 
 vain. 
 
 On every face in that huge throng there was a 
 solemn, sober expression, for, although amid the 
 shock of battle a soldier may see a comrade fall 
 dead or wounded, and, in his excitement and 
 eagerness to press on to victory, may hardly 
 notice it, yet in his calm moments to see a com- 
 rade executed in cold blood savors too much of 
 the feeling that it is murder. 
 
 When Marshall had taken his place near the 
 open grave, the provost marshal stepped forward 
 and read the sentence. His voice trembled, while 
 his eyes grew moist, for he and Marshall were 
 old friends! When he finished reading he ap- 
 
2 7 o THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 preached the accused, and as he shook hands with 
 him, said sadly as he brushed away a tear with his 
 coat sleeve: 
 
 "Marshall, old friend, this is a hard duty for 
 me to perform! I wish to heaven there was a 
 way to escape it!" 
 
 "Never mind, Ned, old fellow," said Marshall, 
 coolly, u you can't help it. So don't take it to 
 heart so." 
 
 "I wish from the bottom of my heart," replied 
 the other, "I could help you!" 
 
 "Yes, I know you would. Thank you, Ned, my 
 dear fellow, and don't forget the message for my 
 folks across the sea. Farewell!" 
 
 "No, I'll not forget it! Good-bye!" 
 
 Then the usual question was asked, if he had 
 anything to say why the sentence should not be 
 executed. 
 
 He raised his head, and, turning his gaze to- 
 ward the men, said in a calm, clear voice, without 
 the tremble of a muscle: 
 
 "Fellow soldiers, I wish to say but a few words 
 to you. I am satisfied with the decision, for I 
 cannot well see how it could have been otherwise. 
 For events have transpired to seemingly prove 
 my guilt, till it looked as if fate had willed it thus. 
 But through all my life, with all my faults and I 
 know they are not a few I have never proved 
 false to the flag I swore to defend! I had hoped 
 that if ever I met death on the field of strife it 
 would be amid the shock of battle, fighting a com- 
 mon foe. For the dearest wish of my heart was 
 that when all was over with me to have the 
 news sent over to my dear mother, far across the 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 271 
 
 dark blue waves, in Erin's Isle, that her son had 
 proved true to the trust reposed in him. But 
 it has been willed otherwise, and I submit! So, 
 comrades, with my friendship to you all and with 
 enmity to none, I bid you a last farewell!" 
 
 For several moments after Marshall ceased 
 speaking there was a deathlike silence, and amid 
 it the officer of the firing party stepped forward 
 and drew his sword. Every eye was fixed on the 
 prisoner, as with throbbing hearts and bated 
 breaths they waited, in awful silence, expecting 
 the next moment to see him fall, riddled with bul- 
 lets, as the officer gave the command: "Ready 
 Aim J \ 
 
 At that instant there was confusion in the ranks 
 of the division, attracting general attention, and 
 the next moment they parted and a horseman 
 rode rapidly through the gap and bounded in 
 front of the firing squad! As he reined up his 
 horse he cried: "Carry Arms!" 
 
 There was a hesitation of several moments, as 
 the men stood spell-bound, gazing with wonder 
 at the officer, who, with the glittering stars of a 
 major-general, had so suddenly appeared before 
 them. Then on many a lip trembled the question : 
 "Who is he?" But as he repeated the command 
 in a clear, ringing voice, there was an indescrib- 
 able magnetism in it, as they recognized the man 
 whose presence had sent a thrill through them on 
 many a bloody field. It was General George B. 
 McClellan! 
 
 When the order was obeyed the General said 
 briefly: "Evidence has been received which en- 
 
272 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 tirely exonerates Major Marshall. He will there- 
 fore report to his regiment." 
 
 Then, turning his horse, the General bounded 
 away, as a cheer broke from the firing squad, 
 which he gracefully acknowledged by raising his 
 hat. This was the signal for a general burst from 
 the division, which grew into a perfect storm of 
 cheers, as he galloped through the line. These 
 were followed by storm after storm of huzzas, 
 till their dashing commander rode out of view. 
 
 Meanwhile Marshall stood bewildered with 
 joy, like one in a dream, till the men broke ranks 
 and crowded around him. The first to spring to 
 his side were his village friends, and as Charlie 
 Landon grasped his hand he exclaimed: 
 
 "Thank heaven for this! All's well that ends 
 well!" 
 
 "Yes," said Marshall, "God moves in His mys- 
 terious way, but He does all things for the best!" 
 
 Then as the air rang with cheers, as his com- 
 rades almost caught him in their arms, his eyes 
 for the first time grew moist with emotion, that 
 fear had been powerless to effect. 
 
 The explanation of Marshall's rescue is soon 
 told. But three days before the time fixed for the 
 execution, Bertha heard of it for the first time. 
 Though it filled her breast with amazement and 
 grief, it did not overpower her, for she resolved 
 to save him. She immediately attempted to see 
 the commander-in-chief. Although several times 
 unsuccessful, she at last, by her womanly, indom- 
 itable perseverance, succeeded in accomplishing 
 what his other friends had failed to do. She told 
 her story so simply and with such earnest sorrow 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 273 
 
 that it won the general's favor. But she was not 
 satisfied till she had obtained the evidence of the 
 detectives, who were now in New York. Then 
 the General was satisfied, and with that sense of 
 justice so characteristic of him, immediately 
 sprang on his horse and rode rapidly for the place 
 of execution, where he arrived just in the nick of 
 time. 
 
 For about a month after the Battle of Antietam 
 the Army of the Potomac lay encamped on the 
 field, then again came the order to move on to the 
 Confederate capital. On the 26th of October 
 McClellan began to advance, and almost at the 
 same time the Confederates began moving to the 
 same point. It was a grand spectacle this race 
 between the two great armies; the Union forces 
 on the east side of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and 
 the Confederates on the west, each making every 
 effort to reach Richmond first ! And eagerly the 
 whole country watched for the result. 
 
 But on the night of the yth of November oc- 
 curred an event that thwarted all McClellan's 
 plans. On that night, amid a terrible snowstorm, 
 he and General Burnside were seated in the for- 
 mer's tent, when General Buckingham, a messen- 
 ger from the War Department, arrived and placed 
 in McClellan's hands an order removing him from 
 the command of the army, and appointing Burn- 
 side in his place. McClellan read the order with- 
 out a sign of emotion, then as he gave it to his 
 former lieutenant he said calmly: "Burnside, you 
 command the army." 
 
 General McClellan was ordered to report him- 
 self at Trenton, in New Jersey, so he immediately 
 
274 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 made preparations for his departure. That night 
 he issued an address to his troops, full of kind- 
 ness and regard. And the next day he visited the 
 various camps and reviewed the officers and men 
 for the last time. It was a sad day for the army. 
 For never, perhaps, in the world's history, were 
 men more attached to their commander, and on 
 their leader's part, Caesar's Gallic legions were 
 not dearer to him nor the army of France dearer 
 to Napoleon than was the Army of the Potomac 
 to McClellan. For he had formed it, and watched 
 it with strongest pride, as it grew in power and 
 perfection. Then, with it he had shared its tri- 
 umphs and its defeats, till it had grown to be the 
 idol of his heart. 
 
 As the General, with his staff, rode rapidly 
 through the ranks, gracefully recognizing and bid- 
 ding farewell to the men, u the cries and demon- 
 strations of the men (says an officer who was 
 there) were beyond all bounds wild, impassion- 
 ate and unrestrained. Disregarding all military 
 forms, they rushed from their ranks and thronged 
 around him, with the bitterest complaints against 
 those who had removed from command their be- 
 loved leader." 
 
 The next morning McClellan boarded the train 
 for Warrenton. When the cars reached the junc- 
 tion where there were several divisions drawn 
 up in line a salute from several batteries was 
 fired. Then, as the men caught sight of their 
 former commander on the platform, the wildest 
 enthusiasm prevailed. The cheers and cries were 
 almost deafening, as the men actually rushed from 
 the ranks and crowded around the General, to 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 275 
 
 catch a last glimpse of him and hear his parting 
 words. Amid a lull in the storm of cheers, and 
 just as the train was starting, he stepped to the 
 edge of the platform and said: 
 
 "Comrades, I wish you to stand by General 
 Burnside, as you have stood by me, and all will be 
 well. Good-bye." 
 
 It was the signal for a wilder burst of cheers 
 than ever, which continued till the train was lost 
 from view. 
 
 General Burnside fought the Battle of Fred- 
 ericksburg, in which the Federal forces were unr 
 successful, and then once more the commander of 
 the Army of the Potomac was changed, and 
 General Joseph Hooker became its chief. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIV. 
 
 THE BATTLE OF CHANCELLORSVILLE. 
 
 "The sun had set : 
 The leaves with dew were wet; 
 Down fell a bloody dusk 
 On the woods that second of May, 
 Where Stonewall's corps, like a beast of prey, 
 Tore through, with angry tusk." 
 
 Serenely was drawing to a close a lovely after- 
 noon on the second of May, 1863, amid the green 
 hills and vales along the Rappahannock River, in 
 old Virginia. The sun was setting in all his fiery 
 splendor over the lofty summits of the far away 
 Blue Ridge, bathing them with a rosy hue. The 
 sky above was streaked with streamers of the 
 vividest crimson, whose edges were bordered with 
 waves of gold, that gently faded into the brightest 
 
276 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 blue. Here and there amid the sea of azure, 
 rested small white clouds, with just the faintest 
 rosy tinge, like fairy sails lying at anchor on some 
 peaceful ocean's breast. 
 
 Away to the west lay the broad waters of the 
 Potomac, gleaming in the fading sunlight, while 
 spreading southwestward from the river were 
 rolling hills and small plains, covered with the 
 greenest carpet of spring-time. Between precipi- 
 tous bluffs, several miles from the Potomac and 
 nearly parallel with it, ran the Rappahannock 
 River. On the south bank of the river stood the 
 town of Fredericksburg, while back of it arose 
 Marye's Heights, rendered famous but a few 
 months before, in the Battle of Fredericksburg, 
 when division after division of the Federal army 
 had been hurled again and again, but in vain, 
 against the blazing stone wall near its crest. And 
 now from the same heights gleamed and flashed 
 in the evening sunlight as if bidding defiance to 
 all beneath the bright cannons of the Confed- 
 erates. Forming a line with, and extending from 
 each side of the height, and almost hidden in the 
 ravines and foliage, had lain, the day before, the 
 army of General Lee, 62,000 strong. But dur- 
 ing the previous night several divisions of it had 
 marched mysteriously away. Where were they 
 now? We shall soon see even before the light 
 of this day fades into darkness ! 
 
 A few miles up the river above Fredericksburg 
 was the large forest of the Wilderness; and in 
 its midst, in several open glens, in the form of a 
 huge U, with its limbs pointing toward the river, 
 lay the Army of the Potomac. On every side the 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 277 
 
 army was surrounded by the trees and thick under- 
 growth of the woods, the only modes of egress 
 and ingress being several narrow roads, which 
 were guarded by artillery and infantry. 
 
 There had been skirmishing with the enemy 
 during the day, but the men were now resting. 
 Their arms were stacked, and the soldiers were 
 engaged in cooking their evening meal, as the low 
 hum of their voices sounded over the field. The 
 sun had sunk till it appeared a great fiery ball in 
 the west. The last beams of day were struggling 
 amid the dark foliage of the forest, while out of 
 it was floating, from the wild flowers and sweet 
 scented climbers, the soft, balmy breath of May. 
 
 Suddenly there was a commotion in the forest 
 on the right of the army. Large numbers of birds 
 were frightened from the trees and flew with a 
 shrill cry over the field. These were followed 
 by hundreds of deer, hares, rabbits and other 
 game, which sprang over the works and rushed 
 in wild confusion through the ranks. "What does 
 it mean?" exclaimed the men. But the next mo- 
 ment they were answered by the blast of bugles 
 and a heavy burst of cheers and yells, instantly 
 followed by a deadly storm of bullets. Then they 
 knew that the woods were filled with armed men, 
 and that the terrible "Sonewall" Jackson, with 
 20,000 men, had marched around the army and 
 fallen like an avalanche upon their flank! As 
 large numbers of the unarmed and bewildered 
 men fell dead and wounded before the rain of 
 bullets, the assaulting legions, with wild yells, 
 sprang from the forest, and the bloody Battle of 
 Chancellorsville had begun. 
 
278 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 As the triumphant Confederates swept over the 
 field, pouring volley after volley upon the bewil- 
 dered men, the wildest confusion prevailed, as 
 they fled in every direction, not even waiting long 
 enough to pick up their arms. In vain did their 
 officers rush amid the shattered columns and at- 
 tempt to rally them ! It was a rout, not even ex- 
 celled by that of Bull Run. And when a regi- 
 ment did halt it was torn to pieces by the merci- 
 less fire of the on-rushing host. At last Jackson's 
 corps reached the breastworks near the Chancel- 
 lorsville House, which were defended by a brig- 
 ade of infantry, and here a desperate resistance 
 was made, but it lasted only for a short time, for 
 the victorious Confederates were not to be 
 stopped as with a fearful yell they sprang over 
 the works and crushed the brigade with their su- 
 perior numbers. The last remnant of the right 
 wing was now shattered, and fled in the utmost 
 disorder. The routed troops had nearly reached 
 Hooker's headquarters, and the on-rush of the 
 fugitives had almost the effect of an invading 
 army. The situation had grown desperate. 
 Something must be done, and done quickly, or the 
 Army is lost. A new line of battle must be 
 formed, so Hooker pushed forward fresh troops, 
 and one of his commanders, Pleasanton, arrives 
 with his artillery at Hazel Grove just as the de- 
 moralized regiments are rushing wildly past. 
 Close behind them are coming, on the double- 
 quick, Jackson's legions, like mighty walls of steel 
 twenty thousand strong. It is a momentous 
 and critical hour, filled with the fate of an army. 
 General Pleasanton instantly recognizes the des- 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 279 
 
 f j perate situation, as he turns to a Pennsylvania 
 battalion /vtavalry, which has just arrived, and 
 cries wildly: 
 
 "Major, you must charge the enemy! Save me 
 ten minutes to get my guns ready. Go, Keenan!" 
 
 And the brave young officer, as a smile flits 
 over his face, answers : 
 
 "I will." 
 
 Keenan knows it is a fearful charge, and that 
 he and his brave three hundred will be riding 
 down to certain death. But the young officer 
 in peace as gentle and soft-hearted as a girl 
 never hesitates, and as he turns his horse he says, 
 laughingly, "Good-bye !" Then he cries: "Cav- 
 alry, charge!" The next instant the three hun- 
 dred gallant troopers are riding rapidly upon the 
 twenty thousand foes ! It is an awful duty before 
 them, but not one of them shrinks from it. On 
 they rush ! They cut through the enemy's skirm- 
 ishers like a tempest, heedless of the score or 
 more saddles that are emptied! And then what 
 an awful sight appears before them! Line after 
 line of Jackson's legions coming at the double- 
 quick, while amid them are gleaming in the moon- 
 light thousands upon thousands of bristling bay- 
 onets ! But the brave three hundred halt not ! 
 and Keenan flings his cap high into the air, and 
 shouts wildly: "Sabres!" 
 
 Instantly every sabre leaps high into the air, 
 and the next moment the three hundred horses are 
 spurred, till they leap right into the wall of bay- 
 onets! The advancing lines are shocked and re- 
 tarded for nearly a mile. Then a desperate 
 struggle follows, but it lasts only for a few min- 
 
280 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 utes, then all is over! And the gallant three hun- 
 dred are lying weltering in their blood, on the 
 field with their dead commander. But ever 
 around their deed will cling a heroic lustre, for as 
 nobly did they fulfill their duty as in that by-gone 
 cycle, on the field at Thermopylae, did Leonidas 
 and his brave three hundred Spartans, while in 
 defense of their country, (fall fighting to a man), 
 against the mighty Persian host of Xerxes. They 
 fell, but their heroic deed will ever live in history 
 as one of the brightest examples of American 
 valor I 
 
 Again the Confederate legions are pressing on- 
 ward. But Keenan and his brave comrades have 
 not fallen in vain! For more than ten minutes 
 have elapsed, and General Pleasanton's cannons 
 are in position, pouring a murderous fire on the 
 advancing foe. 
 
 Soon after other artillery and infantry are 
 added to these, and at last the enemy is checked. 
 
 It was now nine o'clock at night. Although the 
 Confederates had been halted, and the heavy fir- 
 ing had ceased, it was but the lull of preparation 
 before a more desperate and bloody struggle ; for 
 both sides were hurrying reinforcements to the 
 front. It was at this very time (while forming 
 for the contest) that the Confederates met with 
 a heavy and irreparable loss. Stonewall Jack- 
 son, the leader and originator of this brilliant 
 night attack, fell mortally wounded. He was shot 
 while returning from a reconnoissance by his 
 own men, who in the moonlight mistook him and 
 his staff for a body of the enemy's cavalry. 
 
 Upon the fall of Stonewall Jackson, General 
 
(A Village Mystery and 
 Through War to Peace} 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 281 
 
 Hill assumed command, and a short time after 
 the desultory fire, which had been constantly main- 
 tained, burst almost at once, as if by the precon- 
 certed action of both armies, into wild sheets of 
 flame. 
 
 This night-battle was a grand, terrible and soul- 
 stirring scene, that in after years never could fade 
 or grow dim in the minds of the soldiers who took 
 part in the ghastly drama of that eventful night! 
 Although it was approaching midnight, it was not 
 dark, for a full moon shed its silvery light over 
 the raging conflict. And on the calm night air, 
 the roar of over a hundred cannons and the thou- 
 sands of musketry reverberated with awful dis- 
 tinctness; the sky above was ablaze with the lurid 
 flames of the artillery, while on the field, in the 
 flashing light, lay the mangled and bloody bodies 
 of the slain! 
 
 Shortly before midnight the firing began to 
 slacken, and soon after ceased. When the sound 
 of the last gun had died away the men lay down 
 on their arms to rest, but during the few hours 
 that remained before daylight few of them closed 
 their eyes in sleep. For their brains were far too 
 excited by the awful and weird scenes they had 
 just passed through to seek repose. And when 
 their thoughts did wander from the scenes of that 
 eventful Saturday night, they were to many a 
 more happy Saturday night they had spent in the 
 peaceful homes far away. 
 
 At daylight the next morning the battle began 
 by the Confederates under General Stuart who 
 had taken command after the wounding of Gen- 
 eral Hill by a shell seizing a commanding and 
 
282 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 elevated position near the Chancellorsville House, 
 which the Federals, through a blunder, had aban- 
 doned. Stuart, upon seizing this vantage ground, 
 immediately began covering it with artillery, but 
 in doing so, he became engaged with the rear of 
 Hooker's army. This was the signal for the re- 
 newal of the battle, and in a few minutes it was 
 raging along the entire line ! 
 
 But we shall not describe the battle around 
 Chancellorsville, but turn our attention to another 
 part of the field, eleven miles further down the 
 river, where General Sedgewick's corps was sta- 
 tioned, of which the St. Arlyle regiment formed a 
 part. Sedgewick's corps, during the night, had 
 crossed the river and entered Fredericksburg, 
 driving the enemy's skirmishers before them, and 
 w i now at the first beams of day, making prep- 
 arations to attack the frowning heights of Fred- 
 ericksburg. 
 
 As soon as daylight breaks a brigade of Sedge- 
 wick's men advance up the sloping side of the 
 height. The sun is shining, but a fog hangs over 
 the hillside, and as the men advance beneath it 
 on that calm Sabbath morning, a host of sad mem- 
 ories are flooding through their brains, of another 
 day, a few months before, when they charged the 
 frowning heights again and again till the glacis 
 was covered with their dead and wounded com- 
 rades, but, alas ! in vain ! 
 
 All is still as death, until they have almost 
 reached the stone wall near the hill's crest, then 
 there is a wild burst of flame, a deafening roar 
 and a terrible shower of iron and lead is hurled 
 through their ranks! Repeatedly they attempt 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 283 
 
 to carry the breastworks, but their ranks are 
 thinned and torn asunder by the merciless fire, 
 and they are forced to fall back, leaving the 
 ground covered with their dead and wounded. 
 
 But ere long, they are rallied again, at the foot 
 of the hill, and, being heavily reinforced, once 
 more advance to the attack. 
 
 In the center of the attacking column has been 
 placed the St. Arlyle regiment. 
 
 The men as they press forward meet with a 
 light fire, till within about four hundred yards of 
 the wall, then the guns on the hill pour a terrific 
 volley of canister and grape upon them, tearing 
 huge gaps in their ranks, but they bravely close 
 the breaches and press onward at a run. Charlie 
 Landon is wounded in the arm, but he is cheering 
 his men on, heedless of the storm of death. And 
 near him is Marshall, who has all the while been 
 conspicuous for his bravery. Each moment the 
 fire grows heavier, the air is filled with deadly 
 missiles, but on the men rush, though the ground 
 is covered with their slain. At last the stone wall 
 is reached, and regardless of the withering fire, 
 the Federals leap over it and drive the enemy 
 from their position. 
 
 Among the first to vault over the wall are Lan- 
 don and Marshall, but as the latter reaches the 
 ground he is struck in the breast by a bullet, but 
 ere he falls Charlie Landon catches him in his 
 arms. And as Landon lays him tenderly on the 
 ground the wounded man says : 
 
 "Leave me, Colonel. They want you up there! 1 ' 
 waving his hand toward the hill's crest. 
 
 "My poor fellow, it's hard to leave you so, 
 
284 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 when perhaps you are bleeding to death, and I 
 could help you," said Charlie, sadly, as he looked 
 down tenderly into the wounded man's face. 
 "But duty forces me onward, and I suppose I 
 must obey," he continued, as he reluctantly placed 
 the other's head on a knapsack for a pillow. And 
 as he arose, hesitatingly, there was a desperate 
 struggle going on in his tender heart, between pity 
 and duty. 
 
 "Yes, leave me, Colonel; they need you up 
 there." 
 
 "I suppose I must! But it is bitter to do so!" 
 
 The regiment had already passed them, and 
 there was not a moment to lose, for already the 
 men were looking for their leader, so Charlie said 
 hurriedly, yet tenderly, as he quickly applied a wet 
 pledget, covered with tannic acid, to the wound, 
 "My dear fellow, I'll be back to you the moment 
 the struggle is over. Good-bye!" 
 
 "Thank you, my boy! Good-bye!" said the 
 wounded soldier calmly, as the other bounded 
 away. 
 
 The stone wall and the rifle-pits have been cap- 
 tured and cleared, but the cannons on the hill are 
 still vomiting with renewed thunder their shot and 
 shell ! But up the brave fellows go, though their 
 ranks are cut through and through. But nothing 
 can daunt the courage and enthusiasm of these 
 heroic men I At last the hill top is reached, and 
 amid wild cheers the batteries are taken. And in 
 a few, moments more the stars and stripes are 
 floating proudly on the crest ! 
 
 After capturing the Heights the Federals pur- 
 sued the enemy for nearly two miles ; but the Con- 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 285 
 
 federates being strongly reinforced, they were 
 compelled to halt. But the brilliant charge of 
 Sedgewick's men in carrying the Fredericksburg 
 Heights was in vain, for through several blunders 
 in other parts of the field, the battle had been al- 
 ready lost. But this brave charge will ever 
 "shine out as one relieving brightness amid the 
 gloom of that hapless battle." 
 
 So during Tuesday night, amid a violent rain 
 storm, and after three days of fighting, the Army 
 of the Potomac crossed the river on pontoon 
 bridges, and the great battle of Chancellorsville 
 was ended! 
 
 CHAPTER XXXV. 
 
 AT REST AT LAST. 
 
 Soldier, rest! thy warfare o'er, 
 Dream of fighting field no more; 
 Sleep the sleep that knows not breaking, 
 Morn of toil or night of waking. Scott. 
 
 After the battle of Chancellorsville the Army 
 of the Potomac fell back to its old camping 
 ground at Falmouth. Here the thousands of 
 wounded, who had fallen in the battle, had been 
 conveyed across the river, filling the numerous 
 hastily improvised hospitals to their utmost 
 capacity. 
 
 Near the outskirts of the town, in a small rose- 
 wreathed cottage, with a cool, inviting ivy-twined 
 porch, facing a little garden, redolent with bloom- 
 ing flowers, Marshall's St. Arlyle friends had 
 tenderly carried the wounded soldier. Though 
 
286 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 his wound was a severe and painful one, it was 
 not necessarily fatal. Almost from the first, all 
 that medical skill could do for him had been done, 
 for Dr. Granville and Charles Landon had been 
 persistent in their attention to him. Bertha had 
 also hurried to his side, and all that lay in the 
 power of a woman's gentle hand to perform for 
 a wounded soldier and that is more than words 
 can tell she eagerly did for him. For she felt 
 that she owed him an inestimable debt of gratitude 
 for his noble services on that eventful night when 
 she had been allured to the lonely house near the 
 enemy's lines. And Marshall's conduct after- 
 ward, when arrested, in refusing to criminate her, 
 though thereby he could have gained a most im- 
 portant witness in his defense, had ennobled him 
 in her estimation with martyr-like qualities. 
 
 On the fifth day after receiving his wound he 
 seemed to be doing well, when suddenly one of the 
 ligated arteries broke, and bled so profusely that 
 it required the combined efforts of Dr. Granville 
 and Charlie Landon to control the hemorrhage. 
 After the ruptured artery had been "taken up" 
 he fell into a gentle sleep, and Bertha, who had 
 been constantly by his side, left him to attend to 
 others. But as soon as she was at leisure she 
 eagerly returned to him. 
 
 He had just awoke, and was very pale and 
 weak. After she had given him a stimulant, in 
 answer to her question of how he felt, he looked 
 up vaguely, as if his thoughts were wandering far 
 away, while he said sadly, yet still with a shade 
 of the old peculiar humor on his pale face: 
 
 "Sort of annihilated; kind of Vandalized." 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 287 
 
 In spite of her heavy heart, a faint smile 
 crossed her lips at this characteristic reply. 
 
 He saw it and his pallid face brightened with 
 something of the old humor as he said: 
 
 "I've used those words so long and often that 
 they have almost become a part of my nature. 
 But I have no doubt they are not far from the 
 truth now." 
 
 "I hope not," she said, sincerely. 
 
 u Yes," he said, calmly, "I have a presentiment 
 that this is the last of the earth for me; that my 
 bark of life is surely and rapidly sailing into the 
 port of eternity!" 
 
 "Cheer up," she replied, "for while there's 
 life there's hope. God often gives us dark hours, 
 so that we may fully appreciate the bright sun- 
 shine He sends at last!" 
 
 "True, but I think my sunshine will be in an- 
 other world!" 
 
 That night he slept well and awoke refreshed, 
 and his friends became much encouraged, think- 
 ing he was on the way to recovery. 
 
 From the day he had rescued Bertha he had 
 become a changed man. Since then he had not 
 drunk a drop of liquor; the old aimlessness fled, 
 and he grew more thoughtful and eager to re- 
 deem the past. He was not less brave, but he 
 tried to be nobler and better. 
 
 For several days he seemed to grow stronger, 
 but one morning there came suddenly a rapid 
 change for the worse, and it became evident that 
 his end was approaching. One afternoon he 
 called Dr. Granville to his side and asked: 
 
 "Doctor, it is all over with me, is it not?" 
 
288 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 Dr. Granville replied, sadly, "Your case is very 
 critical, but there is a feeble chance for life." 
 
 He turned inquiringly to Landon, as Charlie 
 replied: 
 
 "Yes, it is a desperate case. But you are in 
 God's hands, you know. Let us hope for the 
 best." 
 
 "Thank you, Doctor, my boy; I understand. 
 And I am willing to go. For I think now, at 
 last, I'm able to say what I ought to have learned 
 to say years ago : What is God's will is mine. For 
 He does all things for the best, though His ways 
 may not always be plain to us. But the Good 
 Book tells us: 'It is the glory of God to conceal a 
 thing.' And it is, no doubt, best for us not to 
 know His mysterious ways of kindness. 
 
 "I've courted death before," he continued, u a 
 hundred times and more, but it has passed me by. 
 And now, when I've commenced to lead a better 
 life, I'm called to go. But, perhaps, our Heavenly 
 Father, in His sweet mercy, calls us when we're 
 at our best. In my poor case infinitely far from 
 what I ought to be. But in the future I had 
 hoped to retrieve something of my wasted life at 
 least do better. But man proposes, and God dis- 
 poses. And, I can't help thinking, always for the 
 best." 
 
 Throughout the afternoon and evening the 
 hemorrhage continued, and late in the night, as 
 he grew weaker and weaker, his mind began to 
 wander to other scenes, to other days, when in 
 the voyage of life he was but a boy, and when 
 hope and young vigor pictured the future with the 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 289 
 
 bright sunshine and happiness that only youth can 
 cherish ! 
 
 As Charles Landon and Frank Meredith 
 watched by his bedside they often caught the 
 name of his sister trembling upon his lips, around 
 whose memory such a wealth of his love was 
 clasped. He saw her again in her girlhood, in 
 all of her beauty, sweetness and innocence; and 
 his thoughts of her were ever thus, to the last. 
 
 Then his mind wandered to the after days of 
 his erratic career. In his thoughts he was again 
 in Turkey, mingling amid its fields of blood and 
 death ! Once more the scene was changed, and 
 he was sharing the fate of down-trodden Greece. 
 Again the drama of his life was varied, and he 
 was acting over his checkered course in Germany. 
 Another turn of fortune's wheel, and he was amid 
 Mexico's turbulent strife again. But wherever 
 his thoughts wandered there were always kind 
 words and wishes for many a name of those whose 
 friendship he still remembered. 
 
 Then, as his mind drifted into later years and 
 the actors and scenes shifted again in his fancy 
 he was living over his life in St. Arlyle. And by 
 his mutterings they learned that many happy mem- 
 ories of his bygone life were linked around the 
 little village he never more would see. And as 
 he named over his village friends, one by one, 
 for not a name was omitted or forgotten, the re- 
 membrance of each struck a tender chord in his 
 heart. 
 
 There were two names he often repeated in his 
 mind's wanderings, and always with the strongest 
 solicitude and praise. They were those of Bertha 
 
290 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 and Charles. Bertha he frequently mentioned as 
 the little curly-headed child he had watched grow 
 into the beautiful girl. 
 
 Of Charlie he often murmured words of strong 
 admiration, but it seemed to pain and perplex him 
 to think that so brave and generous a fellow could 
 be untrue to Bertha. 
 
 And now, for the last time, his thoughts 
 changed, for the drama of his life was almost 
 ended and in his fancy he was following again 
 the fortunes of the Army of the Potomac; fight- 
 ing over the bloody battles of the Peninsular cam- 
 paign; mingling again amid the strife of Anti- 
 etam; again struggling through the carnage of 
 Fredericksburg. And ere the curtain of his fancies 
 fell he lived over that bloody and fatal day when 
 his regiment charged up the glacis, under the fire 
 from the Fredericksburg Heights, on the battle 
 field of Chancellorsville ! 
 
 His mutterings ceased, and for some time he lay 
 in silence ;' then his head moved slightly, and he 
 awoke perfectly rational. Charles arose and 
 went to his bedside, when he asked for a drink of 
 water. After drinking it he turned his eyes to- 
 ward Meredith, whose head was bent down on his 
 arms, and asked, in a whisper: "Is he asleep?" 
 
 "Yes," replied Landon. 
 
 "Bend your head down, my boy!" said he, "I 
 wish to say a few words privately to you. I wish 
 you to promise to be always a friend a true 
 friend, in the strongest, purest and best sense of 
 the word to Bertha. For she is a sweet, gener- 
 ous girl, with the truest, noblest heart that ever 
 beat in a woman's breast. She has a great, heroic 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 291 
 
 soul, as far above envy and greed as the heavens 
 are above the earth. In her many deeds of kind- 
 ness she realized in all its grandest sweetness, 
 'What a woman true may be.' ' 
 
 "Your request is an easy one to grant," replied 
 the young fellow, as a blush mantled his cheek 
 and a tender light filled his eyes, "for she is a 
 noble girl, with a heart as sweet and pure as that 
 of a child. And often when I have stood amid 
 a group of soldiers, when she passed, and I have 
 seen them raise their caps and heard them speak 
 almost reverentially of her many deeds of kind- 
 ness, as I gazed upon her spiritual beauty, I could 
 almost see a seraphic halo around her beautiful 
 head. And often in my dreams I have seen her 
 as an angel, floating above my rude bed, on many 
 a field of strife. How dearly I love her no words 
 can express. And I can only say, may heaven 
 deal with me, as I deal with her!" 
 
 "I am satisfied," said Marshall. "Good-night." 
 And he turned his head over on the pillow and 
 soon fell asleep. 
 
 It was late the next morning when Marshall 
 awoke. Bertha had just entered the room, and as 
 she gazed down at him she noticed how pale his 
 face had grown, and how weakly he breathed, al- 
 though his eyes looked unusually dark and bright. 
 She bent over him and asked him how he had 
 slept. At the sound of her voice he turned his 
 gaze toward her in silence, while a shadow of the 
 old merry smile played on his lips, as if the sight 
 of her tender and beautiful face awoke pleasant 
 memories. He remained silent for several mo- 
 
292 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 ments, watching her face, as if fascinated by its 
 tender beauty, then replied: 
 
 "Very well, indeed." 
 
 "I'm glad you've rested well," she said, kindly. 
 
 "Yes," he replied, "Heaven is always good to 
 us in the end, and gives us rest ! That lesson of 
 trust and peace many of us ought to have learned 
 before. And it seems strange to me now that I 
 could not look through the mist of life's troubles 
 and trials, to the better and purer home of tran- 
 quility; the rest God has so freely promised to 
 all. 
 
 "For these long years I've led a reckless, erring 
 life. But I think and hope that it was more 
 through thoughtlessness than intentional wicked- 
 ness. I began those years wrong, with not enough 
 of faith and hope, but with a burning desire for 
 revenge, and an utter lack of trust in man and, 
 I'm afraid, in God also that finally grew into 
 recklessness ! 
 
 "But," he added, "there were days in those wild 
 years of recklessness when I tried to throw off the 
 wild life, and I thought I had succeeded, when a 
 mere incident would bring back the old agonizing 
 sorrow of that evening I never could forget ! The 
 evening when we learned the truth of my sister's 
 awful death. That tragic scene can never be 
 effaced from my memory. I see it now, as I 
 have seen it many times through all these years! 
 My sister had been keeping company with Shackle 
 for some time he was a handsome man then, 
 though when you knew him you would hardly be- 
 lieve it, so greatly was he changed when we 
 learned he was already married. But, on seeking 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 293 
 
 my sister, we found she had fled. My father sent 
 messengers in every direction to seek her. Mean- 
 while we were in terrible suspense. At last one 
 of the messengers found her, and brought us the 
 truth. I shall never forget the scene that then 
 occurred. It was evening, and my mother, my 
 father (who was just recovering from a severe 
 attack of pneumonia) and I were standing on the 
 porch when the messenger came. He informed 
 us that he was too late; and that my sister had 
 committed suicide by taking poison. Then fol- 
 lowed an awful spectacle, that through all the 
 after years has never grown dim! My mother, 
 with a terrible scream, fell fainting on the door 
 step ere any one could catch her. My father 
 turned deadly pale, while he pressed one hand 
 upon his breast, as if to control his agony. Then 
 I saw his lips were red, and the next instant the 
 hot blood spurted over his bosom. But ere he 
 fell we caught him and carried him into the house. 
 He lingered on, but never recovered from the 
 shock. He died a month after while I was far 
 away in Turkey. 
 
 "I went to his house and inquired for him, but 
 was spurned from the door. Then, there in the 
 street, I cursed him again and again, with all the 
 bitterness of my soul. I went home. They had 
 just brought my sister's body and laid it upon a 
 bed. And as she lay there in death's cold em- 
 brace, in all her wondrous beauty, her image has 
 ever been impressed upon my mind, through all 
 these after years. She had on the same white 
 dress she had worn before her death; not even the 
 white rose had been removed from her breast, 
 
294 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 where she had placed it, while one cold little hand 
 was lying beside it, as if she had but just ceased 
 toying with it. Her dark, curly hair clustered 
 around her pale brow and hung far down over her 
 shoulders; the white eyelids were closed, hiding 
 forever the large, lustrous eyes, and her lips were 
 gently parted, as if in sleep. 
 
 "I was wild with grief, and in my madness I 
 challenged Shackle to fight a duel. He had me 
 arrested, but my friends soon procured bail for 
 me. I was never prosecuted, for before the day 
 of trial came Shackle fled! 
 
 "Two days after my sister's death she was 
 buried. I stood by her grave till I saw the last 
 shovelful of earth thrown in. Then I realized 
 that I had lost her forever! The idolized sister, 
 to whom my heart had been so closely bound. 
 From that moment I became wild and reckless, 
 and I felt I should never know peace and hope 
 again ! I only thought and dreamed of vengeance ! 
 I lost faith in man, and, I'm afraid, in God, too! 
 My heart became steeled to danger. I feared 
 nothing not even death. I went to Turkey, be- 
 cause there was war there, and I loved turmoil and 
 strife, for the danger and excitement made me 
 forget my grief. I was the leader in many dan- 
 gerous expeditions. I even courted death over 
 and over again, but I always escaped unscathed. 
 My reckless daring won me rapid promotion, but 
 ere long my ever restlessness urged me onward. 
 I went to Greece, but my sorrow went with me 
 and would not let me rest. Here, amid the battle 
 fields of Greece, I grew, if possible, more reck- 
 less and daring than ever. I learned to love 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 295 
 
 danger in its wildest froms. Nothing daunted me, 
 and the men under my command thought I did 
 not know what fear was, or that I was mad. Per- 
 haps I was. I was trying to drown my sorrow, 
 but it clung to me like the Old Man of the Sea 
 did to Sinbad the Sailor. My fearlessness won 
 me promotion. I was on the road to fortune. 
 But it was the same ending. The old restlessness 
 came back with treble its former force, and I 
 flung everything aside and fled to Germany. But, 
 as ever, my grief went with me. 
 
 "I had been in Germany several months, and I 
 was stopping at a hotel in Berlin, when one warm 
 evening as I was walking along the hall of the 
 hotel, I saw a bedroom door partly open and I 
 casually glanced in. There was a man lying on 
 the bed, and I knew him in an instant, in spite of 
 his changed appearance. // was Shackle! 
 
 "I entered the room and stood leaning over his 
 bed. He was so terribly changed that even I 
 was shocked at the emaciated, haggard, and wild, 
 haunted expression of his countenance. In fact, 
 so awfully was he changed that I would not have 
 recognized him had not his face been constantly 
 before my mental view. If his face was any 
 criterion, he must have suffered terribly. But 
 for him there was no room for pity in my heart. 
 I recrossed the room, and, locking the door, re- 
 turned and stood leaning over him, as I drew a 
 dagger from my breast. 
 
 'Vengeance ! Vengeance at last is mine !' I 
 thought, as I stood gloating over him. 'You shall 
 not escape now. I can kill you with as little 
 feeling as I would a wild beast! I have hoped 
 
296 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 and longed for this! And at last it has come! 
 You must die like a dog!' I raised the dagger to 
 bury it in his body. It was already descending 
 in the air, when I suddenly felt a hand grasp my 
 arm ! I turned my head, and there was my sister 
 standing by my side! Exactly as I had last seen 
 her, on the day of her death in a white dress, 
 her dark, curly hair clinging about her pale, sweet 
 face, and hanging far down her shoulders, while 
 one little hand was grasping the white rose on 
 her breast. I was struck dumb and I almost 
 fainted, while unconsciously and seemingly by 
 some power stronger than my own, I replaced the 
 dagger. As I did so, a smile of approval crossed 
 her lips, and the next moment she melted into 
 air. I left the room, and fled from the city 
 away from temptation. 
 
 "I'm not superstitious, but I shall always think 
 I saw my sister's spirit standing by my side. I 
 know that physicians account for these super- 
 natural apparitions by telling us: That in such 
 cases either the brain, the retina or the optic nerve 
 being unusually excited, are thus rendered sens- 
 itive to an appearance that in reality does not 
 exist. For there is such a close union between the 
 senses and the mind, that we continually transfer 
 to the real world without being aware of it 
 that which pertains to the realm of thought. 
 Thus, they say, a picture that has made a deep 
 impression upon us at one time, will reappear to 
 us during partial sleep, perfect in every detail, or, 
 perhaps, varied by the capricious wanderings of 
 our thoughts. And that passion and other strong, 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 297 
 
 violent mental feelings are apt to evoke optical 
 delusions. 
 
 "From the day I saw her sweet spiritual face 
 there came a change for the better there was 
 more of peace in my heart. Not a full peace, but 
 a touch of tranquility. 
 
 "When I left Germany I went to Mexico. Of 
 the life I led among its wild, revolutionary scenes, 
 I shall not dwell. Then I went to St. Arlyle. Of 
 my life there you. are fully familiar. At last the 
 Civil War broke out. I was a soldier, and it 
 seemed but natural that I should enlist, besides, 
 my heart was not yet tranquil enough, but that I 
 still loved strife and excitement, and then, I had 
 truly learned to love the Republic the grandest 
 example of liberty and justice the world ever saw, 
 or, perhaps, ever will. 
 
 "The night Shackle decoyed you into his 
 power," he continued, "I went to the hospital to 
 look for you. There I was given the letter you 
 had left for me. I recognized in a moment that 
 it was Shackle's handwriting, and I knew that he 
 was again at his old villainy. And I determined 
 to save you, let it cost what it would. How I 
 followed you, how I fought Shackle, and how I 
 was afterward arrested, you are fully acquainted. 
 
 "The night of my arrest," he continued, after 
 grasping for breath, "as I lay sleeping in the 
 guard house, I suddenly awoke, and there, by my 
 bedside, stood my sister's spirit, exactly as I had 
 seen her once before; her dark hair clustering 
 around her pretty face and hanging over the 
 shoulders of her white dress, while one little hand 
 was grasping the white rose on her breast. She 
 
298 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 raised her hand and pointed upward, as a sweet 
 smile crossed her lips ere she melted away. Then 
 I knew I had her approval in foiling Shackle's 
 villainy. From that moment there came into my 
 heart a feeling of rest and peace, that I had 
 yearned for through many a weary year." 
 
 The dying soldier was silent for some time, 
 gasping for breath. Then he began in a feeble 
 voice: 
 
 "Last night, just before I fell asleep, I saw my 
 sister's spirit standing by my bed. She appeared 
 exactly as she had done twice before in a white 
 robe, her dark hair hanging about her face and 
 neck, while one small hand was clasping the white 
 rose on her breast. But there was a light on her 
 face that I had never seen before a heavenly 
 light, that shed a pure, sweet radiance into my 
 soul. She raised her hand and pointed upward, 
 as she had done once before. But instead of 
 fading away, as before, she floated upward, far, 
 far away through clouds and space, till I saw her 
 join the angels on the heavenly shore. Then I 
 knew she had pointed and shown me the w.ay. 
 And then my heart, at last, had found the perfect 
 peace and love." 
 
 He was rapidly growing weaker, and it was evi- 
 dent that in a few minutes all would be over, as 
 he said, feebly: 
 
 "Miss Bertha, I want you to write to my 
 mother, and tell her I fell in defense of the flag 
 I learned to love best of all. Tell her that I died 
 at peace with my God and man. Tell her that 
 ere my life or hers was done, I had hoped to meet 
 her once again in the old home across the water, 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 299 
 
 in Erin's Isle. But it has been willed otherwise, 
 and I submit ! Tell her I at last found the faith 
 she taught me at her knee. The grand, glorious 
 faith God has given to us all. And tell her that 
 through it I hope to meet her on the shining shore 
 of peace!" 
 
 When he ceased speaking he lay motionless, 
 his eyes closed, and he breathed imperceptibly, 
 while a deathly pallor covered his face. But 
 after several moments he slightly rallied, as she 
 bent her ear down to catch his dying words, he 
 said: 
 
 "I had hoped, in future years, to lead a better 
 life. The past one was full of care and unrest. 
 But it was my own fault that I found the thorns 
 and missed the roses. But then I'll not com- 
 plain. The greatest crown of all has been a 
 diadem of thorns ! And through it, I hope, I've 
 found the right path up to God; the right way 
 home to peace!" 
 
 Then over his face came a sweet expression of 
 tranquility; the rest he had longed for through 
 many a weary year; and the soldier of fortune had 
 crossed the dark ocean into the haven of Eternal 
 
 Rest! 
 
 ******* 
 
 Of the ill-starred life Marshall led how shall 
 we judge? We, who know so little of the emo- 
 tions and struggles of the human heart. For often 
 beneath a calm face is hidden the terrible agony 
 of a bitter sorrow for loved ones, over whom 
 the grass has grown green; yet around whose 
 memories grim spectres of the past will rise to 
 haunt even their brightest moments. 
 
300 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 Thus in the breasts of all of us, at times, will 
 come welling up memories haunted by spectres of 
 many shattered hopes, many sorrows, many errors 
 and vain regrets, that will often make us waver 
 or stray from the beaten path. 
 
 So, only God can fathom the motives that 
 prompt and direct the actions in each human 
 heart; and, therefore, He alone can estimate the 
 guilt and the sin. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVI. 
 
 THE BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG. 
 
 And backward now and forward 
 
 Wavers the deep array; 
 And on the tossing sea of steel 
 
 To and fro the standards reel, 
 And the victorious trumpet peal 
 
 Dies fitfully away. Macauley. 
 
 Beautifully the morning of the first of July, 
 1863, broke over Gettysburg; not a cloud ob- 
 scured the clear blue sky, while the warm air and 
 streaming sunshine bathed in all its summer splen- 
 dor the little town soon to be rendered immortal, 
 as the field not only one of the most decisive and 
 bloody battle of the Civil War, but as the theatre 
 of one of the greatest conflicts of modern times. 
 From early dawn the scene in the little town had 
 been one of mighty martial splendor and beauty, 
 yet inspiring terror, as the Army of the Potomac 
 passed through it toward the west, with its long 
 blue columns of infantry, their bands playing 
 lively strains and their gay banners floating out 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 301 
 
 on the morning air, while their bright arms flashed 
 and danced in the sunlight with a dazzling splen- 
 dor; its platoons of cavalry, with gleaming sabres, 
 followed by its batteries of artillery, their huge 
 guns darting back the sun rays, as if bidding de- 
 fiance to every foe, while amid its legions rode the 
 crimson-sashed officers, the gold and silver insignia 
 of rank glittering on their shoulders. 
 
 As the morning wore away, with a steady tread 
 the serried ranks of the Army of the Potomac 
 moved through the town. It was a few minutes 
 past nine o'clock, when, in the distance, toward 
 the west of the town, a puff of white smoke as- 
 cended into the clear, blue sky, and the next in- 
 stant the crash of musketry rolled into the streets, 
 followed by the heavy report of a cannon. 
 "Crash! crash! boom! boom!" and in a few 
 minutes the crash has grown into a continuous 
 crash, and the boom into a mighty roar. 
 
 There had been a sudden collision between the 
 Federal General Buford's regiments, drawn up in 
 line across the Chambersburg road, and an ad- 
 vancing division under General Harry Heath, of 
 Lee's army, and the Battle of Gettysburg had 
 begun. 
 
 In a few moments the scene in the town was 
 changed; the terrible roar of the heavy guns had 
 broken the spell. The idlers in the streets who 
 were watching the passing troops turned at the 
 first sound of the guns, and gazed with excited and 
 frightened faces toward the direction of the rap- 
 idly increasing roar, and where the puffs of white 
 smoke above the trees told that the battle was 
 raging. Through the serried ranks of the mov- 
 
302 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 ing army there rolled a gentle ripple of excite- 
 ment, but it soon increased until it resembled great 
 waves on some ocean's breast. Then followed a 
 grand, exciting scene, as the infantry, with flash- 
 ing arms and streaming standards, pressed for- 
 ward at the double-quick, and the cavalry, with 
 clashing and gleaming sabres, galloped rapidly 
 by, while the artillery horses broke into a rapid 
 trot, as the heavy guns thundered along, and even 
 the bands struck up wilder strains, while the 
 drummers loudly rattled their drums, as the 
 trumpeters sent forth their shrill, piercing notes, 
 while, above the din, the officers yelled their 
 orders at the top of their voices, and every order 
 was: "Forward! Forward to the front!" 
 
 As the troops rushed forward to the vortex of 
 death, there were no cheers, no bravado, only the 
 fixed lips and determined faces of the men showed 
 the gazers, as they passed, that they knew the 
 bloody work they had to do, and that they in- 
 tended to do it. And through the beholder there 
 ran an awful shudder, as he thought many of them 
 must meet a terrible death, mangled by shot and 
 shell. 
 
 It was the intention neither of General Mead 
 nor Lee to fight the battle at Gettysburg, but so 
 rapid had been the movements of both armies 
 that each commander was in ignorance of the 
 whereabouts of the other's troops until the morn- 
 ing of the battle. General Lee had intended 
 reaching Chambersburg before giving battle, and 
 Mead advanced his left wing under General Rey- 
 nolds, in front of Gettysburg, as a feint to divert 
 the enemy's attention, while he formed a strong 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 303 
 
 line with his main body behind Pipe Creek, twenty 
 miles distant. Buford, when he found his men 
 in collision with the Confederates, resolved to 
 hold the enemy in check until the arrival of his 
 chief, General Reynolds, who, with his command, 
 was two miles distant. 
 
 Reynolds, on his arrival, had no orders from 
 General Mead to commence the battle, but the 
 exigencies of the situation supplied the place of 
 commands. He also saw the necessity of rapid 
 action, as Buford's men were sorely pressed, and 
 on the point of breaking; so, forming his entire 
 command at the edge of the woods, he suddenly 
 charged to Buford's aid. He and his men were 
 met with a perfect storm of bullets, and while gal- 
 lantly leading forward, General Reynolds fell 
 mortally wounded from his horse, dying where he 
 fell. Notwithstanding the fall of their com- 
 mander, the men pressed bravely onward with 
 such impetuosity that they drove two Confederate 
 regiments into a railroad excavation, and cap- 
 tured them, with their battle flags. 
 
 Reinforcements rapidly joined both combatants, 
 and the battle raged with terrible fierceness, the 
 roar of the artillery was terrific, the wild flashes 
 of flame leaped everywhere amid the sulphurous 
 smoke, like forked lightning, and solid shot and 
 bursting shells were falling in every direction, 
 while the air was filled with bullets. 
 
 It was now three o'clock, the heat was intense, 
 and the contest was raging fierce and wild, when, 
 toward the northeast, a long, waving line of gray 
 appeared in view. The new troops were Stone- 
 wall Jackson's old legions, hurrying to the field 
 
304 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 to decide the fate of the day. Reaching the York 
 road, they debouched into the woods, and with 
 their old, wild battle cry, fell with crushing force 
 upon the Federal right. The National soldiers, 
 though outflanked and taken in the rear, changed 
 front and fought with the utmost bravery, but the 
 fire poured upon them was terrific for men who 
 had fought in all the former great battles of the 
 war said they never were under a hotter fire. At 
 last the Federals began to fall back, slowly at 
 first, then more rapidly, till finally their ranks 
 were broken and the retreat became a rout, and 
 they were driven through the streets of Gettys- 
 burg in wild confusion, with the loss of five thou- 
 sand prisoners. The Confederates took posses- 
 sion of the town, and the Federals fell back on 
 their reserve body, which had been posted on 
 Cemetery Hill, behind Gettysburg. It was at 
 this time as the retreating men were pouring 
 through Gettysburg toward the Hill that Gen- 
 eral Hancock arrived on the field. He had been 
 sent by General Mead who was still at Taney- 
 town, thirteen miles distant to take command, as 
 soon as Mead learned of the battle and the death 
 of Reynolds. 
 
 Hancock was very popular with the rank and 
 file of the Army of the Potomac, and his com- 
 manding appearance, with his winning, magnetic 
 manner, added to his dashing gallantry, did much 
 toward rally*.ig and forming them into a new line. 
 And it was not long before he had the remnant of 
 the army re-formed on Cemetery Heights, behind 
 ledges, stone walls and bowlders, presenting an 
 abatis of bristling bayonets. Though order had 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 305 
 
 been restored, and a strong front presented to- 
 ward the enemy, the Federal forces were yet in 
 imminent danger, for it was evident they could 
 not resist successfully a combined attack of the 
 enemy and defeat meant ruin! 
 
 It was yet several hours before sunset, and a 
 cloud of Confederate skirmishers were already 
 breasting the hill, when to the astonishment and 
 heart-felt joy of the Federals, they were suddenly 
 recalled, and thus ended the first day of the 
 Battle of Gettysburg. Though it had been a day 
 of terrible carnage, yet bloodier days were to fol- 
 low. And that night General Lee made a fatal 
 mistake when he did not complete his victory and 
 drive the Federals from their stronghold, for by 
 sunrise the next morning most of Mead's men 
 had arrived, and the Heights of Gettysburg were 
 covered with the infantry and artillery of the 
 great Army of the Potomac. 
 
 The morning of the second of July, 1863, broke 
 over Gettysburg, calm and still; the sun in all its 
 brightness shone through a clear, azure sky, ex- 
 cept for an occasional white cloud that floated 
 ominously above, as if predicting the terrible 
 storm of human wrath that would sweep over 
 plain and hill ere the sunset flushed the west. All 
 night long, on the heights above the town, had 
 been arriving the reinforcements of the Federal 
 Army, and as the first beams of day gilded with 
 roseate hues the Heights, they fell upon the lines 
 of polished steel consisting of nearly a hundred 
 thousand men. 
 
306 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 In front of the National army, and across a 
 small valley not more than a mile and a half 
 distant was formed the Confederate forces, in 
 the shape of an immense crescent, nearly five 
 miles in length, and numbering over ninety thou- 
 sand men. Viewed by the Federal soldiers on 
 the Heights, they formed a magnificent spectacle, 
 as their long, gray lines stood there in grim battle 
 array, with their bright arms flashing in the July 
 sunlight, almost as far as the eye could see, while 
 the black mouths of their cannons, that thickly 
 dotted the eastern slope of the hill, frowned omi- 
 nously up across the vale. 
 
 Thus the two armies met, on the second of July, 
 in this magnificent amphitheatre at Gettysburg, to 
 decide the fate of the Southern Confederacy. 
 
 During the morning there had been some 
 skirmishing, but as the day wore away all became 
 calm. There was a balmy sweetness in the sum- 
 mer air, enhanced by nature's sweet repose. And 
 as the glances of those on the Heights fell be- 
 neath, they were entranced by the green-leafed 
 woods, the flourishing orchards, the yellow ripen- 
 ing grain and the verdant meadows, on whose 
 breasts the cattle were feeding, or lying in the 
 shade of the trees, or drinking from the silver- 
 hued streams that rippled along. It was a scene 
 of Nature's sweet repose, but soon to be changed 
 by the wrath of man into scenes of wild turbulence 
 and horror, to fill the air with shrieks of agony, 
 and with the mighty roar of destruction; to cover 
 vale and hillside with the mangled bodies of the 
 slain, and to crimson those silver-hued streams 
 with human blood. For the soldiers soon to be 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 307 
 
 actors in this terrible drama of death were no 
 longer the raw recruits who began the war, but 
 men whom three years of experience with danger, 
 blood and death had taught the awful duties of 
 soldiers, and they had learned those lessons well 
 ere this, on many a blood-stained field ! 
 
 Shortly after three o'clock there fell over the 
 field an awful calm, sublime in its very oppressive- 
 ness, as, with bated breaths and fluttering hearts, 
 the men of these two great armies in mighty, 
 grand battle array awaited the conflict! 
 
 It was a few minutes of four o'clock, when a 
 Confederate artillery officer waved his sword in 
 the air, and as the blade flashed in the afternoon's 
 waning sunlight, there came a mighty roar from 
 over a hundred guns, massed on the eastern slope 
 of the hill. The cannon balls arched over the 
 little valley and fell with a crash on the sides and 
 summit of the Heights, as they bounded from 
 bowlder to bowlder. The next moment the Fed- 
 eral lines above were swept by a billow of flame, 
 and a hundred and fifty guns hurled back defiance. 
 
 The roar of the artillery was terrific, the air 
 was filled with solid shot and bursting shells, and 
 the sulphurous smoke rolled in huge volumes over 
 the field, while amid it darted the red flames from 
 the cannons' mouths. 
 
 But all this was but the prelude for more des- 
 perate and deadly work. Partly under cover of 
 the smoke of their guns, the Confederates were 
 seen rapidly forming in line, and in a few minutes 
 more Longstreet's entire corps, nearly one-third 
 of the army, was pressing forward at the double- 
 quick to storm the Federal position, while the Con- 
 
308 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 federate artillery, with renewed thunder, poured 
 volley after volley over the advancing men's 
 heads. Down the slope, three line deep, the men 
 in gray press, then up the glacis toward the Fed- 
 erals they rush, as their lines flash with the fire of 
 their rifles, and in a few minutes more, with wild 
 yells and cheers, they fall with tremendous and 
 savage fury on the Federals. 
 
 The battle now raged furiously, and every 
 minute grew wilder cind bloodier, till at last it re- 
 sembled a tempest-tossed sea of destruction. The 
 Confederates poured a close, heavy fire, the stone 
 walls and ledges literally blazed with musketry, 
 and the bullets fell like showers of rain, while 
 over two hundred cannons dealt forth death and 
 destruction on every side ! Thus the battle raged 
 all along the line. Cemetery Ridge was a sheet of 
 fire; on Culps Hill both sides charged and counter- 
 charged with demonlike fury; but on the semi- 
 circle about Little Round Top the scene of blood 
 and destruction was grand, terrific and awful! 
 Every inch of air seemed to be alive with bullets, 
 balls and bursting shells; the hillsides were piled 
 with dead and wounded, yet the desperate men 
 charged and re-charged across the blood-stained 
 ground and vale of death ! 
 
 Thus for more than two hours the earth shook 
 and trembled as if an earthquake had rumbled 
 through its depths, the thunder of the artillery, 
 the crash of the musketry was deafening, and the 
 sulphurous smoke swept in heavy volumes over the 
 field, and, ascending toward the sky, formed a 
 thick canopy above, as if endeavoring to hide 
 from Heaven the scenes of infernal horror be- 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 309 
 
 neath, and in the dense smoke the men fought as 
 if in a fog, while the red flames from the cannons 
 darted about amid it, like wild tongues of fire 
 from some demoniacal abyss ! 
 
 Thus the tempest of death and destruction 
 raged, till the last beams of day faded, and dark- 
 ness shrouded the field. Even then, though the 
 main body of the Confederate Army had fallen 
 back, yet still between their advanced skirmishers 
 and the Federals, who were resting on their arms, 
 the fire was almost continuous throughout the 
 night. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVII. 
 
 THE CLOSE OF THE BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG. 
 
 "Twice hath the sun on their conflict set, 
 And risen again, and found them grappling yet." 
 
 Even as early as four o'clock in the morning 
 the desultory fire of the night increased almost 
 at once into sheets of flame, and immediately a 
 terrible struggle followed. Ere long the con- 
 testants became so intermingled that it became 
 almost impossible to use the artillery, for fear of 
 killing friend as well as foe. As the battle pro- 
 gressed the air became filled with dust and smoke, 
 and as the sun mounted higher and higher the heat 
 became intense. The Confederates charged again 
 and again with the utmost bravery, but with little 
 effect, for they were pitted against men as cour- 
 ageous and determined as themselves. 
 
 Through those long, early hours of morning the 
 fighting was desperate and severe, and the car- 
 
310 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 nage was fearful. That part of the field after 
 the battle was literally bathed with blood, and 
 thickly covered with the bodies of the slain the 
 blue and gray uniforms mingled in one heap 
 showing the terrible nature of the determined 
 struggle. 
 
 Late in the morning there was a short calm in 
 the storm of battle. Then suddenly there was a 
 mighty burst of cheers and yells from thousands 
 of Confederates, and Swell's fresh men rushed up 
 the hill and fell with tremendous fury on the Na- 
 tional lines. They met with a desperate and 
 stubborn resistance from the Federals, and a hand 
 to hand struggle followed. But at last the Fed- 
 erals were forced from their works, and on rushed 
 the victorious Confederates. But as they ap- 
 proached a stone wall, the men in blue of an entire 
 division arose before them like an apparition, and 
 poured upon them a close, heavy volley. They 
 were mowed down like grain before the sickle, 
 and even these brave warriors could do no more 
 than retreat. 
 
 It was noon, and the last sounds of the conflict 
 had several hours before died away. The morn- 
 ing sky, which had been partly hidden by clouds, 
 had now cleared, and the hot July sun-rays poured 
 down with a scorching intensity. There was a 
 deep, unbroken silence brooding over the entire 
 battle field, like that awful calm of death that 
 rests on an icebound sea, and to a casual observer 
 it seemed as if the battle were over. But it was 
 evident to the Federals on the heights as they 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 311 
 
 waited under the hot mid-day's sun-rays, with 
 throbbing hearts and with preoccupied thoughts 
 too deep for words that the Confederates were 
 making gigantic preparations for a last, desperate 
 and, if possible, crowning effort for victory. The 
 Confederates had massed their artillery on Sem- 
 inary Hill, and a few minutes before one o'clock 
 the deathlike silence was broken by the sharp, 
 ringing report of a Whitworth gun. It was the 
 signal for the battle. Instantly a huge sheet of 
 flame leaped above Seminary Hill, and the thun- 
 dering roar of a hundred and forty^five cannons 
 filled the air, while their mouths poured death and 
 destruction into the Federal lines. The National 
 commanders ordered their men to lie down on the 
 ground, and to seek every protection possible be- 
 hind walls, ledges and bowlders. But in spite of 
 every precaution the destruction of life was fear- 
 ful. Solid shot, shell, canister and grape fell 
 thick amid the Federals with deadly effect. Men 
 and horses were cut to pieces, gun-carriages 
 smashed, caissons with their ammunition exploded, 
 and rocks and trees shattered to fragments. For 
 a quarter of an hour their cannons hurled destruc- 
 tion into the Federal lines, without a reply. Then 
 came the National answer, all along the battle 
 line, from the fiery mouths of three hundred guns, 
 and from Cemetery Hill to Round Top rolled bil- 
 lows of flame, like a sea of fire. The roar of the 
 artillery and the flash of fire was terrific, rivaling 
 in its grandeur the wildest thunder storms of na- 
 ture. The air was filled with every form of deadly 
 missile, the very earth shook under the combat- 
 ants' feet, and the rocks and trees waved and 
 
312 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 moved as if endowed with life, while the men 
 staggered about amid the concussed air, on the 
 trembling earth, as if intoxicated. Thus for two 
 hours thundered this gigantic artillery battle of 
 over four hundred guns the greatest the Amer- 
 ican continent had ever known, and one of the 
 greatest artillery contests of the world; realizing, 
 in its fierce, wild grandeur, one of the most mag- 
 nificent, soul-stirring and terror-inspiring scenes 
 of earth ! 
 
 PICKETT'S FAMOUS CHARGE 
 
 At the end of two hours there came a lull from 
 both sides in the terrific cannonade, and imme- 
 diately the Confederates began forming in line for 
 a final and desperate charge for victory, the most 
 bloody and determined of all those four years of 
 war! As they emerged from the trees that cov- 
 ered the summit of Seminary Hill, and moved 
 steadily and firmly down its slope, with their lines 
 dressed as well as men on parade, it was a mag- 
 nificent sight, and won even a thrill of admiration 
 from the breasts of those above. They were 
 about a mile distant from the Federal works, and 
 to reach them they had to descend a hill, cross a 
 small valley, and then climb a hill. They num- 
 bered about 18,000 men, and were formed in 
 double line of battle, with Pickett's Veteran Vir- 
 ginians leading. As the attacking men moved 
 down the slope, the National troops on the 
 Heights poured a heavy artillery fire upon them; 
 But forward they pressed, with a steady tread and 
 without a waver, though the solid shot and shell 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 313 
 
 were crashing through their ranks at every step. 
 They had advanced about half-way when sud- 
 denly their cannons, which had been firing over 
 their heads, became silent. "What is the reason?" 
 exclaimed the men, rushing into the vortex of 
 death. "Why?" asked the Confederates gazing 
 on. "Why?" wondered the Federals on the 
 Heights. None knew not even General Lee 
 till afterward. The gunners had exhausted their 
 ammunition! And there, unaided, for half a mile 
 they must breast alone the storm of shot and shell. 
 But on they pressed, with a firm front and steady 
 step, seemingly heedless of every fire and fearless 
 of every foe. The Federals now opened a mur- 
 derous fire; the bullets fell on the advancing 
 troops like hail on a winter's day, and the cannon 
 balls, shells and canister ploughed through their 
 ranks, tearing wide gaps in their front; but on 
 they pressed, up the death-swept slope of Ceme- 
 tery Hill, fearless of the deadly missiles, and heed- 
 less of their comrades who were being torn to 
 pieces by their sides. As they advance, it becomes 
 one incessant storm of death-dealing volleys. 
 Along every inch of their front reared the red 
 crest of Destruction! But those true heroes, 
 splashing blood at every step, seemed more eager 
 to court death than to escape danger. As they 
 approached the National line, the ledges and walls 
 literally blazed with a withering fire, until the air 
 along their front grew black with the wings of 
 death. But forward press the Confederates. 
 "Will no fire, no loss, drive them back?" exclaim 
 the Federals. 
 
 Before this terrific artillery and musketry fire 
 
3H THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 all the Confederates, except Pickett's brave Vir- 
 ginians, have melted away wounded, dead, or 
 driven from the field. 
 
 The Federal gunners had now fired away their 
 last round of canister, and, withdrawing their 
 guns, awaited the great struggle between the op- 
 posing infantry. The Virginians were now about 
 two hundred yards distant, and for the first time 
 since they had begun to face this terrific storm of 
 death, they poured forth well directed volley after 
 volley. The National troops reserved their fire 
 till the enemy was within about eighty yards, then 
 they poured upon them a perfect storm of bullets. 
 So incessant and continuous was the rain of bul- 
 lets, that it is said that the advancing men turned 
 their heads to one side, like men facing a driving 
 hail storm. But, with a desperate determination, 
 onward rush the brave Virginians. As they near 
 the stone wall they are met by a new danger. 
 The National artillerymen farther up the hill 
 lower the muzzles of their guns, and pour rapid 
 volleys of canister and grape through their ranks; 
 but, heedless of this, they rush rapidly forward, 
 and, vaulting over the breastworks, plant their 
 battle flags on the walls. But they were now con- 
 fronted by a foe of equal determination and brav- 
 ery. A veteran division, that had passed through 
 all the bloody battles of the Peninsular campaign; 
 men who had been schooled on the field of death, 
 and who met them with a firm resolution to win or 
 fall. On neither side was there any shrinking, 
 but, on the contrary, both combatants were eager 
 to meet in the desperate struggle ! 
 
 It was a face-to-face and hand-to-hand contest, 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 315 
 
 fought with a desperation akin to death. So close 
 were the men together that their clothes were 
 burnt by the exploding cartridges. The Federals, 
 in their eagerness to fall upon the enemy, had 
 lost their regimental organization, but each man 
 was resolute and firm. The struggle now raged 
 fierce and wild. But the end was near. The 
 Virginians pressed on every side, and the Federals 
 in their front, falling upon them with tremendous 
 fury, they were forced back. In an instant the 
 waiting gunners above sprang to their guns, and 
 poured volley after volley through their ranks. 
 At the same time the cannons on their flanks and 
 in their rear opened upon them with terrific effect. 
 The Virginians staggered, reeled, and fell in 
 heaps on the blood-stained field as their ranks 
 were cut to pieces in every direction. They have 
 fought nobly, like true heroes, but they could do 
 no more, and there remained but one course for 
 the few who were left to retrace their steps 
 across the valley of death! And thus the curtain 
 fell on the disaster of the master-act of the great 
 Confederate General! 
 
 General Lee had watched with the deepest in- 
 terest the result of the charge of the brave Vir- 
 ginians, and when he saw it fail he placed his 
 finger on his lips, and for a moment there came 
 over his noble face a shadow of disappointment 
 that calm, marble-like face that had never been 
 known before, on any battle field of the war, to 
 show, either a sign of disappointment or of 
 triumph. In that sad moment; he must have felt 
 his disappointment bitterly, for, perhaps, he may 
 have had a foreboding of that future when the 
 
3i6 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 star of the Confederacy should forever set. To 
 an English officer near him, who had come to wit- 
 ness the battle, he said: u This has been a sad day 
 for us, Colonel a sad day; but we can't always 
 expect to win victories." 
 
 But, whatever his thoughts were, the action of 
 the great commander was truly sublime, for, as 
 he rode toward the front through the broken 
 troops, rallying them with such cheering words as : 
 "Never mind, we'll talk of this afterward; now 
 WQ want all good men to rally," his face was placid 
 and cheerful, showing not a sign of annoyance or 
 dismay. Even for the wounded he had words of 
 kindness, and many of them as they were borne 
 past took off their hats and cheered him. It was 
 a grand, affecting and inspiring scene to see the 
 implicit faith of these troops in their commander 
 as he moved among them, and they formed in 
 regiments, and lay down calmly and quietly in the 
 places assigned them. 
 
 General Imboden, one of Lee's staff officers, 
 for whom he had sent, gives us a touching and 
 pathetic picture of the great Confederate com- 
 mander as he saw him soon after midnight, on the 
 night after the battle. When Imboden reached 
 him he was entirely alone, and had alighted from 
 his horse; and, says that officer, "He threw his 
 arms across his saddle to rest himself, and leaned 
 in silence on his equally weary horse, the two 
 forming a striking group, as motionless as a 
 statue. The bright moon shone full upon his mas- 
 sive features and revealed an expression of sad- 
 ness I had never seen on that fine face before, in 
 all the vicissitudes of the war through which Le 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 317 
 
 had passed. I waited for him to speak, until the 
 silence became painful and embarrassing, when, 
 to break it and change the current of his thoughts, 
 I remarked in a sympathetic tone : 'General, this 
 has been a hard day on you.' This attracted his 
 attention. He looked up and replied mournfully: 
 'Yes, it has been a sad day for us,' and imme- 
 diately relapsed into his former mood and atti- 
 tude." 
 
 After a few moments of silence he turned to 
 Imboden, as he raised himself erect, exclaiming 
 excitedly: "General, I never saw troops behave 
 more magnificently than Pickett's division of Vir- 
 ginians did to-day in their grand charge upon the 
 enemy. And if they had been supported as they 
 ought to have been but for some reason un- 
 known to me they were not we would have held 
 the position they so gloriously won, and the day 
 would have been ours." Then, in a tone of the 
 deepest sorrow, he added: "Too bad! too bad!! 
 oh, too bad!!!" What terrible agony he felt at 
 that moment no words can depict. 
 
 With this desperate charge of Pickett's Vir- 
 ginians really ended the battle, for although there 
 was another attempt on the Federal lines, it was 
 feeble and of little consequence. The loss of 
 the Virginians in this last charge had been fright- 
 ful. Their regiments were actually cut to pieces. 
 A ghastly example was where a regiment entered 
 the charge numbering two hundred and fifty and 
 returned with but thirty-eight men. 
 
 Thus for three weary days was fought, and thus 
 was won, the great battle of Gettysburg the most 
 decisive and bloody of all the conflicts of the Civil 
 
318 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 War. And through that baptism of blood ol 
 the magnificent amphitheatre at Gettysburg was 
 turned the fortunes of the Confederacy, for al- 
 though her soldiers struggled heroically for two 
 years longer, her star gradually waned until it 
 set forever on an April day. Gettysburg was not 
 only great, in being one of the bloody conflicts of 
 the world, but, like Waterloo, it was great in the 
 greatness of its results. Waterloo decreed a 
 change of dynasties, and rang the curtain down 
 forever on a great man's colossal ambition; and 
 Gettysburg was the death of a nation, the restora- 
 tion of another, and the shattering of the chains 
 of four million slaves! 
 
 When that last day was done on the battle field, 
 it was literally a baptism of blood, for its rocks 
 were sprayed with blood, its streams and pools 
 were crimsoned, and its wheat fields were beaten 
 into a red mire, while down the few stalks of grain 
 that were standing trickled tiny globules of blood! 
 
 Night closed over the scene, but ere long a full 
 moon arose and shed a bright light 
 
 "O'er the weltering field of tombless dead." 
 
 It was a sad and ghastly scene that the moon- 
 beams fell upon; for as thick on the field as leaves 
 in autumn lay the mangled bodies of the slain, 
 while the ground was wet and crimsoned with the 
 blood of 44,567 men who had fallen dead and 
 wounded in that cyclopean contest I 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 319 
 CHAPTER XXXVIII. 
 
 THE STRUGGLE WITH DEATH. 
 
 "Into a ward of the whitewashed halls, 
 
 Where the dead and dying lay, 
 Wounded by bayonets, shells and balls, 
 
 Somebody's darling was borne one day. 
 Somebody wept when he marched away, 
 
 Looking so handsome, brave and grand; 
 Somebody's kiss on his forehead lay, 
 
 And some one clung to his parting hand." 
 
 At the open, upper window of a house over- 
 looking, and even above the field of strife, a girl's 
 beautiful, curly head was leaning on a little 
 dimpled hand, while her arm rested on the window 
 sill. Her large, lustrous eyes were eagerly watch- 
 ing the terrible struggle about Little Round Top, 
 and as she rested there it would have required 
 but a single glance of those who knew her to have 
 recognized in the girl's finely formed bust as 
 full and gracefully rounded as a sculptor's model 
 the demi-figure of Bertha Merton. Her face 
 was very pale, but very beautiful, for there was a 
 deep, intellectual interest expressed on it, and a 
 tender sweetness in the large, liquid eyes, as they 
 drank in a prominent figure, leading amid the 
 thickest of the fight that of General Charles 
 Landon. For he had been promoted to the com- 
 mand of a brigade, a short time before, for gal- 
 lantry on the field. 
 
 It was the second day of the Battle of Gettys- 
 
320 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 burg. General Longstreet's men were making 
 their terrific charge on the Federal position, and 
 the long lines of men in gray had lapped about 
 Little Round Top that steep, rocky eminence 
 that towered above the rest the key of the battle 
 field, which the Confederates wished to win, and 
 which the Federals were determined not to lose. 
 
 Around the rocky height the battle raged wild 
 and furious, the artillery on its summit poured 
 forth a murderous fire, while behind every ledge 
 and bowlder flashed forth the blaze of musketry. 
 Into this vortex of fire, smoke and death charged 
 the shadowy lines of men in gray, as if endeavor- 
 ing to choke the volcano with human bodies. But 
 the Federals met every advance of the serried 
 ranks with a heavy fire and a wall of gleaming 
 steel. Amid the blue lines, where the conflict 
 raged the hottest, rode Charlie Landon. Upon 
 his pale face there was a calm, determined ex- 
 pression, for his lips were set, and there was a 
 daring glitter in his dark eyes that showed his 
 brave, resolute nature. 
 
 Bertha raised the spy glass she held in her 
 hand and swept the field until its focus rested on 
 Charlie Landon's superb figure, conspicuous amid 
 the storm of battle by its graceful, commanding 
 appearance. And no wonder the sight aroused 
 a thrill of admiration in her breast, for his noble 
 bearing, and his fine form and head clearly out- 
 lined against the fire and smoke, would have won 
 respect even from a foe. 
 
 As she was eagerly watching him he suddenly 
 turned his horse so as to almost face her his 
 coat was wide open, for the heat was intense 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 321 
 
 when to her dismay she saw that his white shirt 
 front was half crimson with his blood. 
 
 She lowered the spy glass, and there came a 
 wild, frightened look into the large, dark eyes 
 that told of anticipated tragedy. In a moment 
 she raised the small telescope and gazed eagerly 
 at his figure, like one under the spell of some 
 weird fascination, while in the velvety depths of 
 her eyes there remained that haunted look of ex- 
 pected calamity. As she watched his conspicuous 
 figure amid the battle she saw him reel in the 
 saddle, and fall! 
 
 The tragedy she had anticipated had come, and 
 as she dropped the glass her eyes filled with tears, 
 and the little head fell heavily on her arms, as in 
 her sorrow she realized how dearly she loved 
 him still. 
 
 In a few moments she raised her head and, 
 brushing away the tears that were trickling down 
 her cheeks, sprang quickly to her feet, as she mut- 
 tered to herself: "This will not do. I must not 
 give way to grief, when perhaps I might be of 
 assistance to him." 
 
 Catching up a buffalo robe that lay on a chair, 
 she threw it over her arm and hastened from the 
 house. She walked rapidly forward, and each 
 moment as she drew nearer and nearer the battle 
 she met the soldiers bringing away the wounded, 
 until those bearing new sufferers became one con- 
 tinuous stream. And then the roar of the conflict 
 became almost deafening, while the bullets fell 
 thick about her; but heedless and fearless of them, 
 she hurried onward. At last she saw his well- 
 known form lying on a litter, borne by two sol- 
 
322 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 diers; although he was insensible, he still breathed 
 strong and regularly. She sprang to the side of 
 the litter, which was a rude wooden affair, with- 
 out any padding or even a covering of cloth. 
 
 "Oh!" she exclaimed as she stood by the litter, 
 "don't those rough slats hurt him?" 
 
 "Yes," replied one of the men, "they seemed 
 to hurt him severely, for, although he is insen- 
 sible, he groaned several times as we carried him 
 along. But it was the best we could do." 
 
 "But can't we put this buffalo robe under him?" 
 she asked, taking it from her arm. 
 
 "Yes, that is the very thing. It is fortunate 
 that you brought it." 
 
 They gently raised him, while Bertha's nimble 
 little hands soon placed the robe beneath; and 
 as his bruised body sank on the soft bed, she 
 heard, or imagined she heard, a sigh of relief issue 
 from his lips. As he lay there so pale and hand- 
 some on the white robe as yet but slightly 
 stained with his blood she, in spite of her sor- 
 row and deep concern, became irresistibly en- 
 tranced by the statuesque beauty yet thrilled 
 with life of his fine face and form. In her ar- 
 tistic nature she seemed to realize in the beautiful 
 form before her how the Greek heroes of old 
 whom Homer loved to picture must have ap- 
 peared as they lay on the battle field before Troy. 
 Those wondrous pictures Homer gives us in the 
 Iliad, of the flower of the youth of Greece and 
 Troy, lying on the field of battle "in the stately 
 repose of death," their blood enriching in color, 
 by its crimson contrast, their marble white temples 
 and blood-stained curls of gold. So sublimely 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 323 
 
 beautiful does Homer paint the ancient youth with 
 their war-stained curls in the serene, pathetic 
 beauty of death, like some exquisite statue, about 
 which the color of life still lingers, that he fascin- 
 ates us, and almost wins us to love wounds and 
 death. And as Charlie lay there among the soft 
 folds of the white robe, with the form of a Greek 
 hero and the head of an Apollo, the red blood 
 staining like a wreath of carnation the dark curls 
 that clustered about his white brow, while so 
 serene was the expression of his face, so fine and 
 beautiful the blending of the crimson with the 
 dark hair, in the battle-stained curls, that it 
 brought no suggestion of horror or distaste to her 
 artistic nature, as she thought, so must have ap- 
 peared the greatest of the old Greek heroes, 
 Achilles, as he lay before the Scaean gate of Troy. 
 
 She was roused from her reverie by one of the 
 soldiers remarking : u That robe is the very thing. 
 He rests easily upon it. Which way shall we carry 
 him?" 
 
 u To the house yonder," she replied, bursting 
 into tears. 
 
 They carried him to the house, and up into the 
 room she had left but a short time before, and 
 laid him on the bed. Then the men departed, but 
 one of them soon returned, accompanied by a 
 surgeon. Although the surgeon was young in 
 years, he soon showed that he lacked neither skill 
 nor experience, for he quickly extracted the bullet 
 from the wounded man's arm, and ligated the sev- 
 ered artery, from which the blood was flowing. 
 He then turned his attention to the wound in 
 Landon's breast. The bullet had penetrated pain- 
 
324 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 fully near the heart, and as Bertha assisted him 
 to dress the wound he replied, in answer to her 
 eager question, "It's a very dangerous wound, 
 and he is very weak from the loss of blood. He 
 must have remained for some time in the saddle 
 after being struck by the bullets, and all the while 
 the wounds were bleeding. But while there's life 
 there's hope. But it will be several days before 
 he regains consciousness." 
 
 After he had applied a styptic to the wound and 
 dressed it, he said* "Here is a prescription; get 
 it filled, and give him some of the medicine as soon 
 as you can get him to swallow. I suppose the 
 General is your brother?" he continued. 
 
 He did not notice the blush that suffused her 
 tear-stained cheeks, for he was gazing down at 
 the wounded soldier; and without waiting for an 
 answer he continued, as an excuse for his hurry: 
 "I must leave him now. In all the battles of the 
 war in which I have been engaged, I have never 
 seen so many wounded men before. The surgeons 
 are nearly worn out. But, my little lady," he 
 added kindly, as he saw fresh tears fill her eyes, 
 "keep up a brave heart, and you may win him 
 back to health again. I will return to assist you 
 all in my power at the earliest opportunity." 
 
 When the surgeon had departed her over- 
 strung nerves could bear the tension no longer, 
 and, leaning her head upon her arms, she burst 
 into a flood of tears. And as she sobbed, she felt 
 the old love for him come back with treble its 
 former force, as she remembered the happy by- 
 gone days they had spent together. "And, oh!" 
 she thought, "if he should die, it would be the end 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 325 
 
 the dreadful end of all my happy dreams!'* 
 After weeping she felt better, for her trials and 
 sorrows seemed to become dispersed on the bright 
 wings of Hope. For physiologists tell us that 
 tears are nature's remedies, which relieve and 
 soothe the nervous system from overpowering 
 griefs and burdens. After bathing her face, she 
 went to a hospital and obtained the medicine. 
 On her return she occupied herself for some time 
 in making the poor fellow as comfortable as pos- 
 sible, with that tender care that a woman intui- 
 tively knows so well how to do. Then she sat 
 down in a chair by a window as she felt unreserv- 
 edly that it was her duty to nurse and protect him 
 during his helplessness. Her pride and way- 
 wardness had fled; she thought only of doing all 
 in her power for him, as she prayed that God 
 might give her strength to nurse him back to 
 health; and unhesitatingly would she have risked 
 her life to save his. 
 
 What a mystery and seeming contradiction yet 
 wondrous power is woman. Place her in a con- 
 servatory, foster and indulge her every whim, and 
 she becomes a thing of fancy, waywardness and 
 frivolity annoyed by a dewdrop, fretted by a 
 thorn, ready to faint at the sight of a beetle or a 
 mouse, and starting back affrighted at the dark- 
 ness. But let a dire calamity come, arouse her 
 sympathy and affection, enkindle the fires of her 
 heart, and then behold the wonderful change! 
 What a wealth of affection and strength is in her 
 heart! Transplant her in a new field, give her a 
 weakly animal or a child to protect, or, on the 
 field of battle, a wounded soldier to attend and 
 
326 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 care for; see her then lift her own white arms as 
 a shield, heedless of her once crimson cheeks, that 
 are growing pale as she wears her life away to 
 aid the helpless. Watch her in the dark places 
 of earth, as she disputes, step by step, the march 
 of disease, pestilence and death, while others, 
 seemingly stronger and braver, shrink away. Si- 
 lently, calmly, nobly she meets misfortune, faces 
 pain and danger with less timidity than she 
 formerly met an admiring gaze and ever with 
 consolation in her heart, and a blessing on her 
 lips. In the hour of triumph and splendor she ap- 
 pears a butterfly of uselessness, but let adversity 
 come, then behold her true worth a diamond of 
 the first water, freed from the dross! Thus 
 woman is a wondrous mystery, from whom radi- 
 ates the charm of the darkest places, as well as 
 the brightest spots of earth! 
 
 As Bertha sat there in the afternoon's waning 
 light, she could not help watching his handsome 
 face with admiration. And lying there, he really 
 formed a fine picture of manly beauty, his face 
 slightly turned to one side, and his head reclining 
 lightly on his arm, which was half buried in the 
 snowy pillow; his dark hair curling in a profusion 
 of ringlets over his pale brow, his cheeks plump 
 and white where not browned by exposure; his 
 dark brown moustache shading the mouth and 
 dimpled chin with the old, familiar boyish sweet- 
 ness about them she remembered so well ; the col- 
 lar of his shirt was rolled back, exposing the 
 white, round throat, which arose gracefully from 
 the firm, square shoulders, almost as plump as 
 those of a girl; his eyes were gently closed, hiding 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 327 
 
 the light in them, which she had seen so often melt 
 into softness in the presence of those he loved, or 
 glitter with daring when facing a foe; he breathed 
 lightly, and seemed to be resting easily, except 
 for an occasional twinge of the muscles of the 
 neck and shoulder, which showed that he suffered 
 pain. Altogether, viewed in the afternoon's sun- 
 light, it was a face few could look upon and not 
 admire and trust. And there came into her heart 
 an irresistible longing to possess a picture of that 
 noble face she loved so dearly, for she felt it 
 would lighten her sorrow to still retain the image 
 of his face, although he should be taken from her 
 forever. She brought the best sketching material 
 she could find, and went quietly and eagerly to 
 work, and although she had done no artistic work 
 since leaving St. Arlyle, she found she was as skill- 
 ful as ever with the pencil and brush. Seated by 
 a small table in the waning light of that sultry 
 July afternoon, with the battle raging so near that 
 the smoke and roar of the cannon rolled into the 
 room, while the concussion of the great guns 
 shook the house, she applied herself diligently in 
 making a drawing of the face she cherished so 
 dearly and feared she might lose forever. 
 
 As she drew the outlines of his face all the old 
 love welled up in her heart, and as she gazed with 
 inexpressible pity and emotion upon him, there 
 came over her a sudden irresistible impulse, and, 
 walking to the bed, she knelt by his side and 
 dropped a kiss upon his lips, as silently and lightly 
 as a dewdrop falls, as she murmured: "Oh! my 
 poor boy ! My poor boy !" 
 
 She drew back almost affrighted as her face 
 
328 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 grew crimson and hot with shame, for she thought 
 she saw his eyes partly open and his lips move. 
 But this must have been a momentary delusion, 
 caused by her agitation, for when she looked again 
 he still lay in the same unconscious state. 
 
 Thus during the afternoon, when not attending 
 to the wounded soldier , she occupied herself at 
 her drawing. Night came, and with it the close 
 of the second day of the battle, and her portrait 
 was nearly finished. 
 
 It was almost noon the next day before she was 
 able to resume her drawing. The last sounds of 
 the conflict had died away early in the morning 
 and the warm, sultry air swept into the room amid 
 a deep silence, only broken by the noise of her 
 brush or pencil on the canvas. But it was the 
 calm soon to be broken by that memorable storm 
 of destruction of the 30! of July, that through all 
 the after years of her life she never could forget. 
 
 The little clock on the shelf had almost marked 
 the hour of one, when there came a terrific roar 
 from the Confederate guns that shook the house. 
 For nearly fifteen minutes they roared away with- 
 out a reply. Then came the Federal answer, all 
 along their line, from the mouths of almost 300 
 cannon. The roar of the artillery was fearful; 
 the house shook and rocked till it seemed to her 
 like a ship in a gale ; the window panes were shat- 
 tered to fragments and the glass strewn on the 
 floor; the table before her seemed to dance, while 
 her hand seemed to beat about on the canvas. She 
 could not remain quiet, but rushed repeatedly to 
 the window and gazed out; she could see nothing 
 but the thick clouds of sulphurous smoke, amid 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 329 
 
 which flashed the flames from the cannons' 
 mouths. From the window she repeatedly went 
 to the wounded soldier's side and gazed at his 
 face, but he always lay in the same trance-like 
 sleep unconscious of it all. Thus for two hours 
 raged the terrible storm of human wrath; then 
 came a lull in the mighty cannonade. Then she 
 watched eagerly and excitedly the last desperate 
 struggle for victory between the opposing in- 
 fantry, as Pickett's Virginians charged fiercely and 
 stubbornly up the hill amid the storm of bullets 
 and balls, while the smoke hung about their partly 
 hidden ranks like banks of mist. Thus the after- 
 noon wore away, and the sun sank lower and 
 lower, till it appeared a great fiery ball in the 
 west; then she saw the Confederates fall back in 
 wild confusion, and she knew their charge had 
 failed, and that the great battle of Gettysburg was 
 ended! 
 
 She sat in silence by the window till the last 
 beams of day faded, and the flashes and reports 
 of the pickets' muskets grew less and less fre- 
 quent, till at last they became silent in the gath- 
 ering gloom; then, as the sentinel stars began to 
 fill the sky, there came into her heart a feeling of 
 sadness a feeling of impending grief and pain, 
 hanging over her like a black pall! Can it be 
 possible that in the hidden and mysterious work- 
 ings of the mind, there came to her a premonition 
 of the loss and sorrow the darkness was bringing? 
 For that night on the battle field she lost forever, 
 by a picket's random shot, one of the dearest and 
 truest friends of her girlhood, although she did 
 not learn of it until long afterward. 
 
330 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 Throughout the mighty roar of the battle and 
 for weeks after, Charlie Landon remained un- 
 conscious. For consciousness had entirely left him 
 from the moment he fell from his horse while 
 resisting at the head of his men the fierce charge 
 of the Confederate infantry. He felt the sharp 
 sting of the bullet wounds in his arm and breast, 
 but, heedless of them, he rode onward, until from 
 the loss of blood he grew suddenly faint and there 
 seemed to dart through his brain a thousand 
 flashes of light, mingled with a terrible roar, while 
 the sun grew suddenly dark, and he seemed to be 
 falling into an immense black gulf, and then con- 
 sciousness left him. The first faint revival of 
 feeling was followed by a succession of dreams 
 of the wildest imaginable sufferings. He was 
 crushed beneath the wheels of the Juggernaut car. 
 He was stretched on the bed of Procrustes, while 
 the inhuman Damaster hacked and pulled his 
 limbs asunder. He was Tantalus, in water up to 
 his chin, yet unable to quench his burning thirst. 
 He was Tityus, chained to a rock, while the vul- 
 tures were constantly gnawing at his vitals. Then 
 came a delightful change in his visions. An an- 
 gelic face hovered above him, while soft, gentle 
 hands cooled his parched lips and bathed his 
 burning brow. And oh ! how sweet and delicious 
 it all was! Then the old horrors would return, 
 but ere long the same sweet, sympathetic face 
 would float above him, and the same gentle hands, 
 with ice-cold water, would quench his burning 
 thirst and cool his aching brow. Once he thought 
 the beautiful face bent down and kissed him ten- 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 331 
 
 derly. And then he thought how much its fea- 
 tures resembled Bertha's lovely face. 
 
 At last, one day toward the close of August he 
 awoke perfectly rational. It was an exquisite 
 summer afternoon and the balmy air swept into 
 the room, laden with the redolence of tree and 
 flower, and he lay in the large, cool, airy apart- 
 ment with a delicious feeling of pleasure and rest. 
 As he turned his head on the pillow he made a 
 slight noise. Instantly a girlish figure reading 
 near the window glanced toward the bed, and then 
 glided from the room. But not before he had 
 recognized the beautiful face of Bertha, the same 
 sweet, pitying face that he had seen in all his 
 dreams. 
 
 From that day his recovery was rapid. But he 
 did not see again the face he most wished to look 
 upon with the deepest yearnings of his heart. 
 And his first inquiry when he was able to be about 
 the room was for her. They informed him that 
 she had sailed from New York for Rome, there 
 to study painting for the next two years. It was 
 a bitter disappointment to him, but he bore it 
 bravely. The first day he was able to walk about 
 the room he found lying on the table a dainty 
 blue gold-banded cap that he had often seen 
 Bertha wear. It had been presented to her by 
 the wounded soldiers of a Fredericksburg hospital 
 during their convalescence, as a tribute of their 
 gratitude for her many deeds of kindness to them. 
 He took up the cap almost reverently and placed 
 it in the breast pocket of his coat, as he thought it 
 was the last memento of the girl he still truly and 
 tenderly loved, and who in his helplessness had 
 
332 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 with her own hands guarded him from death. 
 And he felt how readily, yea, gladly, would he 
 give the life she had saved to prove his gratitude 
 and love for her. "But, alas!" he thought sadly, 
 "we may never meet again, but I shall love her 
 truly as long as life remains. May Heaven pro- 
 tect her and shower its brightest blessings on her 
 curly head!" 
 
 When he ^had gained sufficient strength he 
 joined his brigade again, and followed the for- 
 tunes of the Army of the Potomac to the close of 
 the war. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIX. 
 
 AT REST IN HEAVEN. 
 
 Virtus reqitiei nescia sordidce. 
 
 For none return from those quiet shores 
 Who cross with the boatman cold and pale ; 
 
 We hear the dip of the golden oars, 
 
 And catch a gleam of the snowy sail ; 
 And lo ! they have passed from our yearning hearts. 
 
 N. A. Priest. 
 
 It was the evening of the close of the great 
 Battle of Gettysburg; the dim twilight was fast 
 fading into night, and through the gathering mist 
 that was steadily enveloping the battle field, the 
 early stars twinkled with an uncertain light. The 
 main bodies of the great opposing armies had 
 fallen back to their camping grounds, and already 
 their camp-fires were casting shifting and fantastic 
 flashes of light and shadow on the banks of mist 
 and the adjoining trees. The advanced pickets 
 

 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 333 
 
 of the contending forces who were not more 
 than three-quarters of a mile apart kept up a 
 desultory fire at each other, as the red flashes 
 darting through the mist, followed by the whiz of 
 bullets, plainly told. 
 
 Colonel Edward Wilberton was riding along 
 the Confederate picket line, when in the gathering 
 gloom he suddenly thought he saw a familiar 
 figure near him, and, turning his horse, he rode 
 toward it. He was not mistaken, for it was his 
 wife, May, who had just arisen from dressing a 
 soldier's wound and giving him a drink of spirits. 
 As her husband approached her he cried excitedly, 
 as he heard a bullet hum past his head: 
 
 "May, for Heaven's sake, go back! This is no 
 place for you. You are recklessly risking your 
 
 "But what will become of this wounded man?" 
 asked the noble girl. 
 
 "I will send an ambulance to remove him," he 
 answered, as he sprang from his horse. And as 
 hurried toward her, he exclaimed excitedly: 
 "Hurry, May! You must not stay here! I will 
 go with you, but for my sake be quick! It is dan- 
 gerous, my darling!" 
 
 The words had scarcely left his lips when she 
 was struck full in the left breast by a bullet. But 
 before she fell he caught her in his arms as he 
 cried: "Oh, my darling!" 
 
 He pillowed her head on his breast just as the 
 warm blood spurted over her dress, staining it a 
 crimson hue. He hastily tore open the bosom of 
 her dress and endeavored to staunch the flow with 
 his handkerchief, but in vain. It poured forth, 
 
334 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 deluging the snowy breasts and crimsoning the 
 golden hair that had fallen over her shoulders. 
 
 "Oh, my darling! you are dying!" he cried in 
 agony. 
 
 "Don't feel so bad, Edward, dear," cried the 
 noble girl. "I'm in God's hands and " 
 
 Her head fell against his shoulder and the 
 words died on her lips. He placed his canteen 
 to her lips, and after a few sips she rallied, and 
 throwing her arm around his neck, rested calmly 
 in his encircling arms. For often, on the battle 
 field, the wound that is mortal is painless, and so 
 hers seemed to be, for after a moment she raised 
 her blue eyes, and looking into his face with all 
 a woman's tender trust, said: 
 
 "Don't cry, Edward. I'm not suffering. And 
 above all are God's everlasting arms." 
 
 After a moment's silence she continued: "I 
 want you to tell Bertha when you see her, that my 
 last moments were peaceful and happy. And tell 
 her to crush back her pride and to be true to her 
 own heart's love, and Heaven will bless her." 
 
 She grew rapidly weaker, as she said with a 
 struggle: "Good-bye, my boy. Don't feel so 
 bad. We've had a happy life together. It seems 
 hard to go. Yet God's will be done. I shall 
 surely meet you on the shining shore of peace. 
 Farewell!" 
 
 "Oh, my darling May," he cried, as her arm 
 tightened convulsively and passionately around 
 his neck, and her eyes eagerly sought his, with a 
 last, wild, loving glance. Then the little hand re- 
 laxed its grasp on his neck and the snowy eyelids 
 drooped forever over the sweet blue eyes. He 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 335 
 
 bent his head quickly and kissed the red lips, as 
 with her parting breath a heavenly smile flitted 
 over them, then as his head sank on her breast, 
 he felt the last throb of her heart, and he knew 
 that her rosy lips would never smile upon him 
 again, and that her sweet blue eyes would never 
 greet him more 1 
 
 The mist had melted away and the last rays of 
 twilight fell full upon her dainty, drooping form, 
 yet beautiful even in death, and seemingly clinging 
 to him just as she had clung with her last parting 
 strength, while he still clasped her form with all 
 the tenderness of his deep love! Thus solemnly 
 the last light faded and night enveloped the Penn- 
 sylvania hills and dark and gloomy it fell upon 
 him. In that long, sorrowful night that closed 
 around him, sprang forth the shadowy spectres 
 of sweet memories, hopes and affections that 
 haunted him but to remind him that they were 
 dead; yet at first he did not fully realize his loss. 
 It came upon him by degrees, with a feeling of 
 desolation like one alone on a rocky isle that 
 his first love, and that his brightest hopes, dreams 
 and wishes were shattered forever! The night 
 wore on, and the full moon shed its light over the 
 field, but still he remained, grasping the beloved 
 form, motionless, dazed and bewildered, like one 
 in a dream. The clear, silvery moonlight fell full 
 upon her form, where yet lingered the wondrous 
 beauty of her slender, rounded figure, with the 
 long, light-colored hair, the beautiful white face, 
 as finely moulded as that of a statue, the snowy 
 eyelids fringed by the long dark lashes, the fine 
 cut lips, as tenderly wreathed in a smile as if yet 
 
336 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 animated with life, the throat and shoulders 
 round and white, and the snowy breasts beauti- 
 fully carved and unmarred in their whiteness, ex- 
 cept for the small red wound, which showed where 
 the tide of life had ebbed away. Thus unchanged, 
 
 "Death lay on her like an untimely frost, 
 Upon the sweetest flower of all the field." 
 
 Long after midnight they found him, still cling- 
 ing to her dead form. They bore her body into 
 camp, and he followed, like one in a trance. The 
 next day he had her body sent away to be buried 
 in the St. Arlyle graveyard. Then with a broken 
 and bruised heart he joined his regiment again, 
 and fought through the war to the bitter end. No 
 wonder those few Southern soldiers remaining to- 
 ward the close of the war resisted so stubbornly 
 and desperately though they knew their cause was 
 hopeless, for by the loss of their homes, firesides, 
 and like Edward Wilberton those they had 
 loved as dearly as their own lives, they grew fear- 
 less and reckless, till even death itself had no 
 terrors for them ! 
 
 CHAPTER XL. 
 
 NEARING THE END. 
 
 "Night closed around the conqueror's way, 
 
 And lightning showed the distant hills, 
 Where those who lost that dreadful day 
 Stood few and faint, but fearless still." 
 
 We now come to the closing scenes of the Civil 
 War. The days of the last conflicts around Rich- 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 337 
 
 mond, on old Virginia's blood-stained soil. Gen- 
 eral Grant's immense army had been pouring, day 
 and night, for weeks, a heavy fire with mortar, 
 cannon and musket upon the Confederate lines in 
 front of Petersburg. When a Federal fell he was 
 replaced by a recruit. But when a Confederate 
 was killed his place remained vacant. Death, dis- 
 ease and desertion had so reduced Lee's army in 
 those last days in March, 1865, that he did not 
 have one man to every ten feet of fortification. 
 Starvation stared them in the face, like a hungry 
 wolf, for unbolted corn and black molasses were 
 their only rations, and even these were dealt out 
 to them in meagre quantities, while their clothing 
 was in rags, and hundreds of them were almost 
 barefooted. Grant's great army gave them no 
 rest, and men who .fought all day to save one 
 point were marched all night to be ready to save 
 another. Tired and worn out, the Confederate 
 soldiers fell asleep but to be awakened by the 
 bursting of shells in their midst, or by the fierce 
 attack of their assailants. During their last long 
 defense of Petersburg and Richmond, when it 
 must have been as apparent to all that their cause 
 was hopeless as it was to Lee himself, they strug- 
 gled on through a sea of troubles and hardships 
 with a patriotism and devotion that the world must 
 ever acknowledge was truly heroic. 
 
 Meanwhile, every day Grant's great army was 
 extending.its lines and encircling them like an im- 
 mense boa constrictor. And in the grimness of 
 despair the Confederate chieftain resolved to 
 make a daring and desperate effort to pierce the 
 
338 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 mighty Federal army that was crushing him in its 
 folds. 
 
 This daring venture was an attempt to pene- 
 trate and cut the mighty Federal army through 
 its center. The plan was to attack Fort Stead- 
 man (one of Grant's strongest and most ad- 
 vanced forts) at night, and also the three other 
 forts commanding it; then, after capturing them, 
 to push forward and fall upon the rear of the 
 National army. By thus surprising the great 
 army at night it would give the Confederates a 
 chance of success. And if the forts were cap- 
 tured the Federal army would be cut in two, and 
 thrown into confusion. 
 
 A few minutes before midnight, on the 25th 
 of March, the Confederates silently assembled at 
 their salient point, in front of the fort, to be 
 ready to rush upon it. Every man was prepared 
 and knew the work before him. The open space 
 over which they must rush could be swept by over 
 thirty Federal cannon and more than five thou- 
 sand muskets. Every detail had been planned, 
 and the last preparation was for each Confed- 
 erate to tie a white cloth around his arm, so that 
 he could be recognized by his comrades in the 
 dark. 
 
 First rushed across the open space about two 
 hundred men, armed with axes, who in five 
 minutes cut down the abatis in front of the fort. 
 Had these men attempted to cross the space by 
 daylight not one of them would have lived two 
 minutes. Following these men came the storm- 
 ing columns of infantry, who, after capturing the 
 pickets, swarmed into the fort. So surprised were 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 339 
 
 the Federals in the fort that they offered no resist- 
 ance, for when they sprang to their feet they were 
 confronted by Confederate bayonets. After cap- 
 turing the fort the attacking columns pressed for- 
 ward, but in the darkness the guides became con- 
 fused, and the men were unable to find the works 
 that commanded Fort Steadman, and with break- 
 ing of day the Confederates were compelled to 
 retreat to the captured works, and General Gor- 
 don, who had directed the assault, made prepara- 
 tions to hold the fort. 
 
 The moment daylight broke the Federal artil- 
 lerymen sighted their guns on the fort, while at the 
 same time the Confederates trained their heavy 
 guns to reply, and for over an hour a terrific ar- 
 tillery contest was maintained. Round shot, shell 
 and grape fell so rapidly into the fort that soon 
 every gun in it was silenced, and the ground inside 
 was covered with dead and wounded. But still 
 the Confederates clung to the fort, and although 
 the Federals made three charges upon it, they 
 were received with such a heavy musketry fire that 
 they were compelled to fall back. But gradually 
 the mighty Federal army drew closer and closer, 
 and finally an entire corps prepared to assault the 
 fort. There now only remained for the Confed- 
 erates in the fort either to await capture or to 
 retreat across the narrow open space, swept by 
 the National artillery and musketry. 
 
 Hundreds of Confederates attempted to escape 
 by rushing across the open space to their own 
 lines. They started singly and in numbers, but 
 however they started the result was the same; 
 they were mowed down by the storm of bullets. 
 
340 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 Men who started alone would be struck by a 
 dozen bullets. And out of squads of thirty or 
 forty who started to cross the vale of death, but 
 two or three would escape. Thus for over an 
 hour they endeavored to escape, till the open space 
 was literally covered with the dead. These re- 
 treats gradually weakened the force in the fort, 
 and it was finally carried by a Federal charge. 
 
 General Lee had staked all in this last desperate 
 venture and lost, and that night his force was 
 weaker by fifteen hundred men. The cloud that 
 had ever hung over the stormy events of the Con- 
 federacy, often growing bright in the early days 
 of the war, but to suddenly grow dark at Gettys- 
 burg, and again on the battle field of the Wilder- 
 ness, had now grown blacker and more threaten- 
 ing, till its heavy shadow told unmistakably of the 
 impending end! 
 
 In this battle fell several of St. Arlyle's men, 
 and among them Bertha lost that night one of 
 the truest and best friends of her girlhood, noble 
 Dr. Granville. In exposing himself, with his ac- 
 customed bravery wherever the cause of suffer- 
 ing humanity led, he sprang conspicuously on one 
 of the redoubts to rescue a wounded soldier. A 
 perfect storm of bullets fell around him, and it 
 was the last time many of the men ever saw his 
 stately and well-known form, for he was struck 
 full in the breast by a bullet from a sharp-shoot- 
 er's rifle, and fell mortally wounded into the 
 arms of an officer of the St. Arlyle regiment, who, 
 with the assistance of others, bore him to the rear. 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 341 
 
 They soon found a surgeon, who, after dress- 
 ing the wound, recognized in his patient a former 
 friend, whom he had not seen for years. As their 
 eyes met the former exclaimed: 
 
 u Why, it is Benjamin Granville! Do you re- 
 member me?" 
 
 "Yes, very well," replied Dr. Granville. 
 
 "I once did you a great injury, long years ago, 
 and I have been sorry for it many times since. 
 Can you forgive me?" said the surgeon. 
 
 "Yes," replied Dr. Granville, u for I forgave 
 you many years ago. You know Bacon says, 'He 
 that cannot forgive others, breaks down the 
 bridge over which he must pass himself.' And 
 one of the noblest lessons I've learned in life is 
 to forgive, and, as far as the heart can, to for- 
 get, so that through the march of years my heart 
 has grown lighter and more peaceful as I descend 
 life's rugged pathway. Thus it becomes the calm- 
 est and happiest, just before the tomb, like a 
 flower of spring time, the brightest before it 
 fades." 
 
 "What do you think of my case?" Dr. Gran- 
 ville asked suddenly. 
 
 "It is a very dangerous wound," replied the 
 old surgeon, as he shook his head sadly. 
 
 "Yes, as a surgeon, I understand it full well," 
 said Dr. Granville. "The wound is mortal. I 
 had hoped to live to see peace again. But I sub- 
 mit to a higher will than mine. It was my great- 
 est wish to see my country again at peace. For 
 I think the Republic's grandest glory is just be- 
 ginning to dawn through the vista of coming years. 
 For the brightest years and noblest are often those 
 
342 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 after emerging from the gloom of strife and care, 
 like the bright sunshine that bursts at last through 
 a stormy sky, flooding all around. And I still 
 believe a republic is the true form of government, 
 for it is based on the principles of equal rights 
 to all, equal on earth, as they will be in Heaven, 
 rewarded when they do right, punished when they 
 do wrong." 
 
 At that moment one of Dr. Granville's friends 
 approached his bed and said : 
 
 "Oh, I am so sorry your case is hopeless!" 
 
 "No, not hopeless," said the noble man, "for 
 I still have Heaven. And there is nothing so 
 sweet in life as going home to Heaven. Tired 
 with the struggles of earth, we lay down the bur- 
 den at last, for the eternal rest. For God has 
 said, 'Be thou faithful unto death and I will give 
 thee a crown of life. 1 ' 
 
 He lingered on in pain until evening, but no 
 word of complaint or moan escaped his lips, lest 
 those around him in the hospital tent less dan- 
 gerously wounded than himself should hear it and 
 feel discouraged. As the darkness closed around 
 and the "cease firing" was sounded through the 
 Federal lines, a smile stole over his face, and 
 those who were beside his bed knelt down to 
 catch his dying words. They were of the happy, 
 peaceful years passed in the little village of St. 
 Arlyle, and in his thoughts he was again in the 
 college class-room, once more instructing the stu- 
 dents, now scattered over the wide world, for, 
 stretching forth his hand, he said: "It grows 
 dark, students, you may go! But the glorious 
 light is bursting on the other shore!" Then he 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 343 
 
 turned his head wearily on the pillow, and the 
 "light of immortal beauty silently covered his 
 face," as Benjamin Granville yielded up his noble 
 and loving soul to the God who gave it. His 
 grave is in the little church yard in St. Arlyle, and 
 over it stands a marble monument, but his great- 
 est tomb is in the hearts of the men and women 
 who loved him too truly ever to need a marble 
 shaft to remind them of the noble, generous man ! 
 
 Bertha read of his death in Rome in an article 
 in an American journal entitled, "A Great Loss 
 to Science." And tears filled her eyes as she real- 
 ized that in his death she had lost another of the 
 truest and noblest friends of her girlhood's years. 
 And as she sat in the waning light by the window 
 overlooking the waters of the Tiber there arose 
 through the mist of her tears a sea of familiar 
 faces, all victims of the terrible Civil War, and 
 each intimately linked with her own life, some 
 cherished, others dearly beloved. One of them 
 was that of a dark-haired boy, who fell in the 
 early days of the war, on the picket line along 
 the Potomac River, with a bullet through his 
 brave young Irish heart. She remembered well 
 when they bore him into camp, with the night dew 
 still fresh on his young, pale face, and buried him 
 in a soldier's grave, with a wreath on his breast 
 a tribute from her own hands. 
 
 And another a man's face, who received his 
 mortal wound on the battle field of Chancellors- 
 ville; one who had been wild and wayward, and 
 at times even wicked, but who, ere his heart was 
 stilled forever, had found the perfect faith and 
 peace. 
 
344 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 And still another a sweet, girlish face, with 
 bright blue eyes and sunny hair, who died with 
 a bullet through her pure young heart, on the field 
 of Gettysburg. "Ah, my darling May," Bertha 
 murmured, u how little did I think when we 
 wandered together through the shady lanes and 
 over the green meadows of St. Arlyle, and past 
 the little church yard, that you would meet your 
 death on the field of battle, and that your final 
 resting place would so soon be there. Sweet, 
 calm and pale your face must have appeared when 
 you met the end, with kind thoughts and wishes 
 for others, even in the throes of death, like that 
 noble man's face, peaceful and calm, for he feared 
 not death. So will your faces appear on the shore 
 of the great Hereafter, if I am permitted to see 
 them there, only far nobler yet, with the halo of 
 immortal beauty around your heads !" 
 
 CHAPTER XLI. 
 
 THE DAWN OF PEACE. 
 
 O beauteous peace! 
 
 Sweet union of a state ! what else but thou 
 Gives safety, strength, and glory to a people? 
 
 Thompson. 
 
 On all human events, at some period the cur- 
 tain falls, and the play is over; so we now come 
 to the last act in the bloody drama of the great 
 Civil War. Even the Confederates knew the end 
 was coming fast. For the shadows were already 
 gathering darkly that were soon to envelope the 
 last faint ray of hope! The shattered Army of 
 
(A Village Mystery and 
 Through War to Peace) 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 345 
 
 Northern Virginia, now reduced to less than eight 
 thousand men, had fallen back to the little town 
 of Appomattox. The Confederate troops were 
 almost in a hopeless condition, their strong works 
 in front of Fredericksburg captured, their lines 
 of retreat and communication severed by their 
 being driven upon the peninsula formed by the 
 James and Appomattox rivers, while in their front 
 the great Federal army was closing upon them 
 in the form of a mighty semicircle, yet, in the 
 grimness of despair, that fragment of the once 
 proud Army of Northern Virginia, like a dying 
 lion at bay, still now and then makes the foe feel 
 the sharp sting of its claws, and still tosses its 
 royal head in defiance. 
 
 It was scarcely daylight on the morning of the 
 9th of April the day that is to decide the fate 
 of Lee's army but already the roar of the can- 
 non announces that the battle has begun. As the 
 sun mounts higher the roar of the guns grows 
 louder, and the battle becomes more and more 
 general. And as the serried ranks of the great 
 semicircle approach the Confederates, they catch 
 in the distance through the trees and underbrush 
 an occasional glimpse of Sheridan's cavalrymen as 
 they close upon the foe! But the Confederates 
 attack the cavalry savagely, and as they drive it 
 back, a cheer bursts from their ranks, but in a few 
 minutes more their exultation is changed to de- 
 spair, for they see that the cavalry is but falling 
 back upon the heavy masses of infantry and ar- 
 tillery that form the mighty semicircle that is ad- 
 vancing to envelope them like the irresistible hand 
 of Fate ! Rapidly the Federal troops dash over 
 
346 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 swamp and stream, with the wildest excitement, 
 for they know that unless the enemy can break 
 through their lines within fifteen minutes all is 
 over with the Army of Northern Virginia. As 
 the great semicircle closes about the Confederates 
 the battle rages all along the line, while the sky 
 becomes ablaze with flame as the cannons and 
 mortars hurl forth their shot and shell! 
 
 Suddenly two horsemen gallop out from the 
 Confederate line, and one of them waves a flag 
 of truce, while the other heedless of the storm 
 of bullets and balls rides rapidly across the open 
 space, and, as he gracefully salutes the Federal 
 commander, he says: 
 
 "Sir, General Longstreet desires a cessation of 
 hostilities until he can hear from General Lee, as 
 to a proposal of surrender." 
 
 Immediately the fire slackens on both sides, and 
 in a few minutes more the order is sounded along 
 the Federal line to "cease firing" and to halt. 
 The die is cast! The end has come! 
 
 A truce is agreed upon until four o'clock in the 
 afternoon. Four o'clock comes, but no word is 
 heard from either of the great commanders, and 
 there is no alternative left but to renew the battle, 
 as the order is issued along the Federal lines: 
 "Prepare to make or receive an attack in ten 
 minutes." The ten minutes elapse, and the Fed- 
 eral skirmishers are pressing forward, when sud- 
 denly comes the order to halt, and with it the in- 
 formation that Lee has surrendered. Instantly 
 the Federal lines are broken, and cheer after cheer 
 rends the air until late in the night. 
 
 Early in the afternoon of that day the 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 347 
 
 of April, 1865 an officer, accompanied by but a 
 single aid, rode out of the Confederate camp to- 
 ward the Federal lines. He was mounted on a 
 powerful gray horse, and wore a spotless gray 
 uniform, that fitted his large and finely moulded 
 figure to perfection, while on the collar of his coat 
 glittered the stars of the highest rank of the Con- 
 federate Army. There was a natural dignity and 
 modest reserve, blended with a singular, calm 
 gentleness about his every action that would win 
 from the most casual observer respect, even ad- 
 miration. His hair was as white as the driven 
 snow, his face was very pale, and there was a 
 deep expression of sadness upon it, yet blended 
 with a rare charm of sweetness and intelligence; 
 his brow, thoughtful and grave, was tinged with 
 the shadows of care and sorrow, while his bright 
 eyes lighted up his face with a singular fascina- 
 tion one could not soon forget; but that which 
 would have most attracted one's attention was the 
 calm expression of power and determination, so 
 indelibly imprinted there that it seemed nothing 
 in life could shake. Altogether it was an intel- 
 lectual face of a man of rare, magnetic, com- 
 manding power and penetrating judgment. 
 
 As he approached a Confederate outpost the 
 soldier saluted and the officer bowed with a cold 
 smile that rendered his face even more sad. 
 When he had passed one of the soldiers ex- 
 claimed: "It is General Lee, going to surrender 
 the army!" 
 
 "Yes," replied another, "and I tell you it's a 
 hard duty for him to perform." 
 
 On reaching the house where the terms of sur- 
 
348 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 render were to be arranged, General Lee and 
 his aid, Colonel Marshall, dismounted and en- 
 tered a small room in the left corner. It was an 
 old styled, double house, with a piazza extending 
 across the front, and was known as the McLean 
 house. In the small room where the interview 
 took place were gathered several officers, and 
 among them were two young men seated at a 
 table, reducing to writing the terms of the sur- 
 render of the Army of Northern Virginia to the 
 Army of the Potomac. One of the young men, 
 Colonel Marshall a great-grandson of Chief 
 Justice Marshall was acting on behalf of Gen- 
 eral Lee; the other, a man with a dusky coun- 
 tenance a grand-nephew of the celebrated In- 
 dian chief, Red Jacket was acting under Ulysses 
 S. Grant. 
 
 At a short distance apart and facing each other 
 sat two remarkable men; remarkable for having 
 been the chief actors in the great Civil War. The 
 larger and elder of the two was the more impres- 
 sive in his appearance. His face pale and mas- 
 sive seemingly with an expression of calm in- 
 difference upon it was surrounded by a mass of 
 snow white hair. There was not a spot upon his 
 bright gray uniform, and the gauntlets which he 
 wore were as white and unsullied as a lady's 
 glove. He was fully equipped with sword, belt 
 and sash. That was General R. E. Lee. The 
 other was a smaller man, with a remarkably de- 
 termined face, but on which there was now a 
 peculiar expression, like that on a man's counte- 
 nance who is endeavoring not to give pain, but 
 seems at a loss how to avoid it. In his dress he 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 349 
 
 contrasted strongly with Lee; his boots were al- 
 most covered with mud, his uniform, the coat of 
 which was minus several buttons, was splashed 
 with spots of earth, and he r/ore no sword, belt 
 or sash. Altogether, he looked like a soldier 
 who had just returned from a rough campaign. 
 That was Ulysses S. Grant, the victor. 
 
 The greeting between the two commanders, 
 though short, was courteous, even kind, and they 
 immediately proceeded to business. It was a great 
 and thrilling occasion, and wonderful memories 
 must have crowded upon those two men as they 
 sat face to face. Memories that must have 
 thrilled their hearts as their thoughts wandered 
 back to those stirring scenes during those four 
 years of Civil War, when brothers' swords were 
 wet with brothers' blood, and in which they had 
 been the leading actors on the opposing sides. 
 And now at last the end had come, and they had 
 met together to sheath their swords in peace and 
 drop the curtain forever on one of the most re- 
 markable and bloody dramas of the Nineteenth 
 Century! 
 
 In that little room there fell a death-like silence, 
 broken only by the scratch of the secretaries' pens 
 upon the paper, for all felt the overpowering in- 
 fluence of the great scene they were witnessing. 
 The silence was so deep and continuous that at 
 last it became embarrassing, and, to break the 
 spell, General Grant said, apologetically, as he 
 noticed the fully equipped and faultless appear- 
 ance of Lee, contrasting vividly with his own neg- 
 ligent dress and absence of arms: 
 
 "General Lee, I have no sword; I have been 
 
350 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 riding all night. I do not always carry a sword, 
 because a sword is sometimes a very inconvenient 
 thing." 
 
 Lee made no reply, but in a formal, almost 
 haughty manner, bowed with a grace and pride 
 that after all became him so well. Again the si- 
 lence fell, seemingly deeper and more embarrass- 
 ing than before. When again, to relieve the 
 awkwardness of the occasion, General Grant 
 asked : 
 
 "General Lee, what became of the white horse 
 you rode in Mexico? He might not be dead yet; 
 he was not so old." 
 
 Lee bowed in the same formal manner, as he 
 replied : 
 
 "I left him at the White House on the Pamunky 
 River, and I have not seen him since." 
 
 At last the secretaries had reduced to writing 
 the terms of the surrender, when the two com- 
 manders signed the instruments, after which there 
 was a whispered conversation between Grant and 
 Lee, which no one else but the two great chieftains 
 heard. Then General Lee arose in that stately 
 pride that seemed a part of the man, and bowed 
 separately to each officer on the Federal side. 
 Then, turning, he left the room, and striding down 
 the garden in front of the house, bestrode the gray 
 horse that had carried him through all the Vir- 
 ginia campaigns, and rode away. 
 
 When Lee had left the room Grant called his 
 officers about him and then they learned the im- 
 port of the whispered conversation, as the Federal 
 chieftain said: 
 
 "General Lee's army is on the point of starva- 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 351 
 
 tion, and we must assist them all we can. You," 
 he said, naming an officer, "go to the Fifth Corps, 
 and you to the Twenty-fourth," thus naming every 
 corps, "and ask every man who has three rations 
 to turn over two to the Confederates. Go to the 
 commissaries and the quartermasters and tell 
 them to send all the food they can spare." 
 
 The orders were quickly obeyed, and before 
 night 25,000 rations were carried to the Army of 
 Northern Virginia. 
 
 As General Lee rode slowly back in silence 
 there gradually mingled with the deep sadness on 
 his face a far-away expression, as if his thoughts 
 were wandering to other scenes in that bloody 
 drama, in which he had acted such a prominent 
 part, and no words can express the humiliation 
 that proud nature must have felt, as he met face 
 to face the bitter end of all his hopes. 
 
 When early in the afternoon Lee had been seen 
 riding toward the McLean house the rumor of 
 the surrender flew rapidly through the Confeder- 
 ate camp. And when, about 3 o'clock in the after- 
 noon, he was seen slowly and thoughtfully riding 
 back, it was known that the terms of surrender 
 had been completed. Reaching his headquarters 
 he called his officers about him and explained to 
 them the terms of the surrender. On hearing 
 them they expressed their entire satisfaction at 
 his course. The lines of battle, which had been 
 drawn up awaiting a possible renewal of the con- 
 flict, were then broken, and eagerly the men 
 crowded around their chief to clasp his hand. It 
 was a touching scene as they crowded around their 
 old commander under whom they had fought on 
 
352 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 many a bloody field for four long years and ex- 
 pressed their love and confidence in him still. 
 Many of their eyes were moist as they shook his 
 hand and felt they were parting forever from 
 their beloved chieftain. Sad, indeed, it was for 
 those proud men to hear that they could do no 
 more, but furl their colors forever and go back 
 to their shattered homes again; but in their simple 
 words and actions there was something grand and 
 noble, and their commander felt that there was 
 no need of words of explanation, or vain regrets 
 to such heroic men, as he said simply, while over 
 his face came almost a womanly tenderness: 
 
 u Men, we have fought through the war to- 
 gether, and I have done the best I could for you." 
 
 On the 1 2th of April the Army of Northern 
 Virginia had its last review, and as early as five 
 o'clock on that morning a Federal division, under 
 General Chamberlain, was formed in line of battle 
 to receive the surrender of the arms and colors of 
 the Confederates. The Federal line was nearly 
 a mile in length, extending from the river bank 
 along the streets of the village, almost to the court 
 house. As they stood there they saw, through 
 the morning mist, the Confederates breaking 
 camp, and then slowly and reluctantly forming 
 ranks for the last time. Then the Southern men 
 wheeled into column of march and moved for- 
 ward, with their battle flags, the stars and bars, 
 flying. First came General Gordon, with Stone- 
 wall Jackson's corps, then Longstreet's corps, 
 commanded by Heath. As the head of the Con- 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 353 
 
 federate column arrived opposite the Federal right 
 the bugle sounded, and the National troops pre- 
 sented arms, while their officers saluted. The 
 Confederate commander, General Gordon, notic- 
 ing this courteous recognition, also brought his 
 men to a present and saluted with his sword. Then 
 the Confederates wheeled into line of battle, and 
 the two former contending armies stood facing 
 each other in peace for the first time and the last! 
 
 Amid not the sound of a trumpet, nor the roll 
 of a drum, but in a stillness as if the dead were 
 passing there, the Southern soldiers stepped for- 
 ward in squads and stacked their arms and took 
 off their cartridge boxes and placed them in heaps. 
 And last of all, they furled their battle flags, and 
 as they laid them in the dust the colors' they had 
 risked their lives so often to defend they knelt 
 down and kissed them, while their eyes filled with 
 burning tears. It was a touching scene, and many 
 a heart was full, even on the Federal side. Then 
 only the stars and stripes waved over the field. 
 Thus throughout the day the men of division after 
 division marched forward and surrendered their 
 arms, then after they had given their word of 
 honor never to take up arms against their country 
 again, they were set at liberty. Meanwhile, dur- 
 ing that entire day not a cheer, not a taunt, not 
 even a whispered boast of vain glory escaped from 
 a single Federal soldier. For there came over the 
 victors a tender feeling of almost brotherly friend- 
 ship for their former foes, as they felt they were 
 fellow soldiers and fellow countrymen at last! 
 
 In this last closing scene General Grant was not 
 present, and with a tenderness that will ever be 
 
354 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 remembered by those vanquished men, he spared 
 everything in his power that would wound their 
 feelings, or that tended to imply the humiliation 
 of a conquered foe. But, on the contrary, he re- 
 ceived the surrender of the Southern men with a 
 kind recognition that they were soon to be friends 
 and countrymen again. Nor did General Grant's 
 magnanimity end here, for he insisted that the 
 private property of the Confederates should be 
 respected, though the public property of the South- 
 ern army should be surrendered. And when asked 
 if they should surrender their horses, he answered, 
 "No, tell them to keep them ! they will need them 
 to plow their farms." 
 
 The Confederates, after having surrendered 
 their arms and accoutrements, and taking the oath 
 of allegiance, were allowed to roam at will. Then 
 followed a remarkable scene, rarely, if ever, wit- 
 nessed in the world's history before, victor and 
 vanquished mingled in one great fraternal friend- 
 ship, while the Federals divided with them their 
 food, tobacco, etc. It was truly a wonderful scene 
 of forgiving and forgetting. 
 
 There was one knot of soldiers collected near 
 the right of the field, who would have especially 
 attracted one's attention by their unusual jollity 
 and good fellowship. And it needed but a single 
 glance of the beholder to tell that they were 
 former members of the Vandal club. Some were 
 in blue uniforms, others in gray, but national dif- 
 ferences had no effect on their hilarity and friend- 
 ship. In their midst stood Tom Gleaton, dis- 
 tributing the food in his knapsack, and at the same 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 355 
 
 time discussing the edible qualities of sawdust 
 pudding. 
 
 "Well," said a Vandal in gray, in answer to a 
 question from Gleaton, "you know for the last 
 two months we've been pretty hard up for food, 
 in fact, we haven't had any at all. And the pangs 
 of starvation have a very trying effect on a fel- 
 low's ingenuity, so when we came to an old saw 
 mill, we resolved to make some sawdust pudding. 
 We got some sawdust, stirred it up with water, 
 put in some sugar, and baked it over a camp fire." 
 
 "Well, how did it eat?" asked Gleaton. 
 
 "It was a pretty tough dose. Little better than 
 leather soup, but still it was better than nothing!" 
 
 At this moment the little group was joined by 
 General Landon, who, after he had shaken hands 
 with the Vandals in gray, distributed the food in 
 his small bag among them, which was eagerly de- 
 voured. 
 
 "But," said Landon, in answer to their com- 
 plaints, "didn't you have any meat?" 
 
 "Oh, once in a while we killed a mule, and I 
 tell you it is wonderful how such small bits of 
 meat stood so much chewing!" 
 
 At this juncture the men in gray were joined 
 by a terrible hungry-looking African, who, at- 
 tracted by General Landon's bright shoulder 
 straps, poked a Vandal in the back and whispered 
 in his ear: 
 
 "Ax de General if he has food of any descrip- 
 tion 'bout his pusson." 
 
 "Hush up, Sambo," replied the Vandal, "do 
 you think the General's a traveling cook-shop?" 
 
356 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 "But he mought have a little extra bacon?" sug- 
 gested the darkey. 
 
 u Hush up," said another Vandal, "you're al- 
 ways hungry." 
 
 The negro's pantomimic motions had not 
 escaped Gleaton's observation, who said to Lan- 
 don, "he's a terrible hungry looking African. The 
 personification of starvation. I can tell by the 
 drop of his under jaw." 
 
 "How about the size of his mouth?" suggested 
 Landon. 
 
 "A fine opening for provisions." 
 
 General Landon had sent for a quantity of 
 food, which now arrived, and the negro eagerly 
 stepped forward to participate in the feast. 
 
 "Hold on," said Landon, with a merry twinkle 
 in his eye, "you're an enemy, and it's against the 
 laws of war to feed an enemy." 
 
 "I wuz, Massa General, but golly, Fze loyal 
 'nough now." 
 
 "Well, then, we'll have to feed you." 
 
 And soon the negro was devouring the food 
 with great gusto, as he rolled the whites of his 
 eyes about. 
 
 A Vandal in gray was cutting the rind off some 
 bacon, when a pompous officer of the commissary 
 general's staff, passing, exclaimed: "Young man, 
 it has been customary heretofore to eat bacon rind 
 and all." 
 
 "All right, old man," replied the Vandal, amid 
 a roar of laughter, "I'm cutting it off for you!" 
 
 After the Vandals in blue and gray had shaken 
 hands all around they parted with the best of feel- 
 ings toward each other, as Gleaton said, "Now 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 357 
 
 we'll forgive past animosities, and sheath the 
 sword, bury the hatchet, close the temple of Janus, 
 furl the battle flag, smooth grim visaged war's 
 wrinkled front, extend the olive branch " 
 
 "And," added Landon, "smoke the calumet of 
 peace." 
 
 "Thank you for the suggestion," replied Glea- 
 ton, "and if any of you don't happen to have a 
 calumet about your person, a clay pipe will answer 
 all practical purposes just as well." 
 
 "Here she is," said a Vandal, pulling out a 
 short, black pipe. 
 
 Leaving the St. Arlyle group General Landon 
 walked down the Confederate line, eagerly scan- 
 ning every knot of men in gray. At last his face 
 lighted up with an unusual interest as he caught 
 sight of Ned Wilberton, the object of his search, 
 and hurried toward him. As the two friends met 
 for the first time since the commencement of the 
 war they clasped hands in silence, with hearts too 
 full for words. Landon was the first to break 
 the silence, as he said sympathetically: 
 
 "This is a sad ending for you, my dear fellow! 
 And I am sincerely sorry for you, but perhaps it 
 is for the best." 
 
 "I hope so," said Wilberton sadly. "But I can't 
 say so yet. But I hope some time, with God's 
 help, to be able to do so. But my heart is too 
 full of sorrow, and, I'm afraid, of bitterness also, 
 to say so now. Yet I know it is the duty of a sol- 
 dier and of a true man to bear no enmity against 
 his former foe. Yet you know all it has cost me; 
 more than my country, the life of her I held 
 dearer than my heart's blood. But I know it 
 
358 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 would be her wish, if she were living, to speed 
 the day of peace and friendship between the 
 North and South, and so, with God's help, I shall 
 try and fulfill her wish, on my humble part." 
 
 "Heaven bless you," said Landon, u and help 
 you to bear your trials and afflictions. I know her 
 death was a terrible blow to you, for she was as 
 noble a girl as ever lived!" 
 
 After a short conversation the two friends 
 parted, with hearts too full to longer trust them- 
 selves in each other's presence. 
 
 As General Landon walked onward he came to 
 a clump of bushes in which a number of soldiers 
 were collected. And there he saw one of the most 
 touching sights in its very pathetic sweetness 
 of all the sad scenes of war the dead form of a 
 little drummer boy of wondrous beauty. He was 
 dressed in a full blue uniform, and as he lay he 
 appeared like a dethroned statue of an Apollo. 
 His face was as beautiful as a god's and as fair 
 and delicate as that of a girl; his right arm 
 grasped his drum and his left rested gently across 
 his breast. He seemed rather as if sleeping than 
 dead. Kneeling beside him was another little 
 drummer boy in gray no larger than the other 
 endeavoring to pour water from a canteen 
 between the white, cold lips, but his efforts were 
 vain, for the little fellow had been dead for an 
 hour or more. 
 
 It was a wonderfully affecting scene in its pure, 
 tender pathos, and grim old warriors' eyes were 
 wet, that had not been moist before for years. 
 
 After gazing in silence for several moments at 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 359 
 
 the touching scene, General Landon said, as his 
 voice grew husky with emotion : 
 
 "It is a sad sight, yet a beautiful omen of the 
 lasting peace of the Republic, for it portends that 
 the rising generation are forgiving and forget- 
 ting, ere the sounds of the conflict have died 
 
 away." 
 
 Then as Landon stepped forward and gently 
 raised the little Confederate in his arms, he said 
 tenderly: 
 
 "My little fellow, you can do no more for him. 
 He is dead I" 
 
 "Dead !" said the little drummer, as tears rolled 
 down his cheeks. "Dead! Will he never wake 
 again?" 
 
 "No, my child," replied Landon almost brok- 
 enly. Then the little fellow released himself from 
 the young officer's grasp, and kneeling down by 
 the dead boy, kissed him as he said in his childish 
 simplicity and faith: "Good-bye! God will take 
 care of you now!" Then General Landon bore 
 him away from the sorrowful scene. 
 
 The next day they rolled the little form in a 
 blanket and buried it beneath a willow, with a 
 cross above the grave on which was carved the 
 single word: "Harry." 
 
 On the morrow came the parting between the 
 men of the former contending armies, and it was 
 almost with a fraternal friendship that they bade 
 each other farewell, for whoever began the war, 
 and whatever their past differences might have 
 been, they had fought the great battles together, 
 and now they were fellow soldiers together at 
 last! 
 
360 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 Singly, in groups, on horseback and on foot, the 
 Confederates left for their far-away homes, and 
 the great Federal army was left supreme and 
 alone. Then the Army of the Potomac faces 
 northward and receives its last orders before it 
 begins its homeward march. As one of the ad- 
 jutant-generals' assistants reads them he finishes 
 with the following words: 
 
 "You will no longer be required to use the 
 small tents, commonly called dog-tents (tents used 
 in rapid marching) , but you will be furnished with 
 larger and better tents." 
 
 "Ah ! that means, 1 ' said Colonel Gleaton, point- 
 ing to the dog-tents with his sword, u that we're 
 through with them to all intents and purp-housesf" 
 
 There was a burst of laughter from the men, 
 while the officers shouted, "Silence in the ranks," 
 though their own faces were wreathed in smiles. 
 
 Then the Federal army commenced its long 
 march homeward. And it was dull and spiritless 
 to those old soldiers to plod wearily along, without 
 skirmishers ahead, and when they entered a valley 
 to find no battery firing upon them from the 
 heights beyond, but to feel they were a great army 
 fully equipped for war, but without a foe. 
 
 Thus separated the two armies after four years 
 of strife, and the men who met as foes parted at 
 last as friends ! They had learned to know each 
 other better, and to love each other more, though 
 the acquaintance had begun and ended on the 
 blood-stained field of strife! 
 
 And now at last, through the dark, storm-lit 
 clouds of war, were bursting the sweet beams of 
 peace, like an angel of mercy heralding the happy 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 361 
 
 sunshine of future years; while from the homes in 
 every part of the broad Republic were going up 
 prayers of thanks that the scenes of blood and 
 death were nearly over! 
 
 CHAPTER XLII. 
 
 THE LAST REVIEW OF THE ARMY OF THE POTOMAC. 
 
 "Bring out the flags before us, 
 
 Unfurl them one by one ; 
 Ere laid in solemn silence, 
 
 Away from sight and sun. 
 With name and date of service, 
 
 So men to come may read 
 How sped the loyal forces, 
 
 When brave hearts took the lead." 
 
 The clear, silvery sunshine of the 23d of May, 
 1865, was sweeping over Washington City, bath- 
 ing the huge capitol with a crowning splendor 
 from its massive columns of dazzling whiteness 
 to the very summit of the immense dome that 
 rested majestically on its massive stone base like 
 some giant monarch on his throne. 
 
 It was a day memorable for one of the great 
 events in the closing scenes of the war the last 
 review and march of the Army of the Potomac. 
 
 Upon the broad expanse of Pennsylvania Ave- 
 nue was drawn up in line the immense Army of 
 the Potomac, numbering over 85,000 soldiers. It 
 was the greatest display of martial strength the 
 capital of the nation had ever yet witnessed, but 
 as the morning sunbeams flashed on the gleaming 
 arms of the long lines of men in blue, they fell 
 
362 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 for the last time on that proud army, for now its 
 .work was through. 
 
 Early in the day there was a slight commotion 
 among those veteran soldiers, then the bugle 
 sounded and the Army of the Potomac wheeled 
 into column of march, and with General Mead 
 riding proudly at its head, filed in long and stately 
 array through the streets of Washington City, 
 from the capitol past the presidential mansion. 
 Upon a platform erected in front of the White 
 House stood President Andrew Johnson, and by 
 his side stood General Grant, the commander of 
 the armies of the United States. Around these 
 two central figures were grouped the judges of 
 the Supreme Court and the various officers of 
 state. 
 
 Along the line of march immense crowds gazed 
 upon the war-worn soldiers from every sidewalk, 
 window, door-way and available house-top. Be- 
 sides the thousands who had congregated through 
 curiosity were hundreds of men, women and chil- 
 dren who had flocked to Washington City with 
 beating hearts, to welcome back from the army 
 brothers, husbands, sons and fathers they had not 
 seen for years. And as they caught sight from 
 the windows or sidewalks of the loved ones, the 
 wild cries of delight and fluttering of handker- 
 chiefs announced the fact, while the answering 
 cheers from the ranks told that the joy was mu- 
 tual. 
 
 No wonder those brave men's steps were light 
 and their hearts were gay as they realized it was 
 their last march! What words they were to them. 
 They meant no more terrible marches under a hot 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 363 
 
 southern sun, carrying heavy knapsacks. They 
 meant farewell to tent and field and weary nights 
 of picket duty. They meant an end to fields of 
 blood and death, with the dangers of war leaving 
 them crippled or dead. But, best of all, they 
 meant a speedy reunion around the old hearth- 
 stones of home, amongst those they loved so 
 dearly and tenderly. 
 
 Near the middle of the long column rode Gen- 
 eral Charlie Landon, at the head of his division, 
 and at the rear of it came the St. Arlyle regiment, 
 with Colonel Gleaton riding proudly at its head. 
 Gleaton's explanation of the regiment being in 
 the extreme rear was that it was not because the 
 regiment was of the least importance, but, like 
 the good things at a banquet, the best always came 
 last. 
 
 As the regiment was passing a street corner a 
 delegation from St. Arlyle, who had come to wel- 
 come back their soldier-boys, caught sight of them 
 and instantly broke into cheer after cheer. So 
 wild was their enthusiasm that even Gleaton for 
 several moments was so overcome by the sight 
 of their joyous faces and their wild huzzas that he 
 could only wave his hat. The situation had be- 
 come trying, when a soldier and whilom member 
 of the Vandal club came to the rescue by slightly 
 changing the old rallying cry on the battle field of 
 Gettysburg: "We've come here to stay," to the 
 words: 
 
 "We're going home to stay!" Instantly the 
 cry rang along the ranks : 
 
 "We're going home to stay!" "We're going 
 home to stay!" 
 
364 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 By this time Gleaton had regained his com- 
 posure, as he remarked: 
 
 "Yes, Othello's occupation's gone. So we'll 
 beat our swords into plowshares, and our spears 
 into pruning hooks, and go home to stay!" 
 
 At this juncture the regimental band struck up 
 the strains of "Pat Malloy," and immediately the 
 whilom Vandals in the ranks began singing over 
 and over again the familiar lines: 
 
 "But now I'm going home again, as poor as I began, 
 To make a happy girl of Moll, and sure I think I can." 
 
 But instead of "Moll" they substituted various 
 other girls' names, such as Belle, Nell, Em, etc. 
 Perhaps these were the names of the sweethearts 
 they had left behind them, but we will not try 
 to pry into their private affairs. 
 
 At the end of the march the Army of the Poto- 
 mac was drawn up in line once more, and the 
 bands struck up their farewell strains, one near 
 the center of the line playing the tune of "Roslyn 
 Castle," the old air that had disbanded the Con- 
 tinental army at Newburg, more than eighty years 
 before. And as the final strains floated on the 
 air the men broke ranks for the last time, and the 
 great Army of the Potomac disappeared from 
 view forever; though its memory will ever live in 
 the hearts and affections of the country, its sol- 
 diers fought so bravely to preserve. 
 
 As they heard the order to break ranks for the 
 last time, and knew their toils and dangers were 
 through, and felt that home and friends were 
 near, it was a wonderful sight to see how dif- 
 ferently these strong men expressed their delight. 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 365 
 
 Thousands broke into wild cheers, while some 
 were too overcome with happiness to speak, and 
 stood like statues, as their eyes filled with joyous 
 tears as they felt they were near the realization 
 of their greatest hopes and dreams ! 
 
 A colonel when he heard the order sprang into 
 the air, struck his heels together and turned a 
 complete somersault. And as he regained his 
 feet he shouted: "Hurrah for Peace! I never 
 loved you half as well as now!" 
 
 A large captain sprang forward, clasped his 
 wife who had come to meet him in his arms, 
 and as he lifted her off her feet and kissed her a 
 dozen times or more, cried: "Emily, you've 
 either grown smaller or else my heart has grown 
 bigger. I feel it's big enough to envelope a 
 Colossus of Rhodes!" 
 
 "But," said Gleaton, who was standing behind 
 him, "a pyramid, or perhaps old snowy-peaked 
 Mount Blanc, might cool his ardor!" 
 
 A soldier had been standing calmly in the ranks, 
 but when he heard the order to break ranks his 
 face lit up with an unusual brightness as he ex- 
 claimed, aptly and tersely, even above the tumult: 
 
 "Great Heavens! Those are the words I've 
 been listening for, for the last four years. They 
 mean wife, home and children!" 
 
 What a world of meaning there was in that sol- 
 dier's simple words. It was the order the whole 
 army had been hoping for after many a long cam- 
 paign, and after many a desperate battle. In fact, 
 it was the order for which the entire nation of 
 heart-sickened people was praying and longing. 
 
 But with the joys of Peace came the sad fare- 
 
366 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 wells between comrades forever. Comrades who 
 for weary years had shared their common meals 
 and tents together, or marched side by side 
 through many a long campaign, or stood shoulder 
 to shoulder on many a bloody field, or nursed and 
 encouraged each other through sickness and 
 wounds, till they were endeared to each other by 
 almost family ties ! 
 
 Then also came the soldiers' last tender part- 
 ing from their commanders, the officers who had 
 led them with noble example and encouragement 
 while sharing their common dangers and suffer- 
 ings, too. Between none of the officers and the 
 men was the parting more tender and sincere than 
 between Charlie and the soldiers of his division. 
 For there was a boyish frankness and generous 
 good-heartedness about him that held a peculiar 
 magnetism that very rarely failed to win its way 
 to others' hearts. This, added to his dashing gal- 
 lantry, his handsome face and fine commanding 
 figure, and his brilliant flashes of conversation, 
 showing his great depth of learning, and the easy, 
 light and ingenuous way he had of imparting it, 
 that won the attention and confidence of those 
 about him, and above all, the sweet, tender ex- 
 pression that filled his eyes when his sympathies 
 were aroused for a wounded soldier, or their dar- 
 ing glitter when facing a foe, that threw a charm 
 about him few could resist. 
 
 At last the parting words were said, and the 
 men scattered over the country to find rest in 
 happy homes, surrounded by wife and children, 
 or those they loved the best. And in the joys of 
 peace and home old comrades were forgotten and 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 367 
 
 forever separated, except to meet by chance now 
 and then as they talked over the thrilling scenes 
 they had passed through together. What a world 
 of meaning there is in the word home ! It means 
 more than the house we inhabit; it means those 
 we love the dearest and the best! And over 
 Charlie Landon there came a feeling of sadness, 
 as he felt he had no home in the truest sense of 
 the word; for she he loved dearer than life was 
 separated from him, perhaps forever. So in his 
 grim despair he took charge of a geological ex- 
 pedition, to explore for six months in South 
 America, in hopes that amid the new life his heart 
 would lose some of the weary pain that was ever 
 gnawing at it, for he felt he never could forget 
 or control his love for her. 
 
 The next day after the review of the Army of 
 the Potomac, General Sherman rode proudly 
 through Washington City at the head of 150,000 
 sunburned and toil-worn soldiers, who had just 
 returned from that long, remarkable march from 
 Atlanta to the sea. And that day they broke 
 ranks forever, and ere sunset that mighty army 
 was only a thing of the past. And now again 
 the stars and stripes floated in peace over the Re- 
 public, from its northern boundry to its extreme 
 southern line. And may Heaven speed the day 
 when time has calmed the sorrows and benumbed 
 the bitterness and regrets, and the heart is touched 
 and softened by that tranquil and beautiful feel- 
 ing, the memory of the dead those brave sol- 
 diers in blue and gray, who fought for what the} 
 deemed the right that feeling that arouses the 
 better thoughts of our nature by the winning 
 
368 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 charm of sweet, pure sympathy, linked by the 
 silver chord of memory and the golden chain of 
 love to the everlasting world of peace; as if our 
 souls had joined in mystic intercourse with the 
 spirits of those across the waves of time? 
 
 Thus when the years have fallen, silent, calm 
 and still like the sunlight floods the globe with 
 an impartial touch on all, then will the laurels of 
 victory have intertwined with the bliss of peace 
 and love ! 
 
 CHAPTER XLIII. 
 
 SAD AND SWEET MEMORIES. 
 
 Friends my soul with joy remembers! 
 
 How like quivering flames they start, 
 When I fan the living embers 
 
 On the hearthstone of my heart. 
 
 Longfellow. 
 
 Slowly the train was moving out of Rome on 
 a beautiful afternoon in early June, as Bertha sat 
 at an open car window on her way to her native 
 land. The golden summer sunlight was floating 
 over the Eternal City in all its splendor, mingling 
 with the clear, balmy Italian air, and as the train 
 wound through the city, she caught last views of 
 the rare old ruins and structures of ancient Rome 
 as they lay slumbering in the clear, warm air, 
 while there thronged before her mental vision 
 scenes from their wondrous history when Rome 
 was the capital of the world. There before her 
 view stood the gigantic Colosseum, within whose 
 walls for ages were enacted brutal sports for the 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 369 
 
 amusement of the Roman populace. Its huge in- 
 terior, once capable of holding 80,000 people, and 
 its massive walls, once towering high into the air, 
 but now nearly half in ruins, yet amid the debris 
 on the. floor can still be found the bronze ring to 
 which Christian martyrs and other captives were 
 chained, while beneath the partly ruined specta- 
 tors' galleries are still to be seen the vast ranges 
 of cells where the wild beasts panthers, tigers, 
 leopards and lions were kept that tore and man- 
 gled the human captives in mortal combat, while 
 the multitude looked on and applauded. 
 
 "But," she thought, "what a change Christian- 
 ity has produced ! For there, where the dome of 
 St. Peter's Cathedral looms high in the sky, were 
 the gardens of Nero the most cruel of all the 
 Roman tyrants. It was there during his reign that 
 the silent obelisks in the square before the cathe- 
 dral witnessed the awful sights of human suffer- 
 ing. For it was there on summer nights that gay 
 crowds with the cruel Emperor among them 
 gathered to watch the ghastly human torches 
 blacken the ground with pitch, while in each was 
 a Christian martyr in his mantle of fire ! And in 
 the Colosseum near by, immense crowds were 
 watching the purest of Christian men and women 
 torn to pieces by wild beasts. No wonder, then, 
 this gay capital bathed as it was in human blood 
 met at last a terrible fate at the hand of the 
 barbarian!" 
 
 Out of Rome the train wound slowly north- 
 ward, through the Campagna, brilliant with the 
 array of scarlet and yellow flowers, toward Flor- 
 ence, a hundred and fifty miles distant. And as 
 
370 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 she gazed from the car windows it was a beau- 
 tiful and entrancing sight that unfolded before 
 her view, for this was Tuscany, the ancient 
 Etruria of wondrous history. She catches 
 glimpses of mountain heights, of cool, shady ra- 
 vines, then of quaint old walled towns, slumber- 
 ing in the dreamy, balmy Italian air. And there 
 arises before her mind as if by magic, visions of 
 that glorious past recorded on the glowing pages 
 of Arnold, Gibbon and Sesmondi. And farther 
 back yet her imagination wanders, ere Rome's 
 regal and imperial glory was born, and while yet 
 the lance and shield of the Middle Ages had more 
 than two thousand years to wait, when the Etrus- 
 can commonwealth of twelve fair cities formed a 
 confederacy that required all the early strength 
 of Rome to subdue. And as the train whirls 
 along there passes like a panorama the ruins of 
 these cities of bygone glories and the tombs of 
 Porsena and Lucomo and the other heroes of 
 that departed age, sleeping unconscious of the 
 two thousand years and more of history that has 
 since elapsed. 
 
 And again her thoughts sweep over those later 
 years, when Tuscany was bathed in blood, suc- 
 cessively by the Roman rulers, the Gothic con- 
 querors, and the Prankish and the German war- 
 riors, but on whose gallant deeds the curtain of 
 the past has fallen forever. Thus under the ef- 
 fects of the warm, balmy air a dreamy languor 
 has stolen over her, when suddenly she was 
 aroused from her reverie just as the train was 
 leaving a little sleepy Italian station, by a gentle 
 tap on the shoulder. Instantly her thoughts, 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 371 
 
 which had floated far away into time and space, 
 were brought back to the consciousness of the 
 present. 
 
 Bertha looked up, and with a start of surprise 
 she saw Colonel Edward Wilberton standing by 
 her side. Over her lovely face there came an ex- 
 pression of pleasure, mingled with sadness as she 
 thought, "now I shall hear of poor, dear May's 
 death, and" with a slight blush "of Charlie 
 Landon, too." 
 
 After they had exchanged a few words of greet- 
 ing, he seated himself by her side in silence. For 
 over the minds of each rolled a flood of memories 
 of those stirring bygone years sad and tender 
 thoughts that seemed almost too deep for words. 
 
 At last Bertha with a woman's gentleness and 
 tact broke the silence with a commonplace ques- 
 tion and quickly and skillfully led to the subjects 
 nearest her heart. 
 
 "How long have you been in Italy?" she asked. 
 
 "About two months," he replied. "Are you 
 going to Florence?" 
 
 "Yes," she answered, "on my way home to 
 America. For I shall ever consider it home, for 
 around it cling the dearest and sweetest memories 
 of all!" 
 
 "It will also," he said, "be home to me, though 
 I fought against its flag. But it cost me dearly; 
 all that I loved tenderest in this world. And my 
 severe chastening, I think, has gone far toward 
 atoning for my willfulness. And though my heart 
 at first was filled with a bitter desire for revenge, 
 time has calmed and mollified it, and my wishes 
 now are for the welfare of the whole country. 
 
372 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 For I feel it holds the grave of her I loved better 
 than all the world beside. My noble, true-hearted 
 May." 
 
 "Sweet, gentle May!" exclaimed Bertha, as her 
 dark eyes grew moist. "It seems so cruel that 
 war's rude hand should have claimed her as one 
 of its victims. She, whose every thought was one 
 of love for others, and whose every deed seemed 
 an act of kindness for those around her. But I'm 
 sure her faith, like her life, was perfect to the 
 last!" 
 
 "Indeed it was. And her last wishes, like the 
 acts and thoughts of her life, were for the welfare 
 of those she loved. For even the approach of 
 Death's cold, icy hand could not still her loving 
 heart, till it had ceased to beat!" 
 
 "She was mortally wounded at Gettysburg?" 
 said Bertha, as her beautiful dark eyes grew wet 
 with tears. 
 
 "Yes," he replied, as over his face came an al- 
 most womanly tenderness, mingled with sadness. 
 He then gave a graphic description of May's 
 tragic death. 
 
 "But," he continued, "before her noble, loving 
 heart was stilled forever, she said: 
 
 " 'Tell Bertha, when you see her, that my last 
 moments were calm and happy. And tell her to 
 crush her pride, and be true to her own heart and 
 Heaven will bless her.* ' 
 
 "God bless her," said Bertha, "if He can, more 
 than He already does in her happy home in 
 Heaven," she continued, as the tears filled her 
 dark eyes and fell upon the fragrant blossoms on 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 373 
 
 her bosom, while there came a wonderful tender- 
 ness over her lovely face. 
 
 "May grew rapidly weaker," Wilberton con- 
 tinued, u as she said with a strong effort: 'Good- 
 bye, Ned! Don't cry! We've had a happy life 
 together. It seems hard to go, yet God's will be 
 done. But I shall meet you on the shining shore 
 of Peace!' 
 
 "Then her arm tightened convulsively and pas- 
 sionately around my neck, and her sweet blue eyes 
 sought mine with a last, wild, loving glance! 
 Then the little hand relaxed its hold on my neck, 
 and the eyelids drooped heavily forever over the 
 sweet blue eyes! I bent my head quickly and 
 kissed her lips, as with her parting breath 'the 
 light of immortal beauty silently covered her face. 1 
 Then as my head sank upon her breast I heard 
 the last beat of her heart, and I knew the rosy 
 lips would never smile upon me again, and that 
 the sweet blue eyes would never greet me more! 
 
 "Like one in some horrible dream, I saw the 
 last rays of twilight solemnly fade and darkness 
 shroud the Pennsylvania hills, and sad and gloomy 
 it fell upon me! In that long, sorrowful night 
 that closed around me there sprang forth grim 
 spectres of sweet memories, hopes and loves that 
 haunted me but to remind me that they were dead, 
 till there came upon me a feeling of desolation 
 like one lost forever in a dark wilderness, as I 
 realized that my brightest hopes, dreams and 
 wishes were shattered forever ! And in that awful 
 night there sprang out of the darkness many vivid 
 scenes of suffering and agony, till I felt like the 
 lost soul in the old Greek mythology as it is borne 
 
374 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 by the ghastly ferryman, Charon, across the Styg- 
 ian River! 
 
 "There long after midnight they found me, still 
 clasping her inanimate form. They bore her form 
 into camp, and I followed like one in some hor- 
 rible dream. I had all that was mortal of her 
 buried in St. Arlyle. Then I joined my regiment 
 again, with a heart maddened with anger and with 
 a thirst for revenge no words can express! And I 
 resolved to fight the war out to the bitter end! 
 
 "The battle of Gettysburg," continued Wilber- 
 ton, "was the turning point of the war, but we 
 fought on as desperately as ever. After that bat- 
 tle we had one more chance for victory, on the 
 terrible battle field of the Wilderness. But we 
 failed, and after that we saw the star of Confed- 
 eracy gradually but surely sinking, until it dis- 
 appeared forever on an April day on the field at 
 Appomattox, nearly a year later! 
 
 "During the last battles around Richmond we 
 were reduced to but eight thousand men, while 
 the great Federal army numbered nearly two hun- 
 dred thousand, but we struggled on with a bravery 
 that surprised the enemy and with a success at 
 resistance that even astonished us. But what the 
 result would be of that last protracted struggle 
 was as evident to the commonest soldier as it was 
 to the commander himself it meant annihilation 
 f or surrender! But those few men of that once 
 great army of Northern Virginia were fighting 
 with a desperation akin to death, for most of them 
 had lost their all and in the grimness of despair 
 they little cared what the end would be! The 
 [end came on an April day, when we stacked our 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 3751 
 
 arms forever, and laid pur colors in the dust! 
 But the end was a surprise to us, for we found 
 the Federal soldiers wonderfully kind and tender. 
 They gave more than a generous half of their 
 food to our starving men, and they endeavored 
 in every way not to hurt our feelings, or to make 
 us feel like a humiliated foe. For, said they, have 
 we not fought the great battles together, and are 
 we not fellow soldiers at last? And in those few 
 days we learned to know and like them better than 
 we ever had before ! 
 
 "I was standing," continued Wilberton, "on the 
 field of surrender, when Charlie Landon came to 
 me with his old winning, boyish frankness, and as 
 he grasped my hand, he said with a kind expres- 
 sion on his handsome face and a tenderness in his 
 voice that won my heart: 
 
 " 'This is a sad ending, my dear fellow ! And 
 I am sincerely sorry for you, but it is perhaps for 
 the best?' 
 
 "He is," continued Wilberton, "a noble fellow; 
 generous, true and kind; incapable of a mean ac- 
 tion or word, for he has a heart as far above 
 meanness and envy as the heavens are above the 
 earth. He is the most brilliant scholar I ever 
 knew, for so young a man. He is a noble, gen- 
 erous soldier, and as brave as a lion! In fact, 
 he has just the qualities of a hero. For I have 
 met him as a foe, and tried him as a friend, and 
 he realizes in all its fullness the poet's line of 
 'Truest friend and noblest foe.' " 
 
 Bertha looked up, as a blush mantled her beau- 
 tiful face, and the lovelight sparkled in her dark, 
 velvety orbs, as she said: 
 
376 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 "You are very generous in the praise of your 
 friends." 
 
 "Not always," he said. "But in my admiration 
 of Charlie Landon I am only just, for he deserves 
 it all, and more." 
 
 After a moment's silence Wilberton continued: 
 "So Charlie Landon and I parted, but I hope ere 
 long to meet him again, in a united country. For 
 one of my greatest wishes now is to see my country 
 united in hearts as well as bonds. One of the 
 great philosophers and wise men of Greece was 
 once asked: 'What is the most grateful of all 
 things?' and he answered, 'Time.' His answer 
 was a very true one, for time is a great softener 
 of asperities, as well as a corrector of judgments. 
 For though even now when I catch sight of the 
 stars and bars, there arises a tender, true memory 
 of the stormy days when I rallied under its folds, 
 still when I see the stars and stripes, there arises 
 the love of my boyhood and early manhood, an 
 older and dearer love even still !" 
 
 "And," said Bertha archly, "old loves are al- 
 ways the strongest and the best!" 
 
 "True," he replied smiling. "I have found it 
 so, for there were moments in the early days of 
 the Civil War when, as I looked across the battle 
 line and saw the old flag floating there, I almost 
 felt as Homer depicts the feelings of Helen, while 
 she gazed from the ramparts of Troy, as with 
 'former fires' 
 
 "'Her country, parents, all that once were dear, 
 Rush to her thoughts, and force a tender tear/ 
 
 . "For it was the flag of my boyhood, of my 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 377 
 
 early manhood, too, and the tenderest impulses 
 of my heart still clung to the dear old flag, for 
 under its folds the sweetest years of my life had 
 been passed, when 'Hope was life's sweet sov- 
 ereign, and the heart and step were light.' ' 
 
 At last the fair city of Florence dawns in view, 
 that Tuscan lily, which Italy wears like a blossom 
 upon her breast. And in that lovely June after- 
 noon the beautiful city lay shining in the sunlight 
 like a gem in a beautiful setting of green. They 
 catch sight of the many gilded palaces and watch 
 the sunlight glitter on the immense dome of the 
 Duomo, and flash in fiery corruscations from the 
 hundreds of spires of that wonderful city. And 
 while they yet gaze in admiration the Angelus bells 
 of the world-famed Cathedral of Campanile peal 
 forth their sweet melody on the perfumed air 
 arising from the array of flowers of every hue 
 sending forth, as it were, a double welcome to 
 the fair, ancient city. 
 
 "This is my station," said Colonel Wilberton, 
 arising as the train approached a small station. 
 u Do you intend to tarry in Florence?" 
 
 "No, I am going home to the United States," 
 she replied smiling, "for despite the sunny skies of 
 Italy, my heart is roving there! For I never loved 
 my country better than I do now. And," she 
 added, as a warm tint mantled her lovely face 
 and a beautiful light filled her dark, lustrous eyes, 
 "one of the greatest wishes of my heart is to see 
 the men who wore the blue and gray, mingled 
 in as perfect fellowship as the gray dawn of a 
 summer morning is mingled with the perfect blue 
 of a summer day." 
 
378 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 "And I think the omens are propitious toward 
 realizing your wish," he replied with a smile. 
 "For a short time before I left America I went 
 over the old battle fields and I found, just as the 
 North and South were forgiving and forgetting, 
 so nature, too, was hiding the old scars of enmity, 
 and the lilies of love and peace were springing 
 where the laurels used to grow! For on the field 
 of Gettysburg the Federal and Confederate monu- 
 ments of valor are standing almost side by side!" 
 
 CHAPTER XLIV. 
 
 THE VANDAL CONGRESS ONCE AGAIN. 
 
 I see a chief who leads my chosen sons, 
 All armed with points, antitheses and puns. 
 
 Pope. 
 
 After the close of the Civil War and the return 
 of the absent Vandals to St. Arlyle the Vandal 
 club, or Congress (as they themselves called it), 
 was reorganized and placed in a more flourishing 
 condition. Although during the war its organiza- 
 tion had been continued, the club had gradually 
 lost one member after another, until the interest 
 in it had sunk to a very low ebb. But with the 
 return of the old members and the addition of 
 new ones there came a new era in its prosperity, 
 until, to use the words of Gleaton, "it transcended 
 its pristine glory." 
 
 An adjunct that had materially assisted in in- 
 creasing its membership was the rapid growth of 
 the village, since it had become a popular bathing 
 resort. The club had so far progressed toward 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 379 
 
 placing its organization on a permanent basis as 
 to be able to build a clubhouse on the lot which 
 they had purchased. The source from which the 
 Vandals had obtained their funds was at first 
 somewhat enveloped in mystery, but it gradually 
 became known that several prominent persons had 
 assisted them. Among the number was Richard 
 Lex, who had been elected a county judge, for 
 he had become a sober and useful citizen. Colonel 
 Tom Gleaton had also sent them a present of fifty 
 dollars. Charlie Landon had, to use their own 
 words, "kindly interested himself in their affairs, 
 and materially assisted them with pecuniary emol- 
 uments." And last to be mentioned, but not least 
 in giving, was Miss Bertha Merton, who had not 
 forgotten how intimately they were intertwined 
 with those troublous days of the past, and how 
 nobly and manfully they had come to her assist- 
 ance. Her gifts consisted of money and books, 
 both of which they received with many thanks, 
 expressed by means of the most grandiloquent let- 
 ters the club could compose, which when she read 
 she would remark with a smile that "they are good 
 fellows and deserving of encouragement, though 
 somewhat addicted to compliments and high flown 
 language." 
 
 As we have remarked, one of Miss Merton's 
 gifts consisted of books, and this formed the 
 nucleus of their constantly increasing library. 
 Their library was a heterogeneous collection of 
 works on law, science, literature and philosophy. 
 Pre-eminent among their books were several full 
 sets of encyclopedias and three large dictionaries. 
 These latter volumes, they claimed, were very es- 
 
380 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 sential to the Congress' progress, as we shall also 
 see if we attend a session of the club. 
 
 It was Saturday night, and the Vandal Congress 
 was in full session. There are many changes in 
 their ranks since last we chronicled their proceed- 
 ings, but still we recognize many familiar faces 
 grown older, it is true but still with the same 
 felicitous, jolly expression on them as of yore. 
 
 It was a large room and extending entirely 
 across the floor were rows of chairs in which the 
 members ensconced themselves during a session. 
 Facing the chair, and against the wall, was a 
 raised platform, covered by a crimson plush can- 
 opy and on this dais was a large armchair, which 
 was occupied by the President during their delib- 
 erations. Directly in front of this platform were 
 two desks, where the two secretaries sat who re- 
 corded the proceedings of the Congress. On one 
 side of the room was a huge desk piled with books 
 and papers, at which the reference clerk sat, whose 
 duties we shall learn of by and by. The walls, 
 where not occupied by book cases, were covered 
 with pictures, maps and charts. In one corner of 
 the room stood a glass case filled with minerals, 
 swords, belts, guns, balls, and various other souv- 
 enirs of the war. In another corner stood a large 
 brass-knobbed wooden safe, painted green, on 
 which was delineated in vivid colors, a huge bull 
 dog evidently the Cerberus of the treasury. 
 What the safe contained was a mystery for it 
 was very heavy and was never opened but the 
 tradition ran that it was filled with bricks. 
 
 The club had elected a new president, named 
 Samuel Verbum, who was remarkable for two 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 381 
 
 characteristics, his great and grandiloquent com- 
 mand of language and his sempiternal ability to 
 smoke an immense pipe. He seemed to be ac- 
 quainted with all the words in the dictionary, and 
 to be able to use them on any occasion with a 
 volubility that was wonderful. But a new or rare 
 word was his delight, and he caught it in a mo- 
 ment and enfolded in his tenacious memory with 
 a grip like Nessus's shirt on the body of Hercules. 
 
 During the session of the club Verbum smoked 
 the huge pipe, with a bowl the size of a teacup, 
 into which he would pour a quarter of a pound 
 of tobacco, and then seating himself in the Presi- 
 dent's chair, would puff forth immense volumes 
 of smoke, like a human steam engine. It was said 
 that he only smoked during a meeting of the club, 
 but anyhow it was on these occasions alone he 
 smoked the immense pipe. Several Vandals, in 
 Sam's absence, had surreptitiously obtained the 
 meerschaum, and after filling it with tobacco, had 
 endeavored to smoke it, but after nearly killing 
 themselves, had yielded to him the palm as a 
 smoker, just as they had long since admitted him 
 to be the chief in the use of rare words and grand- 
 iloquent language. 
 
 Samuel Verbum was a reporter on the village 
 paper. He was of medium height, about twenty- 
 two or twenty-three years of age, with a full, 
 good natured face, brown eyes, dark, wavy hair, 
 a black, curling moustache, and in opposition to 
 the prevalent idea of a hard student a full, 
 rounded figure, for, notwithstanding Sam's hard 
 study in devouring an English unabridged diction- 
 ary and most of a standard encyclopedia, he had 
 
THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 literally grown fleshy during his great feast of 
 words. These members of the Vandal club who 
 had entered the army had found Sam in another 
 regiment in their brigade, or perhaps he had dis- 
 covered them, or, rather, the discovery was mu- 
 tual, for he had affiliated with them as instinctively 
 as a duck takes to water. He had obtained his 
 transfer from his regiment to their company, and 
 at the close of the war he had drifted back with 
 them to St. Arlyle. 
 
 As we have remarked, it was Saturday night, 
 and the Congress was in full session. It was a 
 grand occasion, being their first gala meeting since 
 the war, and there were present by invitation a 
 number of ex-Vandals, among others Colonel 
 Tom Gleaton. Those invited guests were to 
 make a few remarks, to give "eclat," as the Van- 
 dals expressed it, to the occasion. After Samuel 
 Verbum had taken the chair and sent forth a few 
 huge puffs of smoke from his immense meer- 
 schaum, he called the meeting to order and re- 
 quested the clerk to call the roll and read the 
 minutes of the last session, after which he an- 
 nounced : 
 
 "We will now proceed to the profluent order 
 of business, and the secretary will peruse the com- 
 munication addressed to the Vandal Congress." 
 
 The secretary then read a brief communication 
 from Miss Merton, tendering a gift of a hundred 
 dollars to the Vandal Club. 
 
 "It should be addressed to the Vandal Con- 
 gress " said Verbum. "What is the sense of the 
 assembly?" 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 383 
 
 "Suspend the rules and accept the donation," 
 moved a member. 
 
 "But that will not assist us," said Verbum. "It 
 is not according to parliamentary usages." 
 
 "Suspend the name and take in the appropria- 
 tion," shouted a Vandal. 
 
 And the name was accordingly suspended, and 
 the appropriation taken in. 
 
 A resolution of thanks to Miss Merton was 
 then offered and unanimously adopted, after it 
 had undergone numerous emendations .and addi- 
 tions, until it was invested with the most grandil- 
 oquent language possible. 
 
 "She is," said Verbum, referring to Miss Mer- 
 ton, "a noble little lady, and in the words of the 
 Roman proverb, Author pretiosa facit the giver 
 makes the gift more precious." 
 
 "Yes," said Ed Thorne, the reference clerk, 
 "she is an example of the Latin apothegm, Gratior 
 ac pulchro veniens in corpore virtus, which we 
 may freely translate: Beauty lends grace even 
 to intrinsic worth." 
 
 "She fulfills," said Joe Percival, the philoso- 
 pher of the club, "the ancient sage's definition that 
 'Beauty is a sovereignty that stands in need of 
 no guards.' ' 
 
 "And also," said Will Anderson, "Aristotle's 
 definition of beauty: 'The gift of a fair appear- 
 
 ance.' " 
 
 "To see her," said Joe Percival, "and to won- 
 der why all praise her, is to exclaim with Aris- 
 totle, when some one asked him 'why all people 
 admire beauty/ 'Why,' he exclaimed, 'it is the 
 question of a blind man!' " 
 
384 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 "Or," said a member near the door, "to use 
 the words of Plato, 'Beauty is the privilege of 
 nature,' and in the words of Theocritus, 'An ivory 
 mischief,' and in those of Socrates, 'A short lived 
 tyranny.' ' 
 
 ^ There was instantly cries of dissension and 
 hisses, while over Verbum's face came an expres- 
 sions of surprise and anger, as he exclaimed: 
 "Sergeant-at-arms, carefully eliminate that mem- 
 ber from the assembly!" 
 
 The sergeant-at-arms seized his huge stuffed 
 club, nearly as large as himself, and instantly 
 made a charge on the obnoxious member, who 
 was endeavoring to escape, but the club came in 
 contact with his posterior and elevated him about 
 ten feet into the street. As the officer of order 
 closed the door he exclaimed: 
 
 "In the words of the Bard of Avon, 'How are 
 we tossed on fortune's fickle flood!' ' 
 
 "Nothing in this world," said President Ver- 
 bum, as he rapped for order, "excels a fool with 
 too long a tongue! 
 
 "'Nothing exceeds in ridicule no doubt, 
 A fool in fashion, but a fool that's out'" 
 
 "No one," said Will Johnson, "but an idiot 
 would make such frivolous remarks about a young 
 lady who has been such a true friend to the mem- 
 bers of this body. She is a noble little lady. I 
 saw her the other day, and she looked irresist- 
 ibly and bewitchingly beautiful, without a thought 
 of the entrancing thrill she sent darting through 
 many a fellow's heart!" 
 
 As the last speaker finished, Verbum gave a 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 385 
 
 long puff on his large pipe, then laid it aside for 
 a crowning effort, as he began: 
 
 "She's a dainty, bewitching little lady; she's a 
 charming, bonny girl; she's a sweet, darling little 
 maid; she's as beautiful as a Hebe, as lovely as 
 a Venus, as graceful as a Peri, as fair as a lily, 
 and as dazzling as a goddess! She's truly gor- 
 geous, superb, magnificent, sublime, grand! In 
 a sentence, she realizes the artist's fancy, and the 
 poet's dream, when he wrote: 
 
 " 'When life looks lone and dreary, 
 
 What light can expel the gloom? 
 When Time's swift wing grows weary, 
 
 What charm can refresh his plume? 
 Tis woman, whose sweetness beameth 
 
 O'er all that we feel and see, 
 And if man of heaven e'er dreameth, 
 
 Tis when he thinks purely of thee.' " 
 
 When Verbum ceased speaking there was a 
 silence for several moments, broken at last by 
 the President asking: "Has anyone anything 
 more to add?" 
 
 "I think not," said Thorne, as he gazed in de- 
 spair at the ponderous volumes before him. "I 
 guess you've nearly tested the power of the Eng- 
 lish language." 
 
 "Are there any other communications?" asked 
 Verbum. 
 
 "Yes," replied the clerk, reading one from the 
 trustees of the town library, asking for a dona- 
 tion of books. 
 
 "It seems to me," said Verbum, "that charity 
 should inaugurate proceedings on its own native 
 heath. But I merely throw this out as a super- 
 
386 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 erogatory, metaphysical suggestion. What are 
 the wishes of the assembly?" 
 
 "I move," said a member, "that the communi- 
 cation lie on the table." And it was accordingly 
 tabled. 
 
 "There being no other messages before the 
 house," said the President, "we will now take 
 cognizance of the protocol of the chairman of 
 the committee on 'News About Town.' ' 
 
 "In our last report," began Will Stoakes, "we 
 gave an account of an attempt by some of the 
 musically inclined boys to whip the clergyman, 
 and also the outcome. But we were unable at 
 that time to state the cause of the belligerent atti- 
 tude of the parties. It seems, a short time ago the 
 St. Arlyle amateur brass band attended the funeral 
 of one of the firemen, and when they had 
 squelched out, at the side of the grave what they 
 called 'The Sweet By and By' in a tune that re- 
 sembled a cross between the howl of a hyena and 
 the whine of a dying pup (in fact it was such a 
 dismal discord that several persons in the rear 
 looked over the other's shoulders to see what 
 kind of an animal they were torturing), the min- 
 ister in his address said that 'the deceased was, 
 in one respect, fortunate in being thus called 
 early.' That was all he remarked, but a great 
 many people grinned, and the amateur 'wind- 
 jammers' said that his infernal sarcasm was en- 
 tirely out of place at a funeral." 
 
 "Perhaps," said Ed Thorne, "the minister 
 merely threw it out as a supererogatory, meta- 
 physical suggestion." 
 
 "Maybe he did," replied Stoakes, "but the 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 387 
 
 * wind-jammers' felt exceedingly warlike about it, 
 and called upon the minister, with the results we 
 have already related. 
 
 At this juncture one of the Vandals, who was 
 standing in the doorway holding a whispered con- 
 versation with some one outside, advanced to the 
 middle of the room and raised his hand, to at- 
 tract the President's attention. 
 
 "Mr. Brown has the floor," said Verbum. 
 
 "There's a nigger out there," said the mem- 
 ber, with a jerk of his thumb over his shoulder, 
 "who wishes to be admitted to the floor. He 
 says he was in the war." 
 
 "That is not the way to speak, sir. You should 
 say 'gentleman of color.' ' 
 
 "Yes, he's got the color, for he's as black as 
 the ace of spades!" 
 
 "What is the wish of the assembly?" asked 
 Verbum. 
 
 "Admit him!" shouted the members, who had 
 a penchant for anyone who had served in the 
 war. 
 
 The negro entered, and as he took a seat and 
 gazed at Verbum in wonder, he exclaimed: 
 "Golly! don't he smoke a big pipe!" 
 
 Then President Verbum, without noticing his 
 remark, began to interrogate him as follows: 
 
 "What is your name?" 
 
 "James Caesar, sah." 
 
 "Where were you born?*' 
 
 "In Norf Carolina, sah." 
 
 "How long were you in the war?" 
 
 "Nine months, sah." 
 
 "Where were you? In what army, I mean." 
 
3 88 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 "I wuz five months in de hospital, sah." 
 - "Where were you the other four months?" 
 
 "I wuz I wuz looking for de hospital, sah.'* 
 
 "Sergeant-at-arms!" shouted Verbum, "care- 
 fully eliminate the gentleman of color from this 
 assembly." 
 
 The sergeant-at-arms sat his huge stuffed club 
 by the door and then went for the darkey, and as 
 he caught him by the ear, he said in a stage whis- 
 per: "Come, Mr. Csesar! Get! Skip! Shake 
 a leg! Make your conge!" He led the black- 
 amoor to the door, and seizing his club, he gave 
 him a blow in the rear that hoisted him a dozen 
 feet into the street. 
 
 As the colored gentleman gathered himself out 
 of the dust he exclaimed: 
 
 "Golly! Boss, dat wuz a terrible hist! But 
 I'll clean out de whole institution!" 
 
 "In the words of Homer," said Verbum, 
 " 'Thy aid we need not, and thy threats defy/ 
 And I hope your conge is a supererogatory, 
 metaphysical suggestion that no imposters can 
 foist themselves upon this body." 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 389 
 
 CHAPTER XLV. 
 
 THE VANDAL CONGRESS, CONTINUED. 
 
 Yes, we're boys always playing with tongue or with pen! 
 And I sometimes have asked, Shall we ever be men? 
 Shall we always be youthful, and laughing, and gay, 
 Till the last dear companion drops smiling away? 
 Then here's to our boyhood, its gold and its gray! 
 The stars of its winter, the dews of its May! 
 
 O. W. Holmes. 
 
 "The report of the Chairman of the Hymeneal 
 Committee is now in order/' said Verbum. 
 
 Pete Hale began: "Mr. President: During 
 the past week there have been several marriages, 
 or, to express it more poetically, several youths 
 and maidens have caught the ethereal fragrance 
 of love, or, to use the words of Homer, have 
 themselves been caught by the 'The old, yet still 
 successful cheat of love.' 
 
 "The marriage we have to report is that of 
 James King to Nelly Slave. They are of a nubile 
 age and new people in the village, and we have 
 not been able to learn much about them; but in 
 the words of the poet: 
 
 " 'Love thou are not a King alone ; 
 
 Both Slave and King thou art. 
 Who seeks to sway, must stoop to own 
 The Kingdom of the heart.' 
 
 "It is with pleasure," continued Hale, "that 
 we announce the marriage of Charles Havens to 
 
390 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 Emily Thorne, for it is the consummation of a 
 life-long love. He is generous, brave and hand- 
 some; a man and a scholar, with a noble, tender 
 and true heart, that the girl who has won it must 
 dearly prize. 
 
 "She is a charming, accomplished little brunette, 
 with a sweet, winning way. She is a noble little 
 lady, with a warm, pure heart, an originality about 
 her that is ever fresh and pure, while her sunny 
 smile and sympathy have won the love of young 
 and old. And to him who has won her she is 
 more than a golden prize, for she is a treasury of 
 sympathy, courage and love! 
 
 "And undoubtedly they have both realized their 
 ideals; he in the fair, sweet girl, with a noble 
 heart; and she in the man who, despite the world's 
 sordid touch, still possesses a bright record, with- 
 out a blot! And may he long realize the sweet- 
 ness of the lines: 
 
 'Oh, pleasant is the welcome kiss, 
 When the day's dull round is o'er, 
 
 And sweet the music of the step 
 That meets us at the door.'" 
 
 "There is," continued Hale, u a prospective 
 marriage on the tapis, that of our esthetic friend 
 Fred Stone to a city girl. I saw him out buggy 
 riding with his inamorata the other day, driving 
 a piebald horse, and as the poet says: 
 
 'I saw the curl of his waving lash, 
 And the glance of his knowing eye, 
 
 And I knew he thought he was cutting a dash, 
 As his steed went thundering by.'" 
 
 As Pete Hale finished speaking there came a 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 391 
 
 series of loud raps at the door, and the sergeant- 
 at-arms hastened to it. When he opened the door 
 and gazed out, there came over his face a strong 
 expression of surprise, which each moment in- 
 creased, as he dropped his club and his eyes and 
 his mouth opened in wonder to their full extent. 
 Then, recovering his self-possession, he flung the 
 door wide open, and in stepped Professor Phan- 
 tom, tall, gaunt, grim, ghostly as ever ! In an in- 
 stant every member of the club was on his feet 
 in amazement, for it had been reported that 
 Phantom had died, and had been buried nearly a 
 year before; in fact, several persons in the village 
 claimed that they had attended his funeral. When 
 the yandals recovered from their momentary 
 surprise they eagerly crowded around Phantom, 
 and as they shook hands with him they greeted 
 him with such expressions as: "How are you, 
 Ghost ?" "Hello, Goblin! What's the news 
 from Hades ?" "How are you, Professor Spook? 
 You're the same old rattlebones." "Why, you're 
 as fat as a match!" and numerous similar expres- 
 sions. But Phantom bore their raillery and gibes 
 good-naturedly, and even seemed pleased at their 
 hearty welcome. When order had been restored 
 Phantom said: 
 
 "Mr. President and members of the Vandal 
 Congress: It is with a world of pleasure that I 
 receive your kindly greeting, and my heart tells 
 me that I am again among friends. Life has 
 many trials and vicissitudes, but I feel, to use a 
 classical phrase, Post tot naufragia portum 
 after many shipwrecks, I have found a harbor. I 
 am growing old, and cannot bear the fluctuating 
 
392 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 tide of fickle fortune as in former years. And I 
 am aware that the rejuvenescence of youth has 
 departed, and I shall never begin in the incipiency 
 of things again." 
 
 "No," said Verbum, "when nature makes a 
 miscalculation, she never repeats the identical ex- 
 periment, at least not with the same material." 
 
 "Exactly," said Phantom, "and I'm content to 
 say, in the words of the poet: 
 
 'Fortune and Hope, farewell ! I've gained the port ; 
 You've fooled me long make others now your sport.' " 
 
 "Or, in the words of Homer," replied Verbum: 
 
 " The field of combat fits the young and bold ; 
 The solemn council best becomes the old.' " 
 
 "Very appropriate, Mr. President, very appro- 
 priate!" 
 
 "I merely threw it out as a supererogatory, 
 metaphysical suggestion." 
 
 "I move," said a Vandal, "that Professor 
 Phanton be elected a member of the Vandal Con- 
 gress." 
 
 "He was a whilom member, was he not?" 
 asked Verbum. 
 
 "Yes," replied the clerk, after he had exam- 
 ined the roll. 
 
 "Then he is already a Vandal. For, like the 
 College of Cardinals, once a Cardinal, always 
 a Cardinal, so it is with this body, once a Vandal, 
 always a Vandal. Only the King of Terrors can 
 remove a member." 
 
 At this moment a card was sent in from the 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 393 
 
 'door, bearing a request to see Verbum. He im- 
 mediately called Will Stoakes to the chair and 
 left the room. 
 
 As Verbum left the room Ed Thorne arose and 
 said: "Mr. President: I was never so surprised 
 in my life as when I saw our illustrious friend Pro- 
 fessor Phantom enter the room, after so many 
 of our citizens had attended his funeral, and it re- 
 minds me forcibly of a story, which runs as fol- 
 lows: 
 
 "Two sailors with a tame parrot one night went 
 to a sleight-of-hand show, held in the upper part 
 of a warehouse in New Orleans. Although the 
 three constituted the entire audience, the showman 
 proceeded with the performance. He was very 
 clever and performed some very wonderful tricks, 
 so that he greatly excited the amazement of one 
 of the sailors, who after every feat of jugglery 
 would exclaim: 
 
 " 'That's pretty good! I wonder what he'll do 
 next?' 
 
 "After awhile the silent sailor asked leave to 
 smoke his pipe, which was granted, 'seeing,' as 
 the magician remarked, 'there were no ladies 
 present.' Thus the performance proceeded, one 
 of the sailors smoking his pipe in silence, while 
 the other would exclaim after every trick: 
 
 " 'That's pretty good ! I wonder what he'll 
 do next?' 
 
 "At last the sailor of few words grew tired of 
 smoking, and knocked the hot ashes from his pipe 
 through a knot-hole in the floor, all unconscious 
 that four hundred tons of gunpowder were stored 
 below ! 
 
394 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 "In an instant they were all, with the exception 
 of the parrot, blown to the kingdom to come. 
 The parrot was blown about three miles into the 
 air and across the Mississippi River, where it 
 came down with the loss of its wings, one eye 
 and a leg, while its tail feathers were burned off. 
 As the bird flopped down on a post on its only 
 remaining leg, it shrieked wildly: 
 
 " That's pretty good! I wonder what he'll do 
 next?'" 
 
 Just as Thorne concluded his narrative Verbum 
 entered, and in answer to Stoake's offer to vacate 
 the chair, he said: "No, retain the chair; I wish 
 to make a few remarks. I was never so aston- 
 ished in my life," he began, u as when our quon- 
 dam and illustrious compatriot, Professor Phan- 
 tom, appeared before us. That mortal man could 
 appear again after so many of the denizens of our 
 village had attended his obsequies, and after the 
 Vandal Congress had given him such a brilliant 
 obituary, is astounding to a marvelous degree ! 
 And I can only portray my wonderment by the 
 ensuing apologue, which, with the acquiescence of 
 this august body, I will proceed to annunciate : 
 
 "Two mariners, accompanied by a domesticated 
 scansorial avis, on a nocturnal occasion, attended 
 an exhibition of the Theurgic art in the metrop- 
 olis of New Orleans. Although they constituted 
 the entire audience, nevertheless the nomadic pres- 
 tidigitator inaugurated proceedings in the esoteric 
 science. The disciple of magic eventuated to very 
 expert and daedalian, in performing remarkable 
 mysticism, so that he engendered the prodigious 
 amazement of one of the sons of Neptune, who, 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 395 
 
 subsequent to every conguration, would vocifer- 
 ate: 
 
 " 'Trismegistus ! but that trenches on the admir- 
 able. My curiosity becomes procreated to become 
 cognizant of what he will effectuate in the fu- 
 turity?' 
 
 "Subsequently the taciturn mariner solicited 
 permission to produce the ebolition of a jag of 
 tobacco in his chiboque, as it was his assuetude to 
 do, which, owing to the fair daughters of Eve 
 being reduced to nihility, was accordingly con- 
 ceded. Thus proceeded the concatenation of 
 events in the accrescent mystical seance, one of 
 the sons of Neptune performing an ebolition on 
 his nargile, or dudeen, while the other vociferated 
 in the sequel of each prestidigitation: 
 
 'Trismegistus ! but that trenches on the ad- 
 mirable. My curiosity becomes procreated to be- 
 come cognizant of what he will effectuate in the 
 futurity?' 
 
 u By way of a denouement, or finale, the pauc- 
 iloquent sailor became surfeited with the ebolition 
 of tobacco, and insidiously collided the glowing 
 embers from his calumet, through an aperture in 
 the floor, unaware of the existence beneath of 
 four hundred tons of a highly explosive material. 
 In an infinitesimal duration, they were evaporated 
 across the Stygian torrent into the Elysian arena, 
 with the subduction of the scansorial bird, who 
 was ejaculated a league into space, over the Mis- 
 sissippi cataclysm, minus his pennate attachments, 
 also an orb of sight and one pedal extremity, while 
 his plumage was considerably incinerated. As he 
 descended upon a timber projecting from this ter- 
 
396 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 restrial sphere, on his only remaining pedal ex- 
 tremity, he pragmatically vociferated, with a 
 Machiayelian sneer: 
 
 'Trismegistus ! but that trenches on the ad- 
 mirable. My curiosity becomes procreated to be- 
 come cognizant of what he will effectuate in the 
 futurity!*' 
 
 When Verbum ceased speaking Jake Metzler 
 :(whom the reader will remember as the hero of 
 the long retreat from Bull Run), arose and re- 
 marked: "Mr. Bresident: If I don't vas mis- 
 taken, it seems to me dot I've heard dot sthory 
 before." 
 
 This remark was the signal for a roar of laugh- 
 ter, while Jake looked around in wonder at their 
 merriment. 
 
 Verbum resumed the chair, and said: "We 
 will now hear the report of the Chairman of the 
 Committee on Revenge." 
 
 Joe Hart, the Chairman of the Committee, 
 arose and began: "Mr. President: Old Jack 
 Hall made various defamatory and threatening 
 remarks concerning the Vandals, so the other 
 night we greased and soaped his back porch. And 
 the next morning, when the old codger went out 
 to get a pail of water his heels flew out from under 
 him and he made an attempt to stand on his head. 
 
 "Did he succeed?" asked a Vandal. 
 
 "I think the old buccaneer did pretty well, for 
 he's had his neck wrapped in flannel ever since. 
 
 "Mrs. Daggletail Brown says she is going to 
 have us all arrested for slander." 
 
 "I move," said a Vandal, "that the matter be 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 397 
 
 referred to the Judiciary Committee, with power 
 to act." 
 
 It was so ordered. 
 
 "And," said the Chairman of the Judiciary 
 Committee, "we'll give the old potwolloper all 
 the law she wants. 
 
 As Hart sat down President Verbum said: "I 
 have been consulting with a number of the mem- 
 bers of this body, and I would throw out as a 
 supererogatory, metaphysical suggestion, that 
 with this meeting the duties of the Committee on 
 Revenge be discontinued in other words, that its 
 labors cease. There is an old Latin proverb 
 which says, Miserrima fortuna est quce inimico 
 caret That is a most miserable fortune, which 
 is without an enemy. And undoubtedly there is 
 a great deal of truth in the aphorism. For a 
 person without an enemy would be a kind of 
 nonentity anyhow he would not be apt to have 
 a great deal of conviviality. And the person who 
 revenges every injury that is done him has no 
 time for anything else. If we wish to make our 
 lives a success we can afford to let the dogs bark 
 as we go by. In every community there is al- 
 ways a class of popinjays and old idiots who are 
 envious of anyone whom they think is superior 
 to them in education and intelligence, and they 
 think it necessary to wag their slanderous tongues. 
 The Chinese have a maxim that somewhat illus- 
 trates this point; it is: Towers are measured by 
 their shadows, great men by those who are en- 
 vious of them." 
 
 "That's us" said a Vandal in the rear. 
 
 "Not exactly," replied Verbum. " Tools rush 
 
398 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 in where angels fear to tread/ But still this ex- 
 emplifies the trite fact that idiots are always en- 
 vious of those whom they believe to be their su- 
 periors. But the best way is to treat this class 
 be they tatterdemalions, walleteers or plutocrats 
 with silent contempt. Though, at the same 
 time, it is well, to use the words of the philoso- 
 pher Pittacus, 'To watch your opportunity.' " 
 
 The motion of Stoakes to discontinue the Com- 
 mittee on Revenge was then put and carried, and 
 Verbum then called for the report of the Chair- 
 man of the Committee on Temperance. 
 
 For the Vandal Congress had become a temper- 
 ance organization. Who had been the prime 
 mover in effecting it was an enigma none could 
 solve. But one night, at a special meeting, they 
 resolved themselves into a temperance body, and 
 they did it with a great deal of style and eclat. 
 They made speeches on temperance, and repeated 
 and read all the Bacchanalian poetry they knew 
 or had ever heard. Then they brought out the 
 famous "little brown jug," full of whiskey, and 
 put into it aquae ammonia, aloes, asafoetida and 
 various other nauseous mixtures, then, filling their 
 glasses from its contents, they invited each other 
 to drink. 
 
 After their carnival of fun they proceeded to 
 business and they did not do things by halves. 
 They passed a set of laws making the penalty for 
 the first offense (drinking liquor) suspension from 
 the club for six months, and for a second, and 
 each succeeding offense, suspension for a year. 
 But they allowed the accused a trial before a jury 
 of his peers, and also counsel, but at the same 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 399 
 
 time they took the precaution to elect a prosecut- 
 ing attorney, whose duty it was to proceed against 
 the accused. Ed Thorne, who was a law student, 
 had been chosen for this office. 
 
 The Chairman of the Temperance Committee 
 arose and said: "We have but one offender to 
 report Jake Metzler. He was discovered in 
 flagrate delicto in the very act of drinking a 
 glass of lager beer." 
 
 u Has any information been filed against him?" 
 asked Verbum. 
 
 "Yes, Mr. President," replied Thorne. 
 
 "Has the accused counsel?" 
 
 "Yes," replied Pete Hale, a law student, "I 
 am acting for the defense. And I will state that 
 the accused pleads not guilty, and that the ground 
 of defense is impulsive or emotional insanity." 
 Then, turning to Bill Stoakes, a medical student, 
 he said in a whisper: "Bill, you had better read 
 up on 'Insanity in its Relation to Crime,' as I shall 
 call you as an expert." 
 
 "Then," said Verbum, "the trial is set for the 
 next regular meeting of the Congress, at which 
 time you are expected to have your witnesses and 
 experts here. 
 
 "Owing to the lateness of the evening," con- 
 tinued the President, "and the somnolence of 
 some of the members, we will postpone the report 
 of the Committee on Incidents of the War, and 
 hear the report of the librarian, after which we 
 will prorogue this session of the Congress." 
 
 Ed Tkorne, the librarian, arose and said: 
 "Since the last session we have purchased the En- 
 cyclopedia Britannica, the Imperial Dictionary, 
 
400 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 and Froissart's Chronicles, and have received by 
 donation eight volumes." 
 
 As Thorne resumed his seat Verbum said: 
 "The motion to adjourn is now in order." 
 
 And in a few minutes more the lights were ex- 
 tinguished, and the Vandals were filing into the 
 dark street. And now, gentle reader, wishing 
 them godspeed and prosperity, we bid farewell 
 to the budding potentates of the future ! 
 
 CHAPTER XLVI. 
 
 HOME AGAIN IN ST. ARLYLE. 
 
 I've wandered on through many a clime where flowers 
 
 of beauty grew, 
 Where all was blissful to the heart and lovely 
 
 to the view 
 I've seen them in their twilight pride, and in their 
 
 dress of morn, 
 But none appeared so dear to me as the spot where 
 
 I was born. Anonymous. 
 
 General Charlie Landon, after his return from 
 the geological expedition in South America, about 
 four months before, had been residing in the city 
 near St. Arlyle, but the fame he had won as a 
 scientist had preceded him, until his renown as 
 a scientist rivaled and even exceeded his brilliant 
 career as a soldier. Fortune, too, that fickle god- 
 dess, had smiled generously upon him. But de- 
 spite his fame and fortune, there came an almost 
 irresistible longing to go back to the quiet little 
 village of St. Arlyle, the home of his boyhood and 
 early manhood, around which clung the sweetest 
 and dearest memories of all the halcyon days of 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 401 
 
 his youth, when "life seemed bathed in Hope's 
 romantic hues." Those happy, careless days, col- 
 ored in sweetest memories by the golden light of 
 love! 
 
 Some one has said that little villages are the 
 nearest to earthly atoms of shattered paradise, 
 and I think that no truer words were ever written. 
 There is a charm about a little village that a city 
 can never possess. For in a great metropolis 
 one's individuality is so completely buried in the 
 large mass of people that if he falls from the 
 ranks he is as little missed except by his nearest 
 circle of friends as would be a wave on a mighty 
 ocean's breast; but in a village there is a per- 
 sonality the whole village know each other; they 
 may gossip about one, and, to use a hyperbole, 
 know one's own business better than he does him- 
 self. But, after all, it shows an interest in one, 
 and often not an unkindly feeling, though some- 
 times roughly expressed, but still never with that 
 careless viciousness we too often see in a city. 
 As we have said, the village people know nearly 
 all about each other's affairs, and take more than 
 a passing interest in them. The last marriage 
 has been weighed and discussed by them, even 
 when the young people first became engaged, and 
 then they always throw a tinge of romance around 
 the young couple's matrimonial bliss, with sincere 
 wishes for their future welfare. Births, too, re- 
 ceived their share of attention, for when Ned 
 and Nelly become the parents of a baby the event 
 is thoroughly discussed. And lastly, when death 
 reaps one of the town's citizens there are always 
 true regrets at his loss; for, unlike the busier 
 
402 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 world, they have time to feel and soothe another's 
 woe. 
 
 Nearly all men keep some little village in re- 
 serve for a home in case of mischance or mis- 
 fortune, or when they become tired of the worry 
 of society. And what a sweet rest it often proves 
 to bankrupts in trade, mortified pleaders in courts 
 and senates, victims of idleness and pleasure, or 
 men who have brilliantly succeeded in the great 
 world, but found at last that the world's greatest 
 honors were simply dross, and what their hearts 
 needed most was peace and love! 
 
 And so they are all given regardless of their 
 former glories, mischances or defeats a place in 
 the little commonwealth, and they soon learn to 
 like the little world far better than they ever did 
 the great one. For we nearly always find that 
 little things are the sweetest. Little cottages are 
 generally the most cozy, little farms the best tilled, 
 little books the most read, little songs the most 
 sung, little words the sweetest, little lakes the 
 stillest, and little hearts the fullest. Everyone 
 calls that little which he loves best and dearest 
 on earth. And Nature, too, when she makes any- 
 thing supremely beautiful and rare, makes it little 
 little diamonds, little pearls and little rubies. 
 And so I shall always think that little villages are 
 the nearest earthly atoms of shattered paradise! 
 
 As we have remarked, there came a longing, an 
 irresistible desire in Landon's heart to roam again 
 among the hills and vales of St. Arlyle. The spot 
 around which his heart's sweetest and tenderest 
 memories of bygone years still clung; and though 
 he felt Bertha's love was lost to him forever, still 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 403 
 
 there came a longing in his heart to revisit the 
 old scenes, where they had spent such blissful days 
 together, and to live them over in imagination, 
 if not in reality. Days, as he looked back to them, 
 that seemed embalmed with a touch of paradise. 
 And no words can express how deeply and sin- 
 cerely he regretted his rash act of doubting Ber- 
 tha's constancy, and flinging away her love. "It 
 was, 11 he thought over and over again, "a mad, 
 foolish course to pursue, but I have suffered dearly 
 for it. But I deserve it all, and even more." 
 
 So one fine summer day Charles Landon left his 
 office and turned down a street of the city leading 
 toward the railway station, from whence the cars 
 ran to St. Arlyle. When he reached the station 
 he glanced at his watch and found that he had 
 nearly an hour to wait before the departure of 
 the train. Nearly opposite the station stood the 
 Academy of Art, and as he gazed toward it, he 
 noticed an announcement in front of the build- 
 ing that there was then being held a grand exhibi- 
 tion of paintings by local and foreign artists. He 
 was very fond of art, and quite a connoisseur of 
 paintings, so he crossed the street and entered the 
 Academy. There was a large crowd of spectators 
 present and he found the exhibition of paintings 
 a very valuable and extensive one, so he strolled 
 along for some time, examining them, when his 
 attention was attracted by an unusual crowd 
 around a painting at the farther end of the hall, 
 which, from the attention it attracted, seemed to 
 be the gem of the collection. As he approached 
 it, almost at the first glance there was something 
 that struck him as unusually familiar about the 
 
404 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 scene it represented. In a few moments he recog- 
 nized the painting as a representation of the room 
 in which he had lain wounded so many weeks after 
 the battle of Gettysburg. That room, he felt he 
 could never forget, for every lineament of it was 
 indelibly impressed on his mind during those long 
 days of suffering and weeks of convalescence. 
 
 The painting was simply entitled, "For His 
 , Country," and represented a medium-sized apart- 
 ment, with a bed in one corner, upon which a 
 wounded soldier was lying, while in the distance, 
 through the open window, could be seen a battle 
 raging, amid fire and smoke. The wounded man 
 was attired in the full uniform of an officer, and 
 the blood from his wounds was yet fresh, bespat- 
 tering the breast of his dark blue coat, and partly 
 crimsoning the golden star in the insignia of his 
 rank, on one of his shoulders. His head was 
 resting on one arm, and the face was partly turned 
 toward the wall, but there were enough of its 
 lineaments portrayed for Charles Landon to rec- 
 ognize it as a copy of his own face. The picture 
 had evidently been painted by a master hand, and 
 it was fascinatingly realistic to Landon, as he 
 observed that not a particular of the scene had 
 been omitted. The old-fashioned chairs, the 
 stand, and the pictures on the walls, were all por- 
 trayed there, while even the red climbing roses, 
 nodding in at the window, had not been forgot- 
 ten. How well he remembered them, when, after 
 nights of pain and delirium, he awoke and saw 
 them on their long, pendant stems waft through 
 the open window in the warm July air, till in his 
 feverish imagination they seemed like human 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 405 
 
 heads nodding him a good morning and endeavor- 
 ing to encourage him in his struggle with death. 
 And the mythological picture on the wall Her- 
 cules's contest with the Nemean lion had been 
 reproduced with all the fidelity of the original. 
 What memories, too, that picture awakened of 
 those bygone days when the spark of life flick- 
 ered but feebly in his body, and his feverish brain 
 in its semi-consciousness often took the shadow 
 for the substance and he gazed upon it like one 
 under a spell, till in his feverish fancy the actors 
 became endowed with life, and the struggle be- 
 tween the hero and the beast became an actual one. 
 Then how he sympathized with the hero, and 
 longed for his victory. 
 
 Charles Landon had become so absorbed in the 
 contemplation of the painting that he had grown 
 oblivious to all around him, when he was aroused 
 from his reverie by becoming aware that others 
 beside himself had noticed his resemblance to the 
 portrait. Not wishing to attract attention, he 
 modestly turned away, but not before he had 
 learned that the artist's name was Bertha Merton! 
 
 "Ah," he thought, as he saw her name in one 
 corner of the painting, "that accounts for its 
 fidelity to the original! Perhaps," he thought, 
 "there may be a lingering spark of the old love 
 in her heart. But it is hardly possible, after the 
 brutal way I acted toward her. But still, 'there 
 are more things in heaven and earth than are 
 dreamed of in our philosophy/ * 
 
 Just then the last warning peals of the locomo- 
 tive's bell sounded, and he hurried from the build- 
 ing and entered a car. 
 
406 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 As the train approached St. Arlyle there arose 
 before him, as if by magic, the old scenes of his 
 boyhood he knew so well, lying clear and calm 
 in the light of that beautiful summer afternoon. 
 And what an association of delightful memories 
 each hill, brook and meadow brought back to him. 
 
 At last the church spires and the taller build- 
 ings of the village came full in view, lying calm 
 and peaceful in the summer sunshine. And in his 
 heart what a wealth of memories clung around 
 them. There was the old Haunted House on the 
 hill, around which many a bright fancy clung, and 
 there were the college buildings, in which he had 
 passed many a happy day, and there, too, was the 
 cottage on the rising ground above the river, a 
 spot doubly dear and sweet to him, for it was 
 Bertha's old home. At last the train ran over the 
 bridge across the river, whose waters rippled cool 
 and clear beneath the shadows that fringed its 
 banks. And as the old beloved scenes broke be- 
 fore him, his spirits arose as if by enchantment, 
 and he repeated almost passionately the lines of 
 the poet : 
 
 "I am come again with summer, 
 
 It is lovely to behold, 
 Will it welcome the newcomer, 
 
 As it used to do of old? 
 Within those dark green covers, 
 
 Whose shade is downward cast, 
 How many a memory hovers 
 
 Whose light is from the past!" 
 
 When the train reached the station and Landon 
 was yet stepping from the car, he was met by 
 Colonel Tom Gleaton. 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 407 
 
 "Ah, General," said Gleaton, "welcome back 
 to St. Arlyle ! You see the town has improved 
 since last you saw it. It has become quite a fash- 
 ionable watering-place. We publish the village 
 paper twice a week now, and Fm its editor." 
 
 "That's the very profession that will suit your 
 genius. In fact, the one you've been looking for 
 for years." 
 
 "No," replied Gleaton, in his facetious way, 
 "it is journalism that has been searching for me. 
 And I've no doubt it would have languished, had 
 it not discovered your humble servant." 
 
 At that moment Landon was surrounded by a 
 host of old friends, who profusely expressed their 
 delight in welcoming him back again. 
 
 He left the station and strolled through the 
 village, everywhere meeting with friends, who 
 greeted him with joyous delight, for he had ever 
 been a favorite with young and old in St. Arlyle. 
 He visited the college and strolled past the 
 Haunted House no longer haunted now, but con- 
 verted into a village museum and library. He 
 stopped in front of Bertha's old home and gazed 
 into the garden, as there arose in his heart sweet 
 memories of those happy bygone days. Then he 
 wandered through the tangled wood to the river, 
 and along its bank, watching its clear, rippling 
 waters till his heart grew buoyant and joyous, and 
 he lived over in imagination if not in reality 
 those old, enchanted days again! At last he 
 reached the bridge, where he and Bertha first had 
 met, and though its association aroused a host of 
 pleasant memories, still there came just a tinge of 
 sadness on his handsome face, as he felt she was 
 
408 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 lost to him forever, though her image would ever 
 remain stamped on his heart. But then he 
 thought : 
 
 Tis better to have loved and lost, 
 Than never to have loved at all." 
 
 Man bewails, but God directs in His mysterious 
 way. For though he dared not even dream it, 
 he should live the old life over again, in all its 
 fullness and all its sweetness, too! 
 
 Toward the close of the afternoon he strolled 
 back to the bay and, wandering along the sandy 
 beach until he came to a ledge of granite tow- 
 ering fully forty feet above the beach he climbed 
 to the summit of the huge rocks and stood care- 
 lessly gazing at the blue expanse of water, and 
 over the green fields and pebbly beach. At his 
 feet ran the curving beach, covered with boulders 
 and pebbles, that had been washed shoreward by 
 many a winter's storm. In front lay the blue wa- 
 ters of the bay^reflecting the color of the azure 
 sky above, strerhing miles away, and sleeping its 
 peaceful summer sleep, with only the low rumble 
 of the surf to tell of the pent up fury and mighty 
 power that lay dormant in its peaceful bosom. 
 On the little wharf in front of the hotel nearly 
 three-quarters of a mile away, were several par- 
 ties of ladies and gentlemen, the gay garments 
 of the former adding a charm to the picture, while 
 the whole was far enough removed from the spec- 
 tator to produce a pleasing and dreamy effect, 
 viewed in the fading light of that summer after- 
 noon. As he yet stood watching the pier a little 
 steamer left it with a pleasure party on board 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 409 
 
 and bore directly toward the immense granite 
 boulders. As the boat approached there was the 
 figure of a lady with brown, curly hair leaning on 
 the railing of the quarter-deck that particularly 
 attracted his attention. Although her back was 
 toward him there was something unusually fa- 
 miliar about her handsome figure. 
 
 As the little steamer was passing within thirty 
 yards of the cliff on which he stood the lady sud- 
 denly turned by some unaccountable impulse and 
 gazed in his direction. In an instant he recog- 
 nized her it was Bertha! 
 
 As she saw him she seemed surprised and laid 
 her hand upon her bosom as if to still her flut- 
 tering heart while the face she had schooled and 
 controlled so often, for once played her false, for 
 over her sweet face came a crimson blush. What 
 a depth of mystery there is in a blush, that a word, 
 a look, or a thought will awaken, sending the car- 
 nation over brow and cheek like the soft tint of 
 a sky at sunset. Wonderful, too, that it is only 
 the face, the human face, that can blush. It has 
 been said that the blush of modesty tinted the 
 first fair woman's cheek when she first awoke in 
 the sunny garden of Eden, and that it has lingered 
 with Eve's fair daughters ever since. It has also 
 been truly remarked that the face is the tablet of 
 the soul, whereon it records its actions and its 
 feelings. And so thought Charles Landon as he 
 saw her beautiful face flush, and it emboldened 
 him and he resolved that before another day's 
 sunset he would win her heart or know his fate ! 
 
 In a few moments Bertha recovered her self- 
 possession and saluted him with a graceful bow 
 
4io THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 and smile. Instantly Charles Landon raised his 
 hat in courteous recognition of her greeting, while 
 a tender light broke over his face and a smile 
 played about his lips which was plainly visible, for 
 the steamer in passing was not more than thirty 
 yards distant. And standing there, high among the 
 rocks, with the waning light of that summer after- 
 noon falling full upon his handsome face and 
 figure, he formed a picture that an artist would 
 have loved to paint! And no wonder, then, that 
 a thrill of admiration crossed Bertha's face as she 
 noted his fine, soldierly bearing and the erect poise 
 of his head, crowned with its dark brown, curly 
 hair, while his handsome face was lit with a rare, 
 sweet tenderness she remembered so well. But 
 there came a remembrance of another time, when 
 she had seen that face glitter with daring amid 
 fire and smoke on the battle field of Gettysburg, 
 but she could not help thinking that she liked it 
 better illuminated by the light of peace than she 
 did by the glitter of war. 
 
 As the little steamer glided away the last beams 
 of the sun were throwing a subdued glory over 
 the dark blue water and distant hills, while amid 
 the dying light he watched Bertha's beautiful 
 girlish figure on the hurricane deck fade from 
 view in the gathering gloom. The sun had al- 
 ready sunk like a great ball of refulgent fire, 
 leaving clouds of the brightest crimson, shading 
 into the daintiest of roses amid borders of purple 
 and gold, with all the changing splendor of Al- 
 cinous's golden-portaled cities in his empire of the 
 clouds ! 
 
 Night had closed around and the little figure 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 411 
 
 on the hurricane deck had faded from his view 
 as Landon turned to leave the rock, as he thought 
 sadly: "I've little hope of winning back the old 
 place in her heart but still: 
 
 "'He either fears his fate too much, 
 
 Or his deserts are small, 
 Who fears to put it to the touch 
 To win or lose it all !' " 
 
 CHAPTER XLVIL 
 
 UNDER THE LIGHT OF PEACE. 
 
 He might have took his answer long ago. Shakespeare. 
 
 Oh, the heart that has truly loved, never forgets, 
 
 But as truly loves on to the close, 
 As the sun-flower turns on her god, when he sets, 
 
 The same look which she turned when he rose. 
 
 Moore. 
 
 The next day was clear and bright, and the 
 beautiful country around lay in the summer sun- 
 shine as a vivid picture before him, with its dark 
 green woods, sloping to the winding river, while 
 the rocky hills above, at whose bases lay the green 
 meadows, gradually slanting till they dipped into 
 the bright blue waters of the bay, forming a fit- 
 ting frame for the rose-embowered cottages of 
 the village. And in his heart, what a world of 
 memories clung around those familiar scenes of 
 the happy days gone before. So deeply had he 
 become interested in the old scenes, lit by their 
 sweet memories, that it was not till in the after- 
 noon that he returned to the seaside hotel. After 
 lunch he lit a cigar, and strolling into the park 
 
412 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 attached to the hotel, turned into a path that led 
 through a tangle of wild roses and thick pines, 
 toward the river. When he reached the end of 
 the path he came to a small terrace on the bank 
 of the river, and there, to his surprise, on a rustic 
 bench beneath the shadow of an oak, Bertha was 
 sitting. He stopped suddenly, and with a wildly 
 beating heart, leaning against a tree behind a 
 cluster of bushes that hid him from view while 
 he feasted his eyes on the lovely picture she 
 formed as she sat thoughtfully gazing into the 
 river. 
 
 He had always considered her pretty in the 
 happy bygone days in St. Arlyle, but the succeed- 
 ing years since then had lavishly ripened and per- 
 fected the girlish beauty of face and form, till 
 now she was more than pretty she was magnifi- 
 cently beautiful in all the full splendor of a 
 woman's perfection and glory! From the small 
 arched foot, peeping beneath her robe, to the 
 crowning mass of curly hair that clustered around 
 her brow which had grown several shades 
 darker than in former years, but which, in its 
 contrast with her pure white face, only added to 
 her beauty she appeared a model that would 
 have pleased the most fastidious artist's taste. 
 Her face was as clear and white as marble and al- 
 most of as fine a texture; her lips were finely 
 moulded, and when they parted, showed perfect 
 curves, of carmine's brightest hue; her chin was 
 dainty and dimpled; the cheeks were finely 
 moulded, with a shadowy dimple in each, while 
 the straight, Grecian nose, with its delicate red 
 nostrils would have served for a sculptor's model. 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 413 
 
 The large liquid eyes, of midnight's dreamy hue, 
 magnificently crowned the beauty of her face, 
 while the long, drooping lashes that fringed the 
 white lids, only gave a deeper, darker and more 
 unfathomable splendor to the velvety orbs! But 
 yet there was a magic spell about her face that 
 even overshadowed its loveliness that was its 
 rare sweetness ! 
 
 But as he turned and moved toward her he 
 noticed a sad expression on her sweet young face 
 that grieved him deeply. She did not notice him 
 till he stood quite close to her, then as she turned 
 her head the sad, far-away look in her soft dark 
 eyes gave place to one of surprise. 
 
 u Ah, my lady," he said pleasantly, "building 
 castles in the air? Or, as the French say, con- 
 structing chateaux des Espagne?" 
 
 "Oh, no," she replied smiling, "I have been 
 painting all morning and came out in the open air 
 to enjoy my Dolce far nienle. But," she added, 
 naively, " I fear I fell into thinking, or, perhaps, 
 dreaming of the past!" 
 
 "Why fear," he asked. 
 
 "Because, though pleasant moments, still they 
 haunt, but to remind that they did not last!" 
 
 As he reached her side she arose and held out 
 her hand, as her heart gave a wild throb of ex- 
 citement and her face grew even paler. As he 
 grasped her extended hand he could not help 
 noticing how lovely her face looked in its marble- 
 like paleness, framed by the soft brown curls. 
 The old saucy archness was gone, but there was 
 a sad sweetness in the large liquid eyes and about 
 the small mouth and dimpled cheek that made him 
 
414 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 long to take her in his arms and caress her. He 
 sat down beside her and threw his hat on the 
 bench beside her with a boyish carelessness, as she 
 noticed that his dark hair curled in ringlets upon 
 his white brow just as she had loved to watch it 
 in those bygone years. There was a tinge of sad- 
 ness on his handsome face despite his sweet, boy- 
 ish flow of spirits, showing that he, too, had suf- 
 fered. And when he spoke it was in an awkward, 
 constrained manner, contrasting strangely with 
 his usual open, frank way and his customary bril- 
 liant and natural flow of language. 
 
 After a moment's silence he plunged into his 
 subject like one would plunge into a stream where 
 he was not sure of his footing, or as one would do 
 who had a matter in hand that he was eager to 
 get through with, and seemed at a loss how to 
 begin. 
 
 "Miss Merton," he commenced, "I wish to ask 
 a favor of you. Will you grant it?" 
 
 "Certainly," she replied, noticing his embarrass- 
 ment and eager to help him, "if it lies in my 
 power?" 
 
 "I love a certain young lady, and will you help 
 me win her. I think you can aid me materially." 
 
 "Yes, if my humble efforts can assist you," she 
 replied, dazed and bewildered, while a fearful 
 pain seized her heart that made her struggle for 
 breath. "Does he know?" she thought, "what he 
 is asking? Can he imagine the pain he is inflict- 
 ing? Has he no mercy. Oh, how desperately I 
 love him. May Heaven help me to bear it !" 
 
 Then, after a desperate effort to control her 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 415 
 
 feelings, she asked in a voice almost choked with 
 tears: 
 
 "Do I know this young lady? What is her 
 name?" 
 
 "It is Bertha Merton!" 
 
 Over her face there broke a light, such as a 
 Raphael, or a Murillo, often dreamed of giving 
 an angel, but never fully succeeded in leaving on 
 canvas. A tranquil, joyous light that rendered 
 her face grandly beautiful. He saw the sweet 
 light of joy on her countenance and his tongue 
 became suddenly free and words rushed rapidly 
 to his thoughts, as he exclaimed : 
 
 "Bertha, darling, will you forgive me? I know 
 I don't deserve it! But still I love you dearly! 
 You, and you only, have held the tenderest spot 
 in my heart's affection, and it has never flagged 
 even for a moment all the while we were at cross- 
 purposes. I tried to forget you, but the more I 
 tried, the more my heart clung to you ! Tor the 
 heart that has truly loved never forgets but as 
 truly loves on to the close.' Will you forgive me, 
 Bertha? And I promise you I'll never grow 
 jealous again. Not even doubt you for a mo- 
 ment." 
 
 "Forgive you," she said with a smile, as there 
 came over her a feeling that set her nerves quiver- 
 ing with a strange sweet rapture. "There is noth- 
 ing to forgive! And if there were I should say 
 in the words of good Dr. Granville, 'The noblest 
 lesson I've learned in life is to forgive, and, as 
 far as the heart can, to forget.' But it would be 
 an easy task for me to forgive you, if there were 
 anything to forgive, for my heart has clung to 
 
4i 6 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 you tenderly through all these years in spite of 
 myself And you know," she added, laughingly, 
 "Leonidas, the bravest of the Greeks, was com- 
 pelled to yield when the enemy gained his rear; 
 and so with my own heart against me, and your 
 own noble appeal what else can a poor girl do, but 
 surrender? But," she added, with the old sauci- 
 ness, "are you sure you love me truly?" 
 
 For her answer he took her in his arms and 
 gently kissed her rosy lips for the first time in 
 many a long day, as the little head nestled against 
 his shoulder, while the hot blood suffused her 
 cheeks and bosom till they rivaled the red rose 
 on her breast. 
 
 "So," he said, "we have been playing at cross 
 purposes all these years. But as the old proverb 
 says, 'As gold must be tried by fire, so hearts must 
 be tried by pain,' perhaps it was Heaven's way of 
 teaching us the lesson we ought to have learned 
 before the lesson of faith and trust. And let us 
 hope that our hearts, in the crucible of pain, have 
 been more refined and purified. But," he added 
 teasingly, "I was not entirely without hope ever 
 since that day you slyly kissed me when I lay 
 wounded on the battle field of Gettysburg and you 
 thought me dying." 
 
 "So you think I kissed you when you lay so 
 fearfully wounded!" she exclaimed, with all the 
 old, sweet archness. "Why, what an absurd 
 fancy! Why, the very idea is preposterous! 
 What a conceited fellow you are ! But then," she 
 added, noticing the quizzical expression on his 
 countenance, "you were so badly wounded that 
 your mind wandered and you imagined many ridic- 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 417 
 
 ulous things. But as to kissing you, it is the most 
 delightfully unreasonable fancy in the world! I 
 can't even imagine how you obtained such a wild, 
 absurd, droll and ridiculous idea I Why, your 
 mind must have been wandering in the most vis- 
 ionary of dream lands!" 
 
 "I see," he said, laughingly, "you are determ- 
 ined to deny that kiss. But the thought of it has 
 been sweet to me ever since, though perhaps my 
 mind did wander." 
 
 "Of course it did! You know it did! What a 
 foolish, inconsistent idea it was!" 
 
 As she finished speaking she took up her hat, 
 with its long white feather, and placed it jauntily 
 on her little curly head. 
 
 "Ah," he said, banteringly, "I see you've 
 changed the scarlet plume for a white one." 
 
 "Yes," she replied, with the old sweet arch- 
 ness he remembered so well, "I've had a taste of 
 war and learned the full value of tranquility, so 
 "I've changed the crimson plume of battle for the 
 virgin white of peace!" 
 
 "True," he replied, smiling, "as the old Roman 
 proverb says, Dulce bellum inexperto war is 
 sweet to him who has not tried it. And I have 
 found it so, for my experience in four years of 
 strife has only taught me to hate war the more, 
 and love peace the better." 
 
 "By the way, Bertie," he continued after a mo- 
 ment's silence, "what became of the blue mob cap, 
 with gold band, you wore so long on the tented 
 field?" 
 
 "Oh, my foraging cap, as you used to call it. 
 I lost it, I think, at Gettysburg." 
 
4i 8 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 "Yes, I think you did," he said roguishly, as 
 he drew the cap from his pocket. 
 
 "Why," she exclaimed, "that's the identical 
 foraging cap ! The officers of your regiment 
 presented it to me and I wore it in their honor. 
 I know it was rather gaudy. But then," she 
 added with a sly glance at General Landon, 
 "where men wore blue uniforms with crimson 
 sashes, not to take into consideration gilt buttons 
 and gay epaulettes why a girl was justified in 
 being a little bit flashy, too!" 
 
 "Why certainly she had, providing " and 
 
 he stopped. 
 
 "Providing what?" she asked demurely. 
 
 "Providing she didn't kiss wounded soldiers." 
 
 "I tell you," she said saucily, with a stamp of 
 her little foot, "your mind was wandering when 
 you imagined such an absurd thing! Why, the 
 very idea is perfectly preposterous!" 
 
 They arose from the rustic bench, and arm in 
 arm, strolled up the path along the river, beneath 
 the shade of the trees and trailing vines. As they 
 came in view of the bridge across the river Bertha 
 said: 
 
 "They have built a new bridge, but otherwise 
 the place is little changed. The old oak is still 
 standing, throwing its shade as in years gone by." 
 
 "Yes," he said teasingly, "they have built a 
 new one to prevent young ladies on horseback 
 from falling into the river." 
 
 "It may be," she said demurely, "but I don't 
 think they need to have troubled themselves about 
 that. For most young ladies are capable of tak- 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 419 
 
 ing care of themselves at least," she added slyly, 
 "I know of one." 
 
 When they reached the bridge they walked 
 partly across it till they reached the shade of the 
 old oak, and then, leaning upon the railing, stood 
 side by side gazing into the stream for several 
 moments in silence, watching the shining trout 
 dart about in the clear waters of the river, when 
 suddenly Bertha looked up and repeated archly 
 the poet's familiar lines: 
 
 "I see the bright trout springing, 
 
 Where the wave is dark yet clear, 
 And a myriad flies are winging, 
 As if to tempt him near." 
 
 "Finish the stanza, my little lady," he said 
 sportively. 
 
 "I don't remember the rest," she answered, 
 smiling. 
 
 "Then I'll repeat it for you," he said good- 
 humor edly: 
 
 "With the lucid waters blending, 
 
 The willow shade yet floats, 
 From beneath whose quiet bendings 
 I used to launch my boats." 
 
 They crossed the bridge and almost instinct- 
 ively turned their steps toward Bertha's old home. 
 As they walked up the hill together on that beau- 
 tiful summer afternoon, with their hearts beating 
 wildly happy, there arose a flood of memories 
 almost too deep for words. Memories sweet of 
 those happy bygone days that they had passed to- 
 gether in the little village ; days that ever seemed 
 
420 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 bathed in radiant sunshine, that each familiar 
 spot and hill in St. Arlyle brought vividly back to 
 their mental view; blissful years, when she took 
 her first lessons in science and he learned his first 
 in love ! Peaceful years, but to be succeeded by 
 those sad, thrilling years of war, out of which 
 arose, as if by magic, the well remembered faces 
 and forms of those who ere sleeping under the 
 sod on the battle fields of the sunny South. Sad 
 and thrilling scenes that touched their very hearts' 
 core, till the walls of their memories seemed so 
 written over so crossed and recrossed by the 
 events of the years that had fled, that there seemed 
 no room for the thoughts of the present. 
 
 When they reached the brow of the hill they 
 met Colonel Tom Gleaton, and as he extended a 
 hand to each he said, in his old, impulsive way: 
 
 "Ah, the Heracleids have returned at last!" 
 
 "Yes," replied Bertha smiling, "but it has not 
 taken us quite three generations to do it, as it did 
 the Greeks of old." 
 
 "True," said Gleaton, "the fates were pro- 
 pitious this time. And," he added, with a sly 
 glance at each, "I think no plague will follow." 
 
 "Why," said Landon, "have you consulted the 
 Oracle of Delphi?" 
 
 "No," he said quickly, and with an artfulness 
 that caused the warm blood to suffuse both their 
 faces, "I've consulted the Oracle of Cupid!" 
 
 "By the way," said Bertha, addressing Colonel 
 Gleaton, and demurely and dexterously changing 
 the subject, "I understand you have entered the 
 field of journalism? How do you like it?" 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 421 
 
 "Very well indeed! It gives me a chance to 
 perpetrate a would-be-joke in print." 
 
 "They are more than would-be jokes," said 
 Landon. "You have written some good things." 
 
 "I hope so," he replied: 
 
 " 'For a little fun now and then, 
 Is relished by the best of men/" 
 
 As Gleaton finished speaking he turned around, 
 and as they strolled along their conversation nat- 
 urally turned to the missing links in the village's 
 little commonwealth those who had fallen in the 
 Civil War as Colonel Gleaton said: 
 
 "You remember poor Tom Kelly's death and 
 burial near the banks of the Potomac River? 
 Well, not long since, we had his last resting place 
 marked by a stone with the proper inscriptions 
 cut on it. As you undoubtedly recall, he was the 
 first of our St. Arlyle men to fall in battle." 
 
 "Yes," said General Landon, "he was a wild, 
 erratic fellow, but he fully deserves all the tributes 
 we can give him, for he had a warm Irish heart, 
 and he fell bravely in the defense of his country 
 at duty's post." 
 
 "True," said Bertha, "he had his faults; but 
 who has not? But, poor fellow, he was always 
 a firm and true friend to me! And," she added 
 warmly, "I shall ever hold a tender place in my 
 heart for his memory!" 
 
 "Yes," said General Landon, "as we look back 
 to the old days of the war and recall its martyrs, 
 Jeremiah Marshall, noble Dr. Granville, and 
 sweet May Wilberton, his is ever among the fa- 
 
422 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 miliar faces that arise IIKC an apparition through 
 the haze of history that is beginning to gather 
 around the men and events of that troublous 
 time!" 
 
 "True," said Bertha, u at the mention of their 
 names, their well-known faces seemed to beam 
 upon us as they used to do in life. But let us 
 think," she added tenderly, "that they are all at 
 rest in God's kingdom beyond the skies; that er- 
 ratic Tom Kelly has been called from the post of 
 duty to ranks of peace in Heaven; that Jeremiah 
 Marshall has found after his sad and troublous 
 life the everlasting rest he longed so often to 
 find; and that noble, generous Dr. Granville has 
 found the reward he so truly deserved; and that 
 sweet, gentle May, too, is waiting among the 
 blest!" 
 
 u But there is one name," said General Landon, 
 "of those old days, that of James Shackle, I'm 
 afraid I never can recall without an anathema. 
 For Bertha," he continued, "he came too near 
 ruining your life and mine for me ever to easily 
 forgive him!" 
 
 In Bertha's large liquid eyes there came a sweet 
 forgiving tenderness as she said: "Let us not 
 condemn him too harshly, for perhaps the great 
 troubles and trials he had passed through had 
 overbalanced his mind, and he was not really ac- 
 countable for his later acts. Anyhow," she added, 
 "we in our great happiness can easily afford to 
 forgive him!" 
 
 "Ah, Bertha," said Charles, smiling, "spoken 
 like your own true, noble self ever forgiving 
 and forgetting!" 
 
THROUGH WAR TO PEACE 423 
 
 When they reached the garden gate of Bertha's 
 old home the star-spangled banner was floating 
 from the tall flag-pole in front of it; for it was 
 the Nation's birthday. And as they watched the 
 gentle breeze waft out in the balmy sunlight, the 
 gay folds of the bonny red, white and blue, Ber- 
 tha said: 
 
 "The old flag floats as proudly as if it had 
 never been riddled by shot and shell in internal 
 strife." 
 
 "Yes," said Gleaton, in his facetious way, "I 
 never see the old flag, but it reminds me of bullets 
 and balls coming in my direction." 
 
 "Or," said Bertha, mischieviously, "riding off 
 the battlefield on a cannon." 
 
 "Perhaps," he said, smiling good-humoredly, 
 though the joke was at his expense, "but I hope," 
 he added, "those days are over forever." 
 
 "God grant that they are," said Charles Lan- 
 don earnestly, "and that unlike the nations that 
 have gone before, suicide may never be the fate 
 of the American Republic!" 
 
 And kind reader, let us, too, hope that if war 
 comes in this passing generation it will find the 
 Blue and the Gray in the same line of battle, fight- 
 ing side by side a common foe ! 
 
 As Landon finished speaking Gleaton turned 
 down the hill, while Charles and Bertha entered 
 the gate hand in hand, and in the waning light of 
 that glorious summer afternoon, strolled along 
 a familiar rose-bordered path, and there, gentle 
 reader whilst his arm is encircling her dainty 
 waist, and her dark, golden head is nestling on his 
 shoulder we leave them, under the sway of the 
 
424 THE VILLAGE MYSTERY, AND 
 
 greatest magic wand of all the transforming 
 light of love! So their hearts, like their country's 
 flag, had passed through War to Peace! 
 
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