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 Philadelphia.
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 BY 
 
 CHARLES KING, U.S.A., 
 
 AUTHOR OP "THE COLONEL'S DAUGHTER.'' 
 
 PHILADELPHIA: 
 
 J, B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY. 
 1895.
 
 Copyright, 1884, by J. B. LIPPINCOTT A Co.
 
 PEEFAOE. 
 
 THE incidents of this little story occurred 
 some twelve years ago, and it was then that the 
 story was mainly written. 
 
 If it meet with half the kindness bestowed 
 upon his later work it will more than fulfil the 
 hopes of 
 
 THE AUTHOR. 
 
 February, 1884.
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 IT was just after Christmas, and discontent- 
 edly enough I had left my cosy surroundings in 
 New Orleans, to take a business-trip through the 
 counties on the border-line between Tennessee 
 and northern Mississippi and Alabama. One 
 sunny afternoon I found myself on the " freight 
 and passenger" of what was termed "The Great 
 Southern Mail Route." We had been trundling 
 slowly, sleepily along ever since the conductor's 
 " all aboard !" after dinner ; had met the Mobile 
 Express at Corinth when the shadows were al- 
 ready lengthening upon the ruddy, barren-look- 
 ing landscape, and now, with luka just before 
 us, and the warning whistle of the engine shriek- 
 ing in our ears with a discordant pertinacity 
 attained only on our Southern railroads, I took 
 a last glance at the sun just disappearing behind 
 the distant forest in our wake, drew the last 
 1* 5
 
 6 KITTrS CONQUEST. 
 
 breath of life from my cigar, and then, taking 
 advantage of the halt at the station, strolled back 
 from the dinginess of the smoking-car to more 
 comfortable quarters in the rear. 
 
 There were only three passenger-cars on the 
 train, and, judging from the scarcity of occu- 
 pants, one would have been enough. Elbowing 
 my way through the gaping, lazy swarms of un- 
 savory black humanity on the platform, and the 
 equally repulsive- looking knots of "poor white 
 trash," the invariable features of every country 
 stopping-place south of Mason and Dixon, I 
 reached the last car, and entering, chose one of 
 a dozen empty seats, and took a listless look at 
 my fellow-passengers, six in all, and of them, 
 two only worth a second glance. 
 
 One, a young, perhaps very young, lady, so 
 girlish, petite, and pretty she looked even after 
 the long day's ride in a sooty car. Her seat was 
 some little distance from the one into which I 
 had dropped, but that was because the other 
 party to be depicted was installed within two of 
 her, and, with that indefinable sense of repulsion 
 which induces all travellers, strangers to one 
 another, to get as far apart as possible on enter- 
 ing a car, I had put four seats 'twixt him and 
 me, and afterwards wished I hadn't. 
 
 It was rude to turn and stare at a young girl, 
 travelling alone, too, as she appeared to be. I 
 did it involuntarily the first time, and found my-
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 7 
 
 self repeating the performance again and again, 
 simply because I couldn't help it, she looked 
 prettier and prettier every time. 
 
 A fair, oval, tiny face; a somewhat super- 
 cilious nose, and not-the-least-so mouth; a 
 mouth, on the contrary, that even though its 
 pretty lips were closed, gave one the intangible 
 yet positive assurance of white and regular 
 teeth ; eyes whose color I could not see because 
 their drooping lids were fringed with heavy 
 curving lashes, but which subsequently turned 
 out to be a soft, dark gray ; and hair ! hair that 
 made one instinctively gasp with admiration, 
 and exclaim (mentally), " If it's only real !" hair 
 that rose in heavy golden masses above and 
 around the diminutive ears, almost hiding them 
 from view, and fell in braids (not braids either, 
 because it wasn't braided) and rolls only that 
 sounds breakfasty and masses again, it must 
 do for both, heavy golden masses and rolls and 
 waves and straggling offshoots and disorderly 
 delightfulness all down the little lady's neck, 
 and, landing in a lump on the back of the seat, 
 seemed to come surging up to the top again, 
 ready for another tumble. 
 
 It looked as though it hadn't been " fixed" 
 since the day before, and yet as though it would 
 be a shame to touch it; and was surmounted, 
 " sat upon," one might say, by the jauntiest of 
 little travelling hats of some dark material (don't
 
 8 KITTY'S CONqUEST. 
 
 expect a bachelor, and an elderly one at that, to 
 be explicit on such a point), this in turn being 
 topped by the pertest little mite of a feather 
 sticking bolt upright from a labyrinth of beads, 
 bows, and buckles at the side. 
 
 More of this divinity was not to be viewed 
 from my post of observation, as all below the 
 fragile white throat with its dainty collar and 
 the handsome fur " boa," thrown loosely back 
 on account of the warmth of the car, was under- 
 going complete occultation by the seats in front; 
 yet enough was visible to impress one with a 
 longing to become acquainted with the diminu- 
 tive entirety, and to convey an idea of cultivation 
 and refinement somewhat unexpected on that 
 particular train, and in that utterly unlovely 
 section of the country. 
 
 Naturally I wondered who she was; where 
 she was going; how it happened that she, so 
 young, so innocent, so be-petted and be-spoilt in 
 appearance, should be journeying alone through 
 the thinly settled counties of upper Mississippi. 
 Had she been a "through" passenger, she would 
 have taken the express, not this grimy, stop-at- 
 e very-shanty, slow-going old train on which we 
 were creeping eastward. 
 
 In fact, the more I peeped, the more I mar- 
 velled ; and I found myself almost unconsciously 
 inaugurating a detective movement with a view 
 to ascertaining her identity.
 
 KITTrS CONqUEST. 9 
 
 All this time mademoiselle was apparently 
 serenely unconscious of my scrutiny and deeply 
 absorbed in some object a book, probably in 
 her lap. A stylish Russia-leather satchel was 
 hanging among the hooks above her head, evi- 
 dently her property, and those probably, too, 
 were her initials in monogram, stamped in gilt 
 upon the flap, too far off for my fading eyes to 
 distinguish, yet tantalizingly near. 
 
 Now I'm a lawyer, and as such claim an in- 
 disputable right to exercise the otherwise femi- 
 nine prerogative of yielding to curiosity. It's 
 our business to be curious ; not with the sordid 
 views and mercenary intents of Templeton Jitt; 
 but rather as Dickens's "Bar" was curious, 
 affably, apologetically, professionally curious. In 
 fact, as " Bar" himself said, " we lawyers are 
 curious," and take the same lively interest in the 
 affairs of our fellow-men (and women) as maiden 
 aunts are popularly believed to exercise in the 
 case of a pretty niece with a dozen beaux, or a 
 mother-in-law in the daily occupations of the 
 happy husband of her eldest daughter. Why 
 need I apologize further ? I left my seat ; zig- 
 zagged down the aisle; took a drink of water 
 which I didn't want, and, returning, the long 
 look at the monogram which I did. 
 
 There they were, two gracefully intertwining 
 letters ; a " C" and a " K" Now was it C. K 
 or K C. ? If C. K, what did it stand for ?
 
 10 KITTrS CONQUEST. 
 
 I thought of all manner of names as I regained 
 my seat; some pretty, some tragic, some com- 
 monplace, none satisfactory. Then I concluded 
 to begin over ; put the cart before the horse, and 
 try K. C. 
 
 Now, it's ridiculous enough to confess to it, 
 but Ku-Klux was the first thing I thought of; 
 K. C. didn't stand for it at all, but Ku-Klux 
 would force itself upon my imagination. Well, 
 everything was Ku-Klux just then. Congress 
 was full of them ; so was the South ; Ku-Klux 
 had brought me up there; in fact I had spent 
 most of the afternoon in planning an elaborate 
 line of defence for a poor devil whom I knew to 
 be innocent, however blood-guilty might have 
 been his associates. Ku-Klux had brought that 
 lounging young cavalryman (the other victim 
 reserved for description), who confound him 
 had been the cause of my taking a metaphorical 
 back seat and an actual front one on entering 
 the car; but Ku-Klux couldn't have brought her 
 there; and after all, what business had I bothei- 
 ing my tired brains over this young beauty ? I 
 was nothing to her, why should she be such a 
 torment to me ? 
 
 In twenty minutes we would be due at Sand- 
 brook, and there I was to leave the train and 
 jog across the country to the plantation of Judge 
 Summers, an old friend of my father's and of 
 mine, who had written me to visit him on my
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. U 
 
 trip, that we might consult together over some 
 intricate cases that of late had been occupying 
 his attention in that vicinity. In fact, I was too 
 elderly to devote so much thought and specula- 
 tion to a damsel still in her teens, so I resolutely 
 turned eyes and tried to turn thoughts to some- 
 thing else. 
 
 The lamps were being lighted, and the glare 
 from the one overhead fell full upon my other 
 victim, the cavalryman. I knew him to be such 
 from the crossed sabres in gold upon his jaunty 
 forage cap, and the heavy army cloak which was 
 muffled cavalier-like over his shoulders, display- 
 ing to vivid advantage its gorgeous lining of 
 canary color, yet completely concealing any in- 
 terior garments his knightship might be pleased 
 to wear. 
 
 Something in my contemplation of this young 
 warrior amused me to that extent that I won- 
 dered he had escaped more than a casual glance 
 before. Lolling back in his seat, with a huge 
 pair of top boots spread out upon the cushion in 
 front, he had the air, as the French say, of thor- 
 ough self-appreciation and superiority; he was 
 gazing dreamily up at the lamp overhead and 
 whistling softly to himself, with what struck me 
 forcibly as an affectation of utter nonchalance; 
 what struck me still more forcibly was that he 
 did not once look at the young beauty so close 
 behind him ; on the contrary, there was an evi-
 
 12 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 dent attempt on his part to appear sublimely in- 
 different to her presence. 
 
 Now that's very unusual in a young man under 
 the circumstances, isn't it ? I had an idea that 
 these Charles O'Malleys were heart-smashers; 
 but this conduct hardly tallied with any of my 
 preconceived notions on the subject of heart- 
 smashing, and greatly did I marvel and conjec- 
 ture as to the cause of this extraordinary diver- 
 gence from the manners and customs of young 
 men, soldiers in particular, when, of a sudden, 
 Mars arose, threw off his outer vestment, emerged 
 as it were from a golden glory of yellow shelter- 
 tent; discovered a form tall, slender, graceful, 
 and erect, the whole clad in a natty shell-jacket 
 and riding-breeches ; stalked up to the stove in 
 the front of the car ; produced, filled, and lighted 
 a smoke-begrimed little meerschaum; opened 
 the door with a snap; let himself out with a 
 bang; and disappeared into outer darkness. 
 
 Looking quickly around, I saw that the fair 
 face of C. K. or K. C. was uplifted ; furthermore, 
 that there was an evident upward tendency on 
 the part of the aforementioned supercilious nose, 
 entirely out of proportion with the harmonious 
 and combined movement of the other features ; 
 furthermore, that the general effect was that of 
 maidenly displeasure; and, lastly, that the evi- 
 dent object of such divine wrath was, beyond all 
 peradventure, the vanished knight of the sabre.
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 13 
 
 " Now, my lad," thought I, " what have you 
 done to put your foot in it ?" 
 
 Just then the door reopened, and in came, not 
 Mars, but the conductor ; and that functionary, 
 proceeding direct to where she sat, thus addressed 
 the pretty object of my late cogitations (I didn't 
 listen, but I heard) : 
 
 "It'll be all right, miss. I telegraphed the 
 judge from luka, and reckon he'll be over with 
 the carriage to meet you ; but if he nor none of 
 the folks ain't there, I'll see that you're looked 
 after all right. Old Jake Biggs '11 be there, most 
 like, and then you're sure of getting over to the 
 judge's to-night anyhow." 
 
 Here I pricked up my ears. Beauty smilingly 
 expressed her gratitude, and, in smiling, corrob- 
 orated my theory about the teeth to the most 
 satisfactory extent. 
 
 " The colonel," continued the conductor, who 
 would evidently have been glad of any excuse to 
 talk with her for hours, " the colonel, him and 
 Mr. Peyton, went over to Holly Springs three 
 days ago; but the smash-up on the Mississippi 
 Central must have been the cause of their not 
 getting to the junction in time to meet you. 
 That's why I brought you along on this train ; 
 'twasn't no use to wait for them there." 
 
 " Halloo !' thought I at this juncture, " here's 
 my chance ; he means Judge Summers by * the 
 judge's,' and ' the colonel' is Harrod Summers, 
 
 2
 
 14 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 of course, and Ned Peyton, that young reprobate 
 who has been playing fast and loose among the 
 marshals and sheriffs, is the Mr. Peyton he 
 speaks of; and this must be some friend or rela- 
 tive of Miss Pauline's going to visit her. The 
 gentlemen have been sent to meet her, and have 
 been delayed by that accident. I'm in luck;" so 
 up I jumped, elbowed the obliging conductor to 
 one side ; raised my hat, and introduced myself, 
 " Mr. Brandon, of New Orleans, an old friend 
 of Judge Summers, on my way to visit him; 
 delighted to be of any service ; pray accept my 
 escort," etc., etc. all somewhat incoherent, but 
 apparently satisfactory. Mademoiselle graciously 
 acknowledged my offer ; smilingly accepted my 
 services; gave me a seat by her side; and we 
 were soon busied in a pleasant chat about " Pau- 
 line," her cousin, and " Harrod," her other 
 cousin and great admiration. Soon I learned 
 that it was K. C., that K. C. was Kitty Carring- 
 ton ; that Kitty Carrington was Judge Sum- 
 mers's niece, and that Judge Summers's niece 
 was going to visit Judge Summers's niece's 
 uncle; that they had all spent the months of 
 September and October together in the north 
 when she first returned from abroad; that she 
 had been visiting " Aunt Mary" in Louisville 
 ever since, and that " Aunt Mary" had been with 
 her abroad for ever so long, and was just as good 
 and eweet as she could be. In fact, I was fast
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 15 
 
 learning all my charming little companion's 
 family history, and beginning to feel tolerably 
 well acquainted with and immensely proud of 
 her, when the door opened with a snap, closed 
 with a bang, and, issuing from outer darkness, 
 re-entered Mars. 
 
 Now, when Mars re-entered, he did so pretty 
 much as I have seen his brother button-wearers 
 march into their company quarters on inspection 
 morning, with an air of determined ferocity and 
 unsparing criticism ; but when Mars caught sight 
 of me, snugly ensconced beside the only belle on 
 the train, the air suddenly gave place to an ex- 
 pression of astonishment. He dropped a gaunt- 
 let; picked it up; turned red; and then, with 
 sudden resumption of lordly indifference, plumped 
 himself down into his seat in as successful an at- 
 tempt at expressing " Who cares ?" without say- 
 ing it, as I ever beheld. 
 
 Chancing to look at Miss Kitty, I immediately 
 discovered that a little cloud had settled upon 
 her fair brow, and detected the nose on another 
 rise, so said I, 
 
 " What's the matter ? Our martial friend 
 seems to have fallen under the ban of your dis- 
 pleasure," and then was compelled to smile at 
 the vindictiveness of the reply : 
 
 " He I he has indeed ! Why, he had the im- 
 pertinence to speak to me before you came in ; 
 asked me if I was not the Miss Carrington ex-
 
 16 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 pected at Judge Summers's ; actually offered to 
 escort me there, as the colonel had failed to meet 
 me!" 
 
 " Indeed ! Then I suppose I, too, am horribly 
 at fault," said I, laughing, " for I've done pretty 
 much the same thing ?" 
 
 " Nonsense !" said Miss Kit. " Can't you un- 
 derstand ? He's a Yankee, a Yankee officer ! 
 You don't suppose I'd allow myself, a Southern 
 girl whose home was burnt by Yankees and 
 whose only brother fought all through the war 
 against them, you don't suppose I'd allow my- 
 self to accept any civility from a Yankee, do 
 you ?" and the bright eyes shot a vengeful glance 
 at the dawdling form in front, and a terrific pout 
 straightway settled upon her lips. 
 
 Amused, yet unwilling to offend, I merely 
 smiled and said that it had not occurred to me ; 
 but immediately asked her how long before my 
 entrance this had happened. 
 
 " Oh, about half an hour ; he never made more 
 than one attempt." 
 
 " What answer did you give him ?" 
 
 " Answer ! why ! I couldn't say much of 
 anything, you know, but merely told him I 
 wouldn't trouble him, and said it in such a way 
 that he knew well enough what was meant. He 
 took the hint quickly enough, and turned red as 
 fire, and said very solemnly, 'I ask your par- 
 don,' 1 put on his cap and marched back to his
 
 KITTY 1 S CONQUEST. 17 
 
 seat." Here came a pretty little imitation of 
 Mars raising his chin and squaring his shoulders 
 as he walked off. 
 
 I smiled again, and then began to think it all 
 over. Mars was a total stranger to me. I had 
 never seen him hefore in my life, and, so long as 
 we remained on an equal footing as strangers to 
 the fair K. C., I had been disposed to indulge in 
 a little of the usual jealousy of " military inter- 
 ference," and, from my exalted stand-point as a 
 man of the world and at least ten years his senior 
 in age, to look upon him as a boy with no other 
 attractions than his buttons and a good figure ; 
 but Beauty's answer set me to thinking. I was 
 a Yankee, too, only she didn't know it; if she 
 had, perhaps Mars would have stood the better 
 chance of the two. I, too, had borne arms 
 against the Sunny South (as a valiant militia- 
 man when the first call came in '61), and had only 
 escaped wearing the uniform she detested from 
 the fact that our regimental rig was gray, and 
 my talents had never conspired to raise me above 
 the rank of lance-corporal. I, too, had partici- 
 pated in the desecration of the " sacred soil" 
 (digging in the hot sun at the first earthworks 
 we threw up across the Long Bridge); in fact, 
 if she only knew it, there was probably more 
 reason, more real cause, for resentment against 
 me, than against the handsome, huffy stripling 
 two seats in front. 
 
 b 2*
 
 18 KITTY 1 'S CONQUEST. 
 
 He was a "Yank," of course; but judging 
 from the smooth, ruddy cheek, and the downi- 
 est of downy moustaches fringing his upper lip, 
 had but just cut loose from the apron-strings of 
 his maternal West Point. Why ! he must have 
 been at school when we of the old Seventn 
 tramped down Broadway that April afternoon 
 to the music of " Sky-rockets," half drowned in 
 stentorian cheers. In fact, I began, in the few 
 seconds it took me to consider this, to look upon 
 Mars as rather an ill-used individual. Very 
 probably he was stationed somewhere in the 
 vicinity, for loud appeals had been made for 
 regular cavalry ever since the year previous, 
 when the Ku-Klux began their devilment in the 
 neighborhood. Very probably he knew Judge 
 Summers ; visited at his plantation ; had heard 
 of Miss Kitty's coming, and was disposed to 
 show her attention. Meeting her on the train 
 alone and unescorted, he had done nothing more 
 than was right in offering his services. He had 
 simply acted as a gentleman, and been rebuffed. 
 Ah, Miss Kitty, you must, indeed, be very young, 
 thought I, and so asked, 
 
 " Have you been long in the South since the 
 war, Miss Carrington ?" 
 
 " I ? Oh, no ! We lived in Kentucky before 
 the war, and when it broke out mother took me 
 abroad. I was a little bit of a girl then, and 
 was put at school in Paris, but mother died very
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 19 
 
 soon afterwards, and then auntie took charge of 
 me. Why, I only left school last June !" 
 
 Poor little Kit ! her father had died when she 
 was a mere bahy; her mother before the child 
 had reached her tenth year; their beautiful old 
 home in Kentucky had been sacked and burned 
 during the war ; and George, her only brother, 
 after fighting for his " Lost Cause" until the last 
 shot was fired at Appomattox, had gone abroad, 
 married, and settled there. Much of the large 
 fortune of their father still remained ; and little 
 Kit, now entering upon her eighteenth year, 
 was the ward of Judge Summers, her mother's 
 brother, and quite an heiress. 
 
 All this I learned, partly at the time, princi- 
 pally afterwards from the judge himself; but 
 meantime there was the rebellious little fairy at 
 my side with all the hatred and prejudice of ten 
 years ago, little dreaming how matters had 
 changed since the surrender of her beloved Lee, 
 or imagining the quantity of oil that had been 
 poured forth upon the troubled waters.
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 THE " Twenty minutes to Sandbrook" had 
 become involved in difficulty. Interested in my 
 chat with Kitty, I had failed to notice that we 
 were stopping even longer than usual at some 
 mysterious locality where there was even less of 
 any apparent reason for stopping at all. All 
 without was darkness. I pushed open the win- 
 dow, poked out my head, and took a survey. 
 All was silence save the hissing of the engine 
 way ahead, and one or two voices in excited con- 
 versation somewhere near the baggage-car and 
 by the fence at the roadside. Two lights, lan- 
 terns apparently, were flitting rapidly about. I 
 wondered at the delay, but could assign no cause 
 in reply to the natural question Miss Kit asked 
 as I drew in my head. 
 
 Mars opened his window as I closed mine, 
 looked out a moment, then got up, gave himself 
 a stretch, and stalked out; this time without 
 slamming the door ; a bang would have been too 
 demonstrative in that oppressive silence. In one 
 minute he came back with a quick, nervous step, 
 picked up a belt and holster he had left at his 
 
 20
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 21 
 
 seat, and, without a glance at us, turned sharply 
 back to the door again. As he disappeared, I 
 saw his hand working at the butt of the revolver 
 swung at his hip. Something was wrong. I 
 knew that the Ku-Klux had been up to mischief 
 in that vicinity, and the thought flashed upon 
 me that they were again at work. Looking 
 around, I saw that three of our four fellow- 
 passengers had disappeared. They were ill- 
 favored specimens, for I remembered noticing 
 them just before we stopped, and remarked that 
 they were talking earnestly and in low tones to- 
 gether at the rear end of the car. The other 
 passenger was an old lady, spectacled and rheu- 
 matic. Without communicating my suspicions 
 to my little charge, I excused myself; stepped 
 quietly out ; swung off the car, and stumbled up 
 the track toward the lights. 
 
 A group of six or eight men was gathered at 
 the baggage-car. About the same number were 
 searching along the fence, all talking excitedly. 
 I hailed a brakeman and asked what was the 
 matter. 
 
 " Ku-Klux, sir ! Tried to rob the express ! 
 There was two of them in mask jumped in with 
 their pistols and belted the agent over the head 
 and laid him out ; but afore they could get into 
 the safe, the baggage-master, Jim Dalton, came 
 in, and he yelled and went for 'em. We was 
 running slow up grade, and they jumped off;
 
 22 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 Jim and the conductor after them; that's why 
 we stopped and backed down." 
 
 " Which way did they go ?" I asked. 
 
 " Took right into the bush, I reckon. That 
 lieutenant and another feller has gone in through 
 here, and Bill here says he seen three other fel- 
 lers light out from the back car, the one you 
 was in, sir. That's enough to catch them if 
 they're on the trail." 
 
 " Catch them !" I exclaimed. " Those three 
 men in our car were of the same gang, if any- 
 thing, and that makes five to our four." 
 
 " Yes, by G d !" said another of the party, a 
 sturdy-looking planter; "and what's more, I 
 believe they've got a ranch in hereabouts and 
 belong to Hank Smith's gang. There ain't a 
 meaner set of cut-throats in all Dixie." 
 
 "Then, for heaven's sake, let's go in and hunt 
 up our party !" said I, really apprehensive as to 
 their safety. Three or four volunteered at once. 
 Over the fence we went, and on into the pitchy 
 darkness beyond. Stumbling over logs and 
 cracking sticks and leaves, squashing through 
 mud-holes and marshy ground, we plunged 
 ahead, until a minute or two brought us panting 
 into a comparatively open space, and there we 
 paused to listen. Up to this time I had heard 
 not a sound from the pursuit, and hardly knew 
 which way to turn. Each man held his breath 
 and strained his ears.
 
 KITTY 1 S CONQUEST. 23 
 
 Another minute and it came, well on to the 
 front, a yell, a shot, another shot, and then, 
 " This way !" " This way !" " Here they are !" 
 The rest was drowned by our own rush, as we 
 once more plunged into the thicket and on to- 
 wards the shouts. All of us were armed in one 
 way or another, it is rare enough that any man 
 goes otherwise in that section of the country, 
 and to me there was a terrible excitement about 
 the whole affair, and my heart came bounding 
 up to my throat with every stride. 
 
 One or two more shots were heard, and on we 
 kept until, just as every man was almost breath- 
 less and used up, we were brought to a sudden 
 stop on the steep bank of a bayou that stretched 
 far to either side of our path, right and left, com- 
 pletely barring farther progress. 
 
 In blank amazement, and utterly at a loss 
 what to do, we were gazing stupidly in one an- 
 other's faces, as one after another we gathered 
 on the brink, when there came a sudden excla- 
 mation from the midst of us, " Who's that ?" 
 I jumped, thanks to startled nerves, and looked 
 around. 
 
 A dark form came creeping slowly up the 
 bank, and a weak voice said, 
 
 " Don't shoot, fellows. I'm all right, but they 
 nigh onto finished me, and they've got Hank 
 Smith away anyhow." 
 
 We crowded around him with questions ; but
 
 24 KITTY'S CONqUEST. 
 
 he was faint and sick and the blood was stream- 
 ing from a cut on his forehead. A long pull at 
 a flask tendered by some sympathetic soul in the 
 group revived him enough to tell his experi- 
 ence. 
 
 " Me and the lieutenant took out through the 
 open until we had to take to the bush. Didn't 
 see the conductor nor Jim anywhere, but we 
 gained on the Kluxers. Pretty soon we heard 
 'em busting through the bushes and heard 'em 
 holler. I got blowed, but the lieutenant, he 
 went ahead like as though he'd done nothing 
 but jump since he was a pup. I never seen such 
 a kangaroo. He got clean out of sight, and all 
 of a sudden I heard him holler ; and then came 
 a couple o' shots ; and pretty quick I came upon 
 him and another cuss just more than going for 
 one another in the bushes. The Yankee had 
 him under, though, and had winged him on the 
 run. "When I came up he says to me, says he, 
 * You look out for this man now. He can't hurt 
 you, but if he squirms, you put a hole in him. 
 I'm going on after the others.' So on he went, 
 and I took a look round. I'd sat down on the 
 cuss to make sure I had him, and my pistol at 
 his ear. He was lyin' right here a-glarin' up at 
 me, and the moment I got a good, square look 
 at his face, d n my eyes if it wasn't Hank 
 Smith ! Then I began to feel bully ; and just 
 then I heard some other fellows running up, and
 
 KITTY'S CONqUEST. 25 
 
 thought it was our crowd, so I yelled out that I 
 was here and had Hank Smith all right ; and he 
 kinder grinned ; and they hollered ' bully' too ; 
 and next thing I knew one of 'em ran up and 
 fetched me a wipe over the head and rolled me 
 off down the hank, and there I've been mud- 
 hugging ever since. 
 
 "I was stunned, but knew enough to lie quiet, 
 and they got into some kind of a boat and went 
 paddling off across the creek; but Hank was 
 groaning and cussing so that I couldn't hear 
 nothing but him. He swore by all that was holy 
 that he'd have that Yank's heart's-blood before 
 the month was out, and I tell you the lieutenant 
 had better keep his eye peeled or he'll do it." 
 
 So we had lost him after all ! It was too bad ! 
 and so said the conductor and baggage-master 
 when they rejoined us a few minutes after, bring- 
 ing with them the cavalryman, all three out of 
 breath, covered with mud and scratches, and the 
 latter looking very white and saying but little. 
 I noticed that his handkerchief was bound tightly 
 round his left hand, and divined the cause at 
 once. My respect for Mars was rising every 
 minute. He took a pull at the flask, looked re- 
 vived, and as we all turned moodily back to the 
 train, I asked him about his hurt. "Nothing 
 but a clip on the hand," said he; "but I suppose 
 it bled a good deal before I noticed it, and made 
 me a little faint after the row was over. I BUS-
 
 26 KITTrS CONQUEST. 
 
 pected those fellows who were in our car; in 
 fact, had been sent up to Corinth to look after 
 one or two just such specimens, and was on my 
 way back to my troop by this train. If that man 
 was Hank Smith, as they seem to think, I would 
 almost rather have lost my commission than 
 him." Mars's teeth came together solidly as he 
 gave vent to this sentiment, and his strides un- 
 consciously lengthened so that I had to strike an 
 amble to keep up. 
 
 By this time we had worked our way back 
 into a comparatively open space again, and could 
 see the dim lights of the train several hundred 
 yards oif. The rest of our little party kept 
 crowding around us and offering my young hero 
 cordial expressions of sympathy for his hurt, 
 ani, in homely phrase, many a compliment on 
 his plucky fight. Mars took it all in a laughing 
 sort of way, but was evidently too disgusted 
 at the escape of his bird to care to talk much 
 about anything. Nevertheless, before we got 
 back to the train I gave him my name, and, 
 as an old friend of Judge Summers's, whom I 
 presumed he knew, trusted that I might meet 
 him frequently, and that we might become better 
 acquainted. 
 
 " Thank you, Mr. Brandon," he answered ; " I 
 have heard the judge speak of you, and am 
 sorry I did not know sooner who you were. My 
 name is Amory."
 
 KITTY'S CONqUEST. 27 
 
 " Have you been long in the South ?" I asked. 
 
 " No, sir ; only a month or two. In fact," 
 and here something like a blush stole up to the 
 young fellow's cheek, " I only graduated in this 
 last class '71 from the Academy, and so have 
 seen but little of any kind of service." 
 
 " You're soldier all over, at any rate," thought 
 I, as I looked at the erect, graceful figure beside 
 me; and wondered my thoughts suddenly re- 
 verting to Miss Kitty how a young girl could 
 find it in her heart to snub such a handsome 
 fellow as that, Yank or no Yank. 
 
 A few strides more brought us to the train, 
 where Amory, whose gallantry had already been 
 noised abroad among the passengers, was imme- 
 diately surrounded by an excited group of non- 
 combatants, while I jumped into our car to see 
 how my little protegee had fared during our ab- 
 sence. She looked vastly relieved at my reappear- 
 ance, having of course learned the true state of 
 affairs soon after our sudden departure. I told her 
 briefly what had happened, taking rather a mis- 
 chievous delight in dilating upon Mars's achieve- 
 ment, and affecting not to notice the expres- 
 sion of mingled contempt and incredulity that 
 promptly appeared in her pretty face. Mars 
 himself did not reappear : he had gone into the 
 baggage-car to bathe his hand and accept the 
 eager attentions of one or two Africans, native 
 and to the manner born, who were vying with
 
 28 KITTrS CONQUEST. 
 
 one auother in brushing off the dirt from hia 
 snugly-fitting uniform. He was still surrounded 
 by a knot of passengers and train-hands when I 
 went forward to see how he was getting along, 
 which I did when the train started, but we ex- 
 changed a cordial grip of the hand ; and parted 
 with the promise of meeting at " the judge's," 
 or the cavalry camp, a few miles beyond, within 
 the next two or three days. 
 
 The whistle for Sandbrook was just beginning 
 as I rejoined Miss Kitty, and, after a vigorous life 
 of at least two minutes, wound up in a dismal 
 whine as we rolled in among the lights at the sta- 
 tion. Yes, there they were, ready and waiting 
 for us. The genial, gray-haired old judge and 
 Miss Pauline herself, his only and devoted daugh- 
 ter, in whose arms Miss Kit was rapturously en- 
 folded the instant she hopped from the platform. 
 There, too, was old Jake Biggs, whom the con- 
 ductor had mentioned as mademoiselle's escort 
 in case no one else appeared, Jake and his boon 
 companion, his faithful old horse, "Bob," so 
 named in honor of General Lee. Jake was an 
 old colored servant of the Summers family, and 
 had followed his " young massa," Harrod Sum- 
 mers, all through the war ; had seen him rise 
 from subaltern to colonel ; had nursed him 
 through wounds and illness; and at last when 
 the war was over, and Harrod, who had gone 
 forth with the enthusiasm and ardor of a boy,
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 29 
 
 returned to his father's home, old Jake content- 
 edly followed him, and settled down in one of 
 the few log cabins that remained on the almost 
 ruined estate of the Summers'. Jake was a 
 " free nigger" now, hut the world to him was 
 wrapped up in old associations and "Marss 5 
 Harrod." No such soldier ever had lived as his 
 " cunnel," no such statesman as the judge ; no 
 such belle as Missy Pauline. And Jake not only 
 would not leave them, but in a vague and chival- 
 ric manner he stumbled about the premises, lord- 
 ing it over the young niggers and making mighty 
 pretence at earning an independent livelihood for 
 himself by " doin' chores" around the neighbor- 
 hood, and in hauling loads from the depot to the 
 different plantations within a few miles' radius 
 of Sandbrook. He had managed to scrape up a 
 dilapidated cart and harness somewhere or other, 
 and poor old Bob furnished, greatly to his dis- 
 gust, the draft and motive power. Having been 
 a fine and spirited saddle-horse in his younger 
 days, Bob had naturally rebelled at the idea of 
 coming down to the level of the plantation mules, 
 and had shown something of his former self in 
 the vigorous and determined remonstrance which 
 resulted on the occasion of Jake's first experi- 
 ments with the harness ; but beyond a temporary 
 dislocation of buckles, straps, and dashboard, 
 and a volley of African anathemas and " Whoa 
 da's" from his master, poor old Bob's rebellion 
 3*
 
 30 KITTFS CONQUEST. 
 
 had accomplished nothing, and he had finally set- 
 tled down into a resigned and dreamy existence, 
 and went plodding about the vicinity with the 
 asthmatic cart at his heels, a victim to the vicis- 
 situdes of war. 
 
 Jake was a pet of mine, and had amused me 
 very much on the occasion of my first visit to the 
 judge's, and that's why I tell so long a rigmarole 
 about him. He stood there, a little aloof from 
 the " quality folks," grinning and bowing, and 
 making huge semicircular sweeps with his bat- 
 tered old hat, in his anxiety to do proper honor 
 to the judge's guests. 
 
 I had a chance to receive my especial welcome 
 while Miss Kit was being almost devoured by 
 her relatives ; and presently the baggage was all 
 pitched off; the train moved on with a part- 
 ing whoop ; Mars appeared at the rear door and 
 gave me a farewell wave of the hand; and then, 
 leaving to Jake and Bob the responsible duty 
 of transporting the young lady's trunks, we 
 four Miss Summers and Miss Kit, the judge 
 and I were duly ensconced in the comfortable 
 old carriage, and went jolting off homeward. 
 
 Mr. Summers and I had much to talk about, 
 and finding it impossible to get a word in edge- 
 wise with the two young ladies, who were fond- 
 ling, fluttering, cooing, and chattering on the 
 back seat in the most absorbed manner imag- 
 inable, we gradually drifted off into our law
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 31 
 
 business and let them gossip away and exchange 
 volleys of news and caresses. 
 
 The judge was deeply interested in my account 
 of the adventure with the Ku-Klux, and much 
 concerned about Amory's hurt. 
 
 I learned from him of the desperate and law- 
 less character of the men who were generally 
 believed to be the prominent members of the 
 gang, and the perpetrators of the dastardly out- 
 rages that had been so recently inflicted both 
 upon the negroes and the whites. The people 
 were terrified beyond expression; several had 
 been driven from the country ; several had been 
 shot down in cold blood. A defenceless girl who 
 had been sent down from the North as teacher 
 of the freedmeri's school, had been dragged from 
 her bed at midnight and brutally whipped by 
 some cowardly ruffians. The sheriff, w r ho had 
 arrested one of the suspected parties, was threat 
 ened in an anonymous letter with death if he 
 failed to release his prisoner within twenty-four 
 hours. He called upon the citizens for assist- 
 ance, but none was given, for the Union people 
 were too few. A dozen men in mask surrounded 
 his house the next night; his wife heard tho 
 strange noise, and went to the door ; opened it, 
 and was shot dead in her tracks. The jail was 
 forced, the prisoner released and spirited off 
 beyond the limits of the State. 
 
 All this was going on, when, to the great joy
 
 32 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 of peace-loving people, and undisguised anger of 
 the unreconstructed, a troop of United States 
 cavalry came suddenly to the scene. Several 
 arrests of known murderers and marauders were 
 made ; and, until that very evening, nothing 
 more had been heard of the dreaded Ku-Klux. 
 Indeed, it was by some persons believed that 
 their organization was broken up, and nothing 
 but the positive testimony of one of their own 
 neighbors, the man to whom Amory had turned 
 over his prisoner, would induce the citizens 
 generally to believe that Hank Smith himself 
 was concerned in the attempted robbery of the 
 express car. The cavalry had been there just 
 about a month when this affair took place.
 
 CHAPTEK III. 
 
 X 
 
 Miss KITTY'S tongue had been far from idie 
 all the time that the judge and I had been talking 
 over these matters, but it was only just before 
 we reached our destination that I heard her 
 telling Miss Summers of the events of the even- 
 ing. The moment she mentioned that our lieu- 
 tenant was hurt, Miss Pauline started and ex- 
 claimed, 
 
 " Oh, Kitty ! You don't mean it ! What wilt 
 Major Vinton say?" 
 
 " Who is Major Vinton?" said Miss Kit. 
 
 " Major Vinton is the commanding officer of 
 the cavalry, and Mr. Amory is one of his lieu- 
 tenants. Father knows them both very well, 
 and the major is with us almost every day," was 
 the answer. 
 
 Miss Kit's eyes must have been as big as 
 saucers when she heard that. I couldn't see, 
 but knew it when she exclaimed, in tones almost 
 horror-stricken, 
 
 " Oh, Pauline ! Do you mean to tell me that 
 uncle and you receive Yankee officers ! I wouldn't 
 have believed it !" 
 
 " You don't know him, Kitty," was Miss Sum- 
 
 e 83
 
 34 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 mers's quiet answer. " I believe that we owe 
 father's life to him, and I know that, but for him, 
 none of us could have remained here. He is a 
 thorough gentleman, and you'd like him if you 
 only knew him as we do. As for Mr. Amory, 
 he is only a boy, to be sure; but the major says 
 he is a fine officer, and I know that he is a real 
 nice fellow." 
 
 Miss Kit relapsed into amazed silence; the 
 judge added some few gentle words of reproof 
 for her treatment of the youngster ; and I was 
 smiling to myself over the whole affair, when we 
 drove up to the main entrance of their once 
 beautiful home. A tall, soldierly-looking man 
 opened the door, exchanged a word of greeting 
 with Miss Summers as he assisted the ladies to 
 alight, and then, as they scurried away up the 
 stairs, I was introduced to Major Vinton. 
 
 Now, though we had never met before, the 
 major's name was by no means unfamiliar. We 
 were both New Yorkers; both had struggled 
 through Columbia, and had many a wrestle with 
 Anthon and Drisler; both had rushed to arms 
 in heroic style and tramped off for "Washington 
 at the first call for troops. But I had speedily 
 tramped back again ; while he remained, chose 
 the cavalry arm of the service, fought his way up 
 to the command of his regiment; and when, in 
 1865, his services were no longer needed, sheathed 
 his sabre'; put aside his well-worn regimentals :
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 35 
 
 tried hard to interest himself in some civil pur- 
 suit; took a brief tour abroad, returned just as 
 the new organization of the regular army was 
 being made, and meeting one night a joyous 
 bevy of his old comrades, regular and volunteer, 
 with whom he had fought over every field from 
 Bull Run to Five Forks, the old fire was fanned 
 into a blaze, and in one week he found himself 
 a successful candidate for a captaincy of cavalry. 
 The " major" came afterwards " by brevet," and 
 Vinton had settled down into contentedly follow- 
 ing the old life, though in a less exciting time 
 and exalted capacity. He greeted me in a frank, 
 warm-hearted way; and we were in the midst 
 of a comparison of notes as to old college names, 
 when the judge interrupted us with, 
 
 " Yinton, Mr. Brandon brings important news, 
 which I think you ought to know at once." So 
 once again the story of our little adventure was 
 told. 
 
 The major listened attentively and never inter- 
 posed a word; but his brow darkened and his 
 face set when I came to Amory's wound and 
 Hank Smith's parting threat. The instant I 
 finished he turned to a servant, saying, 
 
 " Be good enough to tell my orderly to bring 
 the horses round at once." 
 
 In vain the judge begged him to stay and have 
 supper, or at least some little refreshment. The 
 major said, very quietly, that he must be off to
 
 36 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 camp at once ; asked me one or two more ques- 
 tions in a business-like way; and the moment 
 the horses came, bade us good- night, swung into 
 saddle, and followed by his orderly, disappeared 
 at a rapid trot. The judge and I stood listening 
 on the portico until the hoof-beats died away, 
 and then returned to the blaze of the great wood- 
 fire in the sitting-room. The young ladies came 
 fluttering down-stairs. Supper was announced. 
 Miss Pauline looked inquiringly around as we 
 walked into the next room, where a bounteous 
 table was spread. 
 
 " Where is Major Yinton, father ?" 
 
 " Gone back to camp, dear. He asked me to 
 present his excuses to you, but he was obliged 
 to leave as soon as he heard of this affair." 
 
 I fancied that a shade of disappointment settled 
 on Miss Summers's face, but she merely an- 
 swered, "Indeed, I'm very sorry," and busied 
 herself with the tea and coffee. 
 
 Miss Kit looked immensely relieved, and im- 
 mediately became radiant; chattered like a 
 little magpie, in fact, was as charming and be- 
 witching as possible; but it was already late; 
 good-nights were soon exchanged; and, tired 
 out, the household went to sleep. 
 
 Next morning when we assembled in the 
 breakfast-room, our little heroine looked fresher, 
 prettier, and tinier than the day before. This 
 time her hair was "fixed," and that was the
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 37 
 
 only point that in my eyes was no improvement. 
 All day long the judge and I roamed about the 
 premises or pored over the cases he had on 
 hand. All day long the young ladies laughed, 
 chatted, flitted about from one room to another, 
 played and sang. No news came from the camp. 
 Late in the afternoon, when we were all stand- 
 ing on the portico, a solitary trooper came can- 
 tering up the road along which the major had 
 disappeared the night before. "Without knowing 
 why, I found my eyes turning upon Miss Sum- 
 mers. She was listening abstractedly to Miss 
 Kit's account of a visit to the Mammoth Cave, 
 but her eyes were fixed upon the horseman as he 
 rapidly neared the gate, neared it, and, never 
 drawing rein or checking speed, rode stolidly 
 past on the road to Sandbrook depot. The wist- 
 ful, almost eager light faded from her soft brown 
 eyes; the full lip quivered one little bit; but 
 quickly rallying, she plunged into a blithe wordy 
 skirmish with her cousin about some alleged 
 flirtation of the summer previous. 
 
 Evening came, and with it Harrod Summers 
 and Mr. Peyton ; both making much over Miss 
 Kit; both bemoaning the accident which had 
 prevented their meeting; and both apparently 
 pleased to know that " Mr. Brandon was so kind 
 and attentive." I had known Harrod slightly 
 before, as he was away much of the time of my 
 previous visit ; but I knew him to be his father's 
 
 4
 
 Jg KITTrS CONQUEST. 
 
 son, a man to be honored and respected. Of 
 Peyton, the less said the better. He was a rash, 
 foolhardy, and, I feared, criminally reckless boy, 
 a violent "reb" and unsparing hater of every 
 Yankee. I had heard grave stories concerning 
 his connection with some of the acts of violence 
 committed upon the Union-loving people in the 
 vicinity, and had noticed the troubled look on 
 the judge's face every time his name was men- 
 tioned. I knew that he had been arrested, and 
 that there was strong presumptive evidence as to 
 his guilt ; but he had been immediately bailed 
 out and released. After this occurrence, the 
 judge had managed to persuade him to take a 
 trip to Havana and New Orleans ; but the mo- 
 ment he heard of Miss Kitty's projected visit he 
 came hurrying back. They were second cousins, 
 and had met abroad. Rumor had it that Peyton 
 had offered himself; that Miss Kit had a girlish 
 fancy for him ; that his suit promised favorably 
 until Aunt Mary became suddenly aware of this 
 nice little family arrangement, and, being a 
 woman of the world, and possessed of a keen 
 sense of what constituted the eligible and ineli- 
 gible in a young man, swooped remorselessly 
 down upon the blissful pair ; hustled Master N"ed 
 into immediate exile; and, gathering her one 
 chicken under the shadow of her protecting 
 wing, bore her in triumph away to a realm un- 
 infested with dangerous young men. Miss Kit
 
 KITTY'S COXQUEST. 39 
 
 is said to have shed bitter tears one week; sulked 
 the next ; pouted another ; to have made a vigor- 
 ous and romantic attempt at pining in all three ; 
 but the effort was too much for her ; and, being 
 wisely left to herself, it was not long before Pey- 
 ton and his escapades were to her matters of 
 Berene indifference. 
 
 Not so with him, however. To do him justice, 
 Peyton was probably very much in love ; and at 
 all events had a very correct idea of the unlimited 
 benefits to be obtained through the medium of 
 Miss Kit's solid bank account. He was no fool, 
 if he was a reprobate ; and was as handsome 
 and naughty a wolf as could be found infesting 
 Southern sheepfolds; and here he was, primed 
 and ready to renew the attack. The judge didn't 
 like it ; Miss Summers didn't ; nor Harrod ; nor 
 I; but it only took a few hours to convince us 
 all that our beauty had just enough feminine 
 mischief in her to enjoy the prospect of another 
 flirtation with her old flame ; and so to all but 
 Peyton and to her, the evening passed gloomily 
 enough. The judge retired to his library; Miss 
 Summers played soft, sad music at the piano; 
 and Harrod and I smoked cigar after cigar upon 
 the porch. 
 
 Ten o'clock came and still the pair were cooing 
 away in the corner ; Kitty's low, sweet, bubbling 
 laugh floating out through the open casement to 
 where we sat. Miss Summers closed her piano
 
 40 KITTY'S CONqUEST. 
 
 abruptly ; came out to our nook on the portico ; 
 and, declining the offer of a chair, stood leaning 
 her hand upon her brother's shoulder. 
 
 Harrod looked fondly up at her for a moment 
 or two as she gazed out towards the gate ; then a 
 teasing smile played about his mouth as he asked, 
 
 " Anybody been here to-day, Paulie ?" 
 
 " No-o-o-o ! That is, nobody to speak of." 
 
 " No major, then ?" 
 
 Pauline looks squarely down into her brother's 
 eyes as she answers, " No major, if you refer to 
 Major Vinton." A little heightened color, per- 
 haps, but that's all. She is as brave as Harrod 
 and not easy to tease. 
 
 Harrod turns to me : " Do you think he has 
 gone after those men with his troop, Mr. Bran- 
 don?" 
 
 " I don't know, colonel ; he said nothing about 
 it, but rode off immediately. I shouldn't wonder, 
 though ; for the judge tells me he is over here 
 almost every day." 
 
 "Ye-e-es ?" (inquiringly.) " How is that, 
 Paulie?" 
 
 Paulie has no reasons to allege ; probably he 
 wouldn't come if he didn't want to. 
 
 " True enough," Harrod suggests ; " and still 
 less unless he knew he was welcome. He is 
 awfully proud, isn't he, Paulie ?" 
 
 "Indeed, Harrod, I don't know; but he is 
 welcome, an.l any man who has rendered us the
 
 KITTrS CONQUEST. 41 
 
 service lie has in protecting our father against 
 the fury of that mob on court-day, ought to be 
 welcome among us !" Color rising and a per- 
 ceptible tremor of the hand on Harrod's shoulder, 
 lie takes it gently and leans his cheek lovingly 
 upon it as he looks up at the flushing face, whose 
 dark eyes still gaze unflinchingly into his own. 
 
 "You are right enough, dear, and you know I 
 agree with you. He is a noble fellow, Brandon, 
 and I hope you'll meet and know him better. 
 Father's decision against two or three Ku-Klux 
 raised a terrible row here ; and as he attempted 
 to leave the court-house with one or two friends 
 the mob hooted him ; and even his long residence 
 among these people would not have saved him. 
 They call him traitor and Yankee now. Well, 
 father tried to speak to them, but they wouldn't 
 listen. A few more friends gathered round him ; 
 a blow was struck ; and then the mob charged. 
 Shooting ensued, of course, and two of their own 
 men were badly wounded, while father and his 
 party of six barred themselves in the court-house. 
 Old Jake Biggs dashed out to camp, luckily 
 meeting Major Vinton on the way, and in five 
 minutes from the time the first shot was fired, 
 and before those howling devils could break down 
 the door, Vinton darted at a gallop into their 
 midst, not a soul with him but his orderly, 
 rode up to the door as though he were built of 
 cast iron, and then turned squarely and con- 
 
 4*
 
 42 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 fronted the whole mob. There's only one thing 
 on earth these people are afraid of, Brandon : 
 they don't care a fig for law, sheriffs, or marshals, 
 but they would rather see the devil than the 
 Federal uniform. And for ten minutes Yin ton 
 and his one man kept that mob at bay ; and then 
 young Amory with half the troop came tearing 
 into town, and if the major hadn't checked them, 
 would have gone through that crowd in ten 
 seconds. 
 
 " The mob skulked off; but they hate father 
 and the cavalry most bitterly, and would wreak 
 their vengeance if they dared. I was away in 
 Mobile at the time, and knew nothing about the 
 affair until next day, when my sister's telegram 
 came ; but the sheriff never tires of telling how 
 the major rode into that crowd; and how mad 
 Mr. Amory was because Yinton stopped his 
 charge." 
 
 " No wonder you all think so much of him, 
 colonel," I answered. " He comes of a noble old 
 race, and whether as enemy or friend you can- 
 not fail to respect him ; and I'm glad to see a 
 cordial feeling springing up between our sections 
 in this way. I would to God it were more gen- 
 eral!" 
 
 " Ah, Brandon, it is not the soldiers, not the 
 men who did the fighting, who are bitter now. 
 Our enemies in the North are the men who sat 
 at home wondering why your Army of the Po-
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 43 
 
 tomac didn't move. Your enemies are those 
 who never felt the shock of Northern arms. We 
 would have had peace long ago could the soldiers 
 have been allowed to make the terms." 
 
 And so we sat and talked, until the clocks 
 throughout the house were chiming eleven, and 
 then Miss Summers declared we must retire. 
 The corner flirtation was broken up ; Peyton and 
 Miss Kit exchanging a lingering and inaudible 
 good-night at the stairs. Harrod and I closed 
 and bolted doors and windows. Peyton stuck his 
 hands in his pockets and walked nervously up and 
 down the hall buried in thought until we had fin- 
 ished our work ; and then, on receiving Colonel 
 Summers' somewhat cold intimation that it was 
 time to go to bed, wished us a sulky " pleasant 
 dreams," took his candle and disappeared. 
 
 Harrod waited until he was out of hearing and 
 then said to me, " They are all out of the way 
 now, Brandon, and I want to see you one mo- 
 ment. It is a hard thing to say of one's own 
 kinsman, but Peyton can't be trusted in this 
 matter. Here is a letter that was left for father 
 at the post-office in town, but I have opened and 
 withheld it, knowing that it would only cause 
 him unnecessary trouble. I'm worried about it, 
 and had hoped that Vinton would have come over 
 to-day ; we're safe enough with him and his men." 
 
 Saying this he handed me the letter. I had 
 seen them before; Ku-Klux anonymous rascali-
 
 44 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 ties, a huge, coarse, brown envelope, directed 
 in a sprawling hand to the " Honerable Judge 
 Summers," and embellished in red ink with nu- 
 merous death's-heads, K. K.'s, and in the upper 
 left-hand corner a flaming scroll, on which ap- 
 peared in bold relief the words " Blood ! Death ! 
 Liberty !" The whole affair was ludicrous enough 
 in appearance, and, throwing it to one side, I 
 read the inclosure. It began with the usual 
 " Death to Traitors," and wound up, after one or 
 two incoherent " whereases" and " therefores," 
 by informing the judge that if he remained in 
 that vicinity twenty-four hours longer " all the 
 damned Yankees this side of hell couldn't save 
 him," and intimating that the lives of the Fed- 
 eral officers upon whom he relied " weren't worth 
 their weight in mud." 
 
 Harrod and I sat for some time talking over 
 this elegant document, and decided that nothing 
 should be said until we could see Major Vinton 
 on the following day. The camp was six miles 
 away, and on the outskirts of the county-seat 
 where the court-house row had taken place ; and 
 Sandbrook was nearly as far in the opposite di- 
 rection. He anticipated no danger for that night ; 
 but such had been the reckless nature of the 
 Elan, that we agreed it best to be on the safe 
 side and to look well to our arms ; then we parted, 
 each to his own room.
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 IT was a clear, starlit night and very mild, 
 almost warm, in fact; and having spent my 
 Christmas but a few days before amid the orange 
 groves and magnolias of Louisiana, I had pre- 
 pared myself for something more wintry on the 
 borders of Tennessee ; but up to that time my 
 overcoat had been insupportable. 
 
 The combined effects of half a dozen cigars 
 and the conversation just concluded with Harrod 
 Summers had banished all desire for sleep. In 
 fact, if I must confess it, I was nervous and ill at 
 ease. The room seemed close and stifling, so 1 
 opened both window and door to secure the full 
 benefit of the cool night-air, and then proceeded 
 to make myself comfortable. First pulling off 
 my boots and insinuating my feet into an easy old 
 pair of slippers, I took the boots to the door and 
 deposited them noiselessly in the hall, where small 
 Pomp, the " general utility" man of the house- 
 hold, could find and black them in the morning. 
 A dim light was burning on a little table in the 
 hall, and I noticed Mr. Peyton's boots at his 
 door, the door next to mine, and on the same 
 side of the hall. We were quartered in what 
 
 45
 
 46 KITTFS CONQUEST. 
 
 was known as the east wing, a one-storied addi- 
 tion to the main building, containing four sleep- 
 ing apartments for the use of the judge's guests; 
 the floor, as is generally the case in these South- 
 ern houses, being elevated some eight or nine 
 feet above the ground. 
 
 Peyton and I were the only occupants of the 
 wing that night; the rooms of the rest of the 
 household being in the main building. It oc- 
 curred to me, therefore, that the hall lamp was 
 unnecessary there ; and so I crossed over, took 
 it from its table, and was returning with it to 
 my own room, when I heard a long, shrill, dis- 
 tant whistle. It came from the direction of the 
 woods on the eastern side of the plantation, so 
 far away, in fact, that save in the dead of night 
 it probably would have failed to attract attention. 
 Involuntarily I stopped short in my tracks, listen- 
 ing ; and involuntarily, too, I looked at Peyton's 
 door. It was closed, but the transom above it 
 was open, and all was darkness within. No 
 sound had come from his room before, and I 
 supposed him asleep ; and now, as if in corrob- 
 oration of that supposition, he began to snore ; 
 rather a louder and more demonstrative snore 
 than would have been natural from so sudden a 
 start, I thought afterwards. Meantime, I stood 
 still a minute and listened. The whistle died 
 away, and there was no answer or repetition; 
 the snoring continued; I moved on into my
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 47 
 
 room ; closed and bolted the door ; put my lamp 
 on the bureau ; took out my revolver and care- 
 fully examined it; then turned down the light 
 until nothing but a mere glimmer was left; 
 crouched down by the open window, and looked 
 out. The stillness was so intense that the tick- 
 ing of my watch and the loud beating of my 
 heart seemed insupportable. Leaning out from 
 the casement, I could see that Peyton's window, 
 too, was open, and that there was a little shed of 
 some kind beneath it, whose roof reached up to 
 within about five feet of the window-sill. Gar- 
 den-tools were probably stored there, as I had 
 noticed a few spades and a wheelbarrow during 
 the day. Peyton was still snoring, though less 
 loudly. 
 
 I listened for ten minutes more, and still no 
 sound came from the direction in which I had 
 heard the whistle, save the distant neigh of a 
 horse and the occasional barking of dogs. Yet 
 my nerves were upset. That whistle must have 
 been a signal of some kind, and, if so, what did 
 it portend ? At last, being unable to arrive at 
 any conclusion, I determined to lie down and 
 think it over; and so, taking off coat and waist- 
 coat, and putting on a loose wrapper, I threw 
 myself upon the bed. It must have been after 
 midnight then, yet I could not sleep, and at the 
 same time thinking was an effort. I found my- 
 self listening intently for every sound, and hold-
 
 48 KITTY'S CONqUEST. 
 
 ing my breath every time the distant bark of a 
 dog or the lowing of cattle was heard. 
 
 An hour passed ; nothing farther happened ; 
 and I began to feel drowsy at last and to regard 
 myself as the easiest man to scare in the whole 
 county. Soon after, I must have fallen into a 
 doze; an uneasy, fitful slumber it must have 
 been, too; for the very next thing I knew I found 
 myself sitting bolt upright; every nerve strained; 
 and listening with beating heart to the same 
 signal whistle ; only this time, though low and 
 cautious, it was nearer; and, unless I was vastly 
 mistaken, came from a little clump of trees just 
 beyond the eastern fence. Harrod's big New- 
 foundland, who always slept on the porch in 
 front of the house, and seldom, if ever, barked 
 or made any disturbance at night, came tearing 
 around to our side, growling fiercely, and evi- 
 dently excited and alarmed. 
 
 Something was up, that was certain; and im- 
 mediately I began to wonder what ought to be 
 done. The call was not repeated ; all was soon 
 quiet again. "Blondo" had given one or two 
 low, short barks ; scouted through the grounds 
 about the house ; and returned to the southern 
 front again. After one or two moments' consid- 
 eration he had given another, a sort of interrog- 
 atory bark, as though he expected a reply ; and 
 then, with a dissatisfied sniff at hearing noth- 
 ing further, slowly returned to his usual post*
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 49 
 
 Blonde's nerves were better than mine. I 
 thought over the matter ten minutes longer in 
 the most undecided manner imaginable. Harrod 
 had plainly intimated that he suspected Mr. Pey- 
 ton of complicity with the Ku-Klux or I would 
 have awakened him ; as it was, I was possessed 
 with the idea that he ought to know nothing of 
 our suspicions, nothing of the anonymous letter 
 (from us, at least), and in no manner or way be 
 admitted to confidence. Rather hard on Peyton, 
 to be sure ; but there was something about him I 
 didn't like, something besides the mere fact that 
 
 I saw he didn't like me, and What was 
 
 that ! There could be no mistake ! I plainly 
 saw through my open window a sudden gleam 
 of light among the leaves of the oak-tree on the 
 other side of the garden-walk. It was as though 
 the light had been momentarily thrown upon it 
 from a bull's-eye lantern and instantly with- 
 drawn. More than that, the light was thrown 
 upon it from this side. Thoroughly aroused 
 now, I stole noiselessly from the bed ; took my 
 revolver ; and, making the least possible " creak" 
 in turning the key, I slowly opened my door, and 
 on tiptoe and in stocking feet crept out into the 
 hall. My plan was to go and arouse Harrod. 
 
 Without closing my door I turned stealthily 
 
 away ; and, as a matter of course, stumbled over 
 
 one of my boots. There they were, right at the 
 
 door, just where I had left them, and visible 
 
 c d 5
 
 50 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 enough for all practical purposes in the dim 
 light that came from my open doorway and the 
 window at the end of the hall. It was clumsy 
 and stupid in rue. I looked towards Peyton's 
 door, wondering if the noise, slight as it was, 
 had awakened him. No more snoring, at all 
 events. I took a step or two towards his room 
 to listen, looked carefully down to see that I 
 didn't stumble over his boots too, and then 
 stopped short. 
 
 Peyton's boots were no longer there. 
 
 For a moment I could not realize it; then I 
 stole closer to the door, and the door that I knew 
 was tightly closed when I came up-stairs was 
 now unlatched and partly open. The conviction 
 forced itself into my mind that my next-door 
 neighbor was up to some of his old devilment, 
 and that that signal whistle had some connection 
 with the mysterious disappearance of his boots. 
 Peeping through the partly-opened door, I could 
 see the bed, its coverlet undisturbed, its pillows 
 smooth and untouched. That was enough to 
 embolden me, and at the same time make me 
 mad. All that snoring was a counterfeit for my 
 benefit, was it ? I opened the door and looked 
 in : no signs of its late occupant ; Ned Peyton 
 had gone. 
 
 Sorely puzzled what to do next, I sidled out 
 again; sneaked out, I might as well say, for 
 that's the way I felt ; and leaving his door as I
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 51 
 
 found it, returned to my own room and took 
 post at the window. Curiously enough, the dis- 
 covery of Peyton's absence and his probable 
 connection with the mysterious signals without, 
 had had a wonderful effect in restoring me to 
 confidence and endowing me with a fabulous 
 amount of pluck and courage. The idea of 
 summoning Harrod was abandoned; the thing 
 to be done now was to find out what my ami- 
 able next-door neighbor was up to ; and, if pos- 
 sible, to do so without letting him know that his 
 nice little game was detected. 
 
 A clock somewhere in the hall struck three 
 while I was pondering over the matter. Ten 
 minutes afterwards there came a stealthy step 
 on the garden-walk, and the figure of a man 
 emerged from behind an old arbor near the oak- 
 tree. It was Peyton, of course, although the 
 light was too uncertain to admit of my recog- 
 nizing him until he came nearer. 
 
 I crouched down lower, but kept him in view. 
 Cautiously and slowly Master Ned tiptoed it up 
 to the little tool-house under his window; swung 
 himself carefully up to the roof; crept on all- 
 fours until he reached the top ; and then, making 
 very little noise, clambered into his window and 
 disappeared from view. A moment or two after, 
 I heard him softly deposit his boots in the hall ; 
 close and bolt his door; and soon after tumble 
 into bed. Evidently, then, we had nothing fur-
 
 52 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 ther to fear for that night at least ; and in fifteen 
 minutes I was sound asleep. 
 
 At breakfast the next morning the household 
 generally put in a late appearance. Peyton es- 
 tablished himself at Miss Kitty's side and mo- 
 nopolized her in the most lover-like manner. 
 Immediately afterwards the pair sallied forth for 
 a walk. Miss Summers looked very anxiously 
 after them until they disappeared in the shrub- 
 bery, and then turned to Harrod with an appeal- 
 ing look in her eyes. 
 
 " I don't know what to do, Harrod. I didn't 
 imagine the possibility of his coming back here 
 when we invited Kitty." 
 
 "Don't worry about it, Pauline. Mr. Bran- 
 don and I are going to drive over to the cavalry 
 camp this morning, and this afternoon I'll have 
 a talk with Ned. How soon can you get through 
 your talk with father?" he suddenly asked, turn- 
 ing to me. 
 
 " Twenty minutes at most will be long enough," 
 I answered ; so he sent off to the stable to order 
 the carriage. 
 
 The judge and I strolled slowly around the 
 house, planning the course to be pursued in the 
 prosecution of the men who had been arrested 
 under the " enforcement act." As we sauntered 
 along the garden-walk on the eastern side, I nat- 
 urally glanced up at my window and Peyton's. 
 A coarse brown envelope was lying right at the
 
 KiTTrs coNquEST. 53 
 
 door of the little tool-house, the very place where 
 he had clambered to the roof the night before. 
 " We lawyers are curious," and, without inter- 
 rupting the judge's conversation, I "obliqued" 
 over to the left; picked up the envelope; dropped 
 it carelessly into my pocket; and went on talk- 
 ing without having attracted the judge's atten- 
 tion to the movement. 
 
 After the judge had returned to his study, and 
 before Harrod was ready, I had an opportunity 
 of investigating this precious document. It only 
 needed a glance to assure me that it was just 
 such another envelope as the one which inclosed 
 the Ku-Klux letter to the judge that Harrod had 
 shown me, and that fact was sufficient to remove 
 any scruples I might have had as to reading its 
 contents. The envelope bore no mark or address. 
 The inclosure was as follows : 
 
 " CAPTAIN PEYTON : 
 
 "DEAR SIR, The Yankee major, with forty 
 of his men, went off in a hurry late last night, 
 leaving the lieutenant and about ten men in 
 camp. They're after Hank and the crowd, but 
 we got notice in time, broke up the ranch, 
 and scattered. Hank's wound is pretty rough ; 
 he played a d d fool trick in trying to get 
 that express money, and the boys all think 
 he'd been drinking again. Three of us took 
 him over the Big Bear in ScantwelPs boat, and 
 
 5*
 
 54 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 on up to Chickasaw. He sent me back from 
 there to see you and tell you to watch out for 
 every chance to get word to him. He'll be at 
 Eustice's, across the Tennessee, until his arm is 
 well ; and then he's coming back to get square 
 with the Yank who shot him. The lieutenant 
 has got an infernal bad cut on the left hand, and 
 can't do nothing for the next week. Look out 
 for signal any night about two o'clock. Burn this. 
 " Yours respectfully, 
 
 " BLACKEY." 
 
 Here was a pretty piece of villainy. I thought 
 earnestly whether to show it immediately to 
 Harrod and make a full expos& of Peyton's com- 
 plicity with the affair ; but, before I could decide, 
 the carriage came ; and with the driver listening 
 to every word that was said, it was out of the 
 question. It was scandalous enough as it stood 
 without letting the servants know of it. "We 
 talked a good deal about their general perform- 
 ances, but in no way alluded to the latest devel- 
 opments of the Klan as we drove rapidly along. 
 Neither expected to find Major Yinton there at 
 camp; but I had reason to know that Amory 
 would be on hand, and had determined to give 
 him immediate information as to the whereabouts 
 of Smith that he might send out a party to secure, 
 him. 
 
 Sure enough, only one or two soldiers were to
 
 KITTY'S CONqUEST. 55 
 
 be seen when we drove up, but a corporal took 
 us to Amory's tent. He sprang up from the 
 little camp-bed in which he was lounging and 
 reading; gave us a cordial welcome; and, in 
 reply to our questions, stated that the major had 
 gone out with three days' rations and nearly all 
 the men, hoping to hunt up and capture the 
 gang. A United States marshal was with him, 
 who felt certain that he could guide him to the 
 very point on the bayou where the fight had 
 taken place. He had started about three o'clock 
 on the previous morning, just as soon as rations 
 could be cooked, and was determined to hunt 
 them to their holes. 
 
 " I expect him back every hour, and am dis- 
 gusted enough at being ordered to stay behind ; 
 but he and the doctor both forbade my going, 
 so here I am playing the invalid." His arm was 
 still in a sling and the hand closely bound. 
 
 We sat and chatted for some twenty minutes. 
 Amory inquired after " the young ladies" very 
 calmly ; made no allusion to Miss Kitty's snub ; 
 accounted for his non-appearance the day before 
 by saying that the doctor had insisted on his 
 remaining quiet in his tent ; and so neither Har- 
 rod nor I saw fit to make any apology for our 
 troublesome little heroine. She was worrying 
 all of us now, innocently enough perhaps, but 
 sorely for all that. 
 
 Harrod turned the subject to Hank Smith ;
 
 56 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 and, finding that Amory had not heard of his 
 threat as related by the man whom his friends 
 had " fetched a wipe over the head," repeated it 
 to him, and warned him to be on his guard. 
 Mars took it coolly enough ; expressed his readi- 
 ness to welcome Hank and his adherents to 
 hospitable graves; and, except that his teeth 
 came as solidly together as they had when allud- 
 ing to the ruffian's escape two nights previous, 
 displayed no symptoms of the slightest emotion 
 at the prospect of losing a quart or two of " heart's- 
 blood" within the month. 
 
 Presently Harrod drove off to the village to 
 make some necessary purchases, promising to 
 return for me within an hour. Then I lost not 
 a moment in giving Mars my information about 
 Hank Smith; where he was to be found, etc., 
 but without mentioning Peyton's connection 
 with the affair or stating how the news came into 
 my possession. He asked, of course, but I gave 
 a good reason for declining to name the person 
 who had volunteered the news, at the same time 
 assuring him of my belief in its truth. 
 
 Mars was all ablaze in a minute. Chickasaw 
 was at least twelve miles away and to the north. 
 Vinton's plan, and the marshal's, was to go south- 
 west, should they find the ranch abandoned, and 
 search a number of suspected points in Tisho- 
 mingo and Prentiss Counties. All the gang by 
 this time knew that there was a hunt going on,
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 57 
 
 and, at the cry of " Yanks coming," had scat- 
 tered in every direction. Smith thought himself 
 safe across the Tennessee, and would probably 
 have onl} 7 one or two men with him. Amory was 
 fairly excited this time anyhow, and in ten min- 
 utes had made up his mind ; gave his orders to 
 a non-commissioned officer, wrote a letter to 
 Major Vinton, with instructions to deliver it 
 immediately upon the return of the troop to 
 camp, and before Harrod Summers' return, had 
 vaulted lightly into saddle, waved me a laugh- 
 ing good-by, and trotted off at the head of a little 
 squad of five dragoons, all the men he could 
 possibly take. I watched them till they disap- 
 peared from view on the road to the Tennessee 
 and then sat me down to wait for Harrod. 
 
 The corporal who had shown us to Amory's 
 tent was on " sick-report" he said, with chills 
 and fever. He, with three or four others, re- 
 mained in charge of camp, and I amused myself 
 listening to their talk about their officers and the 
 Ku-Klux. An old darky on a mule came in to 
 sell chickens, and after him, a seedy-looking 
 fellow on a shaggy pony, he " didn't want 
 nothing in particular, unless it was to know 
 when the captain'd be back." 
 
 The corporal was non-committal, didn't know. 
 The seedy party shifted around in his saddle, 
 and, after profuse expectoration, " reckoned that 
 the lieutenant warn't much hurt nohow."
 
 58 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 " Why so ?" says the corporal. 
 
 " 'Cause he's off so quick again." 
 
 " That don't prove anything," says the dragoon. 
 
 " Whar's he gone to ?" says Seedy. 
 
 " Don't know." 
 
 " Ain't gone far, I reckon ; didn't take no ra- 
 tions, did he ?" 
 
 " Don't know." 
 
 " I kind of wondered why he took the north 
 road/wr, if he wanted to catch the captain, 'cause 
 I knew he was out towards Guntown." 
 
 "How did you know ?" 
 
 " Well, I heard so, that's all." 
 
 The corporal looks steadily at Seedy, and is 
 apparently suspicious. Seedy turns his quid over 
 with his tongue and looks all around. He's 
 a bad hand at extracting information, at all events. 
 At last he makes another venture. 
 
 " Wish I knew how far up the north road the 
 lieutenant went. I've got some business up to- 
 wards the Tennessee. I belong to a missionary 
 society hereabouts, and yet I don't like to take 
 that long ride alone." 
 
 I hear the corporal mutter a rather unflatter- 
 ing comment on that statement; and it occurs 
 to me that there is more of the odor of bad 
 whiskey than sanctity about the member of 
 the missionary society. He reminds me of 
 Mr. Stiggins ; and Mr. Stiggins makes one more 
 attempt.
 
 KITTY'S CONqUEST. 59 
 
 " Whar am I most like to catch the boys by 
 dinner-time ?" 
 
 " Don't know." 
 
 The member looks incredulous and indignant ; 
 and after a long survey of every object in range 
 about the camp, turns his dejected steed slowly 
 around and shambles off, with the parting shot, 
 
 " Reckon you never did know nothin', did 
 you ?" To which the corporal responds, 
 
 "No; and if I did, I wouldn't tell you, 
 Johnny." 
 
 Stiggins strikes a canter on reaching the main 
 road, and disappears on the trail of the cavalry. 
 Presently Harrod returns, greatly surprised at 
 Amory's sudden expedition, and curious as to 
 the source from which he derives his information. 
 I hardly know what to say, but finally get out of 
 it by the explanation that it was all " confiden- 
 tial," and that I could say nothing on the subject 
 until his return. 
 
 On the drive home we come suddenly upon the 
 troop itself, looking tired and dusty, but return- 
 ing from the two days' trip to Tishomingo par- 
 tially successful, and with six rough-looking 
 specimens of " corn-crackers" footing it along 
 between the horsemen. They found no trace of 
 Smith, the marshal tells us, as the men go filing 
 by; but, after all, their luck has been good, and 
 six of the worst characters are now securely 
 under guard
 
 60 KITTY'S CONqUEST. 
 
 The major, he tells us, had stopped at Judge 
 Summers's, and expected to find us there ; so we 
 whip up and hurry on. 
 
 A brisk drive brings us to the plantation in a 
 very few minutes. As we rattle up to the door- 
 way, Harrod catches sight of Mr. Peyton loung- 
 ing on the portico by the open window of the 
 parlor, for once in his life paying little or no at- 
 tention to Miss Kitty, who is seated on the old 
 wicker-work sofa, some distance from him, pout- 
 ing and puzzled. 
 
 Harrod warns me to say not a word of Lieu- 
 tenant Amory's expedition until Peyton is out of 
 the way. Old Jake detains him a moment about 
 " dis yer Hicks's mule done broke into the 
 gyarden las' night," and I move on into the house. 
 
 In the parlor are the judge, Major Vinton, and 
 Pauline ; the first listening, the second narrating, 
 the third as complete a contrast to Miss Kit as 
 can be imagined. Vinton rises and greets me. 
 He looks dusty, tanned, and travel-stained, but 
 more soldierly than ever in his dark-blue jacket 
 and heavy boots. After Harrod's entrance he 
 resumes his story, he was telling of the capture 
 of the Ku-Klux, talking frankly and as though 
 none but friends were near. Harrod shifts un- 
 easily in his chair and glances nervously towards 
 the window. Peyton is invisible, but, beyond 
 doubt, there, and a listener. 
 
 It is vain to attempt to warn the major; by
 
 KITTF'S CONQUEST. 61 
 
 this time Peyton knows the whole story, knows 
 who had aided the troops in their search, knows 
 just how the evidence was procured which led to 
 the arrest of the six victims, and doubtless his 
 black-list is swelled by the addition of several 
 names destined to become the recipients of Ku- 
 Elux attentions. 
 
 Lunch is announced, and we all sit down at 
 the table, Peyton and Kit coming in from the 
 porch and endeavoring to ignore Major Vinton, 
 a circumstance which apparently renders him no 
 uneasiness whatever. He talks constantly with 
 Pauline, and never gives a glance at the pair. 
 Harrod and I are nervous. I watch Peyton 
 closely, and it requires no penetration to see that 
 not a word of Yinton's is lost on him. 
 
 Suddenly there comes the clatter of hoofs on 
 the ground without ; the clank of a cavalry sabre, 
 and, a moment after, the ring of spurred heels 
 along the hall. A servant announces the major's 
 orderly; and, begging the major not to rise, the 
 judge directs that the trooper be shown in. 
 
 Just as I thought, it is Amory's letter. 
 
 " Sergeant Malone said that it was to be given 
 the major directly he returned. Them was the 
 loot'nant's orders, and he told me to ride right 
 over with it, sir," says the orderly. And, apolo- 
 gizing to Miss Summers, the major opens it and 
 begins to read. 
 
 I glance at Harrod; his eyes are fixed on 
 
 6
 
 62 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 Peyton; Peyton's furtively watching Vinton, 
 Another minute and Vinton has risen to his 
 feet; an eager, flashing light in his eyes, but his 
 voice steady and calm as ever, as he says, 
 
 " Gallop back. Tell Sergeant Malone to send 
 me a dozen men, armed and mounted at once, 
 and you bring my other horse." Away goes the 
 orderly, and then in reply to the wistful look of 
 inquiry in Pauline's eyes, the major says, 
 
 " I must be off again. Amory has obtained 
 information as to the whereabouts of Smith and 
 some of his gang, and has started after them, 
 but with only five men, too few to cope with such 
 desperadoes. He has four hours the start of me 
 now, and 'twill be nearly five before my men can 
 get here ; but I must reach him before he attempts 
 to recross the Tennessee." 
 
 I cannot be mistaken in Peyton's start of 
 astonishment. Instantly his face turns pale ; 
 the secret is out, his complicity perhaps detected. 
 Lunch is forgotten, and we all rise and leave the 
 table. Harrod manages to whisper a caution to 
 the major to say nothing more while Peyton is 
 near, whereat Yinton looks vacant and aghast. 
 Five minutes more and Peyton and Kitty are 
 missed, gone out for a walk, the servant says. 
 Then Harrod explains, and Vinton looks as 
 though biting his own tongue off close to the 
 roots would be the most congenial and exhil- 
 arating recreation that could be suggested. He
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 63 
 
 is annoyed beyond expression, but it is too late 
 now. Peyton is off ; no one knows which way, 
 and in half an hour all the real or supposable 
 Ku-Klux in the county will know of the danger 
 that threatens them; know, too, how small a 
 force young Amory has taken with him in his 
 hurried raid to the Tennessee ; and, ten to one, 
 if he succeed in capturing Smith, he cannot 
 attempt to recross the river without having to 
 fight his way through. 
 
 All this is canvassed in the anxious council 
 that ensues. No time is to be lost ; he must be 
 reinforced at once. Harrod orders out his two 
 horses ; old Jake is hastily summoned and told 
 to bring up his charger, " Bob" ; and while the 
 horses are being saddled, Yinton decides on his 
 plan. He and Harrod are to gallop on after 
 Amory; old Jake to ride down to meet the 
 troopers, with orders to make all speed possible 
 to the Tennessee. I am possessed with an im- 
 mediate thirst for human gore, and want to go 
 with the major; but there is no other horse, and 
 I couldn't ride without shaking myself to pieces 
 and capsizing every hundred yards or so if there 
 were. To me, therefore, is assigned the cheerful 
 duty of remaining at the plantation and watching 
 Peyton's movements should he return. 
 
 Just before the horses are brought around, 
 Kitty comes back, alone. She looks white and 
 scared, and hurries up the steps as though anx-
 
 64 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 ious to avoid us, but Harrod intercepts and leads 
 her to one side. She grows paler as he questions 
 and talks to her ; and suddenly bursts into tears, 
 and rushes past him into the house. 
 
 " He's gone, by heaven !" says Harrod, as he 
 rejoins us. " Kitty says he took the overseer's 
 horse and galloped off towards the north." 
 
 " Here, Jake," says Vinton, " waste no time 
 now ; ride as though the devil chased you. Tell 
 Sergeant Malone to follow as fast as he can. 
 Don't spare the horses !" 
 
 Jake makes a spring; lights on his stomach 
 on old " Bob's" withers ; swings himself round ; 
 and barely waiting to get his seat, makes vigor- 
 ous play with both heels on his pet's astonished 
 nbs. and with a "Yoop, da!" our Ethiopian 
 aiue-de-camp clatters away. Then comes a hur- 
 ried and anxious leave-taking with Pauline and 
 the judge, and in another minute our two sol- 
 diers trot out to the road. We watch the gallant 
 forms till the riders disappear, and then turn 
 silently away. Pauline's eyes are dim with tears, 
 and she seeks her own room. 
 
 That was a wretched afternoon and evening. 
 Kitty never appeared. Pauline came down to 
 tea and tried to entertain me during the long 
 hours that dragged slowly away ; but we started 
 at every sound, and when midnight came she re- 
 tired altogether. We had hoped for news, but 
 none reached us.
 
 KITTY'S CONqUEST. 65 
 
 The judge dozed fitfully in his easy-chair, but 
 I was too much excited to feel the least drowsi- 
 ness; so, cigar in mouth, I strolled out to the 
 gate and gazed longingly up the dim, shadowy 
 vista through the woods where lay the road to 
 the Tennessee along which our first news, good 
 or bad, must come. 
 
 Two o'clock came first, and I was then read- 
 ing, in a distracted style, in the library. The 
 clocks had barely ceased striking when my eager 
 ears caught the sound of hoof-beats rapidly 
 nearing us. Down went the book; and in a 
 minute I was at the gate, just in time to meet 
 the horseman, a corporal of Vinton's troop. 
 
 "We've got the Ku-Klux all right, sir," he 
 says, as he reins in his jaded steed, " but we 
 had to fight half the county. The lieutenant's 
 wounded, and so is Monahan, one of the men, 
 sir. They are bringing them here, and I'm to 
 ride right on for the doctor." 
 
 OS he goes before I can ask more. Pauline 
 meets me as I return to the hall. She is pale as 
 death and her whole frame shakes as she says, 
 " Tell me everything, Mr. Brandon." 
 
 " Harrod and Yinton are safe ; Amory and 
 one of his men are hurt, and they are bringing 
 them here," I answer. 
 
 She saw by my face that there had been a 
 fight. "What her woman's heart craved, was to 
 know that those she loved were safe, unhurt, 
 6*
 
 66 KITTrS CONQUEST. 
 
 and returning to her. Then the next minute 
 she is all sympathy, all tenderness, even, for our 
 boy sabreur; and she occupies herself with prep- 
 arations for his reception and nursing. 
 
 While we are talking, who should come noise- 
 lessly down the stairs but Kitty, dressed in a 
 loose blue wrapper ; her lovely hair falling down 
 her back and thrown from her temples and fore- 
 head, her eyes red with weeping. Pauline's 
 heart is full, and the sight of this sorrowing 
 little object is too much for her ; she opens her 
 arms and takes her to her heart, and Kitty's sobs 
 break out afresh. 
 
 "I know that something has happened," she 
 cries; "do tell me. You all think I care forced 
 Peyton, but I don't I don't I And he was fright- 
 ful to-day, and and if he did what he said he 
 was going to do I'll never speak to him again." 
 
 Pauline tries to comfort and soothe her, but I 
 want to know what Peyton's threat was; and 
 have the unblushing hard-heartedness to ask. 
 
 " He declared that he would raise forty men 
 and kill every man Lieutenant Amory had with 
 him. He frightened me so that I did not know 
 what to do. Oh, Paulie, what has happened ?" 
 
 "We don't know yet, Kitty. Harrod is bring- 
 ing Mr. Amory here. He was wounded, and 
 there has been a fight, but we hope it was not 
 serious." 
 
 Poor little Kit starts back in horror, and then
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. (J7 
 
 soba harder than ever. It is impossible to com- 
 fort the child. She is possessed with the idea 
 that in some way or other she has been instru- 
 mental in bringing the affair about. She is ter- 
 rified at learning the part Peyton has played, 
 and bitterly reproaches herself for the uneasiness 
 her flirtation had caused us all. She is the most 
 abject little penitent I ever saw, and her distress 
 is something overpowering to a susceptible old 
 bachelor. In the course of an hour she is per- 
 suaded to return to her room, but not without 
 the interchange of multitudinous embraces and 
 kisses, Pauline, of course, being the party of 
 the second part. 
 
 It is nearly daybreak when Harrod arrives, 
 convoying a rusty old carriage which he has ob- 
 tained somewhere along the Tennessee; and from 
 this our young soldier is tenderly lifted by two 
 of his troop and carried to the room opposite 
 mine in the wing. Poor fellow! it is hard to 
 recognize in the pallid, blood-stained, senseless 
 form the gallant young officer of the night on 
 the train. 
 
 While the doctor was examining his hurts and 
 dressing the wounds, Harrod gave me a hurried 
 account of what had happened. Amory had 
 reached the Tennessee about two in the after- 
 noon, and, leaving his horses on the south bank 
 in charge of one man, crossed quickly and com- 
 pletely took " Eustice's" with its precious garri-
 
 68 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 son of desperadoes by surprise. Luckily, Smith 
 liad but two of his gang with him. They hardly 
 had time to think of resistance. Hank was found 
 stretched out in bed and swearing cheerfully 
 over the unexpected turn of affairs, but had 
 sense enough to acknowledge that his Yankee 
 adversary " had the drop on him," and surren- 
 dered at discretion. Securing him and his two 
 chums, but leaving the other inmates of " Eus- 
 tice's" unmolested, Amory in less than an hour 
 and a half landed his party once more on the 
 south bank, and, after procuring food for his 
 men and horses and resting another hour, started 
 on the back-track about five in the evening; 
 moving slowly, as his horses were jaded and his 
 three prisoners had to foot it. 
 
 Their road was bordered by thick woods, and 
 ran through an almost uninhabited tract. Hank 
 was suffering apparently a great deal of pain 
 from the fever of his wound, and, after sullenly 
 plodding along about a mile, began showing 
 signs of great distress. He was offered a horse, 
 but declared that riding would hurt him just as 
 much, and finally stopped short, swearing that 
 " Ef you un's expects to git me to yer d d camp 
 this yer night you've got to do a heap of toting." 
 Finding that he was really weak and sick, Amory 
 was too soft-hearted to insist; and so a brief halt 
 was ordered while one of the men went in search 
 of a farm-wagon. Just at night-fall a horseman
 
 KITTF'S CONQUEST. 69 
 
 came cantering rapidly up the road, at sight of 
 whom the prisoners exchanged quick, eager 
 glances of intelligence, and attempted to spring 
 to their feet and attract his attention. No sooner, 
 however, had he espied the party than he stopped 
 short ; reined his horse about ; and, digging spur 
 into him, disappeared at a gallop into the shad- 
 ows of the forest. 
 
 The whole thing was so sudden that no pur- 
 suit was made. Ten minutes after, there came 
 the distant sound of a shrill, prolonged whistle, 
 and Amory, thoroughly aroused, ordered a mount 
 and immediate start. 
 
 Strange to say, Hank moved on with great 
 alacrity. No man ever rose from so brief a rest 
 so thoroughly invigorated. Once or twice more 
 the same whistle was heard, but nothing could 
 be seen, as darkness had set in. 
 
 Silently and anxiously the little party moved 
 on, Amory riding several yards in advance, peer- 
 ing cautiously about and listening eagerly to 
 every sound. All of a sudden from thick dark- 
 ness came blinding flashes, the ringing reports 
 of musketry and pistols, and the regular old-time 
 rebel yell. 
 
 Amory reeled. His horse reared wildly, and 
 then, with a snort of terror, plunged down the 
 road ; his rider dragging over his side. 
 
 Of the next five minutes, none of the men could 
 give a collected account. The sergeant had done
 
 70 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 nis duty well, however; had kept his men to- 
 gether; and, what with superior discipline and 
 the rapid fire from their magazine carbines, his 
 little party proved too plucky for their assailants. 
 There was a sound of scrambling and scattering 
 among the shrubbery and of clambering over the 
 rail-fence by the roadside. The fire suddenly 
 ceased and the troopers were masters of the situ- 
 ation. During the excitement, one of the pris- 
 oners had managed to crawl off; while Hank and 
 the other specimen adopted the tactics of throwing 
 themselves flat on their faces. The soldiers were 
 eager to pursue and capture some of the band ; 
 but the sergeant was wary and cautious; kept 
 them on the defensive ; secured his two remain- 
 ing prisoners; and was just about ordering a 
 search for their lieutenant, when the well-known 
 and welcome voice of the major was heard down 
 the road, and in a moment he and Harrod dashed 
 up to the spot. Then came eager inquiries and 
 the search for Amory ; and presently a cry from 
 one of the men announced that he was found. 
 Hurrying to the spot, they discovered him, bleed- 
 ing, bruised, and senseless, by the roadside; one 
 deep gash was cut on his forehead, from which 
 the blood was oozing rapidly ; a bullet-hole and 
 a little red streak in the shoulder of his jacket 
 told where one at least of the ambuscading vil- 
 lains had made his mark; while the moan of 
 pain that followed when they strove tenderly to
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 71 
 
 raise him from the ground proved that our boy 
 was suffering from still other injuries; but for 
 all that, thank God ! alive, perhaps safe. 
 
 It was long before the men could find a farm- 
 house ; longer still before they came in with the 
 lumbering old rattletrap of a carriage which their 
 major had directed them to secure at any cost; 
 and all this time poor Amory lay with his head 
 on Yinton's lap, utterly unconscious of the lat- 
 ter's grief, of his almost womanly tenderness; 
 but at last they were able to lift him into the 
 improvised ambulance ; and while the troopers, 
 now reinforced by the small party which had 
 followed Yinton, took charge of the prisoners, 
 with orders to turn them over to the marshal at 
 Sandbrook, the others drove carefully and slowly 
 homewards, and so once more Mars was in our 
 midst, now our pet and hero. 
 
 All night long we watched him. All next day 
 he tossed in feverish delirium ; and when night 
 came, Yinton and Pauline were bending over 
 him striving to soothe and calm the boy in his 
 restless pain. He spoke but little. Muttered 
 words, half-broken sentences, incoherent all of 
 them, were the only things we could win from 
 him. He knew none of us ; though he appeared 
 to recognize Yinton's voice better than any. At 
 last, late in the evening, when the doctor had 
 forced an anodyne between his set teeth, Amo- 
 ry's muscles relaxed, he threw his unwounded
 
 72 KITTY 1 S CONqUEST. 
 
 arm wearily over his face and murmured, "I 
 give up, I'm whipped." 
 
 Vinton could hardly help smiling. " He 
 thinks himself in one of his old cadet fights," 
 said he. " Those fellows at West Point settle 
 all difficulties with their fists, and this youngster 
 was eternally in some row or other; he'd fight 
 the biggest man in the corps on the slightest 
 provocation." 
 
 We were all wearied with watching, and it 
 was a glad sight when our pugilistic patient 
 dropped off into a deep sleep. Vinton had to 
 go back to camp to look after his men. Harrod 
 was tired out and had sought his room. I had 
 agreed to sit by Amory's bedside until midnight, 
 as they had expelled me from the sick-room and 
 made me sleep all morning " on account of age." 
 Pauline was just giving a smoothing touch to 
 the pillows when the door softly opened and 
 who should come in but Kitty. 
 
 Yes, Kitty, our rampant little rebel Kit, who 
 but a few days before had seen fit to snub our 
 wounded boy simply because he was a " Yank" 
 and wore the uniform which Uncle Sam has 
 condemned his men-at-arms to suffer in. But 
 how changed was Kitty now! Once or twice 
 during the day she had stolen to the door or 
 waylaid Pauline in the halls, always with a 
 white, tear-stained, anxious face and a wistful 
 inquiry as to how Mr. Amory was doing ; then
 
 KITTY'S CONqUEST. 73 
 
 ,.he would creep lonely and homesick back tc 
 her room ; probably have a good long cry ; and 
 then down-stairs again for still another and later 
 bulletin. 
 
 She had smoothed back her soft golden hair 
 aow; bathed away all but a few traces of the 
 tears that had flown so copiously during the last 
 thirty-six hours; and in her simple yet daintily- 
 fitting dress, looked more womanly, more gentle 
 and attractive, than I had ever seen her. 
 
 Walking quietly up to us, she put her little 
 white hand on Pauline's shoulder, saying, 
 
 " You go now, Paulie ; it's my turn. You've 
 all been working here and must be tired and 
 sleepy. I'm going to play nurse now." And 
 for a minute the corners of the pretty mouth 
 twitch, and the soft gray eyes fill, as though our 
 little heroine were again on the verge of a re- 
 lapse into lamentation. Pauline's arm is round 
 her in an instant, and she draws her close to her 
 bosom as she says, 
 
 "It is just like you, darling; I knew you would 
 want to come." And then follows the invariable 
 exchange of caresses so indispensable among 
 tender-hearted young ladies on such occasions. 
 Not that I disapprove of it. Oh, no ! Only one 
 can hardly expect to be " counted out" from all 
 participation in such ceremonies and yet stand 
 by and look on with unmoved and unenvying 
 Complacency.
 
 74 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 Ten minutes more and Pauline has gone, with 
 a good-night to both. The judge comes in and 
 bends with almost fatherly interest over the 
 sleeping boy ; and as Kitty seats herself quietly 
 by the bedside, goes round and kisses her, say- 
 ing, " You are more like your dear mother to- 
 night than I ever saw you." 
 
 Kit looks up in his face without a word, but 
 in affection that is eloquent in itself. Then her 
 little hand busies itself about the bandage on 
 Amory's forehead, and my occupation is gone. 
 Leaving her to attend to that, the judge and I 
 seat ourselves at the open fireplace, waking and 
 dozing alternately. 
 
 The doctor pronounced him better when he 
 came next morning to dress the wounds. Mars 
 spent most of the time in sleeping. Never did 
 patient meet with care and attention more ten- 
 der, more constant. Either Pauline or Kit was 
 at his bedside. The old judge would come in 
 with every hour or so. Vinton galloped over 
 from camp and spent the afternoon ; and as for 
 myself, I was becoming vastly interested in help- 
 ing Kitty, when, as bad luck would have it, old 
 Jake brought me what he termed a " tallygraff" 
 when he came back from Sandbrook late at 
 evening with the mail ; and the tallygraff sent 
 me hurrying back to Holly Springs by first train 
 the following day. 
 
 It was with no satisfaction whatever that I
 
 KITTY'S CONqUEST. 75 
 
 bade them all adieu ; though my heart lightened 
 up when the doctor reported our " sub" improv- 
 ing. We all thought he recognized Vinton when 
 the latter arrived in the morning to drive over 
 with me. 
 
 "We all thought, too, that a week at the utmost 
 would bring me back with them in time to resume 
 my functions as assistant nurse ; but it was fully 
 a month before my business could be completed, 
 and by that time no further occasion existed for 
 my services. 
 
 " We've had quite a little series of adventures, 
 major," said I, as we whirled along towards the 
 station, " and for one, I shouldn't be surprised 
 if a spice of romance were to be thrown in ; a 
 love-affair, in fact. What do you think ?" 
 
 Vinton knocked the ashes off his cigar on the 
 dash-board ; replaced his cigar between his teeth 
 with great deliberation ; smiled very quietly, not 
 to say suggestively, to himself; gave a tug or two 
 at his moustache, and then said, 
 
 " Amory and Miss Kit you mean. Well, i 
 can't say. To tell the truth, I've been thinking 
 for some time past that he has left his heart up 
 North somewhere, some old West Point affair, 
 you know; writes long letters every now and 
 then, and won't let me see the address ; drops 
 them in the postal-car himself, instead of sending 
 them by the company mail ; gets a dainty missive 
 now and then, lady's handwriting, pretty mono-
 
 /6 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 gram ; and blushes, too, when I ' devil' him about 
 Syracuse ; they are postmarked from there. May 
 not amount to much, of course. These young- 
 sters get into that sentimental sort of vein at the 
 Academy and seem to think it the correct thing 
 to be spoony over somebody all the time." 
 
 That struck me as being a long speech for 
 Yinton, a man of few words ordinarily. It oc- 
 curred to me, too, that he was suspicious of his 
 own affair's being the one to which I referred, 
 and wanted to head me off. Oh, the perversity 
 of human nature ! That made me press the point 
 and return to the subject. (Pauline afterwards 
 said it was the meanest thing I ever did in my 
 life. How little she knew me !) 
 
 "Don't dash my expectations in that way, 
 Yinton. If Amory and Miss Kit don't carry out 
 my plan and fall in love, I'll have to fall back 
 upon you and Miss Pauline, you know ; and just 
 imagine how the judge and Harrod would feel at 
 having to give her up. Besides, old fellow, you 
 and I are cut out for confirmed old bachelors. 
 Can't expect a young and attractive girl like her, 
 who could marry anybody, to settle down to an 
 zmsettled and nomadic existence in the army; 
 that's altogether too much for so little, don't you 
 see?" 
 
 " Job's comforters" would have proven a dead 
 failure in comparison with that effort. It was 
 mean, but there was something exhilarating
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 77 
 
 about it for all that. "What man, raised in a 
 large family of sisters, doesn't grow up as I was 
 raised, a tease ? 
 
 Vinton is too old a campaigner, however, and 
 sees my game ; grins expressively, and behaves 
 with commendable nonchalance. 
 
 " I'll put the matter in train when I get back, 
 Brandon, and try and arrange it between the 
 young people to your satisfaction, so that you 
 won't have to fall back on anything so utterly 
 problematical as the other suggestion." That 
 was all he had to say on the subject. 
 
 "We reached Sandbrook ; the train came ; and 
 in a moment more I was standing on the rear 
 platform watching the tall, stalwart, soldierly 
 form that waved me good-by, growing dim and 
 dimmer in the distance. 
 
 That night found me at Holly Springs and in 
 consultation with the United States marshal and 
 the commanding officer of the little garrison of 
 infantrymen. To the care of the last named, our 
 captured Ku-Klux had been turned over, together 
 with a few more of their fraternity, recent ac- 
 quisitions, one of whom, the marshal informed 
 me, was badly wounded and in hospital. He 
 had been arrested the day after the ambuscade 
 at a farm-house within five miles of the spot, and 
 duly forwarded to join his Elan at their new and 
 much anathematized rendezvous. 
 
 On my expressing a desire to see him, the 
 
 7*
 
 78 KITTFS CONQUEST. 
 
 captain obligingly conducted me into the neat 
 little hospital-tent, only a few steps from his own ; 
 and there, stretched out at full length, with a 
 bandaged shoulder and a woe-begone counte- 
 nance, was my missionary friend Stiggins. 
 
 It was easy enough to conjecture how he came 
 by his wound, though his own statement of the 
 occurrence had surrounded him with a halo of 
 martyrdom up to the time of my arrival. Stig- 
 gins had stoutly maintained that the Ku-Klux 
 had shot him ; that he was a law-abiding man, 
 and that he hadn't seen a blue-coated soldier 
 since the war. But when Stiggins caught sight 
 of me he looked very much as though he had 
 been lying, and in all human probability he had. 
 
 I said nothing to the officers on the subject 
 until afterwards ; when, in examining the articles 
 which were in his possession at the time of his 
 arrest, I came across a letter written in a hand I 
 knew well enough, appointing a meeting with 
 one J. Bostwick, and signed " Peyton." It was 
 dated the night Harrod and Master Ned arrived 
 at the plantation. 
 
 Stiggins swore he didn't know Peyton ; never 
 had seen him ; " that note didn't belong to him 
 nohow," and lied with a volubility and earnest- 
 ness that would have done credit to a Jew in a 
 clothing-store. But no information as to Pey- 
 ton's whereabouts could be extracted from him 
 or his unwounded confederates ; nor could they
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 79 
 
 be induced to give any clue which might lead to 
 his implication. Whatever they were otherwise, 
 they were game to the backbone ; and stood by 
 one another throughout their captivity and the 
 trial which followed. 
 
 Hank Smith we found domiciled in the prison 
 room where the gang were cooped up. He car- 
 ried his arm in a sling, and a bed had been pro- 
 vided for his especial accommodation. He was 
 surly and defiant, but accepted a piece of plug 
 tobacco with much avidity, and was kind enough 
 to say that " 'Twould be a derned sight better if 
 you handed over a bottle of whiskey with it," 
 which sentiment was unanimously concurred in 
 by the assembled delegates, but vetoed by the 
 captain. 
 
 Two weeks passed away, and still was I de- 
 tained. Then came a summons to Jackson, where 
 the State Legislature was in session. I had writ- 
 ten to the judge and to Vinton. The former had 
 been called South on business, but while at 
 Jackson the latter's reply reached me, a long, 
 and for him, gossipy letter. 
 
 Amory was rapidly recovering, and the mo- 
 ment he was well enough to be moved in fact, 
 as soon as he had his ideas about him had in- 
 sisted on being carried to camp. It was in vain 
 that Harrod, Pauline, and Vinton had protested ; 
 go he would. No persuasions could induce him 
 to remain where he was a burden and a care to
 
 80 KITTrS CONQUEST. 
 
 them. Kitty had taken no part in the discussion, 
 and had been but little in the sick-room after he 
 had recognized her; but the poor child was pos- 
 sessed with the idea that he was determined to 
 go simply on her account, and was very miserable 
 in consequence. As a last resort, Pauline, " for 
 whom he has a warm affection," had communi- 
 cated this fact to her intractable patient, and his 
 pale face had flushed up for an instant and he 
 was at a loss what to say, but finally protested 
 that it had nothing to do with his determination. 
 That evening he asked to see her, and, in an em- 
 barrassed but earnest way, thanked her for nurs- 
 ing him so kindly and carefully. " I'll never 
 forget how good you you all were to me, Miss 
 Carrington." And from that time until the am- 
 bulance came for him, two days after, whenever 
 she chanced to come to the room he was very 
 gentle, and in his whole manner seemed anxious 
 to show her that not an atom of resentment or 
 annoyance remained. " Somehow or other there's 
 something wrong," Yinton wrote. " I can't get 
 her to look or talk like her old self; she won't 
 cheer up, and whenever she is in the room both 
 of them are nervous and embarrassed, and though 
 Miss Summers and I have striven to get them 
 into conversation when the doctor would let him 
 talk, it's of no use." Oh, the subtlety of femi- 
 nine influence ! Fancy Vinton in the role of 
 match-maker ! And so Amory was back again
 
 KITTY'S CONqUEST. gl 
 
 among his men, rapidly improving, but still, as 
 Vinton said, " something was wrong." 
 
 Nothing had been heard from or of Peyton 
 except an order for his trunk and personal effects, 
 brought to the colonel by a total stranger. It 
 was conjectured, however, that the judge had 
 gone to Mobile during his trip, and that his 
 troublesome kinsman was to be shipped off to 
 climes where Ku-Klux were unknown, and where 
 his propensities for mischief would have no field 
 for operation. No further complaints of outrages 
 or disorders ; everything was quiet and peaceful, 
 and men and horses were having a good rest.
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 ONE bright, beautiful evening late in February, 
 it was my good fortune to find myself once more 
 within "twenty minutes of Sandbrook"; this 
 time on no hurried visit, but with the deliberate 
 intention of accepting the cordial invitation of 
 the judge and Harrod to spend a month with 
 them. I was to make their home my headquar- 
 ters while attending to the limited amount of law 
 business that called me to that vicinity. I had 
 heard several times from the plantation since 
 Vinton's letter, and the very last news I had re- 
 ceived was penned by Miss Pauline's own fail 
 hand, telling me in a sweet, happy, womanly 
 letter of what neither you, who have had patience 
 enough to read this, nor I could be in the least 
 degree surprised to learn, her engagement to 
 Major Vinton. The major himself, she wrote, 
 had been summoned as a witness before a court- 
 martial, and would be gone several days, but 
 back in time to welcome me. Then came a page 
 about Amory : " He has entirely recovered ; 
 that is to say, he is as strong and active as ever ; 
 but still I don't know how to express it ex- 
 actly he is not the same man he was before that 
 82
 
 CONQUEST. 83 
 
 night. You know that the wound in his shoulder 
 was a very slight one, and that his injuries were 
 mainly shocks and bruises received by being 
 thrown and dragged by his wounded horse. 
 When he was well enough to drive about, the 
 major used to bring him here frequently; and I 
 really thought that he and Kitty were going to 
 become great friends, for they wore off much of 
 the old embarrassment and seemed to be getting 
 along so nicely. Then he used to ride over and 
 spend entire afternoons with us ; and then, all 
 of a sudden, he stopped coming; only visits us 
 now when he has to ; and is so changed, so con- 
 strained and moody that I don't know what to 
 make of it. I really believe that Kitty was grow- 
 ing te like him ever so much ; and she wonders, 
 I know, at this sudden change. Even when he 
 does come he avoids and barely looks at her." 
 
 It was strange ; and I puzzled over it for some 
 time. Matchmaking was hardly in my line of 
 business, yet no spinster aunt could have taken 
 more interest in the affair than myself. I was 
 really anxious to get back to the plantation and 
 see what could be made of it. 
 
 Harrod and the carriage were at the station to 
 meet me, and a rapid drive in the cool night air 
 soon brought us to the dear old house again ; and 
 there on the broad piazza, in the broad, 
 cheerful stream of light from the hall, stood the 
 iudge, Yinton, and Pauline ; and in a moment I
 
 84 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 had sprung from the carriage and was receiving 
 their warm and charming welcome. Yintonwas 
 as happy in his quiet, undemonstrative way as 
 man could be, and the fond, proud light in his 
 dark eyes as he looked down at the graceful form 
 leaning so trustfully upon his arm, was a sight 
 that made me envious. Presently Kitty came 
 down ; but not the Kitty of old. Ah ! little girl, 
 what is it that has made those soft eyes so heavy, 
 so sad ? "What has taken all the color from those 
 round, velvety cheeks ? What has become of the 
 ringing, light-hearted laugh that came bubbling 
 up from heart-springs that seemed inexhaustible 
 in their freshness, their gladness ? It is of no use 
 to smile and chatter and prate about your pleas- 
 ure at seeing this antiquarian again. It is of no 
 use to toss your little head and look at me with 
 something of the old coquettish light in your 
 eyes. You can't deceive me, little Kit ; you are 
 changed, sadly changed. I, who have been away 
 so long a time, can see what others only par- 
 tially notice. 
 
 During the evening we all gathered in the par- 
 lor, talking over the events of my previous visit. 
 Kitty had early tired of any share in the con- 
 versation, and sat silent and absent, taking little 
 heed of what was said, though once or twice, 
 when we were not speaking of Amory, she rallied 
 for a moment and made an effort. She had taken 
 a chair near the window, and was more than half
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 85 
 
 the time gazing dreamily out towards the road. 
 At last Vinton said he must get back to camp, 
 bade us all good-night ; his orderly came round 
 with the horses, and Pauline went out to see him 
 off, everybody else just at that particular moment 
 finding something of extreme interest which de- 
 tained him or her in the parlor. 
 
 It is odd how long it takes to say good-night 
 under those circumstances. Fully fifteen minutes 
 elapsed before the spurred boot-heels were 
 heard going down the steps ; then there was an- 
 other slight detention, cause, unknown ; time, 
 three minutes and a half, and finally the clatter 
 of hoofs as they rode off, twenty-seven minutes 
 by the clock after the time when the major had 
 announced that he must be off at once, couldn't 
 stay another minute. 
 
 When the hoof-beats had died away, Pauline 
 came back to us radiant, lovely ; and even that 
 tease Harrod could not find it in his heart to say 
 one word on the subject of the major's unac- 
 countable display of unmilitary tardiness, though 
 he looked vastly as though he would like to. 
 Good-nights were exchanged, and soon after I 
 found myself cosily ensconced in my old quar- 
 ters in the wing. 
 
 About noon on the following day Mars trotted 
 up the road, and, throwing his horse's rein over 
 the gate-post, came " clinking" up the walk. 
 His heels were decorated with a pair of huge 
 
 8
 
 86 KITTYS CONQUEST. 
 
 Mexican spurs, with little pendants of steel 
 attached to the rowels in such a way as to cause 
 a jingling with every movement. I had gone 
 out on the piazza to meet him, and he quickened 
 his pace and waved his cap with a cheery " How 
 are you, Mr. Brandon ?" the moment he caught 
 sight of me. As he sprang up the steps I saw 
 that he had at least lost none of his old activity ; 
 and though thinner and a trifle paler than when I 
 first met him, it was not at first glance noticeable. 
 
 After the excitement of our meeting was over, 
 however, and we were chatting over the Ku- 
 Klux entertainments, I noticed how soon he be- 
 came just the restless, absent, constrained fellow 
 that Pauline had described. He changed color 
 and started every time a footstep was heard in 
 the hall ; greeted Pauline warmly when she came 
 down, and seemed to be more himself when 
 talking with her, but even then his eyes wan- 
 dered to the doorway. Something was want- 
 ing ; and at last he made a vigorous effort and 
 stammered an inquiry as to " Miss Carrington's" 
 health. 
 
 " Kitty is pretty well, and will be down in a 
 minute. She was writing to Aunt Mary when 
 you came. If I were Kitty I wouldn't come 
 down to see you at all, Mr. Frank Amory, for 
 you've not been near us for the last ten days, 
 and I presume we owe this call entirely to Mr. 
 Brandon."
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 87 
 
 Poor fellow ! he fidgets and looks woe-begone 
 enough ; tries hard to plead constant duties, no 
 lack of inclination, etc., and just in the midst of 
 it all, the rustle of skirts and the patter of quick, 
 light footsteps is heard in the hall, and Frank 
 Amory starts up with the flush deepening on his 
 cheek and forehead, and stands facing the door- 
 way as little Kit comes in, comes in with a face 
 that flushes deeply as his own, with eyes that are 
 raised to his but for one brief second and then 
 seek any other object but the young soldier be- 
 fore her, with a nervous, fluttering reply to his 
 " Good-morning, Miss Carrington ; I hope you're 
 well ?" and finally, as she subsides into an arm- 
 chair by the window, with an air of mingled 
 relief and apprehension that puzzles me inex- 
 pressibly. Amory, meantime, has resumed his 
 seat (on his forage-cap this time), and plunged 
 hastily into a description of a marvellous horse 
 they have just concluded to purchase for officers' 
 use. He must be a marvel ; and it is aston- 
 ishing what an amount of interest Frank takes 
 in telling Pauline all about his performances. 
 Kitty sits by the window listening, but saying not 
 a word; and after this sort of thing has been 
 kept up some twenty minutes Pauline excuses 
 herself. 
 
 " Now don't go till I come back, Frank ; I'll 
 only be gone a few minutes." And with a 
 glance at me that seems, as Mark Twain says,
 
 88 KITTF'S CONQUEST. 
 
 u perfectly luminous with meaning" to her, but 
 which in my masculine stupidity I fail to com- 
 prehend until some minutes after, that young 
 lady makes her exit. Then Mars turns upon 
 me, utterly absorbed in the same horse, and with 
 distracting volubility tells me the same rigma 
 role he told Pauline, every word of which I 
 had heard. Then he asks questions about 
 Hank Smith that he had asked three or four 
 times already, and just as I'm beginning to won- 
 der whether his accident had not resulted in per- 
 manent injury to his mental faculties a servant 
 appears at the door. 
 
 " Miss Summers says will Mr. Brandon please 
 come and help her a minute." And as Mr. 
 Brandon obligingly rises to comply with her 
 request, Amory springs up too, whips out his 
 watch, and exclaims, 
 
 "By Jove! how time flies! I told Yinton 
 I'd be back for afternoon stables, must be off! 
 Good-by, Mr. Brandon ; come over to camp and 
 see us. Good-by, Miss Carrington ; sorry I have 
 to hurry." And out he goes ; clatters down the 
 steps and back to his horse; throws the reins 
 over the animal's head, and vaults into his sad- 
 dle; and then, with one wave of his hand, dashes 
 off at a mad gallop. 
 
 I turned again into the house, and this is what 
 I saw in the parlor. Kitty Carrington, all alone, 
 standing there at the window gazing after
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 89 
 
 Amory as he disappeared down the road; her 
 tiny white hands tightly clinching the window- 
 sill ; two great big tears just starting from each 
 eye and trickling slowly, heavily down her 
 cheeks; her dainty form quivering with emo- 
 tion. Little by little I am beginning to suspect 
 the truth in the matter, and, as I turn softly 
 away without attracting her attention, mentally 
 resolve to unearth the whole secret. Pretty 
 business for a man of my years, you will say, 
 but " we lawyers are curious." 
 
 N.B. Pauline didn't want me at all. It was 
 a ruse to get me away. 
 
 For the next three days matters went on in 
 pretty much the same groove. Amory came 
 over to dinner once and was utterly absurd, 
 handed Miss Kit to her chair, took his allotted 
 place beside her ; and hardly addressed one word 
 to her through the entire repast, though he gab- 
 bled unceasingly to every one else. Just as 
 soon as we could finish our cigars after dinner, 
 and an adjournment was moved to the parlor, 
 he declared he must be oif; said he had a whole 
 heap of commissary returns to make up before 
 morning; and, with the briefest possible good- 
 night to the ladies and the judge, away he went. 
 
 Pauline looked puzzled, Yinton amused, and 
 Kitty out of the window. 
 
 That night Mr. Gr. S. Brandon, who has 
 
 already played too inquisitive a part in this little 
 8*
 
 90 KITTrS CONQUEST. 
 
 affair, resolved, before closing his eyes for a 
 good, old-fashioned sleep, that he might as well 
 be hanged for a sheep as a lamb, and pry still 
 further ; but he never dreamed how odd would 
 be the solution.
 
 CHAPTER YI. 
 
 THE next day Harrod Summers and I drove 
 over to the cavalry camp to see Amory. It was 
 a crisp, cheery morning, just enough wintry 
 rime in earth and air and sky to make rapid 
 motion a keen delight. As we neared the spot, 
 the mellow notes of the trumpet came floating 
 on the breeze, and as we rounded a bend in the 
 road, we came in sight of the troop itself trotting 
 across a broad open field. Mars was taking ad- 
 vantage of the glorious weather to brush up on 
 company drill, and we had arrived just in time 
 to see it. 
 
 It was a very pretty, stirring sight to my eyes ; 
 for the dash and spirit of the manoeuvres were 
 new to a man whose martial associations had 
 been confined to the curbstones of Broadway, 
 barring that olistering march from Annapolis to 
 the railway, and the month of feted soldiering at 
 the capital and Camp Cameron in '61. Harrod 
 gazed at it all with professional calm ; occasion- 
 ally giving some brief and altogether too tech- 
 nical explanation of evolutions that were beyond 
 my comprehension. But the one thing which 
 Btruck me most forcibly was that, though fre- 
 
 91
 
 92 KITTFS CONQUEST. 
 
 quently trotting or galloping close to where \vj 
 eat in the buggy, Mr. Frank Aniory never took 
 the faintest notice of us. His whole attention 
 was given to his troop and the drill ; and with 
 flashing sabre and animated voice, he darted 
 here and there on his big chestnut sorrel, shout- 
 ing, exhorting, and on occasion excitedly swear- 
 ing at some thick-headed trooper; but for all the 
 notice he took of us we might as well have been 
 back at home. 
 
 " Rather a cool reception," said I, " consider- 
 ing the youngster was so anxious we should 
 come over." 
 
 " Why, that's all right," said Harrod. " It is 
 a breach of military propriety to hold any kind 
 of communication with lookers-on when a fel- 
 low's at drill or on parade." 
 
 And yet to my civilian notions this struck me 
 as being uncivil. Less than a month afterwards 
 I saw the same young fellow sit like a statue on 
 his horse, and never give the faintest sign of 
 recognition when the girl I knew he well, that's 
 anticipating when a party of ladies were driven 
 in carriages past his troop, so close to his horse's 
 nose as to seriously discomfit that quadruped, 
 and one of the young ladies was Miss Carring- 
 ton. To my undisciplined faculties that sort of 
 thing was incomprehensible. I looked on at the 
 drill for a while, wondering how in the world 
 those fellows could manage to keep their seats
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 93 
 
 in the saddle without grabbing the pommel, 
 when Harrod remarked that he believed he 
 would go on into the village to attend to some 
 business, and leave me at Amory's tent until he 
 returned. Of course I could only assent ; and in 
 another moment I was landed in front of the 
 tent which had become so fixed a picture " in 
 my mind's eye" since the afternoon Mr. Stiggins 
 rode in to inquire where the lieutenant and his 
 people had gone. A darky boy officiously 
 brushed off the seat of a camp-chair, saying that 
 " Mos' like drill'd be over in ten minutes." So 
 I sat me down under the canvas to wait. 
 
 Amory's tent was not luxurious. It was one 
 of the simple variety known as the " wall" tent, 
 so called probably because for three feet from 
 the ground the sides are vertical and give more 
 room than the " A" tents of the rank and file. 
 A camp-cot occupied one side ; a canvas-covered 
 trunk stood at the head. Then on the other 
 side of the tent was a rude field-desk, perched 
 on four legs; the pigeon-holes crammed with 
 portentous-looking blanks and papers, and the 
 lid lowered to a horizontal. On this lay a square 
 of blotting-paper, covered with ink-dabs and 
 some stray papers, an ungainly inkstand, and one 
 or two scattered pens and holders. A looking- 
 glass about the size of one's face was swung on 
 the front pole. A rude washstand was placed 
 near the foot of the bed. A swinging pole, hung
 
 94 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 under the ridge-pole of the tent, constituted the 
 wardrobe or clothes-closet of the occupant, and 
 from this several garments were pendent. There 
 was no tent floor ; the bare ground was the car- 
 pet ; and but for one little table the abode would 
 have been rude in the extreme as the habitation 
 of a civilized being. The table in question stood 
 at the entrance of the tent, under the " fly" or 
 awning spread in front. A couple of pipes with 
 brier-root stems lay thereon, and a jar of tobacco. 
 But in an easel-frame of soft velvet, a frame rich 
 and handsome, conspicuously so in contrast with 
 all the surroundings, was a photograph cabinet- 
 size of a woman's face. It was not there on the 
 occasion of my first visit, nor was the table. But 
 there sat the picture, the first thing one would 
 notice in entering the tent ; and, having nothing 
 else to do, I proceeded to examine it. 
 
 A sweet, placid, sorrow-worn face; eyes whose 
 wrinkled lids spoke of age, but yet looked calmly, 
 steadfastly into mine. Scanty hair, yet rippling 
 over the brows and temples as though indicating 
 that in years gone by the tresses had been full 
 and luxuriant. Scanty hair, tinged with many 
 a streak of gray, and carried back of the ears in 
 a fashion suggestive of the days that long pre- 
 ceded the war, the days when Jenny Lind en- 
 tranced us all at Castle Garden (though I claim 
 to have been but a boy then) ; when Mario and 
 Grisi were teaching us Knickerbockers the
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 95 
 
 beauties of Italian opera; when Count D'Orsay 
 was the marvel of metropolitan society; when 
 daguerreotypes were first introduced along Broad- 
 way. All these I thought of as I looked into 
 this placid face, so refined in its every line; 
 marking, too, that at the throat was clasped a 
 portrait in plain gold frame, the inevitable indi- 
 cation that the wearer was of Southern birtn, for 
 none but our Southern women wear thus out- 
 wardly the portraits of those they love and have 
 lost. The picture fascinated me ; it was so sweet, 
 so simple, so homelike ; and, as I stood with it 
 in my hands, I could plainly see the string 
 likeness between the features and those of my 
 plucky young hero, whom I was half resdy 
 to be indignant with for ignoring me ten min- 
 utes before. His mother I knew it to be at a 
 glance. 
 
 Just then came an orderly bearing a packet 
 of letters. To my intense gratification I don't 
 know why he saluted with his unoccupied hand 
 as he said, " Letters for the lieutenant, sir." "Was 
 it possible that he thought I might be some staff- 
 officer? He could not that is, he would not, 
 had he ever seen me straddle a horse suppose 
 me to be a cavalryman. Perhaps he had heard 
 I waa with the lieutenant the night he ,nabbed 
 Hank Smith ; perhaps he why, perhaps they 
 the troop had heard I had charged through the 
 woods to his support. Well, I took with digni-
 
 96 KITTrS CONQUEST. 
 
 fied calm the bundle of letters he handed me, and 
 endeavored to look the suppositions character 
 and place them carelessly on the table, when the 
 superscription of the very first one attracted my 
 attention. The writing was strangely familiar. 
 There were four letters, two " official," long 
 and heavy ; two personal, and evidently of femi- 
 nine authorship. It was my business to lay them 
 on the table. I did nothing of the kind. Hold- 
 ing the package in both hands, I sat stupidly 
 staring at the topmost letter, a tiny, dainty 
 affair, and striving to come back from dream- 
 land. Where had I seen that superscription 
 before? There stood the address, "Lieut. Frank 
 Amory, th U. S. Cavalry, Sandbrook Station, 
 Memphis and Charleston R. R., Alabama," every 
 letter as perfectly traced as through by the hand 
 of an engraver ; every i dotted, every t crossed, 
 every capital having its due proportion, every 
 letter wellnigh perfect. The superscription itself 
 was a chirographic marvel. The writing was 
 simply beautiful, and I had seen it before. It 
 was familiar to me, or at least had been well 
 known. Pondering over it, I gazed, of course, 
 at the postmark: a mere blur. Something or 
 some place in New York was all I could make 
 out before it suddenly occurred to me that the 
 whole thing was none of my business anyhow. 
 I set the packet down on the table and strove to 
 shut it from my mind ; but there that letter lay
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 97 
 
 on top, staring me in the face ; I could not keep 
 my eyes from it. I turned, picked it up and 
 placed it on the desk inside the tent ; dropped a 
 handkerchief that was lying there over it ; and 
 returned to my place under the fly. I wanted 
 to keep it out of my sight. 
 
 Presently, the bustle and laughter among the 
 tents of the soldiers near me gave warning that 
 the troop had come in from drill. The next 
 moment, as I was again holding and looking at 
 the picture in the velvet frame, Mars came 
 Bpringily forward, his sabre and spurs clinking 
 with every stride. He pulled off his gauntlet, 
 and held out his hand with a cheery and cordial 
 " So glad to see you, Mr. Brandon," and then, 
 as I was about to apologize for taking liberties 
 with his belongings, he said, and how can I 
 throw into the words the tremulous tenderness 
 of his voice ? 
 
 " That's mother. My birthday present. It 
 only came a few days ago, and I like to have it 
 out here with me." 
 
 And the boy took it from my hands, and stood 
 for a moment, all glowing as he came from his 
 rapid drill, and with the beads of perspiration 
 on his face, and looked fondly at it. 
 
 " It's the only decent picture I ever had of her, 
 and, somehow, it almost seems as though she 
 were here now. That Ku-Klux business upset 
 her completely, and the blessed little mother
 
 98 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 wants me to pull out and resign ; but I can't do 
 that." 
 
 " I have been admiring it for some time, Mr. 
 Amory. The face attracted me at once, and it 
 was easy to see the family resemblance. May I 
 ask where your mother is living now ?" 
 
 " In Boston now, but I think she longs to come 
 South again. The North never seemed home to 
 her. Father was in the old army. Perhaps 
 Vinton has told you. He was killed at Freder- 
 icksburg, at the head of his brigade; and my 
 uncle, mother's younger brother, died of wounds 
 received in the same fight." Amory's voice 
 faltered a little and his color brightened. " Of 
 course they were on opposite sides," he added, 
 in a lower tone. 
 
 I bowed silently. Nothing seemed the appro- 
 priate thing to say just then. Presently Amory 
 went on : 
 
 " You see I'm about all she has left in the 
 world, her only son. And when husband and 
 brother were both taken from her at one fell 
 swoop, it made it hard to let me take up father's 
 profession ; but it was always his wish, and the 
 only thing I'm fit for, I reckon." 
 
 "Do Yankees habitually say 'I reckon'?" I 
 asked, by way of lightening up the rather solemn 
 tone of the conversation. 
 
 Mars laughed. " Why," said he, " I'm more 
 than half Southern ; born in North Carolina, and
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 99 
 
 spending much of my boyhood there at mother's 
 old home. They used to call me ' reb' the whole 
 time I was a cadet. It is a wonder I wasn't an 
 out-and-out ' reb' too. All mother's people were, 
 and they never have been reconciled to her for 
 sticking to father and his side of the question. 
 Poor little mother," he added, while the tears 
 gathered in his eyes, " she is alone in the world 
 if ever woman was, and I sometimes wonder if 
 I ought not to yield to her wishes and go and be 
 a clerk of some kind." 
 
 All the glow, all the life that possessed him as 
 he came in fresh from the exercise of his drill 
 seemed to have left Mars by this time. He was 
 profoundly sad and depressed. That was plainly 
 to be seen. Hoping to find something as a dis- 
 traction to his gloomy reflections, I called his 
 attention to the mail that had arrived during his 
 absence. He moved negligently towards the 
 desk, raised the handkerchief with weary in- 
 difference, and glanced at the packet underneath. 
 Instantly his whole manner changed ; the color 
 sprang to his face ; his eyes flamed, and a nervous 
 thrill seemed to shoot through his frame. Paying 
 no attention to the others, he had seized the 
 dainty missive that so excited my curiosity, and 
 with a hand that plainly shook tore it open, 
 turned his back to me with the briefest " Excuse 
 me one minute," and was speedily so absorbed 
 in the letter that he never noticed me as I rose
 
 100 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 and strolled out to the front of the tent and the 
 hright wintry sunshine beyond. The boy needed 
 to be alone. 
 
 Fully fifteen minutes passed by before he re- 
 joined me, coming out with a quick, nervous step, 
 and a face that had grown white and almost old 
 in that time. What could be wrong with him ? 
 
 " Mr. Brandon, I beg your pardon for being 
 BO inhospitable. My letters were important, and 
 and rather a surprise, one of them. It is just 
 about noon. May I offer you a toddy ? It's the 
 best I can do." 
 
 Mr. Brandon, to the scandal of his principles, 
 decided that on this occasion he would accept 
 the proffered refreshment. It seemed to be a 
 relief to Mars. He bustled about, getting sugar 
 and glasses and some fresh spring water ; then 
 speedily tendering me a goblet, produced a black 
 bottle from his trunk. 
 
 " Shall I pour for you ?" said he. " Say when." 
 And in a moment the juice of the rye and other 
 less harmful ingredients were mingled with the 
 sweetened water. 
 
 "You will excuse me," said he. "I never 
 touch it, except well, that drink I took the 
 night on the train after our tussle with Smith is 
 the only one I've taken since I joined the troop. 
 I promised mother, Mr. Brandon." 
 
 The reader has already discovered that Mr. 
 Brandon could readily make a sentimental idiot
 
 KITTFS CONQUEST. 1Q1 
 
 of himself on slight provocation. Hearing these 
 words of Mr. Amory's and the renewed allusion 
 to the mother who filled so big a place in the 
 boy's heart, Mr. Brandon deposited his glass on 
 the table and held out his hand ; took that of the 
 surprised young soldier ; gave it a cordial grip ; 
 made an abortive attempt to say something neat 
 and appropriate ; and broke abruptly off at the 
 first word. Then Harrod came back. 
 
 " Brandon," said he, " there's the mischief to 
 pay in New Orleans. I've just received the 
 papers, and it looks as though there would be 
 riot and bloodshed with a vengeance." 
 
 " "What's up now ?" I asked, with vivid interest. 
 
 " It seems to be a breaking out of the old row. 
 Two legislatures, you know, and a double-headed 
 executive. More troops are ordered there." 
 
 I eagerly took the paper and read the head- 
 lines. The same old story, only worse and more 
 of it. The State-house beleaguered; the metro- 
 politan police armed with Winchesters and man- 
 ning a battery ; the citizens holding indignation 
 meetings and organizing for defence against 
 usurping State government ; two riots on Canal 
 Street, and a member of one legislature shot 
 down by the sergeant-at-arms of the other; a 
 great mob organizing to attack the governor and 
 the State-house, etc., etc. It all looked familiar 
 enough. I had seen the same thing but a short 
 time before. It was simply a new eruption of 
 9*
 
 102 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 the old volcano, but a grave one, unless I utterly 
 misjudged the indications. 
 
 " Amory," said Harrod, " mount your horse 
 and come over to dinner with us. Mr. Brandon 
 and I must go back, for there are matters in the 
 mail which require my attention at once." 
 
 But Amory said he could not leave. In Yin- 
 ton's absence he felt that he ought to stick to 
 camp. We drove back as we came. 
 
 Both the young ladies were on the gallery 
 when we drove up. Harrod shook his head in 
 response to the look of inquiry in Pauline's eyes. 
 
 " Not back yet, and no news of him, unless 
 unless there should be something in this let- 
 ter," said he, with provoking gravity and delib- 
 eration, as he felt in every pocket of his garments 
 in apparently vain search, while the quizzical 
 look in his face proclaimed that he was purposely 
 reserving the right pocket for the last. 
 
 Miss Summers stood with exemplary patience 
 and outstretched hand. At last the eagerly-ex- 
 pected letter was produced, and Harrod and I 
 went in to talk over the startling tidings from 
 New Orleans. The next moment we heard 
 Pauline's rapid step in the hall and ascending 
 the stairs; heard her go hurriedly to her room 
 and close the door. Harrod looked puzzled and 
 a little worried. 
 
 " I hope there is no bad news from Yinton," 
 he said. " That rush to her room is unlike her.' :
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 Then tlie swish of Kitty's skirts was heard. 
 Harrod stepped out and spoke some words to her 
 in a low tone. Her reply was anxious and startled 
 in its hurried intonation, but the words were in- 
 distinct. 
 
 " She says Pauline did not read her letter 
 through at all, but sprang up with tears in her 
 eyes and merely said she must run up-stairs a 
 few minutes. What do you suppose is wrong ?" 
 
 Of course I had no explanation to offer. 
 Pauline did not return for an hour. When she 
 again appeared she was very pale and quiet. 
 Harrod meantime had taken a horse and ridden 
 off to Sandbrook, where he wanted to reach the 
 telegraph-office. It was late in the evening when 
 he returned. I had been reading in the library 
 for some time while the ladies were at the piano. 
 He strode into the hall and stood at the parlor- 
 door. 
 
 " Pauline, did the major tell you in his letter ?" 
 he asked. 
 
 " Tell me what ?" she inquired, with quickly 
 rising color. 
 
 " That their orders had come ?" She hesitated 
 and made no reply. Quickly he stepped forward 
 and threw his arm around her, tenderly kissing 
 her forehead. 
 
 " You'll make a soldier's wife, Pauline. You 
 can keep a secret." 
 
 And now, looking quickly at Miss Kitty, I saw
 
 104 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 that she had risen and was eagerly gazing at 
 them, a strange, wistful light in her sweet young 
 face. 
 
 " What is it all, colonel ?" I inquired. 
 
 '' The cavalry left for New Orleans at dark. 
 Amory got telegraphic orders soon after we left, 
 and Vinton came in from the "West by the even- 
 ing train and took command at the station. 
 Neither of them had time to come out here to 
 say good-by," he added, with an involuntary 
 glance at Kitty, while still holding Pauline's hand 
 in his own. 
 
 "You saw Major Vinton?" Pauline calmly 
 asked. 
 
 " Yes, dear. I have a note for you. He was 
 only there thirty minutes. Amory had the troop, 
 horses and all, on the cars before the Memphis 
 train got in." 
 
 She took her note and with him walked into 
 the library. Irresolutely I stepped out on the 
 gallery a moment. Then returning for a cigar 
 or something consolatory, I nearly collided with 
 Miss Kitty at the parlor-door. She recoiled a 
 pace; then with her bonny head bowed in her 
 hands, with great sobs shaking her slender form, 
 my unheroic little heroine rushed past me and up 
 the stairs to her own room. I felt like a spy.
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 THE next few days passed somewhat gloomily. 
 Eager interest centred in the daily paper from 
 N~ew Orleans. The Times in those days was 
 " run" entirely in the interest of a strong fac- 
 tion not inaptly termed " carpet-haggers." Few 
 of the Republican party of the white element 
 had been natives and property-owners in the 
 State before the war. All of the colored race, 
 most of them at least, had been residents per- 
 haps, but held as property rather than as prop- 
 erty-owners. The Picayune, always the repre- 
 sentative of the old regime in the South, was 
 naturally the journal which found its way into 
 our distant household. Its pictures of affairs in 
 the Crescent City were startling beyond question, 
 and its columns were filled with grave portent of 
 riot, insurrection, and bloodshed. 
 
 Judge Summers was visibly worried by its 
 reports. Harrod looked gloomy and ill at ease ; 
 Pauline very grave ; Kitty picturesquely doleful. 
 All, however, seemed to relax no effort to make 
 me feel at home and " entertained," but the 
 evident cloud overshadowed me. I began to 
 want to get away. 
 
 105
 
 106 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 If all N"ew Orleans were swept by the flames, 
 my personal losses would be slight; but the 
 small library I owned would be an excuse. My 
 confidence that neither side would set fire to 
 anything was only equalled by that which I felt 
 that both would join forces to put it out if they 
 did. For two years we had been having just the 
 same exhilarating experiences, and it never came 
 to burning anything but a little powder. Some- 
 times one side, sometimes another would raise a 
 huge mob, and with much pomp and parade, 
 with much blatant speech-making and wide pub- 
 lication of their intentions, would march noisily 
 through the streets towards some public build- 
 ing, at that moment held by the opposite party, 
 avowedly for the purpose of taking it by force 
 of arms. The first year there had been some 
 desultory shooting, but no casualties to speak of. 
 The second there had been less damage, though 
 far more display; for by this time there were 
 three parties in the field. Then, however, Uncle 
 Sam assumed the role of peace-maker; sent a 
 general thither with his staff (giving him a major- 
 general's title and a major's force), with vague 
 orders as to what he was to do, as I chanced to 
 know, beyond keeping the peace and upholding 
 the law and the constituted authorities. As 
 three parties claimed to be the " constituted au- 
 thorities," it seemed embarrassing at times to tell 
 which to uphold. Washington officials declined
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. JQ7 
 
 to decide for Mm, so the veteran soldier hit on 
 the happy expedient of upholding the party that 
 was attacked. This put him squarely in the 
 right so far as keeping the peace was concerned ; 
 for whichever crowd sallied forth to whip the 
 other, invariably found a small battalion of bay- 
 onets, or on one occasion a solitary aide-de-camp 
 representing the United States. They would not 
 "fire on the flag"; so retired to thunder at one 
 another through the press. But it put him 
 squarely in the wrong where settling the ques- 
 tion for good and all was concerned. So long as 
 the factions felt sure they would not be allowed 
 to fight, the more they talked about doing it; 
 and the real sufferers were the patient, plodding 
 infantry officers and men, who were kept trudg- 
 ing up and down, night and day, from town to 
 barracks. They were tired, hungry, jaded-look- 
 ing fellows that winter. I had called three of 
 them into my room one chill morning after they 
 had been standing all night on the curb-stones 
 of the State-house waiting for an attack they 
 knew would never come ; warmed them up with 
 coffee or cocktails as they might prefer ; then one 
 of them opened his heart. 
 
 " This whole thing is the most infernal farce," 
 said he. " Ten to one the true way to stop it is 
 to send us miles away and let them get at one 
 another. The Lord knows I'd afford them every 
 encouragement. They don't want to fight. If
 
 103 KITTFS CONqUEST. 
 
 old General Fitz Blazes would only send me with 
 my company behind instead of between these 
 howling idiots they'd evaporate quick enough." 
 
 "Well I recalled every bit of this! It was 
 when the " radical" party was split up into local 
 factions, each demanding the State-house and 
 the Treasury; but things were different now. 
 The old residents, the business men, the repre- 
 sentative citizens of the city had stood that sort 
 of thing just as long as human endurance and 
 their ebbing purses could stand it. They now 
 had organized and risen against the perturbed 
 State authorities; and when that class of men 
 began shooting somebody was going to be hurt. 
 As yet nothing aggressive had been done ; but 
 the Republican government was tottering on its 
 Louisiana throne, and appealed for aid. This it 
 was that was sending troops from all directions 
 to the Crescent City. I decided to go and pro- 
 tect my lares and penates, trivial though they 
 might be. 
 
 To my relief, yet surprise, the moment I men- 
 tioned this to Colonel Summers his face lighted 
 up with an expression of delight. 
 
 " Mr. Brandon, we'll go together, and as sooii 
 as you like." 
 
 Noticing my evident surprise, he added, " To 
 tell the truth I ought to go, and at once. Will 
 you come into father's library and let me ex- 
 plain?"
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 109 
 
 Assenting, as a matter of course, I followed 
 him. Pauline was seated by her father's side as 
 we entered, writing, as she often did, from his 
 di station. 
 
 " Father," broke in the colonel, abruptly, " we 
 can spare you all that work. Mr. Brandon tells 
 me he has decided to go at once to New Orleans. 
 I will go with him, and take the papers." 
 
 The judge rose somewhat slowly anxiety had 
 told on him very much in the last day or two 
 and greeted me with his old-fashioned courtesy. 
 
 " It is a source of great regret to me to us 
 all that you should leave us; yet you have 
 doubtless anxieties, as indeed I have, great 
 ones, and I wish it were in my power to go 
 myself; but that cannot be, for a fortnight at 
 least; and by that time, as things are looking 
 now, it may be too late, it may be too late. 
 My son will tell you " he broke off suddenly. 
 
 Miss Summers had risen ; her sweet, thorough- 
 bred face had grown a little paler of late, and 
 she stood anxiously regarding her father, but 
 saying not a word. For some moments we sat 
 in general conversation; then, noticing how tired 
 the judge was looking, I rose, saying it was time 
 to make preparations. 
 
 Two hours later, the old carriage rattled up to 
 the steps. The colonel stood aside, holding some 
 final consultation with his father. Miss Sum- 
 mers, with a blush that was vastly becoming to 
 10
 
 HO KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 her, handed me a letter for the major. "As yet, 
 you know, Major Vinton has not been able to 
 send me his New Orleans address. They aro 
 barely there by this time ; but you were so in- 
 cautious as to offer to take anything to him, so 1 
 burden you with this." 
 
 Kitty Carrington was looking on with wistful 
 eyes. 
 
 " And you, little lady ? what note or message 
 will you intrust to me ?" 
 
 She had smoothed back her bright hair. She 
 was looking again as she had the night she 
 begged to play nurse over our unconscious 
 Mars. She looked older, graver, but so gentle, 
 so patient in the trouble that had come into her 
 young life. Whatever that trouble might have 
 been J could not say. There was something 
 very pathetic about the slender little figure as 
 she stood there. 
 
 For all answer to my question, she shook her 
 head, smiling rather sadly, yet striving to throw 
 archness into her accompanying gesture. The 
 faint shrug of her pretty shoulders, the forward 
 movement of her hands, with open and extended 
 palms, something so Southern in it all. I could 
 not help noting it. Possibly I stared, as previous 
 confessions indicate that I had that adventurous 
 night in the cars. 
 
 My rudeness caused her to turn sharply away 
 with heightened color.
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 Then came general good-byes, good speeds, 
 good lucks, promises to write, those promises, 
 like so many others, made only to be broken. 
 We clambered into the carriage. Already the 
 driver was gathering his whip and reins; had 
 " chucked" to his sleepy team. Harrod was 
 sitting on the side nearest the group on the 
 steps ; I craning my neck forward for a last look 
 at them. Kitty was eagerly bending forward; 
 her lips parted, her eyes dilated, her fingers 
 working nervously. Already the wheels had 
 begun to crunch through the gravel, when with 
 sudden movement she darted like a bird down 
 the steps. 
 
 " Harrod!" she cried. 
 
 " Hold on, driver," was the response, as he 
 bent to the doorway to meet her. 
 
 Standing on tiptoe, her tiny white hands 
 clutching his arm, a vivid color shooting over 
 her face, her eyes one moment nervously, appre- 
 hensively, reproachfully glancing at me, plainly 
 saying, " Please don't listen," then, raised to his 
 bronzed, tender face, as he bent ear towards her 
 lips in response to the evident appeal. She rap- 
 idly whispered half a dozen words. " Do you 
 understand? Sure you understand?" she ques- 
 tioned eagerly, as now she leaned back, looking 
 up into his eyes. 
 
 He bent still farther, kissed her forehead. 
 " Sure," he nodded. " Sure."
 
 112 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 Then back she sprang. Crack went the whip, 
 and we rolled away towards the gate. 
 
 Looking back, my eyes took in for the last 
 time the old home ; and the picture lingers with 
 me, will live with me to the end of my lonely 
 life. The red-gold light of the setting sun 
 streamed in all its glory on the southern front 
 of the quaint plantation house. The tangled 
 shrubbery, the sombre line of the dense forest 
 beyond the fields, the vines and tendrils that 
 clung about the gallery railing and the wooden 
 pillars, the low-hanging eaves, the moss-covered 
 line of porch-roof, all were tinged, gilded, 
 gleaming here and there with the warmth and 
 glow of the gladness-giving rays. The windows 
 above blazed with their reflected glory. Even 
 old Blonde's curly hide and Jake Biggs's woolly 
 pate gained a lustre they never knew before. 
 All around the evidences of approaching decay 
 and present dilapidation, so general throughout 
 the bright sunny South years after the war, all 
 around the homeliest objects, the wheelbarrow and 
 garden tools, there clung a tinge of gladness in 
 answering homage to the declining king of day ; 
 but, central figures of all, the trio we left upon 
 the steps, they fairly stood in a halo of mellow 
 gold. The gray-haired gentleman waving his 
 thin hand in parting salutation; the noble, 
 womanly girl at his side, half supporting, half 
 leaning upon him ; and on the lower stair, kiss-
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. H3 
 
 ing her hand, waving her dainty kerchief, her 
 eyes dancing, her cheeks aflame, her white teeth 
 flashing through the parted lips, her fragile form 
 all radiance, all sweet, glowing, girlish beauty, 
 stood Kitty Carrington ; she who but a moment 
 before had seemed so patiently sad. 
 
 " Did you ever see anything prettier ?" I 
 gasped, as at last the winding roadway hid them 
 from our sight. 
 
 " Kitty, Brandon ? she's a darling !" was the 
 warm-hearted answer. 
 
 That was precisely my opinion. 
 
 All the way into Sandbrook 1 was tortured 
 with curiosity to know the purport of the mys- 
 terious parting whisper. It would not do to let 
 Colonel Summers suspect that of me; neither 
 would it answer to propound any question. We 
 had much to talk of that is of no interest and 
 has no bearing on our story, but it kept us em- 
 ployed until we reached the station. 
 
 Our train was due at 7.45, going west, tho 
 same hour at which the troops had left. Their 
 single passenger-car and the four freight-cars on 
 which their horses were carried had been coupled 
 to the regular train. They had gone, we learned, 
 to Grand Junction ; thence down the Mississippi 
 Central. The station-master was an old army 
 friend of the colonel's. He received us with all 
 courtesy, and immediately asked us into his own 
 little office. 
 
 h 10*
 
 114 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 " Reckon you'd best just make yourselves com- 
 fortable, gentlemen ; that train's nigh onto two 
 hours late, near as I can make it." 
 
 " Two hours late ! Why, that will ruin our 
 connection !" exclaimed Harrod. 
 
 " They're going to try and make the Central 
 wait over," was the answer, " but I'd bet high 
 on our being later'n we think for. Once a fellow 
 gets off his schedule on this road, he's more apt 
 to be losing all the time than gaining." 
 
 The colonel and I looked at each other a mo- 
 ment in some dismay. Quandary though it was, 
 there was nothing for it but to wait, and wait we 
 did, two three hours. The darkness grew in- 
 tense back towards the Tennessee ; the loungers 
 in the waiting-room or platform in groups of 
 two or three, rose, yawned, stretched themselves, 
 " 'Lowed t'warn't no use waitin' ; could see the 
 derned train any other night just as well/' and 
 took themselves and their tobacco-juice off. The 
 lights across the way, beyond the tracks, died 
 out one by one, until only those two were left 
 which represented the rival saloons, still keeping 
 open for the presumable benefit of some prowler 
 hoping to get trusted for a drink. Finally only 
 the station-master and ourselves were left, all 
 drowsy, but the former still seated, with his one 
 remaining hand close to his telegraph instru- 
 ment. Still no news of the train. I began to 
 doze.
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. H5 
 
 It could not have been more than ten or fifteen 
 minutes before the clicking of the instrument 
 aroused me. Having long since ceased to care 
 whether the train now came or not, since we had 
 heard by nine that the Central would not wait, 
 I only sleepily gazed at the operator. The colonel 
 had gone asleep, and the sound did not awake 
 him. But another moment the expression on 
 the face of the man sitting so intently over his 
 table aroused me to eagerness. At first profes- 
 sionally indifferent, it grew suddenly clouded; 
 then a look of keen distress came upon it as he 
 quickly glanced around at his old comrade. 
 
 I involuntarily sprang up and approached the 
 table. He had written half the message, then 
 dropped pencil and hammered away at the key. 
 
 " For him," said he, with a backward jerk of 
 the head to indicate the colonel. 
 
 It seemed an endless time before he could get 
 the thing straightened out and the message 
 written. 
 
 " Please wake him," said he. 
 
 I gently shook Harrod's shoulder. He started 
 up with soldierly promptitude. 
 
 " Train coming ?" he asked, as be began gath- 
 ering his traps. 
 
 " Not yet, colonel. It's news from the boys, 
 the cavalry." 
 
 " Got to New Orleans all right ?" 
 
 " Got there ; but read for yourself."
 
 116 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 "With a face that paled even in the dim light 
 of the station, and lips that trembled under his 
 moustache, the colonel read, handed it to rue 
 without a word, and turned away. 
 
 This was the message : 
 
 " NEW ORLEANS, Tuesday. 
 " COLONEL H. SUMMERS, Sandbrook Station, M. and 0. K. K., 
 
 Alabama. 
 
 " Arrived yesterday. Vinton dangerously ill ; delirious 
 Post surgeons in cbarge. If possible, come. 
 
 "PRANK AMORT." 
 
 Then we three looked at one another with 
 faces sad and blanched. Harrod was the first to 
 speak. 
 
 " May I take your horse, Billy ?" 
 " Yes, and the house and barn if it'll help." 
 " Then I'm off for home at once, for Pau- 
 line." 
 
 The delay of that train was a blessing in dis- 
 guise.
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 A DIM, murky morning it was that dawned on 
 Sandbrook the following day. I had spent the 
 livelong night at the station. The missing train 
 came unheeded, soon after Colonel Summers on 
 " Billy's" horse loped off into the northern dark- 
 ness. I had sent a dispatch to Amory, care 
 of Department Headquarters in New Orleans. 
 " Billy" had hospitably invited me to share his 
 humble breakfast, made most relishable though 
 by the steaming coffee " cooked" army fashion 
 in a battered old pot with a reliable lid. I had 
 noted with respect and with pleasure the fine 
 picture of General Lee hanging over the narrow 
 mantel, and the battered old cavalry sabre be- 
 neath it ; and was beginning to ask myself how 
 I could best employ the day until evening train- 
 time, when the rapid beat of hoofs and the 
 familiar rattle of the carriage-wheels sounded in 
 my ears. 
 
 "Hyar they come," said "Billy." "I knew 
 they would." 
 
 Even before we could reach the platform, the 
 carriage had whirled up there and Harrod sprang 
 from the box-seat. 
 
 117
 
 118 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 " That freight gone by yet, Billy ?" 
 
 " The freight ! Lord, no ! Colonel, you're 
 not going to take Miss Summers that way?" 
 
 " It hasn't gone, dear," he quickly spoke to the 
 silent inmate of the carriage. " But it's due how 
 soon ?" turning again to his friend. 
 
 " Ten minutes, colonel, and on time, too, if 
 you're hound to go by her." 
 
 " By all means. "We may strike something at 
 Corinth; if not, we'll go on to the Junction." 
 Then with lowered voice, "Anything is better 
 than waiting at such a time. We'd better get 
 them out, I think." 
 
 Them ! Who could be there ? thought I, for 
 up to this time I had thought best not to intrude. 
 Now I stepped forward as he opened the carriage- 
 door, and with light, quick spring out popped 
 Kitty. 
 
 "Mr. Brandon will take charge of you, Kit; 
 there's a dear," said he, gently, then turned again 
 to the door, and tenderly handed out his sister. 
 She came instantly to me with dry eyes, and firm, 
 low voice, only with face so pale. She frankly 
 held forth her hand, which which I took in both 
 my own. 
 
 " Have you heard anything further ?" 
 
 I shook my head. 
 
 " And you have been sitting up here all night 
 waiting for us How kind, yet how tired you 
 must be !"
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 " I never expected you till evening," I an- 
 swered, bluntly, and was rewarded by a look of 
 quick, reproachful surprise. 
 
 " Harrod reached us at one o'clock. It took 
 very little time to get ready. Mr. Brandon, can 
 you make any conjecture as to the nature of his 
 illness?" 
 
 " None whatever ; fever of some kind, I am 
 half inclined to believe, contracted while off on 
 this court-martial tour." 
 
 She bowed her head, and now silent tears fell 
 from her eyes. Harrod led her to one side and, 
 putting his arm around her, stood whispering 
 cheeringly to her. Then I turned to Kitty, who 
 was very quietly engaged in getting out satchels, 
 baskets, and travelling-bags ; all was done before 
 I reached her. 
 
 " It is a surprise to see you, Miss Kitty." 
 
 " A surprise ! Surely you did not suppose I 
 would let Paulie go on so sad a journey without 
 me. There are many ways in which I can help 
 her." 
 
 There was no answer to the wisdom of that 
 statement. The distant whistle of the freight 
 had twice been heard, and in ten minutes our 
 party of four were disposed in the conductor's 
 caboose. The situation had been explained to 
 that officer in very few words by Harrod and 
 " Billy ;" and, with that almost chivalrous cour- 
 tesy which the roughest-looking men in the South
 
 120 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 show to the gentler sex on all occasions I ever 
 witnessed, the train-hands had busied themselves 
 in making a comfortable corner for the ladies. 
 Rude and poor were the appliances, but Walter 
 Baleigh never laid down his priceless cloak for 
 foot of royal mistress with truer grace than did 
 those rough ex-soldiers spread their blankets, 
 coats, and pillows to make a soft substructure 
 for the heavy shawls which the ladies had with 
 them. "Watching, as I have on a thousand occa- 
 sions, the gentle courtesy of Southern men to 
 women, high or low, I never lack for explanation, 
 never wonder how they came to fight so well. 
 Bayard Taylor struck the key-note when he 
 wrote, 
 
 "The bravest are the tenderest, 
 The loving are the daring." 
 
 At noon we were at Corinth and eagerly ques- 
 tioning the officials there. N"o train till nine. 
 
 " What chance by going to Grand Junction ?" 
 
 " No better, colonel ; they've had the custom- 
 ary smash-up on the Central, and 'taint no use 
 trying. Even if the road weren't blocked, their 
 south-bound express don't get off as early as ours 
 from here." 
 
 " Are there no trains coming south, not even 
 freight?" 
 
 " Colonel, I'm sorry, but there's not a train 
 of any kind, nothin' except a special, going
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 121 
 
 through a-whoopin' for Orleans, I suppose, with 
 a lot o' damyankees." 
 
 " What ! a special with troops, do you mean ?" 
 asked Harrod, eagerly. 
 
 " Exactly ; somewhere from up in Tennessee. 
 Two or three companies but, Lord ! you couldn't 
 ride with them even if they'd let you. They 
 telegraphed ahead here for coffee for seventy 
 men, and want to take the kettles on to the next 
 station. Not much " 
 
 " Never mind, Mr. Agent," broke in Harrod, 
 impatiently; "when are they due?" 
 
 "Coffee's ordered for 12.30. Eeckon they'll 
 be along very soon," replied the nettled func- 
 tionary. 
 
 " "What say you, Brandon ? Shall we try 
 it?" 
 
 " Most assuredly ; and I think it can be done." 
 
 Four pairs of anxious, eager eyes watched that 
 train of " damyankees" as it came rushing into 
 the station sharp at 12.30. A crowd of sullen- 
 looking " white trash" had gathered, a larger 
 knot of curious and eager darkies, to see the 
 sight. The engine whizzed past the platform; 
 then two passenger-cars, from every window of 
 which protruded blue-capped, dust-begrimed sol- 
 dier heads ; sentries stood at the doors, and only 
 as the last car a third passenger-car came op- 
 posite us did the train stop. A sharp, business- 
 like young fellow, in dust-covered fatigue dress 
 
 F 11
 
 122 KITTFS CONQUEST. 
 
 with infantry shoulder-straps and cap, sprang 
 out. 
 
 " That coffee ready ?" he asked, bounding at 
 the agent at once. 
 
 " Wall, I s'pose so," drawled the party ad- 
 dressed, as though desirous of giving all the 
 annoyance he could. 
 
 " If you want your money you'd better know, 
 and lively too. We've no time to waste. Tumble 
 out here, Sergeant Triggs. Bring six men while 
 this party is waking up." 
 
 Then as his men went into the kitchen to bring 
 out the steaming caldrons, I asked if I could see 
 the commanding officer on immediate and im- 
 portant business. 
 
 " Certainly, sir ; rear car. Come this way." 
 
 We followed him, Harrod and I ; found the 
 forward half of the third car filled, as were the 
 other two, with the rank and file. At the rear 
 end were half a dozen sleepy, dusty, and dis- 
 gusted-looking gentlemen. 
 
 " This is Major Williams, sir," said the busi- 
 ness-like youngster, and in an instant he was out 
 on the platform again. 
 
 A tall, dust-colored officer rose to meet my ex- 
 tended card and hand, mild surprise in his eyes. 
 " Major," said I, " Major Vinton, of the cavalry, 
 lies dangerously ill in New Orleans. He is en- 
 gaged to the sister of my friend, Colonel Sum- 
 mers. No train leaves here until nine to-night,
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 123 
 
 and in our eagerness to get to Vinton before it 
 be too late we ask to be taken with you." 
 
 For an instant the commanding officer was 
 staggered bj my impetuous harangue, but " he 
 rallied." 
 
 " Major Vinton, say you ? I'm distressed to 
 hear it. I know him well by reputation, though 
 it has not been my good fortune to meet him. 
 
 We we must find some way Excuse me, 
 
 let me speak one instant with the quartermas- 
 ter." 
 
 He quickly stepped to a bulky, stolid-looking 
 youth, and addressed him in few rapid words. 
 The whistle blew, my heart stood still. He 
 sprang to a window, stuck out his head, and 
 shouted, 
 
 " A a Mr. Turpiu. Stop the train. Don't 
 start till I tell you." 
 
 " All right, sir," came back in the quick, sharp 
 tones we had heard before. 
 
 Again the major and the stolid youth met. 
 We heard snatches of the latter's words, " no 
 precedent, no authority," and my heart again 
 sank. Like Mr. Perker of blessed memory, I 
 was about to interpose with " But my dear sir, 
 my dear sir," when Mr. Turpin burst in like a 
 thunder-clap at the rear door. 
 
 "Jupiter Ammon, fellows! Blow the dust 
 from your eyes if you want to see the prettiest 
 girl in the South !"
 
 124 KITTF'S COTfqUEST. 
 
 "Never mind precedent; we'll make a prece- 
 dent," broke in the major, impatiently. " Gen- 
 tlemen," he turned to us, " you see how for- 
 lorn are our surroundings, but you and yours are 
 welcome." The whole thing took less time than 
 it takes to read it. 
 
 Harrod sprang for his sister. Mr. Turpin 
 sprang for Kitty. Eager hands seized the bags 
 and traps, shoving them through windows, any- 
 where, anyhow ; and half bewildered, all grateful, 
 all surprise, Pauline and Kitty found themselvefc 
 aboard, and we were spinning out of inhospit- 
 able Corinth. 
 
 " Pardon our great haste, ladies," I heard the 
 major saying. "We must be in New Orleans 
 some time in the early morning." The " dam- 
 yankees" were going to get us there twenty-four 
 hours ahead of any other arrangement we could 
 have made. 
 
 Shall I ever forget that almost breathless ride ? 
 " Be here to-morrow morning without fail" were 
 the words of the dispatch Major Williams had 
 received at the point where his train left the 
 Louisville road and swung into the rails of the 
 Mobile and Ohio. It was the "longer way 
 round," that through Mobile, but some late 
 experiences had proved it the shorter way home ; 
 and, as the conductor presently explained to the 
 major, on entering the car, " I've given the engi- 
 neer orders to jump her for all she's worth. We
 
 CONQUEST. 125 
 
 only stop for water and passing one up-train. 
 Even the express has to side-track for us." 
 
 Then the conductor wiped his hot brow, and 
 with infinite surprise looked first at the ladies 
 just getting settled into the seats eager hands had 
 been dusting and preparing for them, then at me. 
 Then Harrod came quickly to us, and in him he 
 recognized at once Colonel Summers of the Ala- 
 bama cavalry of by-gone days. With the Free- 
 masonry of old campaigners, they gripped hands 
 before questions of any kind were put. Harrod 
 promptly explained the situation. " Thanks to 
 these gentlemen, we are permitted to share their 
 car. Of course we settle with you for the fare. 
 But for their kindness we could not have reached 
 New Orleans before late, perhaps too late, to- 
 morrow night." 
 
 The conductor turned to the officers : " Major 
 "Williams, sir (yes, he did say " sah," and I liked 
 to hear it), I want to thank you in the name of 
 the road for your prompt courtesy to these friends 
 of mine. I had to jump for the telegraph-office 
 myself, and did not see them. You can just bet 
 your life, sir, the Mobile and Ohio shall know 
 of it, and they'll thank you in a way I'm not 
 empowered to." 
 
 And so, whizzing at forty-five miles an hour. 
 Southron and Yank were drawing into the 
 brotherhood of a common sympathy. 
 
 And so it went all through that grimy after- 
 11*
 
 126 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 noon. "With what unremitting thoughtfulness 
 and care those fellows looked after our fair 
 charges ! The sanctity of her grief and anxiety 
 rendered Miss Summers the object of the deepest 
 respect and sympathy. Reclining at the rear of 
 the car, her veil drawn over her face, none but 
 Harrod ventured to approach her; but Kitty was 
 the centre of incessant attention, and through 
 her all manner of improvised delicacies were 
 brought to Pauline. The dust was stifling, 
 and indefatigable Mr. Turpin appeared from 
 somewhere in front with a tin basin filled with 
 cracked ice. The doctor came forward with a 
 silver cup of delicious lemonade (he had levied 
 on his pannier for lime-juice and powdered sugar) 
 dexterously rendered soulful by a dash of Vini 
 Gallici. Kitty smiled her thanks to both, and a 
 duplicate of the beverage was grateful to her 
 silent cousin. "We flew over the rattling rails, 
 and the jarring was incessant. The doctor pro- 
 duced an air-pillow for Pauline's head. "We 
 stopped somewhere for water, and the major dis- 
 appeared. The ladies had brought luncheon in 
 a large basket but no appetites. The soldiers 
 had rations and were filled. The officers had not 
 had a mouthful since a breakfast at 3 A.M., and 
 were hungry. No chance for a bite until 5 P.M., 
 when, said the conductor, they might grab a 
 sandwich at Ragsdale's, at Meridian. " But we 
 can't stop three minutes, boys." Kitty overheard
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 127 
 
 it. She was in animated conversation with a tall 
 subaltern, who claimed to be from Kentucky. 
 They were sitting three seats ahead of Miss 
 Summers, who was undisturbed by their chatter ; 
 all voices were subdued as far as was possible. 
 Mr. Turpin, who was a man of few words but vast 
 action, was hovering about, eager for a chance to 
 do something. She knew it. They all seem to 
 have infinite intuition that way. 
 
 " Oh, Mr. Turpin, would you please bring me 
 our lunch-basket?" And Turpin was down upon 
 us like his namesake of old, demanding the bas- 
 ket in a manner suggestive of "or your lives." 
 Another second and it was deposited in front of 
 her, and she bade him summon his brother- 
 hood; and they went, even the stolid quarter- 
 master, who felt sheepish apparently. And there 
 she sat like a little Lady Bountiful, dispensing 
 to each and all (a Southern lunch-basket reminds 
 me of the parable of the loaves and fishes), and 
 they surrounded her, eating and adoring. 
 
 At five we rolled into Meridian, and Rags- 
 dale's sandwiches were forgotten. Major Wil- 
 liams sprang from the train. 
 
 "Yes, dear," I heard Harrod saying to his 
 sister, "I will try and send a dispatch from 
 here," and with that he rose. I went with him 
 in search of the telegraph-office. At the door 
 we met the major, some open dispatches in hi& 
 hand.
 
 128 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 "Have we time to send a despatch to !N"ew 
 Orleans ?" asked Harrod, eagerly. 
 
 " Hardly," said the major, with a quiet smile. 
 " But won't this do ?" and he placed in Harrod'a 
 hand one of the papers. The message read : 
 
 " Telegram received. Assure Vinton's friends that fever 
 is less. He receives best care. We are hopeful now. 
 
 " REYNOLDS, A.A.G." 
 
 " Thank God !" I uttered. 
 
 Summers, with tears starting to his eyes, 
 grasped the soldier's hand. 
 
 " You are a very thoughtful man, sir." 
 
 " All aboard !" yelled the conductor. " Get 
 those lamps lit now." 
 
 Somehow I was glad it was dusk in the car as 
 we sprang aboard. Harrod, with quick, eager 
 step, went directly to her. Something told her 
 he had news, and she rose, throwing back her 
 veil, and bent eagerly forward. He placed the 
 paper in her hand, and, clutching it, she seemed 
 to devour the contents. Kitty had turned quickly 
 to look. Conversation somehow had ceased. 
 Then we saw her glance one instant up in his 
 face. Then his strong arms were round her, 
 for, burying her face in his breast, she had burst 
 into a passion of almost hysterical weeping. 
 Then we all turned away and shook hands. The 
 whole car knew Vinton was better. One soldier
 
 KITTrS CONQUEST. 129 
 
 up in front wanted to give three cheers, but was 
 promptly suppressed. Kitty's own eyes were 
 overflowing as she received the congratulations 
 of the lately banquetted, and with a great load 
 off our hearts we sped onward through the dark- 
 ness. 
 
 Two sweet pictures remain in my memory of 
 that strange night. First was that of Miss Sum- 
 mers and Major "Williams. At her request Har- 
 rod brought him to her, that she might thank 
 him for the thoughtfulness, the delicate atten- 
 tion he had shown. Her face was exquisite in 
 the revival of hope, in the intensity of gratitude. 
 
 The second was about 11 P.M. We had had 
 to make some stops. Our run was now less im- 
 peded. It had grown chilly and raw. Coming 
 in from the front, whither I had gone to smoke 
 with the conductor, I found the inmates of the 
 rear of our car apparently buried in slumber, 
 except one figure. Mr. Turpin, with his blouse 
 collar turned up and his hands in his pockets, 
 was sitting bolt upright. Two seats behind him, 
 her fair hair curling about her rounded cheek, 
 sleeping like a babe after all the fatigues and 
 excitements of the day, but from neck to foot 
 completely enveloped in a cloak of army blue, 
 was Kitty Carrington, our rampant little rebel 
 Kit.
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 EARLY in the morning, earlier even than 1 
 had supposed possible, the conductor's voice was 
 heard announcing to somebody that we would 
 be in New Orleans in less than half an hour. I 
 had been sleeping somewhat uneasily, curled up 
 on one of the seats. I was dimly conscious of 
 the fact that at some unknown hour in the night 
 another telegram had been received referring to 
 Vinton, and that Miss Summers was wide awake 
 when it came. I remember Harrod's bending 
 over and kissing her, and hearing the words, 
 " That is better yet." Then sleep again over- 
 powered me. Now, at daybreak, I arose and 
 gazed around the dimly-lighted car. Miss Sum- 
 mers, Harrod, and Major Williams were the only 
 occupants apparently astir. The former was sit- 
 ting near the opened window; the cool, salty 
 breeze from the Gulf was playing with the rip- 
 ples of fair hair that clustered about her fore- 
 head. She looked very white and wan in the 
 uncertain light, but there was a womanly ten- 
 derness and sweetness about her face that made 
 it inexpressibly lovely to me. She was gazing 
 wistfully out over the sea of marsh and swamp, 
 
 130
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 13] 
 
 as though longing to bridge the distance that 
 etill separated us from the city, where he lay 
 battling with that insidious enemy. Harrod and 
 the major were in earnest conversation. Other 
 occupants of the car were beginning to stir un- 
 easily, as though warned that soon they must be 
 up and doing ; but Kitty still slept, and the cloak 
 of army blue still covered her. Mr. Turpin had 
 disappeared. 
 
 A few moments more and the officers had 
 been aroused ; the men were donning their belts 
 and equipments; Pauline herself stepped for- 
 ward, and, bending over her pretty cousin, 
 roused her from her baby-like sleep ; and glancing 
 from the windows, I could see that we were roll- 
 ing up the " Elysian Fields." Then came the 
 curving sweep around on the broad levee. All 
 looked quiet, even deserted, as we passed the 
 Mint and the wide thoroughfare of Esplanade 
 Street. Some of the lamps still burned dimly 
 in the cafes and bars, but no trace of commotion 
 or excitement could be discerned. It was with 
 some little surprise then that our eyes met the 
 warlike scene as we rolled into the station at the 
 foot of Canal Street. 
 
 The instant the train stopped, our car was 
 boarded by an alert gentleman in civilian dress 
 whom I had often seen, and whom I knew to be 
 an aide-de-camp on the staff of the commanding 
 general. He came at once to Major Williams ;
 
 132 KITTY'S CON QV ESI. 
 
 shook hands with him, and conveyed some orderb 
 in a low tone of voice ; then asked to be presented 
 to Colonel Summers. Major "Williams brought 
 him to where our group of four was then stand- 
 ing, at the rear of the car, Miss Summers, Kitty, 
 Harrod, and myself. 
 
 " Let me introduce Colonel Newhall, of Gen- 
 eral Emory's staff," he said, and the colonel, 
 raising his hat in general salutation to the party, 
 spoke in the hurried, nervous way I afterwards 
 found was habitual with him, despite the sang- 
 froid that distinguished him at all times save in 
 the presence of ladies. 
 
 " I have come direct from Major Vinton's room, 
 Colonel Summers, and am happy to tell you that 
 the doctors pronounce him much better. The 
 general charged me to bring you the latest news 
 of him, and to express to you and to your ladies 
 his warm interest and sympathy." 
 
 Then we had not come as strangers to a strange 
 land. I glanced at Pauline, as her brother, 
 warmly grasping the staff-officer's hand, pre- 
 sented him to her and to Kitty. Her clear, 
 brave eyes were suffused with tears and she did 
 not venture to speak a word ; but she was infi- 
 nitely moved by the constantly recurring evi- 
 dences of interest in her and her gallant lover. 
 Such an informal announcement of an engage- 
 ment perhaps was not strictly in accordance with 
 the prevailing customs of society, but the exi-
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 133 
 
 gencies of the case put all such considerations 
 aside. Everybody on our train knew the story of 
 course, and it had evidently been telegraphed to 
 headquarters. Meantime, Major Williams had 
 been superintending the debarkation of his men, 
 and they were forming ranks on the platform out- 
 side. Beyond them, a long line of stacked arms 
 was guarded by sentries, and several companies 
 of infantry were grouped behind them, watching 
 with professional interest the arrival of comrade 
 soldiery. A number of omeers had gathered at 
 the side of the car, very weary they looked too, 
 and far from jaunty in their dusty fatigue uni- 
 forms ; but they were intent on welcoming Major 
 "Williams and his command, and at that hour in 
 the morning, costume and unshaven chins were 
 not subject to criticism. Time and again it had 
 been my lot to be at this very station, but never 
 before had I seen it thronged with troops. It 
 was evident that matters of grave moment were 
 going on in the city. 
 
 Colonel Newhall had left the car for a moment 
 and Harrod came to me : 
 
 " It seems that Vinton is at Colonel Newhall's 
 quarters on Royal Street, Mr. Brandon. He met 
 the troop on its arrival in town, and finding Yin- 
 ton wellnigh delirious with fever, had him taken 
 at once to his lodgings. There are a number of 
 vacant rooms, he tells me, and he has made all 
 arrangements to take us right there ; so there we 
 
 12
 
 134 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 will go. The St. Charles is crowded, and Pauline 
 naturally wants to be near him. I think it the 
 best arrangement that could possibly be made." 
 
 Even as he finished, the colonel came in to say 
 that the carriage was ready. Harrod, Pauline, 
 Kitty and I followed him to the platform. The 
 group of officers standing there courteously raised 
 their forage-caps as our ladies passed them. Kitty 
 looked furtively about her as she stepped from 
 the car, and Mr. Turpin sprang forward to take 
 her light satchel. It was but a few steps to the 
 carriage. Pauline and Kitty were handed in. 
 Summers and Colonel Newhall took their seats 
 in the carriage. "We shook hands all round 
 without saying much of anything, except that I 
 should meet them later in the day; the driver 
 cracked his whip, and away they went up Canal 
 Street, Mr. Turpin and I gazing after them. 
 
 Even as we looked, there came trotting down 
 the stone pavement towards us a pair of cavalry- 
 men. The one in front, tall, slender, erect, I 
 recognized at once as Frank Amory. The one 
 in rear was evidently his orderly. Never no- 
 ticing the carriage, which had hurried off on 
 the Custom-House side of the street, the former 
 rode rapidly to the very point where we were 
 standing. I saw Mr. Turpin look eagerly at 
 him, then spring forward. 
 
 " Sheep, old man, how are you ?" 
 
 " Hello, Cyclone ! when did you get here ?'
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 135 
 
 and throwing the reins to his orderly, Frank 
 Amory sprang from the saddle, and warmly 
 grasped Mr. Turpin by the hand. The boys 
 were classmates. 
 
 It was perhaps a minute before Amory noticed 
 that I was standing there, so absorbed was he in 
 greeting his comrade. The moment he caught 
 sight of me, however, he stepped quickly forward. 
 Quite a number of the younger officers had gath- 
 ered around by this time, and with heightened 
 color he looked eagerly in my face. 
 
 " "When did you come? Who who else came ?" 
 he asked, excitedly. 
 
 " We arrived only a few minutes ago," I said. 
 " Miss Summers, Miss Kitty, and the colonel with 
 me. They just drove off in that carriage. We 
 are so rejoiced to hear Major Yinton is better." 
 
 " You don't say so !" he exclaimed, then stopped 
 short, as though at a loss what to add. " I I 
 had no idea she you could get here so soon. 
 Vinton is better, thank God ! Where have they 
 gone ?" 
 
 " To Colonel Newhall's quarters," I answered. 
 " It seems there are several rooms, and the col- 
 onel says his landlady will take the best of care 
 of them. Then they will be near him, which is 
 something to be considered." 
 
 "Why, Sheep, did you know Colonel Sum- 
 mers and Miss Carrington ?" broke in Mr. Tur- 
 pin, suddenly.
 
 136 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 " Tes, quite well. I was stationed near them," 
 was the answer, given with some constraint. 
 
 Mr. Turpin stuck his hands deep in his pockets 
 and said not another word. Other officers crowded 
 about Mr. Amory to inquire for Major Vinton, 
 and to ask lor news. Presently Major "Williams 
 came up with Colonel Starr, the commanding 
 officer of the battalion that was " in bivouac" at 
 the station, and I was presented to the latter. 
 From them I learned something of the situa- 
 tion. 
 
 They had been on guard all night there at the 
 station. What for they could not exactly tell. 
 It seems that one faction of the Legislature oc- 
 cupied the temporary State-House ; another had 
 its headquarters over a prominent bar-room in 
 Royal Street ; and a large concourse of citizens 
 had organized with military formalities and the 
 avowed intention of dislodging the factional 
 Legislature from the house; installing a Gov- 
 ernor of their own choice; and subduing the 
 police force of the city, now enrolled as a uni- 
 formed and fully-equipped battalion of infantry, 
 with a battery of field-guns and a squadron of 
 cavalry as assistants. The police held the vari- 
 ous stations, and no encounter had taken place ; 
 but the citizens had turned out in great numbers, 
 and the chances were that they would prove too 
 powerful for the mixed array of the police force; 
 and trouble had been anticipated for that very
 
 KITTY 1 S CONqUEST. 137 
 
 night, but it had not come. A strong battalion 
 of infantry was posted here at the railway sta- 
 tion. Another, after a day of weary marching, 
 was resting at a large cotton-press up the levee ; 
 two companies of cavalry were stationed at the 
 quartermaster's warehouse up in Magazine Street, 
 near the headquarters of the commanding gen- 
 eral, and two foot batteries from an artillery 
 regiment had spent the night in the State-House 
 itself. Cavalry patrols had been scouting through 
 the city all night, promptly reporting any un- 
 usual gathering, but in no case interfering. 
 Verily these were strange accompaniments to 
 the times of piping peace. 
 
 It was after seven o'clock when I reached my 
 rooms. I was tired and ought to have been 
 sleepy after the long, rapid ride by rail, but the 
 morning papers were fall of exciting prophecy as 
 to the events of the day, and sleep was out of 
 the question. Amory had declined my invita- 
 tion to breakfast, saying that he could not be 
 away from his troop more than fifteen minutes 
 at a time, and had only managed to get down to 
 the station while out looking after his patrols. 
 A bath and a change of raiment proved refresh- 
 ing. Then I took a car ; rode to Canal Street ; 
 walked down Royal to Colonel Newhall's lodg- 
 ings ; met one of the doctors, who assured me 
 that Major Vinton was doing very well, and that 
 later they hoped he might be well enough to see 
 
 12*
 
 138 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 Miss Summers. He was still flighty and had no 
 idea of his whereabouts. The ladies were up- 
 stairs resting. "Would I see them ? No, I pre- 
 ferred not to disturb them, and so went oft' by 
 myself to breakfast at my usual haunt, Moreau's. 
 The room was already well filled when I entered. 
 Most of the tables were occupied, many of them 
 by prominent citizens. Much earnest talk was 
 going on in subdued tones, and there was an air 
 of suppressed excitement that was noticeable to 
 the most careless observer. Two of the tables 
 were occupied by a party of infantry officers 
 whom I had seen at the station, and it was no 
 ticeable that within earshot of them little was 
 being said in reference to " the situation." I 
 had several acquaintances among the business 
 men present, and took a seat near them. The 
 first words that fell upon my ears were, 
 
 " And it will be done to-night, you may de- 
 pend upon it." 
 
 " But do you suppose that General Emory will 
 stand by and allow such a thing to go on under 
 his very nose ?" 
 
 " General Emory can't help himself, sir. His 
 orders from Washington do not permit him to 
 act unless called upon by the marshal or by the 
 State authorities. The whole thing will be over 
 and done with before they can make their de- 
 mand, and our people will have dispersed before 
 the troops get there."
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 139 
 
 "But suppose they get wind of it and call upon 
 him to station his men to meet the move ?" 
 
 " Why, that ends it, of course. We are help- 
 less in that case. We don't mean to raise a finger 
 against the general government. Let him send 
 a corporal's guard to any one of the places and 
 it's safe; but as for this infernal mottled po- 
 lice " 
 
 "Steady!" 
 
 And then both speakers looked up at the party 
 of infantry officers, who had risen and were 
 quietly leaving. Then they looked at me, and 
 the rest of the conversation was in too low a 
 tone for any one to hear. 
 
 The day was one of restless anxiety, yet of 
 apparent quiet and order. The broad "ban- 
 quette" of Canal Street was thronged with ladies 
 and children as is customary on bright after- 
 noons. The matinees at the Varieties and the 
 St. Charles Theatre were crowded. At half-past 
 four, as I strolled up the street under the friendly 
 shade of the awnings, that made the wide side- 
 walks one long arcade, I was struck by the per- 
 fectly peaceful aspect of the scene. From the 
 Custom-House to Rampart Street, on the lower 
 side of the way, I did not see a policeman, much 
 less a soldier in uniform; but at all the cor- 
 ners, the knots of unoccupied men were much 
 larger than usual; this being especially the case 
 around Dumonteil's and Lopez's confectioneries,
 
 140 KITTFS CONQUEST 
 
 and the well-known establishment of " Dr. Sam- 
 ple." 
 
 On the opposite side and grouped around the 
 brown-stone building of the Shakespeare Club, 
 half a dozen men in civilian dress were lolling 
 about, and less than one hundred yards up Dry- 
 ades Street, as many more were sitting or stand- 
 ing around the entrance of the massive Mechan- 
 ics' Institute, now used as a State-House and 
 place of meeting of one at least of the rival 
 Legislatures; but there was nothing in its ex- 
 terior to indicate the state of siege as described 
 in the daily press. In all, there might have been 
 one hundred loungers scattered from Victor's 
 marble-columned restaurant on the lower side 
 down to " Dr. Sample's," in the middle of the 
 next block; but absolute quiet and order reigned. 
 Some of the windows in the second story of the 
 Institute were open, and occasionally the features 
 of some colored legislator could be seen peer- 
 ing curiously and cautiously out towards Canal 
 Street. 
 
 Now that demon of curiosity that has always 
 possessed me, prompted me to stroll across the 
 broad thoroughfare and to approach the entrance 
 of Dryades Street. As a neutral, I felt serenely 
 confident that neither side would take exceptions 
 to my movements, but looking behind me as I 
 reached the car-tracks, I saw that the listless 
 loungers on the banquette had crowded forward
 
 KITTT'S CONQUEST. 
 
 to its edge, and were watching me with interest. 
 Keeping on, however, I soon reached the upper 
 side, and deliberately walked ahead as though 
 bent on going to the State-House. The instant 
 I got beyond the Canal Street pavement, how- 
 ever, one of the men I had noticed at the upper 
 corner stepped quickly in front of me and said, 
 
 "Pardon me, Mr. Brandon, where did you 
 wish to go ?" Then, seeing my look of surprise, 
 he smilingly added, " Of course I know you, sir, 
 though you do not know me ; I'm a detective." 
 
 ' Why," said I, " if there be no objections, I 
 would like to go to the State-House, just to see 
 what is going on." 
 
 " I'm sorry, sir," was the civil reply ; " at this 
 moment our orders are to admit nobody." 
 
 Now, I hated to go back. I knew well that 
 all those estimable fellow-citizens of mine on the 
 other side were watching the scene, and that 
 they would be sure to hold me in lighter esti- 
 mation if I had to retire. I put a bold face on 
 the matter and whipped out my card-case. 
 
 " There are two batteries of foot artillery in 
 there, I'm told, and among their officers is a 
 gentleman whom I used to know in New York 
 and would like to see. Can you send this to 
 him?" I hastily scrawled "Late N". Y. 7th 
 Regt." under my name. The detective took the 
 card; whistled to a boy who stood near; the 
 youngster seized it and was off like a shot;
 
 142 KITTY 'S CONQUEST. 
 
 while my detective and I walked slowly towards 
 the building. Before we reached the stone steps, 
 a fine-looking fellow in the fatigue uniform of 
 the United States artillery came out and looked 
 inquiringly around. I stepped forward at once 
 and introduced myself; was most courteously 
 greeted and invited to walk in ; the police official 
 smilingly nodded "All right now," and, guided 
 by the lieutenant, I entered the mysterious por- 
 tals of the besieged halls of government. 
 
 It was an extraordinary sight that met my 
 eyes. Grouped inside the vestibule, where they 
 could not be seen from Canal Street, or indeed 
 from any point on Dryades except directly in 
 front, were some fifty Metropolitan police in 
 complete uniform and the equipments of infan- 
 try soldiers ; belts, cartridge-boxes, bayonet-scab- 
 bards, and all. Their officers, with drawn 
 swords and wearing shoulder-straps like those 
 of the regular service, were gathered in front. 
 Stacks of "Winchester rifles stood close by, many 
 of the men having their muskets still in their 
 hands. All the lower hall and the staircases 
 were crowded with these improvised troops, 
 some white, some colored, there being white 
 men in the rank and file, and colored men 
 among the officers. All were very quiet, or- 
 derly, and apparently well disciplined. Some 
 of those who were seated on the stairway rose 
 rather slowly to make way for us, and a colored
 
 KITTFS CONqUEST. 143 
 
 officer in the shoulder-straps of a captain spoke 
 in a quick, sharp tone to them ; and, black and 
 white, they sprang to their feet and respectfully 
 drew aside. At the head of the stairs were sen- 
 tries and an officer of the guard, all in police 
 uniform, and they saluted my artillery guide 
 with all the precision of regulars. 
 
 " Would you like to look in at your Legisla- 
 ture?" asked he, with a mischievous grin. I 
 assented. The officer of the guard opened a 
 door, and we found ourselves in an inner hall or 
 vestibule. Here we came upon a dozen colored 
 men surrounding a low wooden counter or table 
 covered with pies, cakes, sandwiches, and fruit. 
 Behind the counter sat an old negress in vehe- 
 ment expostulation. 
 
 "It's no use talkin', gen'lemen, you's just 
 wastin' yo' time. Las' year I done trus' de gen- 
 'lemen of de Senate an' Representives, an' dey 
 ain't paid me yit." 
 
 "But fo' de Lawd's sake, Mis' Fontelieu, 1 
 ain't had nuffin to eat sence day befo' yis'day 
 mawnin', an' I's starvin', I is. Yo' ought ter 
 have some consideration fo' gen'lemen of de 
 Legislature what's sufferin' here fo' you an' de 
 people. Soon's we done git our salaries we's 
 goin' to pay you fus' thing. Ain't we, gen'le- 
 men?" said the spokesman appealingly to his 
 brother Solons. 
 
 " Of co'se we is, Mis' Fontelieu," was the
 
 144 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 chorus, but all to no purpose. Miss Fontelieu's 
 experiences with previous Legislatures and legis- 
 lators had undermined her faith in the stability 
 of their financial condition, and nothing but cash 
 in hand would induce her to part with any of 
 her stock in trade. 
 
 "I'd buy them a breakfast myself," said my 
 lieutenant, laughingly, " for I know very well 
 that they have had nothing to eat except what 
 they could pick up here ; but we contributed all 
 our spare greenbacks yesterday, and they'd be 
 just as hungry by ten o'clock to-night." 
 
 "We pushed on through the lobby and entered 
 the main room, the temporary hall of representa- 
 tives, and here another odd sight greeted our 
 eyes. 
 
 The room was large, rectangular in shape ; a 
 raised platform being at the farther end; rows 
 of cane-bottomed chairs were arranged in semi- 
 circular order across the hall; a desk for the 
 presiding officer was on the platform; and tables 
 and desks for clerks and reporters stood below 
 it. Scattered in groups all about the room were 
 upwards of an hundred men, some white, some 
 colored, stretched at length upon the chairs, 
 others were lying asleep. The instant we en- 
 tered, conversation ceased, and all looked eagerly 
 and inquiringly at my companion; even some 
 of the recumbent figures straightened up and 
 gazed at him. Several stepped forward from
 
 KITTFS CONqUEST. 145 
 
 the nearest group and asked if there were any 
 news, receiving with evident disappointment his 
 civil reply that he had heard nothing. 
 
 " They have been cooped up here for nearly 
 forty-eight hours," the lieutenant explained. 
 "You see, they've just got a quorum, and the 
 Governor knows blessed well that if they once 
 get out, the chances are ten to one they'll never 
 get back. Either the other crowd will mob them, 
 or, in fear of the attack on the State-House, they 
 will keep in hiding somewhere around town." 
 
 The Governor, with his officers, was in his 
 private room, down-stairs, my friend explained; 
 and the Senate was likewise blockaded in another 
 part of the building ; and this was the shape in 
 which one Governor, at least, of the sovereign 
 State of Louisiana was " holding the fort" against 
 all would-be adversaries. 
 
 Then we left the hall of unwilling representa- 
 tives; clambered another flight of stairs, and 
 came upon what the local press had not inaptly 
 termed " the citadel." Here, in an upper room, 
 half a dozen officers of artillery of the regular 
 service were killing time, reading, writing, or 
 dozing; and most disgusted they looked with 
 their occupation. On being presented to the 
 commanding officer and his comrades I was cour- 
 teously greeted and invited to make myself at 
 home, "if," said the major, "you can find any 
 comfort in the situation. I've only once in my 
 a k 13
 
 146 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 life been on more distasteful duty, and that was 
 when we were sent to break up illicit distilleries 
 in Brooklyn." 
 
 Their orders, I learned, were that both officers 
 and men should remain in the State-House, and 
 not leave, even for meals, which were to be sent 
 from a neighboring restaurant; and there they 
 had been for two nights and days, in readiness 
 to defend the place if attacked, yet having every 
 assurance that so long as there remained a " regu- 
 lar" soldier in the building it would not be mo- 
 lested. No wonder they yawned and looked 
 bored to death ; and my proffer of services was 
 gladly accepted. " Send us anything you may 
 have in the way of reading matter, and we'll be 
 only too thankful," was the major's half-laughing, 
 half-rueful reply, and after an hour's chat I left. 
 The lieutenant accompanied me to the entrance, 
 where he bade me good-by. The knot of detec- 
 tives drew aside and passed me out without re- 
 mark. Once more I crossed Canal Street, and 
 in an instant found myself surrounded by a bevy 
 of eager reporters, note-book and pencil in hand, 
 clamoring for information. From the obscurity 
 of yesterday, Mr. G. S. Brandon had suddenly 
 leaped into prominence.
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 AT nine o'clock that evening I was seated on 
 a balcony overhanging Royal Street, quietly chat- 
 ting with Miss Summers, Kitty Carrington, and 
 Harrod. Yinton was much better, the doctors 
 had assured us ; the fever was broken ; he had 
 recognized Pauline during the afternoon, and 
 was now asleep. The doctor had advised her to 
 lie down and rest, for, after all her anxiety and 
 the excitement of her rapid journey, she was 
 looking very white and wan ; but after an hour 
 in her room she had again appeared, pleading 
 that she could not sleep, and Harrod had led her 
 out to the balcony, where we sat enjoying the 
 evening air. Colonel Newhall had not returned 
 from headquarters. We saw him for an instant 
 at Moreau's, whither Harrod, Kitty, and I had 
 gone for dinner, about six o'clock, leaving Pauline 
 to share the simple tea offered her by the sympa- 
 thetic landlady. He had stopped just long enough 
 to say that it was not probable that he would 
 be home during the evening, he was needed 
 at the office, and then had walked briskly away. 
 Coming home we could not help noticing how 
 many men there were standing in quiet groups 
 
 147
 
 A 48 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 about the Clay statue and all along Canal Street; 
 but Royal Street, generally so busy and bustling, 
 was strangely quiet, wellnigh deserted. It was 
 an exquisite night; the moon was at her full, 
 and objects across the narrow thoroughfare were 
 almost as distinct as in broad daylight. I could 
 easily read the signs over the shops, and distin- 
 guish the features of the few people who passed. 
 It was very still, too. Off to our left, towards 
 Canal Street, the roar of wheels over the massive 
 pavement was to be heard, but few sounds broke 
 the stillness near our balcony. Some distance 
 down the street a clear, ringing voice was carol- 
 ling the page's song from " Mignon" ; across the 
 way two or three darkies were chattering in that 
 indescribable language that sounds like French, 
 yet is no more French than Siamese, the patois 
 of the Creole negroes ; but not a wheel or hoof 
 awakened the echoes of the compact rows ot 
 old-fashioned houses. 
 
 Our landlady came out and looked uneasily up 
 and down. 
 
 " I'm sure I don't know what to make of this," 
 said she. " Ordinarily Royal Street is gay in the 
 evening. To-night it is still as a cemetery. I 
 know something is going to happen. A neighbor 
 of mine on Chartres Street, just back of us, says 
 that hundreds of men have been going down there 
 for the last hour, going down towards Jackson 
 Square, and they had guns, most all of them."
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 149 
 
 It was just then that somewhere near us a clock 
 began striking nine. 
 
 Hardly had the last stroke died, quivering away 
 through the still night air, when from the di- 
 rection of the great cathedral, opposite the very 
 square she named, there came a sudden and 
 startling uproar, a rattling volley of small-arms, 
 a chorus of yells that made the welkin ring ; then 
 a pandemonium of shots, shouts, and yells all 
 together. Instantly, people below could he seen 
 rushing to close their shutters; the chattering 
 darkies disappeared around the corner, and we 
 had sprung to our feet and were listening ex- 
 citedly to the clamor, which increased with every 
 moment. Pauline quickly stepped in-doors ; her 
 first thought was for her lover, and she had gone 
 to his door. Kitty, very pale, was grasping the 
 balcony rail and looking appealingly up in Har- 
 rod's face. He and I gazed questioningly at each 
 other. Full a minute we stood there before any 
 one spoke. Then Harrod pointed up Royal 
 Street. 
 
 " Look ! What is this ?" 
 
 Leaning over the balcony I gazed eagerly up 
 towards the white colonnade of the St. Charles, 
 glistening and brilliant in the moonlight. Coming 
 towards us in perfect silence at rapid, shuffling 
 step, with the moonbeams glancing from their 
 eloping arms and glistening bayonets, was a 
 column of soldiers. Another moment and they 
 13*
 
 150 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 were directly under us, and with them, drawn 
 by horses, was a large field-piece. I recognized 
 the uniforms at a glance : they were the police. 
 Rapidly, almost at double-quick, they filed under 
 the balcony and marched on down the street. 
 "We followed them with our eyes until they 
 turned to the right, some squares farther east, 
 and waited further developments. The noise of 
 the firing, the shouts and yells had partially died 
 away, but not entirely. Suddenly there came a 
 renewal of the clangor; the rattling fusilade was 
 resumed, then came a volley or two, delivered 
 as though by word of command ; then a deafen- 
 ing roar that shook the windows. 
 
 "By Jove, Brandon, I can't stand this," said 
 Colonel Summers. " I mast go and see what it 
 means." Then came another tremendous bang. 
 " That's a twelve-pounder !" 
 
 But Kitty and the landlady implored him not 
 to go, and as a final compromise the latter agreed 
 to guide him through her premises to her neigh- 
 bor's house on Chartres Street, where he could 
 find out all that was going on without being ex- 
 posed to the danger of the street ; and in a few 
 moments more we were both, he and I, standing 
 on a balcony that overhung the latter street, 
 Royal Street had been wellnigh deserted. Char 
 tres Street was a scene of excitement and con 
 fusion. Far down to the left we could see the 
 flash of small-arms and hear the shouts of th*
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 excited men. Directly under us, numbers of 
 citizens were running, some towards Jackson 
 Square, where the fighting was going on, others 
 towards Canal Street, as though eager to get out 
 of the way. A man living in the house had just 
 come in, pale and panting, and to our quick in- 
 quiries he replied that at nine o'clock a great 
 crowd of citizens had suddenly assaulted the 
 police station opposite Jackson Square; had 
 whipped out the police and completely gutted 
 the building; that they had things all their own 
 way until General Badger suddenly appeared 
 with a big gun and a lot of reinforcements, and 
 now there was going to be a tremendous fight. 
 Crowds of citizens were coming from every direc- 
 tion and hemming in the police, and no more 
 reinforcements could reach them, said our in- 
 formant. 
 
 Even as he spoke, we saw a large body of men 
 in civilian garb, but many or most of them armed 
 with shot-guns and rifles, coming up Chartres 
 Street from the Square. Halting at the corner 
 below us, some twenty or thirty of them were 
 told off and left there; the others went on. 
 Their leaders spoke in low tones to the people 
 they met in the street, and the latter turned 
 back as though in implicit obedience. In five 
 minutes, except the silent groups of armed men 
 at the corner, Chartres Street was as deserted as 
 at dawn of day. The firing and noise had ceased.
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 " There are crowds going down Custom-House 
 Street and the levee," said our still panting friend. 
 " These parties are being thrown out in every 
 direction to prevent more of the police from 
 getting in to help Badger ; then in course of an 
 hour we'll have five thousand citizens down 
 there around the Square, and if the United 
 States troops don't interfere it will be all up 
 with the police." 
 
 In eager interest Harrod and I waited. Below 
 us the party at the corner had posted two senti- 
 nels, who were pacing across the street in most 
 approved soldierly fashion. Every now and then 
 a distant cheer was heard over towards the levee, 
 fresh bodies of citizens were coming in or 
 somebody was making a speech perhaps. Har- 
 rod went back to the house to reassure Pauline, 
 but speedily returned. Yinton was still sleeping 
 quietly, and the doctor was there with the ladies. 
 He said it was understood on the street that at 
 ten o'clock the citizens were going to resume 
 the attack and with every prospect of success. 
 Already they had an overwhelming force. 
 
 I looked at my watch. It was just ten minutes 
 of ten. Over on the levee the hoarse shouts of 
 the crowd could be heard at more frequent in- 
 tervals. Far up the street, towards Canal, I 
 could see a dense black mass blocking the en- 
 trance, evidently a crowd of people drawn thither 
 by curiosity, but restrained by a sense of danger
 
 KITTrS CONQUEST. 153 
 
 from coming farther towards the scene of action. 
 The sentries still paced the streets at the corners 
 ahove and below us. Two squares farther down 
 towards the cathedral we could see the other sen- 
 tries pacing to and fro. " Those are the police 
 pickets," said our previous informant; "just 
 wait five minutes and you'll see them skip." 
 
 Again I nervously looked at my watch. I 
 was trembling with suppressed excitement. The 
 police station was only four squares away to our 
 left. I thought I could see the moonbeams 
 gleaming on the big gun that our friend and 
 fellow-citizen said the police had run out in the 
 middle of the street and pointed towards the 
 levee. 
 
 Suddenly there came a racket towards Canal 
 Street. We all leaned over the balcony and 
 gazed eagerly in that direction. A single black 
 shadow came swiftly down the middle of the 
 street. "We heard the loud clatter of iron-shod 
 hoofs on the stone-block pavement. A horseman 
 riding at full gallop came flashing through the 
 moonlight. " Who comes there ?" shouted the 
 sentries above us. "Don't stop him!" yelled 
 some authoritative voice as the horseman, never 
 heeding either challenge or rebuke, thundered 
 along almost at racing speed. As he sped under 
 the balcony I did not need to see the glittering 
 aiguillettes and shoulder-knots, or hear the clank 
 of the cavalry sabre, to recognize tte youngest
 
 154 KITTF'S CONQUEST. 
 
 of the general's aides-de-camp. Again he was 
 challenged at the lower corner, and some excit- 
 able party in the crowd fired a gun. My nerves 
 jumped in quick response, but on went the 
 officer. Then we heard shouts farther down and 
 two more shots, this time from the police, and 
 then Harrod grabbed my arm. 
 
 " Come on ; let's go and see it. I can't stand 
 this." And leading the way he plunged down 
 the stairs, I following. 
 
 "You can't get through there, gentlemen," 
 said the leader of the party below us ; " the police 
 hold the street below." So we headed for the 
 levee, two squares away ; found a surging crowd 
 there, but, half running, half walking, we pushed 
 ahead, speedily finding ourselves at the outskirts 
 of a great throng of men spreading out over the 
 broad levee towards Jackson Square. Under 
 the gas-lamp at the corner, now surrounded by 
 a dense throng, we could see the aide-de-camp, 
 seated on his panting horse and in animated con- 
 versation with some of the citizens nearest him. 
 I had met the young officer and knew him 
 slightly, and was eager to hear what he might 
 say, but it was impossible to get nearer. In a 
 moment, however, he turned away and rode back 
 towards the police station. A tall, gray-headed 
 gentleman, of soldierly bearing and address, 
 stepped upon a box or barrel and spoke briefly 
 to the crowd,
 
 KITTY'S CONqUEST. 155 
 
 " Gentlemen, General Emory sends word that 
 in compliance with his orders the United States 
 troops are now marching to the defence of the 
 police. There is nothing further for us to do. 
 You will therefore disperse." 
 
 And without a word, in perfect quiet and order, 
 the crowd began to break up and move off up 
 and down the levee. Curious as usual to see all 
 there was to be seen. I suggested to Harrod that 
 we should go to the station. He assented, and 
 we elbowed our way through the crowd ; reached 
 the street that runs along the upper side of the 
 Square from the levee to Chartres Street ; found 
 it utterly deserted, and so, rapidly pushed ahead. 
 Presently we drew near enough to see that the 
 head of the street wa's occupied by the cannon 
 and its detachment, and a company of police. 
 The next instant, half a dozen bayonets came 
 flashing down upon us. "We were surrounded 
 by a squad of men under command of a darky 
 sergeant, and with loud summons to surrender, 
 
 O * ' 
 
 and much excited adjuration not to resist if we 
 didn't want want our heads blown off, Colonel 
 Summers and myself were roughly seized and 
 hustled towards the station. 
 
 " Here's two of the d d scoundrels anyway," 
 was our introduction to the men in the ranks as 
 we were hurried along, and my very vehement 
 protestations were lost amid the chorus of jeers 
 with which we were greeted. Already we were
 
 [56 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 within a few yards of the station-house door, 
 when I caught sight of the aide-de-camp talking 
 with the chief of police. I shouted his name, 
 despite the savage order from my captors to shut 
 my mouth if I didn't want to be killed, and in- 
 stantly he recognized me, sprang forward, and 
 ordered the police to stand hack, which they 
 sulkily did. I breathlessly introduced Colonel 
 Summers, and he too was freed from the rude 
 grasp of the two stalwart " peelers" who held 
 him. Then the chief came up. Explanations 
 followed, and despite my indignation we had a 
 general laugh. 
 
 " My men are somewhat nervous to-night," 
 said he, apologetically. " Even the full uniform 
 of the captain here did not protect him, you see ; 
 the pickets up the street fired at him as he came 
 to the rescue, but I will send a sergeant with you 
 to see you safely through the lines." So after 
 taking a look at the demolished station-house, 
 we were courteously escorted up Chartres Street, 
 and in a few minutes we were laughingly telling 
 our adventures to the ladies on our gallery. 
 
 Even as Harrod was in the midst of the recital, 
 there was heard the rapid tramp of many hoofa 
 up the street, and a troop of cavalry came sweep- 
 ing down at rapid trot. Well out to the front, 
 followed by his trumpeter, rode a tall, slender 
 young officer, whose form was now familiar to 
 us all. He glanced up at our balcony as he passed
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 157 
 
 beneath us, the moonlight shining full in hia 
 brave young face. Pauline waved her handker- 
 chief; a gauntleted hand returned the salute; 
 and with Kitty's eyes furtively following him 
 Frank Amory swept by.
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 LATER in the night, after the ladies had re- 
 tired, Harrod and I once more walked down to 
 the square to see how things were going on. 
 All was very quiet. A battalion of regular in- 
 fantry had stacked its arms in the middle of the 
 street in front of the dismantled station-house; 
 the men were seated along the curbstone ; some 
 in their weariness were lying asleep upon the 
 stone pavement ; the olficers, grouped under the 
 archways of the old police court on the other 
 side of the street, were puffing their cigarettes 
 and sleepily discussing the situation. Major 
 "Williams and his command were not there ; the 
 battalion on duty was one which had been for 
 some time past stationed at Jackson Barracks 
 below the city. A little farther down we came 
 upon Amory and his troop making a night of it 
 in front of the Cathedral. The horses were still 
 saddled, though with loosened girths, but had 
 been unbitted, and were busily munching at the 
 hay spread before them on the pavement. Mars 
 himself was seated on the curbstone with a grain- 
 sack in his lap, petting his horse's head as that 
 quadruped blissfully devoured the oats with 
 
 158
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 159 
 
 which his thoughtful master had heaped the 
 sack. Harrod hailed him gleefully. 
 
 "That takes a fellow back to old times, lad, 
 only oats were scarcer than horses." 
 
 Mars held out his unoccupied hand, looking 
 up with rather a tired smile on his face. 
 
 " How's Vinton ?" he asked. 
 
 " Very much better, we think," said Harrod, 
 " though he is very weak, and has had an ugly 
 siege. I think he will be housed some time 
 yet." 
 
 " Did you see did you happen to hear of any 
 letter for me at Sandbrook before you came 
 away ? I told them to forward everything, but 
 nothing has come." 
 
 " No," replied Harrod. " Had there been 
 anything I think they would have told us, 
 though it may be that letters were simply re- 
 directed and dropped in the Corinth mail." 
 
 There was so much anxiety in Amory's face 
 that it suddenly occurred to me to ask, " Your 
 mother is not ill, I hope ? You have heard from 
 her?" 
 
 " Mother is quite well, thanks. I had tele- 
 graphed her of our move, and a letter reached 
 me yesterday. This was I rather expected an- 
 other letter." And even in the pale moonlight 
 it was plain that Mr. Amory was blushing vividly. 
 Instantly I was reminded of the letter he had 
 received at camp, and received with such evident
 
 160 KiTTrs coxquEST. 
 
 excitement. "Was it from that source lie now 
 looked for another ? If so, what did it mean ? 
 Mars was getting to be a mystery. 
 
 " When are you coming to see us ?" asked the 
 colonel. 
 
 " I don't know. I'd like to come at once, but 
 you see how I'm fixed, the only officer with the 
 troop." 
 
 " Well, if all should be quiet to-morrow, come 
 and dine with us at Moreau's at six, will you ?" 
 persisted Harrod. " There will be no one but 
 ourselves and the ladies, you know ; and if you 
 are pressed for time just meet us there. We'll 
 expect you." 
 
 " I would be delighted to," answered the young 
 fellow, though in a strangely embarrassed and 
 hesitating way, "but I really cannot promise. 
 You see how it is, don't you?" he continued, 
 looking almost appealingly at me ; but I chose 
 not to " see how it was," and only insisted on 
 seconding Harrod's invitation. All the old Adam 
 in me was wild with curiosity to see him with 
 Kitty once more, and his reluctance or hesitancy 
 was something that only served to make me 
 more persistent. Have you never noticed that 
 amiable trait in many a man or woman who, 
 having passed the meridian of life him- or her- 
 self, seems bent on directing in the most trivial 
 matters the plans and movements of younger 
 persons? It was no earthly business of mine.
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 and yet I was determined to have Mars come 
 and see Kitty whether he wanted to or not 
 Harrod, of course, was actua ed by no such 
 motives. 
 
 Early on the following day, on going to my 
 office, the few letters deposited on the desk were 
 naturally the first things to he disposed of. Al- 
 most wearily I glanced at the superscriptions, 
 for nobody in New Orleans felt particularly 
 business-like that morning. Some were from 
 correspondents up the railway; others from 
 " down the coast." I simply glanced at their 
 envelopes, and had just about completed the 
 list, when suddenly hand and eye rested upon 
 a dainty little missive, an envelope of creamy 
 white, and addressed to me to me in the very 
 handwriting that had so attracted my attention 
 and curiosity in Amory's tent at Sandbrook. 
 Here was the same exquisite chirography. I 
 knew I had seen it before. I knew now why it 
 seemed so familiar then. For six years or there- 
 abouts it had not fallen under my gaze; and 
 when it did, six years before, it was only that a 
 proud papa might exhibit to me the beautiful 
 writing of his daughter, then in her last year at 
 school in New York City, the youngest child of 
 a sister long since dead. It was the handwriting 
 of my pretty niece, Bella Grayson, Bella, whom 
 I had not seen since her girlhood, and all at 
 once it flashed across my perturbed brain that 
 I 14*
 
 162 KITTY 1 S CONQUEST. 
 
 Frank Amory's mysterious correspondent was 
 this self-same Bella. Here was a revelation in- 
 deed! 
 
 For some minutes I was too much confounded 
 to open the letter. Then I proceeded to read it. 
 A very bright, graceful, well-expressed note it 
 proved to be. Uncle George was appropriately 
 reminded that it was more than two years since 
 he had written to papa. Papa did not propose 
 to write again until his letters were answered ; 
 but, feeling a trifle uneasy while reading the ac- 
 counts of the stormy times in New Orleans, and 
 having seen occasional mention of Uncle George 
 in connection with Ku-Klux excitements, she had 
 been commissioned to make inquiries as to Uncle 
 George's health and fortunes, to express the 
 hope that Uncle George would no longer neglect 
 them as he had, and to subscribe herself very 
 affectionately, Uncle George's niece, Bella. 
 
 So far so good. Uncle George had very vivid 
 recollections of Miss Bella in her graduating 
 years, and had been vastly impressed by the 
 vivacity, wit, and sparkle of the bright little lady 
 who made his last visit to her father's home so 
 pleasant a thing to look back upon. From that 
 time to this he had never seen her, but never had 
 she been entirely dropped from his remembrance 
 For four years or so he had occasionally occupied 
 himself in the metaphorical selection of an ap- 
 propriate wedding-present, as home letters gave
 
 KITTY'S CONqUEST. 163 
 
 indications that Miss Bella was contemplating 
 matrimony; but it never seemed to pass the 
 point of contemplation. Twice at least, on 
 authoritative announcements, Miss Bella had 
 been " engaged." A dozen times at least, if re- 
 ports were to be relied upon, Miss Bella was on 
 the verge of that social entanglement. It wap 
 in the winter of '65 that she had first begun to 
 exercise that involuntary gift of fascination over 
 Uncle George which seemed to involve him, as 
 it did all masculines who came within the sphere 
 of her movements. I say involuntary, because 
 then and ever afterwards, Miss Bella was wont 
 to protest that she was no more conscious of any 
 effort or desire to attract than she was of breath- 
 ing when asleep. She had spent some months 
 of the preceding summer and autumn at West 
 Point. She was petite, graceful, not absolutely 
 a beauty, yet there was something about those 
 large, clear, heavily-lashed gray eyes of hers that 
 had all the effect and power of beauty ; and even 
 when only eighteen, as she was then, Miss Bella 
 had learned their influence, and, involuntarily of 
 course, how to use them. I had not been a wit- 
 ness of the campaign itself, but I could not live 
 in their cosey home in the city for a week without 
 becoming measurably aware of its results. The 
 postman's visits to the Grayson residence were as 
 regular as his rounds, and it often happened that 
 letters deposited on the hall-table were left there
 
 164 KITTFS CONQUEST. 
 
 some hours, awaiting Miss Bella's return from 
 calls or drives or strolls with her society friends 
 of both sexes, and that I, in search of my own 
 mail, should look over the pile on the marble 
 slab. There was always one postmarked West 
 Point; there was sometimes more; and there 
 were no less than three separate and distinct 
 handwritings thus making frequent calls at our 
 house. In my avuncular capacity I had ventured 
 to say something intended to be arch with regard 
 to those letters. It was at the breakfast-table. 
 Miss Bella was pouring coffee, and doing it with 
 a deft and graceful turn of the wrist that showed 
 her slender white hand to vast advantage. For 
 all answer she had given me one of those search- 
 ing glances from under the deep lids ; looked me 
 squarely in the face, though a merry smile was 
 hovering about the corners of her rosy mouth ; 
 and, neither admitting nor denying the corre- 
 epondence, had disarmed me by a prompt inquiry 
 as to whether I really thought it improper for her 
 to hear from her cadet friends. 
 
 No one could ever call it a correspondence, for 
 no one ever saw Miss Bella writing, or heard of 
 her mailing letters to West Point or anywhere 
 else. Between her and her devoted papa the 
 closest sympathy and alliance existed. He seemed 
 to take a jovial delight in Bella's fascinations. 
 She ruled him with a winning and imperious 
 eway that was delicious to see, and Uncle George
 
 KITTFS CONQUEST. 165 
 
 speedily fell into the same groove, with this 
 difference : she may have told her father who 
 her correspondents were ; she never did tell 
 Uncle George. "What was more, Uncle George 
 never could find out. Despite several efforts to 
 win the young lady's confidence in his somewhat 
 bulky and blundering way, Uncle George had 
 had to give it up. She was impenetrable as a 
 sphinx. 
 
 And now, six years afterwards, here she reap- 
 peared in his life; and, if Uncle George was 
 not very much mistaken, Miss Bella was the 
 correspondent whose letter had caused Frank 
 Amory so much excitement and emotion that 
 last day in camp at Sandbrook. It was her letter 
 he was so eagerly awaiting now. And all this 
 time 
 
 "Well. To the neglect of other letters I sat at 
 the desk pondering over this maidenly missive ; 
 then with an effort refolded and was about to 
 close it, when my eyes were attracted by some 
 lines on the outer page. Who was it who first 
 said that the gist of a woman's letter would al- 
 ways be found in the postscript ? There, on page 
 four of the tiny note-sheet, were the words : 
 
 " P. S. So you have met Mr. Amory of the 
 cavalry, and you had quite an exciting adventure, 
 too. Should you see him again pray remember 
 me to him, though it is quite possible he has
 
 166 KITTFS CONqUEST. 
 
 forgotten me. We were good friends during his 
 * first class camp.' " 
 
 Oh, Bella Grayson ! " Pray remember me to 
 him," indeed ! " Quite possible he has forgotten 
 me." Upon my word, young lady, this is too 
 much even for a long-suffering uncle. Asking 
 me to remember her to a young fellow with 
 whom she was actually in correspondence at the 
 time ! For a moment I was fairly indignant ; but 
 something of the witchery of Bella's own caress- 
 ing voice and manner seemed to steal from the 
 folds of the tiny note. A dozen things that had 
 been told me of her from time to time came 
 floating back to my brain, and I couldn't help 
 it I began to laugh. 
 
 Once, just before his coming South, Miss Bella 
 had appeared before Uncle George in a state of 
 indignation. A young man whom he rather 
 liked had been one of her devotees for a month 
 or more, and then suddenly ceased his attentions. 
 Bella's eyes flashed as she half reluctantly re- 
 lated to Uncle George (in response to his urgent 
 request) the circumstances which led to the sud- 
 den break. " He dared to say to me that, if no 
 more attractive subject happened to be available, 
 it was his belief I would flirt with a chimney- 
 sweep !" and then, when Uncle George burst 
 into a fit of uncontrollable merriment, Miss 
 Bella had first flushed with indignation, then
 
 UTTY'S CONQUEST. 167 
 
 her irresistible sense of the humorous began to 
 get the better of her resolution to be deeply 
 offended, and presently she laughed too; laughed 
 till the tears ran down her cheeks ; laughed as 
 only Bella could laugh, the most musical, ring- 
 ing, delightful laugh ever heard ; and then, sud- 
 denly recollecting herself, she had pronounced 
 Uncle George an unfeeling wretch, and flounced 
 out of the room in high dudgeon. 
 
 Now, it is contrary to all principles of story- 
 telling to introduce an utterly new character 
 towards the fag end of a narrative, but Mr. 
 Brandon makes no pretensions to being a story- 
 teller. He can pnly relate things as they hap- 
 pened ; and never, until this stage of the game, 
 had his fair niece Bella appeared as a factor in 
 the plot so far as his knowledge went. Never- 
 theless, it was vividly apparent to Mr. Brandon 
 that now at least she was destined to become a 
 leading lady, a power behind the throne, whether 
 she appeared in person upon the boards or not. 
 He recalled the frequent allusions to her in the 
 letters that used to reach him from the North in 
 the days when he found time to keep up corre- 
 spondence with the scattered family. There was 
 a tone of almost tragic despair in the letters of 
 one of her aunts whenever Bella was the subject 
 under discussion. Wherever she went and she 
 went pretty much everywhere Miss Grayson 
 was the centre of a knot of admirers. Her sum-
 
 168 KITTY'S CONqUEST. 
 
 mere were spent at West Point or on "the 
 Sound ;" her winters in New York or Syracuse ; 
 and the oddest thing about it all was that, de- 
 spite her great attractiveness among the beaus 
 of society, she retained an absolute dominion 
 over the hearts of a little coterie of schoolmates, 
 a sextette of as bright and intelligent and at- 
 tractive girls as Uncle George had ever seen; 
 two of them undoubted beauties; all of them 
 gracious and winning; yet, as though by com- 
 mon and tacit understanding, when Bella ap- 
 peared in their midst, and the men concentrated 
 their attentions upon her, the others contentedly, 
 even approvingly, so it seemed, fell into the back- 
 ground. They had their own personal worship- 
 pers, to be sure, but they were paraded for Bella's 
 inspection and approval before being decided 
 upon. Two of the sisterhood married within a 
 few years of their graduation after receiving 
 Bella's sanction. It had even been alleged that, 
 involuntarily as usual, Bella had diverted the 
 growing admiration of one youth from a sister 
 to herself ; but the unruffled sweetness of the 
 sisterly relations seemed to give the lie to that 
 statement. 
 
 But Bella's fascinations were not so placidly 
 accepted with the opposite sex. It had been a 
 pet theory of hers that cadets and officers were 
 fair game for flirtation a I'oulrance. She had 
 become involved in her very first visit to the
 
 KITTY 1 S CONQUEST. 
 
 Academy in two very serious affairs ; retaining 
 complete mastery over her own susceptibilities, 
 while obtaining mastery as complete over those 
 of two cadet admirers who chanced to be rather 
 close friends. One of them, at least, had been 
 desperately in earnest at the outset; both of them 
 were before they got through; and Bella was, 
 or professed to be, totally incapable of believing 
 that they had intended more than a mere flirta- 
 tion. To her credit be it said, she was griev- 
 ously distressed when the actual truth came to 
 light; but her theories were in nowise shaken, 
 for with the following year a still more desperate 
 victim was at her feet, while the singed moths 
 of the previous season looked gloomily and sar- 
 donically on the throes which they had so re- 
 cently suffered. It was an attribute of Bella's 
 as marvellous as the ascendency she maintained 
 over her sisterhood, that even in jilting an ad- 
 mirer she had so sweet, sympathetic, caressing, 
 and self-reproachful a manner as to make the 
 poor devil feel that the whole thing was his own 
 fault, or that of his blindness ; and to send him 
 on his way comforted, perhaps enslaved. She 
 never could succeed in absolutely and definitely 
 disposing of a lover. New ones might come, 
 and did come, every season of the year. She 
 had them wherever she moved ; but Bella could 
 no more let one go than a cat could a captured 
 mouse, another statement at her expense that 
 
 H 15
 
 170 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 first excited her wrath and afterwards nearly 
 convulsed her by its humorous accuracy. She 
 would turn her back on him ; lose sight of him 
 to all appearances; but let him but display a 
 desire for freedom ; let him but make an eifort 
 to get away from the toils ; and under the patte 
 de velours was an inflexible grasp that once more 
 stretched the victim panting at her feet. 
 
 And yet she was so winning, so plaintive, so 
 appealing with it all ! Volumes of pity and trust 
 and sympathy beamed from Bella's clear gray 
 eyes. Volumes of half-playful reproach and con- 
 dolence in the letters she would write. " Even 
 in bidding you go she implores you to stay," was 
 once said of her by an exasperated yet enthralled 
 victim, and Uncle George was quite ready to 
 believe it. 
 
 And Bella was still unmarried ; still careering 
 over the old preserves ; still maintaining, appa- 
 rently, her old theory that " men are deceivers 
 ever ;" and still, to judge from recent develop- 
 ments, bringing down fresh victims among the 
 too inflammable youngsters of the battalion of 
 cadets. Now, was Frank Amory a victim in 
 good earnest, or only a narrow escape from being 
 one ? She wrote to him, but that proved nothing; 
 she wrote to a dozen, and all at the same time. 
 Aunt Ethel declared of her that she was writing 
 to two classmates an entire winter, receiving al- 
 most daily missives from both, and responding
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. J71 
 
 when she felt disposed ; and that not until they 
 came to be stationed at the same post ; to occupy 
 the same quarters; to make the simultaneous 
 discovery that each had parted with his class 
 ring; and, one never-to-be-forgotten day, that 
 each was receiving letters from the same damsel; 
 had either of the young fellows the faintest idea 
 that he was not the sole possessor of such atten- 
 tions. It was alleged of Bella that she could 
 have worn a class ring on every finger if she 
 chose ; but whatever may have been her object 
 in accepting them, it was not for purposes of 
 self-glorification. Her most intimate friend never 
 knew whose rings she had; never knew how 
 many; and Bella's flirtations, whatever may have 
 been the wide-spread destruction she effected, 
 were subjects that never could be spoken of in 
 her presence. A dozen men were believed to 
 confide in her, and she held their confidence in- 
 violable. No one of them ever extracted from 
 her the faintest admission that she ever received 
 a line or an attention from any one else. 
 
 Now, what in the world was I to do ? Here 
 was a complication that baffled me completely. 
 If Mars were really smitten with my fascinating 
 niece, how far had it gone ? That he had been 
 I could readily believe ; but, whether she looked 
 it or not, Bella must now be older than he, and 
 probably had only been involuntarily, as usual 
 amusing herself with his devotions. And now
 
 172 KITTY'S CONqUEST. 
 
 he was interested in Kitty, of that I felt cer- 
 tain, and, by Jove ! I had it. He felt himself 
 still bound by the old ties ; still fettered by some 
 real or imaginary allegiance to his West Point 
 affinity; still "Why, the whole thing was plain 
 as A, B, C," thought I, in my masculine pro- 
 fundity. "Bella would not accept, could not 
 discard him, and here she has kept him dangling 
 at her beck and call ever since." I decided to 
 write to Bella, oh, the bewildering idiocy of 
 some men ! and I wrote forthwith. 
 
 That evening a letter winding up as follows 
 was on its way northward : 
 
 " Yes, I have met your friend, young Amory ; 
 have seen a good deal of him, in fact, and am 
 greatly interested in him. He strikes me as a 
 gallant young soldier and gentleman, and his 
 evident admiration for a fair young friend of 
 mine an heiress, by the way commands my 
 entire sympathy. I've half a mind to take you 
 into my confidence, Bella, for perhaps you can 
 dispel my perplexity. I think mind you, I only 
 say I think that the young people are quite ready 
 to fall in love with one another. They have been 
 thrown together under most romantic circum- 
 stances, but he has behaved very oddly of late, 
 and I could not but indulge in some theory as to 
 the cause. I have learned that he has some 
 young lady correspondent up North, and, know- 
 ing what susceptible fellows cadets are (from
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 173 
 
 your own statements), it has occurred to me that 
 he may have gotten into some entanglement 
 there from which he would now gladly escape. 
 Now, Bella, put on your thinking-cap. You 
 have been there every summer for six or eight 
 years (oh !), and although much above cadets 
 now I fancy, you still retain your old ascendency 
 over the sex. You knew Amory well, probably, 
 and possibly he has made you a confidante of his 
 affairs. What young girl was there to whom he 
 was devoted ? Perhaps you and I can help him 
 out of his boyish folly and into something that 
 is worth having." 
 
 "Was there ever such a colossal ass ?
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 THAT evening we dined at Moreau's. Things 
 had quieted down in the city, though the troops 
 still remained on duty in the streets ; and it was 
 with eager anticipation of meeting Frank Amory 
 that I wended my way to the tidy old restaurant 
 with its sanded floor, its glittering array of little 
 tahles, and the ever-attentive waiters. Colonel 
 Summers and his party had not yet arrived. 
 Would Monsieur step up to the room and wait 
 their coming? Monsieur would; and, taking 
 the Evening Picayune to while away the time, Mr. 
 Brandon seated himself on the balcony overlook- 
 ing Canal Street, busy, bustling, thronged as 
 usual; yet bustling in the languid, Latinized 
 sense of the term ; bustling in a way too unlike 
 our Northern business centres to justify the use 
 of the term. No sign of disorder or turmoil was 
 manifest. The banquettes on both sides were 
 covered with ladies and children ; the street-cars 
 on the esplanade were filled with passengers 
 going in every direction ; the booths, fruit-stands, 
 confectioneries were all doing a thriving busi- 
 ness ; the newsboys were scurrying to and fro in 
 their picturesque tatters screaming the head-lines 
 174
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 175 
 
 of thoir evening bulletins ; carriages and cabri- 
 olets were rattling to and fro; the setting sun 
 shone hot on the glaring fa$ade of the stone 
 Custom-House down the street : and beyond, . 
 across the crowded and dusty levee, dense vol- 
 umes of black smoke were rising from the tow- 
 ering chimneys of the boats even now pushing 
 from the shore and ploughing huskily up the 
 stream. All spoke of business activity and lively 
 trade. The mercurial spirit of the populace 
 seemed to have subsided to the normal level; 
 and the riot of yesterday was a thing of the dis- 
 tant past. 
 
 Voices on the stairs called me into the cosey 
 room, and Kitty entered radiant ; with her not 
 Mars but Mr. Turpin ; behind her, Colonel Sum- 
 mers and the doctor. Pauline had again decided 
 to remain and take tea with the landlady, but 
 Yinton was improving, said Harrod, who in- 
 stantly added an inquiry for Amory. 
 
 " He has not been here, nor have I seen him 
 to-day. Have you, Mr. Turpin ?" I asked. 
 
 "No, sir. Amory and his troop were sent 
 up to Jeffersonville at noon, so I learned at 
 headquarters, and they have not come back 
 since." 
 
 " Then we must go on without him," said 
 Harrod, and dinner was ordered forthwith. 
 
 Seated by Kitty's side, Mr. Turpin was soon 
 absorbed in the duty of making himself agree-
 
 176 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 able. Evidently they had been talking of Amory 
 before coming in, and, whether piqued at the 
 latter's conduct in not yet having been to see 
 her, or worse, at his having been there to in- 
 quire for Vinton and not for her, Kitty was in 
 the very mood to render her new admirer's at- 
 tentions acceptable. She was sparkling with 
 animation. She was listening with flattering 
 eagerness to everything he said, laughing mer- 
 rily at every sally ; urging him to tell more of 
 his cadet clays and army life ; paying no heed to 
 any of the rest of us; plainly, only too plainly, 
 bent on fascinating her infantry friend, and fas- 
 cination it plainly was. Mr. Turpin was head 
 over heels in love with her before dinner was 
 half over; and while we oldsters were discussing 
 our cigars and pousse cafe on the balcony after 
 that repast, they were seated on the sofa mer- 
 rily, intently chatting together, as firm friends 
 as though they had known one another from 
 childhood. So intent that my entrance for a 
 match in nowise disturbed them ; so utterly in- 
 tent that they never saw what I saw at once, 
 Frank Amory standing at the door. 
 
 To my eager welcome he responded absently. 
 Turpin sprang up and held out his hand, which 
 was taken in a perfunctory sort of way, but 
 there was no heartiness in his reply to the cor- 
 dial greeting of his classmate. He bowed in a 
 constrained manner to Kitty, who had flushed
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 177 
 
 with surprise possibly some other emotion 
 when she caught sight of him ; and then with- 
 out further notice of either her or her com- 
 panion, he passed on to where Harrod was 
 standing at the open window, and eagerly in- 
 quired for Vinton, but his bearing was forced 
 and unnatural. He had already dined, he said, 
 and had been unable to get back from Jefferson- 
 ville with the troop until late, too late to accept 
 Colonel Surnmers's invitation ; so he had merely 
 dropped in to inquire after his captain, as he 
 thought we would still be here ; and now, he 
 said, he must hasten to the warehouse on Maga- 
 zine Street, as there was no telling how soon he 
 and his men might be needed again. We urged 
 him to stay and make one of a party to go to the 
 theatre, but Mars was adamant. His refusal was 
 even curt. " Pray make my excuses and apolo- 
 gies to the ladies. I'll go down through the 
 hall," were his parting words. And so, without 
 even having touched Kitty's hand or spoken a 
 sentence to her by way of welcome, Mr. Amory 
 took his leave. 
 
 "Was he " miffed" because he had found Turpin 
 in happy l&te-h-t&te with her? Had he hoped to 
 reserve that happiness to himself; or was there 
 some deeper reason to account for his avoidance 
 of her ? Kitty evidently adopted the first-men- 
 tioned explanation of his conduct; ascribed his 
 cold salutation and sudden departure to jealousy,
 
 178 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 absolute jealousy, and I am bound to say 
 that so far from being depressed or saddened by 
 bis conduct she seemed to derive additional in- 
 spiration or stimulant. A burning color had 
 mounted to her cheeks ; her eyes had taken an 
 almost defiant sparkle; her coquetry with Turpin 
 became more marked than before; and, as 
 though elated at the betrayal of Amory's feel- 
 ings, and excited by the exhibition of his 
 jealousy, she seemed in extraordinary spirits. 
 Turpin promptly accepted the invitation to go 
 to the theatre, provided he could obtain Major 
 "Williams's permission to be absent from the 
 battalion during the evening, and went off to 
 see about it forthwith, agreeing to join us at the 
 Royal Street lodgings in fifteen minutes. In 
 less than fifteen minutes we were there. Kitty 
 ran blithely up-stairs to see Pauline, and then 
 Harrod turned to me. 
 
 "Brandon, did you notice anything wrong 
 with Amory to-night ?" he asked, anxiously. 
 
 " He was excited, perhaps upset, at seeing 
 Turpin where he was ; but why do you ask ?" 
 
 " It was something more than that, I fear. Did 
 you notice his eyes, his color ? Did you feel his 
 hand?" 
 
 " He was flushed, I noticed, and I thought it 
 due to riding all day in the sun ; but his hand 
 I did not touch." 
 
 " It was burning as though with fever. Can
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 179 
 
 he have been seized as Vinton was ?" said the 
 colonel. And for a moment we looked at one 
 another in silence. " You know he has been up 
 and around now for several nights, and exposed 
 all day to the heat of the sun. The extremes are 
 dangerous to those not accustomed to our Louisi- 
 ana climate, and if he had contracted any dis- 
 order this would bring it out. Here comes Mr. 
 Turpin," continued the colonel. "Let us ask 
 him what he observed." 
 
 Turpin joined us with his quick, springy step. 
 " The major says I may go," he spoke blithely ; 
 "but is not Amory coming?" 
 
 " It was of Amory we wanted to ask you," said 
 Harrod. " He seemed very unlike himself tho 
 few minutes he was at Moreau's. Did you note 
 anything out of the way ?" 
 
 Turpin flushed. " Why yes," said he, hesi- 
 tatingly. " He seemed a little queer a good 
 deal stiff and formal and " 
 
 "But as to his health. Do you think he is 
 well?" 
 
 " Why," said Turpin, with a sudden start, " I 
 had not thought of that. I ascribed his manner 
 to to well, he always was a quick, impulsive 
 fellow, and I thought perhaps he regarded me 
 as being in the way; but his hand was hot, 
 hot as fire. I'm ashamed I did not think of it 
 before." 
 
 And then he stopped short, for Kitty re-
 
 180 KITTF'S CONqUEST. 
 
 entered. She walked smilingly up to Mr. Tur- 
 pin with extended hand. 
 
 " You can go ?" she said. " I'm so glad. How 
 soon must we start ? Pauline is coming down a 
 moment." And with Pauline's coming we forgot 
 for the time being our talk about Amory. 
 
 Very gentle, very lovely, looked Miss Sum- 
 mers as she stood answering our warm inquiries 
 about the major. He was so much better ; was 
 sleeping quietly and naturally, the nurse said ; 
 and the doctor was so delighted with the improve- 
 ment, and had let her sit for a while by the bed- 
 side and talk to him, though the major himself 
 was forbidden to talk. She was so glad we were 
 going to the theatre. It must be wearisome 
 staying around the house for us, though she 
 could not bear to go. And so we bade her good- 
 night and went on our way. 
 
 The Varieties was crowded that night, and an 
 admirable play was on the stage ; but my thoughts 
 were incessantly wandering back to Mars, to his 
 strange behavior, and to Bella Grayson and her 
 possible connection with his changed manner. 
 Then, too, I was worried about Harrod's theory, 
 that the boy was ill. All things considered, I 
 could pay very little attention to what was going 
 on, either in the audience or on the stage. Our 
 seats were in the front row of the dress-circle, a 
 little to the right of the centre of the house ; and 
 during the intermission between the first and
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 181 
 
 second acts Kitty and Turpin had been keeping 
 up an incessant chatter, though so low-toned and 
 semi-confidential that I heard nothing of what 
 was said. The house was very full, as I say, and 
 many gentlemen were standing in the side aisles 
 over the proscenium boxes. Others were swarm- 
 ing about the outer row of dress-circle seats. 
 Others still were seated on the steps leading down 
 into the parquet. The curtain rose upon the 
 second act, and Kitty, sitting next to me, with 
 Turpin on her other side, drew back and glanced 
 one minute up in my face. All animation, life, 
 sparkle, and saucy triumph she looked; there 
 was a mischievous challenge in her laughing eyes 
 as they met mine, then wandered off to the stage. 
 Another moment and I turned to her to whisper 
 some comment upon the costume worn by one of 
 the actresses and how can I describe the change 
 that had come over her face ? Pale, startled, yes, 
 frightened. She was staring across the parquet 
 towards a group of men standing in the outer 
 aisle. Following her eyes I too looked, and 
 there, glaring at our party, with a strange, wild, 
 uncanny expression on his face, was Frank 
 Amory. 
 
 For an instant nothing was said. Then, invol- 
 untarily, I half rose. His eyes met mine, and, 
 without a sign of recognition, he dropped back 
 in the throng and disappeared. "Did you see 
 him ?" I exclaimed to Harrod. " Watch ! See 
 
 16
 
 182 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 where he goes ! It is Amory, and something i& 
 wrong." 
 
 The colonel looked at me in startled wonder- 
 ment, but a glance at Kitty's face seemed to bring 
 him confirmation of my statement. I rose and 
 looked about in my excitement and anxiety, but 
 an indignant " Down in front !" from some half- 
 dozen mouths in rear brought me back to seat 
 and senses. Not until the close of the act could 
 I get out. Then, followed by Harrod, I worked 
 my way into the vestibule, searched the corridors, 
 the bar-room, the main stairway, and the broad 
 entrance. No sign of him. Several infantry 
 officers were standing there, but, in answer to 
 my appeal, said they had seen nothing of Lieu- 
 tenant Amory ; but at the gate the door-keeper 
 remembered a young officer going out in the 
 middle of the second act and declining a return 
 check. I determined to go at once to his lodg- 
 ings. Harrod would stay and look after Kitty 
 and Turpin. 
 
 In half an hour I had reached the warehouse. 
 A sleepy sentinel told me that the lieutenant was 
 not there. He occupied a room " over beyant," 
 in a large frame boarding-house. Ringing the 
 bell, a colored servant answered. "Would he 
 show me to Lieutenant Amory's room? He 
 would, and we went up the main stairway and 
 out on a back gallery to one of those little ten by 
 BIX boxes, without which no New Orleans board-
 
 K1TTTS CONqUEST. 183 
 
 ing-placo is complete. No answer to our knock, 
 but the door was unlocked, and I entered and 
 turned up the light. There stood his trunk, open. 
 Papers and letters were strewn on the bureau, 
 and among them, almost the first to catch my 
 eye, was a dainty envelope addressed in that 
 graceful, unmistakable hand to Lieutenant Frank 
 Amory at Sandbrook, and forwarded thence to 
 New Orleans. He had had another letter, then, 
 from Bella. 
 
 In answer to inquiries, the servant said that 
 Mr. Amory had come in " lookin' mighty tired" 
 late in the afternoon ; had taken a bath, dressed, 
 and gone out again without saying a word to 
 anybody, and had not been back since. Telling 
 him he might go, I decided to await Amory's 
 return. I knew not where to search for him. 
 
 It was then late. The bells of the churches 
 over on Camp Street and Lafayette Square were 
 chiming ten o'clock. All below was very quiet. 
 The distant roar of wheels down towards Canal 
 Street, and the tinkle of the mule-cars were the 
 only sounds that struck upon the ear. I felt 
 strangely worried and depressed, and sought for 
 something with which to occupy my thoughts and 
 keep me from brooding. Books there were none, 
 for Mars had had no time for reading since his 
 arrival ; paper, envelopes, some open letters were 
 on the bureau with her envelope, but the letter 
 it had contained was gone. Tossing them over
 
 184 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 with impatient hand, I came upon two envelopes 
 addressed in his vigorous hand ; one to his mother, 
 the other to Miss Isabel R. Grayson, care of 
 Hon. H. C. Grayson, Syracuse, New York, 
 further confirmation of my theory. Then there 
 were some scraps of paper on which he had been 
 scribbling; and on one, written perhaps a dozen 
 times, was the name "Kittie." That was his 
 way, then, of spelling it. 
 
 An hour passed by. Eleven o'clock came, and 
 no Amory. I could stand it no longer. Once 
 more I went out on Magazine Street, and over 
 to the warehouse. This time a corporal of the 
 guard met me and seemed to know me. 
 
 "No, sir. The lieutenant hasn't been in all 
 night, sir, and it isn't his way at all. He may 
 be over at headquarters. Shall I send, sir ?" 
 
 No. I decided to go myself. 
 
 Late as it was, a broad glare of light shone out 
 from the upper windows of the handsome brown- 
 stone residence, occupied at the time by the com- 
 manding general as the offices of himself and 
 the staff. The lower hall was open. I entered 
 and went up-stairs to the first open door. One 
 or two officers in undress uniform were lounging 
 about ; and, seeing me, Colonel Newhall sprang 
 up and came hastily forward, inviting me to 
 enter. I inquired at once for Amory, and briefly 
 stated that we feared he was not well. This 
 brought to his feet the junior aide-de-camp whom
 
 KITTPS CONQUEST. 185 
 
 we had seen galloping down Chartres Street the 
 previous night. 
 
 " Amory was here early in the evening asking 
 for me," he said, " and he left this note. I can- 
 not understand. He seems worried about some- 
 thing." 
 
 I took the note and read, 
 
 " DEAR PARKER : Both times I've been in to 
 see you to-day, you happened to be out. I must 
 see you. I must get a leave and go North at 
 once. Can you suggest any way of helping me ? 
 Some one must take the troop. I'll be in this 
 evening. Do wait for me. 
 
 " Yours, 
 
 " AMORY." 
 
 " It is after eleven now and no sign of him," 
 said the aide. " You say you thought he looked 
 
 J / O 
 
 ill?" 
 
 " Very ill," I answered, " and I am strangely 
 worried." 
 
 " Sit down just a few minutes until I see the 
 general. Then, if possible, I'll go with you and 
 see if we can find him." 
 
 Perhaps ten minutes afterwards we were on 
 our way back to his temporary quarters, when the 
 aide-de-camp called out to a man whom I saw 
 hurrying along the opposite side of the street 
 under the gas-lamp, and the very corporal who 
 16*
 
 386 K1TTFS CONQUEST. 
 
 was on duty at the stables came springing over 
 the cobble-stones. 
 
 " I was looking for you, sir," he said, breath- 
 lessly. " Did you see the lieutenant ?" 
 
 " No ; where is he ?" 
 
 " I don't know, sir. Directly after you left he 
 jumped oft' a street-car and ordered us to saddle 
 up. I routed out the first sergeant and the men, 
 but before they could get their clothes and belts 
 on he had leaped on his horse and galloped off 
 down the street like mad. "We don't know what 
 to do, sir." 
 
 " Which way did he go ?" quickly asked the 
 officer with me. 
 
 " Down the street, sir, towards Canal." 
 
 " Give me one of your fastest horses. Tell the 
 first sergeant I want to see him at once, and let 
 the men unsaddle again." 
 
 " What do you think it is?" I anxiously asked. 
 
 " Fever ; and he is twice as delirious as Vinton 
 was. We must find him at once."
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 THAT night we had a chase such as I had never 
 before indulged in. The aide-de-camp believed 
 Frank Arnory to be ill with fever : delirium in 
 fact, but to my knowledge delirium was unusual 
 as a first symptom of an ordinary Southern fever. 
 He might be feverish ; might indeed be ill ; but 
 that alone would not be apt to cause his extra- 
 ordinary excitement. Two or three officers at 
 headquarters had remarked his strange manner 
 and absent-minded replies, said the aide, while 
 he had been there early in the evening, but at 
 that time his face was pale rather than flushed. 
 
 At the stables on Magazine Street we again 
 questioned the sergeant. "Did the lieutenant 
 appear to be under any strong excitement?" 
 asked the aide-de-camp, and the sergeant eyed 
 him askance a moment as though he misunder- 
 stood the drift of the question, seeing which I 
 interposed, 
 
 " The captain fears that Mr. Amory is seized 
 with just such a fever as that which prostrated 
 Major Yinton." "Whereat the sergeant looked 
 relieved, and answered, 
 
 "I couldn't say, sir. He never spoke more 
 
 187
 
 188 KITTrS CONqUEST. 
 
 than to order his horse and then go off at a 
 gallop. But two or three times lately at Sand- 
 brook he has done that, taken his horse and 
 gone off riding at the dead of night. He may 
 be ill, sir, but I couldn't say." 
 
 This news in some way strengthened my view 
 of the case. The fact that he had frequently or 
 occasionally gone off in a similar manner went 
 to prove that the ailment was not a new bodily 
 trouble. Knowing what 1 knew and felt bound 
 to keep to myself, it was not hard to determine 
 that mental perturbations, aggravated perhaps 
 by recent fatigues and excitements, were at the 
 bottom of Amory's strange conduct. None the 
 less, however, I was eager to find and bring him 
 back. He ought not to be away from his com- 
 mand at such a time. Directing the sergeant to 
 say to Mr. Amory that we were in search of 
 him and begged him to wait for us on his re- 
 turn, the aide-de-camp and I hurried down the 
 street; sought a cab-stand; and, jumping into 
 one of the light cabriolets that were then a fea- 
 ture of the New Orleans streets, we drove rap- 
 idly down to Vinton's quarters. I thought Amory 
 might have galloped thither. A dim light was 
 burning in the sick-room, as we could see from 
 the front. The door was closed and locked, but 
 I rang, and presently a servant came sleepily 
 through the hall and stared at me in mild stupe- 
 faction. " No. Mr. Amory hadn't been there."
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 189 
 
 I brushed past the darky and went noiselessly 
 up the stairs and tapped at Yinton 's door. The 
 nurse came and peered at me through the inch- 
 wide crack : not a whit more would he open the 
 door lest the night air should be wafted in. 
 
 "We fear that Lieutenant Amory is taken 
 ill," I said in a low tone. " He may come here 
 to see his captain. Try and get him to lie down 
 in Colonel Summers's room until we get back, 
 if he should come." The nurse nodded; said 
 that Yinton was sleeping quietly, and directed 
 me to Harrod's door. I knocked there, and it 
 was opened in a moment. 
 
 " What ! you, Brandon ? Anything wrong ?" 
 
 " We can't find Amory. He is on horseback 
 and galloping around town all by himself. They 
 think at headquarters that he may be ill with 
 fever like Yinton. Mr. Parker and I are hunt- 
 ing for him. If he should come here, get him 
 into your room and make him lie down, will 
 you?" 
 
 " Certainly I will. But, Brandon, had not I 
 better go with you? Are you sure he is ill? 
 I thought him strange enough at Moreau's, 
 but " 
 
 " I cannot say what it is," I broke in, impa- 
 tiently. " I must hurry off, as he must be found 
 as quickly as possible." 
 
 With that I turned away and retraced my 
 Bteps through the dimly-lighted hall. Reaching
 
 190 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 the stairs I paused, for another door had softly 
 opened, and Pauline's voice, low-toned and anx- 
 ious, was heard. 
 
 " Harrod, what is it ?" 
 
 " Mr. Amory is ill, I'm afraid," was the reply, 
 and I hurried back to the street. 
 
 Rapidly we drove to the levee, and there at 
 the depot found Major Williams's sleeping bat- 
 talion. The aide sprang out and accosted a 
 sentry. A sergeant came with a lantern and 
 ushered the staff-officer in among the snoring 
 groups ; for the men had thrown themselves in 
 their blankets upon the wooden flooring. Pres- 
 ently they reappeared, and with them came Mr. 
 Turpin, hurriedly adjusting his collar and cravat. 
 
 " Sheep always was a most excitable fellow," 
 he was saying, " but this beats me. He hasn't 
 been here at all, and I've no idea where he can 
 have gone." 
 
 Leaving directions what was to be done in 
 case he did appear, we drove away up Canal 
 Street. It was then nearly two o'clock, but 
 there were still loungers around the Clay statue; 
 lights gleaming from one or two " open-all- 
 night" bars and from the cab-lanterns on St. 
 Charles Street. Our driver pulled up, and Mr. 
 Parker sprang out and exchanged a few words 
 with a policeman. I could not hear, but saw 
 that the latter pointed up the street: and the 
 aide came quickly back,
 
 KITTF'S CONQUEST. 
 
 "Drive on, right out Canal, and keep a bright 
 lookout for an officer on horseback," were his 
 orders, as we whirled away over the smooth 
 pavement. 
 
 " That policeman says he saw a young officer 
 gallop out this way not ten minutes ago, and he's 
 been wondering ever since what was going on. 
 He walked up as far as Dryades Street to find 
 out, thinking he might have stopped at the State- 
 House; but all is quiet there, and the patrols 
 told him the officer went on out Canal, riding 
 like mad." 
 
 Evidently, then, Mars had stopped somewhere 
 or had ridden elsewhere before going out towards 
 the swamps. "We peered eagerly up and down 
 the dimly-lighted cross-streets as we whirled 
 rapidly past them. The lamps along the broad 
 thoroughfare grew infrequent; the street was 
 deserted. Once in a while we passed a carriage- 
 load of revellers returning from the shell road 
 and a supper at the " Lake End." Well out to- 
 wards the stables of the street-railway we caught 
 sight of another policeman ; hauled up, and 
 hailed him with anxious questioning. No, he 
 had seen no officer on horseback ; his beat lay 
 along Canal Street, but he had " taken a turn 
 through a side street after a couple of s'picious- 
 lookin' parties," and might have been gone four 
 or five minutes. Crack ! went the whip, and we 
 pushed ahead. Gas-lamps now became few and
 
 192 KITTrS CONQUEST. 
 
 far between ; open stretches of level turf or 
 prairie were visible here and there between the 
 houses or garden-walls; the moonlight was 
 tempered and shrouded by low-hanging clouds, 
 and surrounding objects were only dimly seen. 
 Still we whirled ahead over the smooth-beaten 
 road, and at last drove rapidly between the high 
 walls of the silent cities of the dead that bounded 
 the highway near the crossing of the canal. Two 
 or three loungers were hanging about the dimly- 
 lighted portico of a saloon. Mr. Parker sprang 
 out and made some rapid inquiries, then hurried 
 back to the cab. 
 
 " He crossed here nearly half an hour ago, 
 went right on over the bridge," he exclaimed, as 
 he sprang in and told the driver to whip up. 
 " Turn to the right," he added. " Drive towards 
 Lake End. It's the only place he can have gone." 
 And in a moment more the wheels were whirring 
 over the level track ; a dense hedgerow of swamp 
 undergrowth on our left; the dark waters of the 
 canal on our right. 
 
 "We passed two or three roadside hostelries, 
 whose enticing lights still lured the belated or 
 the dissipated into the ready bars. Mr. Parker 
 scanned them as we drove ahead. 
 
 "He never drinks a drop, I hear, and it's no 
 use looking for him there." 
 
 Nevertheless, our driver suddenly pulled up in 
 front of a lamp-lighted entrance. " There's a
 
 KITTFS CONQUEST. 193 
 
 couple of buggies and a horse in under that 
 shed," said he. 
 
 The aide-de-camp jumped out and stepped 
 briskly off in the direction indicated by the 
 driver's hand. Our cab again pulled up. Pres- 
 ently he emerged from the darkness of the shed. 
 
 "It isn't Amory's horse. It's a Louisiana 
 pony," said he. " "Wait one moment and I'll see 
 who's inside." 
 
 With that he sprang up the steps and walked 
 rapidly towards the glass doorways of the bar. 
 
 He was in civilian dress except for the forage- 
 cap, which he had hastily picked up when we 
 left the office. Its gold cord and crossed sabres 
 gleamed under the lamp as he sharply turned the 
 door-knob and entered the room. Even without 
 that cap I by this time would have known his 
 profession ; he had that quick, springy, nervous 
 walk and erect carriage so marked among the 
 younger West-Pointers. My eyes followed him 
 until he disappeared ; so apparently did others. 
 
 From the farther end of the gallery two dark 
 forms rose from a sitting posture, and one of 
 them came tiptoeing along towards the doorway. 
 Our cab had halted near the steps at the end op- 
 posite them, and, despite our lights, the stealth- 
 ily-moving figure seemed to pay no attention to 
 us. Before I had time to conjecture w r hat his 
 object could be, the man crouched before the 
 door, his hat pulled low over his fcrehead, and 
 i n 17
 
 194 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 peered eagerly through the glass. Then he turned 
 his head ; gave a low whistle, and, almost at a 
 run, the second figure, in slouch hat like the first 
 and with overcoat pulled well up about his ears, 
 hurried to his side; stooped; peered through, 
 and shook his head. 
 
 "Drive up there, quick!" I said. And, as 
 hoof and wheel crunched through the gravel, the 
 pair drew suddenly back; sprang noiselessly 
 down the steps and in among the shrubbery 
 out of my sight. Almost at the same instant 
 Mr. Parker reappeared; took his seat beside 
 me, and, before I could interpose, called out, 
 " Drive on, Lake End." And away we went, 
 leaving the mysterious strangers in the dusk 
 behind us. 
 
 " Amory has not been seen there, nor beyond. 
 There are two young sports in there who came 
 in from Lake End half an hour ago, but they are 
 both pretty full. The barkeeper said there were 
 two more gentlemen who came out from town 
 with another buggy earlier, but they had gone 
 outside." 
 
 " I saw them," answered I, " and they are bad 
 characters of some kind. They stole up on tip- 
 toe and peered after you as you went in, then 
 sprang back out of sight as you came out. I 
 wanted to tell you about them. They seemed 
 waiting or watching for somebody." 
 
 " Gamblers or l cappers' probably. Fellows
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 195 
 
 wbo lie in wait for drunken men with money and 
 steer them into their dens, fleece them, you 
 know. The streets are full of them day and 
 night." 
 
 "Yes; but these men wore slouch hats and 
 overcoats that muffled their faces, and they 
 watched you so oddly. Why did they leap back 
 as you came out ?" 
 
 " That was odd," said Mr. Parker, thought- 
 fully. " Could you see nothing of their faces ?" 
 
 " Nothing at all, except that the first man had 
 a heavy dark moustache, and was tall and stoutly 
 built; the other seemed young and slight; his 
 face was hidden entirely." 
 
 The aide-de-camp leaned out and looked back 
 along the dark road ; then drew in again. 
 
 "No use to look," he said. "Even if they 
 were to follow I could not see ; their buggy has 
 no lamps, our rig has to have them. Are you 
 armed ?" 
 
 " No ; I never carry anything." 
 
 " Nor I, as a rule; yet had I thought we would 
 come so far at this time of night I would have 
 brought my revolver. Not that any attack is to 
 be feared from those two unless there should be 
 a crowd at their back; otherwise we would be 
 three to two." 
 
 " But they are armed, and we are not." 
 
 " They think we are, all the same. The aver- 
 age citizen hereabouts goes prepared to shoot if
 
 196 KITTY'S CONqUEST. 
 
 he is on a night-prowl like this. I don't know 
 why I asked if you were armed.'"' 
 
 Then for some distance we rattled along in 
 silence. The clouds had grown heavier ; a few 
 heavy rain-drops had pattered in on our faces, 
 and the night air was damp and raw. "We passed 
 one or two more dark houses, and then came in 
 view of the lights at Lake End. Here, despite 
 the lateness of the hour, one or two resorts seemed 
 still to be open and patronized. Directing the 
 driver to turn towards the lights on the right, 
 Mr. Parker again sprang out, looked in the car- 
 riage-shed, then into the bar-room; came out, 
 crossed the way, and made a similar search in a 
 neighboring establishment. Then I saw him 
 questioning a sleepy-looking stableman, and then 
 he came back to me. Perplexity and concern 
 were mingled in his face as he stood there look- 
 ing up at me in the glare of our lamp. 
 
 "Nobody has been here on horseback since 
 midnight. These are the only places open since 
 that hour, and now there are not more than half 
 a dozen people out here roysterers after a late 
 supper. Where could Amory have gone ? Do 
 you suppose he knew his way back by "Washing- 
 ton Avenue, and had turned to the left instead 
 of this way ?" 
 
 " He is an entire stranger in New Orleans, 
 never was out here before in his life, and I 
 don't know what to make of it."
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST, 197 
 
 He looked at his watch, retook his seat. ""We 
 must get back to the bridge," said he. "Driver, 
 stop at Qaston's, where we were before, and 
 go lively." 
 
 Now through the pattering rain we hurried 
 on our return trip. We were silent, plunged in 
 thought and anxiety. In some way those two 
 skulkers at Gaston's had become connected in 
 my mind with Amory's disappearance. I could 
 not shake off the impression, and, as though the 
 same train of thought were affecting my com- 
 panion, he suddenly spoke, 
 
 "You say that those men followed me as I 
 went in, and sprang out into the shrubbery as I 
 came back?" 
 
 "Yes; as though to avoid being seen by 
 
 you." 
 
 He took off his forage-cap and looked disgust- 
 edly at it a moment. 
 
 " Confound this thing ! "Why didn't I wear 
 my hat ?" he muttered ; then turned suddenly to 
 me : " Mr. Brandon, when we get back to Gas 
 ton's let me have your hat, will you ? I would 
 like to take another look in there, and if you 
 will stay in the cab, we will stop this side of the 
 entrance, and I'll go ahead on foot. Here, driver, 
 hold up a moment." 
 
 Cabby reined in his horse and turned towards 
 us in surprise. The aide-de-camp sprang out in 
 the rain and began working at the lamp. 
 17*
 
 [98 KITTY'S CONqUEST. 
 
 "Don't put it out, sir; it's against orders," 
 said the driver. 
 
 "Never you mind, driver; I'll be responsible 
 for any row there may be over it. There is 
 reason for it, and a mighty good one. Douse 
 that glim on your side. That's right ! Now go 
 ahead, lively as you can, and stop just this side 
 of Gaston's." 
 
 Then for a while we pushed on in the dark- 
 ness, and nobody spoke. Finally the driver 
 turned, saying that Gaston's lights were near at 
 hand ; presently he reined up. Mr. Parker ex- 
 changed head-gear with me ; pulled the brim of 
 my roomy black felt well down over his face; 
 and, cautioning us in a low tone to remain where 
 we were, disappeared in the direction of the 
 lights. 
 
 It must have been long after three. I was 
 tired and chilled. The driver got out his gum 
 coat and buttoned it around him. Five ten 
 minutes we waited. No sound but the dismal 
 patter of the rain. Full quarter of an hour 
 passed, it seemed to me, before I saw a lantern 
 coming rapidly out of the darkness in front, and 
 presently Mr. Parker's voice was heard. 
 
 " Come on ; drive slowly. Go right in to Gas- 
 ton's," and, even as he spoke, he swung in beside 
 me. " Had Amory any money, do you know ?" 
 he asked, before fairly taking his seat. 
 
 " No. Why ?"
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 199 
 
 " There is something strange about this affair 
 I cannot fathom. I've been talking with Gaston 
 and one of his men. The^ have been sitting up 
 waiting for us to get back. Those two footpads 
 were up to some mischief, and I'm afraid it was 
 Amory they were after. You will hear in a 
 moment. Come into the bar," he said, as the 
 cab stopped at the steps. 
 
 Another moment and Gaston himself had 
 ushered us into a little room and proceeded to 
 tell his tale. We had no sooner left, he said, 
 than those gentlemen who came from town in 
 the buggy after midnight re-entered the bar, 
 ordered drinks, and asked Gaston to join them. 
 One was a big man, with a heavy moustache, 
 and deep-set eyes under very shaggy brows ; he 
 was rather poorly dressed, and had no watch. 
 The other was a young, dark-eyed, handsome 
 fellow, with dark moustache, stylish clothes, and 
 a fine gold watch, which he kept nervously 
 looking at every moment or so. The former 
 did all the talking; the latter paid for every- 
 thing they ordered both before and after our 
 visit. After a few ordinary remarks the big 
 man asked Gaston who the young officer was, 
 and Gaston, knowing him to be stationed in the 
 city and having often seen him, gave his name. 
 Then they wanted to know who was with him in 
 the cab, and "what took him off so sudden.' 7 
 Gaston had seen nobody with him, but told them
 
 200 KITTY* S CONQUEST. 
 
 unhesitatingly that Mr. Parker was in search of 
 a friend, an officer who had ridden out on 
 horseback. At this the men had looked sud- 
 denly at one another, and very soon after had 
 gone out, saying they believed they would drive 
 back, it looked like rain. 
 
 Five minutes afterwards, Louis, the hostler, 
 came into the bar and asked Gaston who those 
 men were, and, on being told that they were 
 strangers, had replied, " Well, they're here for 
 no good, and I'd like to follow them up. They 
 didn't see me out there in the dark, and were 
 talking very low and fast when they came for 
 their buggy." We called Louis in and had his 
 story from his own lips. He had heard their 
 talk, and it alarmed and puzzled him. The big 
 man was saying with an oath that some man they 
 were waiting for must be around there some- 
 where ; he had come across the bridge, for Gas- 
 ton told them the officer said so. The little man 
 was excited, and had answered, "Well, we've 
 got to tackle him ; but don't you drive into any 
 light." With that and some more talk they had 
 got into the buggy and had driven rapidly off 
 towards the Canal Street bridge. 
 
 " How long ago ?" asked Mr. Parker. 
 
 " Full half an hour," was the answer. 
 
 " Then we had better start at once," said the 
 aide to me. " What other places are there near 
 here that would be open now, Gaston ?"
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 201 
 
 " None at all. I'd have been shut long ago but 
 for this affair. There are one or two saloons 
 near the bridge and the Metairie track, but none 
 would be open this late." 
 
 Thanking them for their information, and 
 promising to let them know if anything resulted, 
 we hurried out to the cab and told the driver to go 
 to the bridge. We were both more than anxious 
 by this time, and were unable to account for the 
 strange proceedings in any satisfactory manner. 
 
 The rain seemed to have held up for a few 
 moments, and the veil of clouds thrown over the 
 face of the moon had perceptibly thinned, so that 
 a faint, wan light fell upon roadway, swamp, and 
 canal. The lamps at the crossing burned with a 
 yellowish glare. No one was visible around the 
 bridge or the buildings at the city end, no one 
 from whom we could obtain information as to 
 the movements of Amory or of the two strangers. 
 
 " There are one or two places over here on the 
 upper side I mean to have a look at," said Mr. 
 Parker, "and if no one is there, Amory must 
 have gone back to town." 
 
 We had turned to the right, towards Lake 
 Pontchartrain, on coming out. Now the driver 
 was directed to go to the other side. Parker 
 kept peering out into the darkness, and presently 
 the driver said, 
 
 " I think there's a light in there at Gaffney's." 
 
 " Hold up, then," said the aide. " Now, Mr.
 
 202 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 Brandon, lend me your hat again : I'm going to 
 hunt through one or two sheds hereabouts for 
 that buggy. I may be gone ten or twelve minutes. 
 You get the cab into this little side alley here and 
 wait. Those men will be on the watch for our 
 lamps if they are still here, but I can crawl up 
 on them by keeping the cab out of sight." 
 
 The side alley proved to be a lane leading 
 through the tall hedge of swampy vegetation. I 
 could not see where it led to, but the driver said 
 it only ran out a few hundred feet to some barns 
 that lay near the old Metairie track. He drove 
 in, however, and halted the cab close under the 
 hedge on one side. Too nervous to sit still, I got 
 out and walked back to the main road, where 
 the buildings of Gaffney's place could be seen. 
 There was, as the driver had said, a dim light, 
 but it seemed to be in one of the rear rooms. 
 
 For five minutes all was silent. Then, far up 
 the road, I thought I heard the beat of horses' 
 hoofs coming on at a jog-trot. Listening in- 
 tently, I soon was assured. Nothing could be 
 seen along the dark shadow of the hedgerow; 
 the light was too feeble to point out objects in the 
 road; but every moment, more and more dis- 
 tinctly, I heard what I felt certain to be a horse 
 and buggy coming towards us. Then all of a 
 sudden the sound ceased. 
 
 The approach to Gaffney's was a semicircular 
 Bweep of shell road leading from the main high-
 
 KITTPS CONQUEST. 203 
 
 way to the galleries of the saloon. There wag 
 probably a distance of a hundred yards between 
 the two entrances. I was standing at the north- 
 ern end. That buggy had evidently stopped at 
 or very near the other. I almost fancied I could 
 see it. Now, had Parker heard it coming? 
 Waiting a moment more in breathless expec- 
 tancy, I suddenly heard, as though from the 
 shrubbery in front of Gaffney's, low, prolonged, 
 and clear, a whistle. My nerves leaped with 
 sudden start. The same odd thrill of tremulous 
 excitement seized me that had so mastered me that 
 strange night in the old plantation home at Sand- 
 brook. It was for all the world like the signal- 
 whistle that had so roused me that night, only 
 very much softer. Could it have been from Mr. 
 Parker ? "Whether it was or no he would prob- 
 ably need me now. I crept into the shadow of 
 the hedgerow and, on tiptoe, hastened up the 
 curve towards the gallery. A dim figure was 
 standing at the end of the house peering towards 
 the other entrance, a figure that held out a 
 warning hand, and I stole noiselessly up beside 
 it, my heart beating like a trip-hammer. It was 
 Parker. 
 
 " Quiet," he whispered ; " I think we have 
 treed our buggy friends." 
 
 " The buggy is out there on the road," I an- 
 swered. 
 
 " It was, but that whistle will bring it in here.
 
 204 KITTY'S CONQUEST 
 
 There stands the big man just at the other end 
 of the gallery. He cannot see us ; he is looking 
 the other way. Follow me across into the shrub- 
 bery and we will get up near him. I'm bound 
 to hear what devilment they are up to." 
 
 With that he sprang lightly across. I fol- 
 lowed ; and, crouching noiselessly along the soft 
 grass, we stole through the low trees and bushes 
 until nearly opposite the southern end of the 
 gallery. Almost at the same instant the buggy 
 came driving up the turn, and a voice uttered an 
 impatient " Whoa !" 
 
 " What have you seen ?" queried the party in 
 the buggy in a low, agitated voice, a voice I 
 knew I had heard before, and instinctively 
 reached forth my hand and placed it on my 
 companion's arm. 
 
 " Seen ! Not a d d thing. Your blue-bellied 
 skunk has been too smart for you, Cap. He not 
 only hasn't come himself, but he's got his friends 
 out here on your track." 
 
 * He has come, I tell you," answered the first 
 speaker. " You know yourself they were asking 
 for him at Gaston's, and that fellow at the bridge 
 told you he saw him ride across." 
 
 " Then where'd he go to ?" said the other, 
 sulkily and savagely. " No man passed Gaston's 
 on horseback, I can swear to that; and if he 
 came at all as far as the bridge, why didn't he 
 come the rest of the way ? Where did he go ?
 
 KITTF'S CONQUEST. 205 
 
 H jw did he get back ? Are you sure you wrote 
 plain directions ?" 
 
 " Plain ! Of course I did. I wrote turn to- 
 wards the lake, to the south, after crossing the 
 bridge, and he'd find me; and so he would, 
 d n him !" added the younger man between 
 his teeth. His voice was growing more and 
 more familiar to me every moment in its sulky, 
 peevish tones. 
 
 " But you said he was a stranger here. How 
 was he to know where the lake lay ?" 
 
 " Suppose he didn't ! I told him to turn south. 
 Any man knows north from south I reckon. 
 Perhaps the white-livered sneak was a Yank at 
 bottom, and lost his nerve." 
 
 " Tain't likely. Not from what I seen of him. 
 His kind don't scare so d d easy at yours, and 
 he came out here to find you, you bet. Why 
 didn't you say turn to the right instead of south ? 
 Damfino which is north or south here anyhow 
 How was he to know ?" 
 
 " Don't be a fool !" said the other, impatiently, 
 " everybody knows the river runs north and 
 south, and Canal Street runs out right angles to 
 the river, and you turn to the right to go to the 
 lake. It must be south." 
 
 Here I couldn't help nudging my neighbor, 
 the aide, who was chuckling with delight at this 
 scientific statement. 
 
 " "Well, by Gawd ! you may know more 'bout 
 
 18
 
 206 KITTrS CONqUEST. 
 
 it than I do ; but when I got off that boat yester- 
 day morning up there by Julia Street, d n me 
 if the sun wasn't rising in the west then, over 
 there across Algiers, and if the Yank is no 
 better posted on the points of the compass than 
 I am, strikes me he's slipped out of your trap easy 
 enough." 
 
 " You mean he's gone to the left past here ?" 
 asked the other, snarlingly. 
 
 " Just that. He's taken the turn to the lett. 
 None of these places this side have been open 
 since we came out ; and seeing no one, he's kept 
 on, and probably got back to town some other 
 way. Like enough he's in bed and asleep by 
 this time, and here we've been fooling away the 
 whole night." 
 
 Chilled as I was, trembling 'twixt cold and 
 excitement, I was beginning to enjoy this con- 
 versation hugely. More than that, both the aide 
 and myself were beginning to feel assured that 
 Amory was safe. 
 
 " Then all we can do is go back," said the 
 young man in the buggy, after a moment of 
 silence. "But I'll get that fellow yet," he added, 
 with a torrent of blasphemy. " Get in." 
 
 " Where's that flask of yours?" asked the man 
 on the steps. " I want a drink." 
 
 " Get in first and I'll give it to you." 
 
 Then we heard the creaking of the springs, 
 and the dim, shadowy form of the big man lum-
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 207 
 
 bered into the light vehicle. A gurgle* and a 
 long-drawn " ah-h-h" followed, then, 
 
 "Got a cigar?" 
 
 "Yes; but hadn't we better wait until we get 
 back on Canal Street before lighting them ? We 
 want to look out for those other fellows in that 
 cab, you know." 
 
 " Oh, d n them ! You can see their lamps 
 half a mile off. Here, give us a match." 
 
 Another minute and a feeble glare illuminated 
 the dark interior. Pale and blue at first, it 
 speedily gained strength and lighting power. 
 Eagerly we scanned the two faces, now for one 
 never-to-be-forgotten instant revealed to our gaze. 
 One lowering, heavy-browed, coarse, and bearded ; 
 the other ah, well I knew I had heard that 
 voice, for there, half muffled in the heavy coat, 
 naif shrouded by the slouching hat, were the 
 pale, clear-cut, dissipated features I had marked 
 so keenly at Sandbrook. It was the face of Ned 
 Peyton.
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 ANOTHER minute the match, spluttering in the 
 damp night air, was extinguished ; but I had seen 
 enough. To the amaze of my companion, to the 
 scandal of any legal or professional education I 
 might have had, indignation got the better of all 
 discretion, and I burst through the shrubbery 
 and laid my hand on the rein. 
 
 "Mr. Peyton, I believe," said I, in a tone 
 intended to be double-shotted with sarcasm. 
 "Think we had the pleasure of meeting at 
 Judge " 
 
 " Hell !" hissed a startled voice. " Quick, 
 drive on !" Crack ! went the whip ; the horse 
 plunged violently forward ; the wheel struck me 
 full on the left leg and hurled me against the 
 stout branches of some dripping bush, and with 
 a whirr of wheels and crushing of gravel the 
 buggy disappeared in the darkness. Mr. Parker 
 ran to my assistance, and together we rushed to 
 our own cab. 
 
 " Follow that buggy ! Be lively !" was all I 
 could find breath to say to our driver, and then 
 we were off in pursuit. We heard their hoofs 
 
 208
 
 KITTY'S CONqUEST. 209 
 
 and wheels thundering over the bayou bridge, 
 and saw their light vehicle flash under the lamps 
 at the Canal Street end, and that was the last we 
 ever did see of them. Our old horse with his 
 heavy load was no match for theirs. Long be- 
 fore we reached the open road beyond the ceme- 
 teries, they were spinning along hundreds of 
 yards out of sight ahead, and gaining at every 
 stride. In hurried words I told the aide-de-camp 
 who the youth was and what I knew about him, 
 and, like myself, he was eager to overhaul him ; 
 but it was useless. Not a trace could we find of 
 the precious pair as we drove in town. Day was 
 breaking, and all our thoughts now turned to 
 Amory. Where was he, and how had he escaped 
 the trap ? 
 
 In the cold, misty dawn we reined up at the 
 Magazine Street warehouse. The sentry, with 
 his head wrapped in the cape of his overcoat, 
 called out the corporal of the guard, and of him 
 we eagerly inquired. Yes. The lieutenant had 
 returned, about an hour ago, his horse covered 
 with mud and much " blown." The lieutenant 
 seemed to have a chill, and had gone right to his 
 room. Thither we followed, and noiselessly 
 ascending the stairs, made our way out to the 
 gallery. A dim light burned in the window; 
 the door was half open, and by the bedside sat a 
 soldier, who at sight of Mr. Parker rose and 
 saluted respectfully. 
 
 o 18*
 
 210 KITTrS CONQUEST. 
 
 " What has been the matter, orderly ?" asked 
 the aide-de-camp, in a whisper. 
 
 " I don't quite know, sir. Lieutenant Amory 
 came home with a bad chill about an hour ago, 
 and quick as he dismounted I came over with 
 him, and he took some quinine and got to bed. 
 He's just gone to sleep. He hasn't been to bed 
 for forty-eight hours, sir, and must be used up." 
 
 "We stepped forward and bent over him. He 
 bad removed his heavy riding-boots and trousers ; 
 his cavalry jacket was thrown on the chair at the 
 foot of the bed ; and, muffled up in blankets, he 
 lay there, sleeping heavily yet uneasily. He 
 moaned in his slumber, and threw himself rest- 
 lessly on the other side as we raised the light to 
 see his face. Placing my hand lightly on his 
 forehead, I found it burning ; so were his cheeks, 
 his hands. Fever had certainly set in after his 
 chill, but of how severe a character we could not 
 judge, and it would never do to awaken him 
 "We stepped out on the landing, and after a briei 
 consultation, decided that Parker should find the 
 attending surgeon and send him to us as soon 
 as possible. Meantime, I would remain with 
 Amory. 
 
 In less than an hour the doctor arrived. Very 
 thoroughly, yet very gently, he examined his 
 patient as to pulse and temperature; closely 
 scrutinized his face, and then replaced the bed- 
 clothing that in his fevered tossing Amory had
 
 KITTY'S CONqUEST. 211 
 
 thrown off. Seeing the anxiety in my eyes, he 
 spoke, 
 
 " Very feverish, and probably quite ill. You 
 did right not to wake him. He will not sleep 
 long, and every little helps. I will stay for the 
 present, and be with him when he does wake, for 
 until then I cannot really judge of his condition. 
 What a night you have had of it, Mr. Brandon ! 
 Parker has been telling me something of it." 
 
 I glanced half reproachfully at Parker. "We 
 had agreed to keep the thing to ourselves until I 
 could see Harrod and consult with him. But the 
 aide promptly relieved me of any misapprehen- 
 sion. He had " named no names," nor had he 
 spoken of the part played by Peyton. Then, at 
 the doctor's suggestion, we withdrew, to seek such 
 rest as we could find after our night in the rain. 
 Leaving Parker at headquarters, with the promise 
 to meet him late in the afternoon, I went to my 
 own rooms, gave my suspicious-looking landlady 
 directions that I was not to be disturbed until 
 noon, and, tired out, slept until after two o'clock. 
 
 When I opened my eyes, Harrod Summers 
 rose from an easy-chair in the sitting-room, and 
 came forward to greet me with outstretched hand. 
 One glance at his face showed that he had some- 
 thing of lively interest to tell me, and as I sat 
 up half sleepily in bed and answered his query 
 as to whether I felt rested or any the worse for 
 the night's adventures, I could see plainly that
 
 212 KITTFS CONQUEST. 
 
 there was some matter that worried him, and 
 divined quite readily that he wanted to speak 
 with me. It all came out while I was shaving 
 and dressing, and, dovetailed with what was al- 
 ready known to Mr. Parker and myself, " a very 
 pretty quarrel" as it stood was unfolded to my 
 ears. 
 
 It seems that on leaving the theatre the night 
 previous, Colonel Summers had stepped ahead 
 of Kitty and her friend, Lieutenant Turpin, and 
 was searching for me. Seeing nothing of me in 
 the crowd around the entrance, he looked in at 
 one or two resorts along Canal Street, thinking 
 it possible that he might meet some officers who 
 could tell him of Amory's movements, and so 
 enable him to judge of mine. Meantime, Tur- 
 pin and Kitty strolled homeward, arm in arm. 
 On reaching the Clay statue, Harrod decided to 
 search no farther, but to go home, feeling sure 
 that if anything were wrong I would follow him 
 thither. At the house Pauline met him with 
 anxious inquiry. Had he seen or heard any- 
 thing of Mr. Amory? Kitty had returned ten 
 or fifteen minutes before ; had bidden Mr. Tur- 
 pin a very abrupt good-night, and excused her- 
 self on the plea of fatigue and headache; and 
 Pauline, following her to her room, found her 
 very pale and nervous, and learned from her that 
 Amory had been at the theatre, looking " so 
 strangely" she thought he was ill ; and, as they
 
 KITTTS CONQUEST. 213 
 
 came down the street, two men in a buggy drove 
 up close beside them, and leaned out and stared 
 at them. She was utterly upset by Amory's ap- 
 pearance, perhaps, and thinking of him, did not 
 notice this performance until Mr. Turpin sud- 
 denly dropped her arm and strode fiercely to- 
 wards the buggy, as though to demand the 
 meaning of the conduct of its occupants ; where- 
 upon they had whipped up and dashed off' around 
 the first corner; and one of them though his 
 hat and coat-collar concealed his face one of 
 them looked, she said, strangely like !N"ed Pey- 
 ton. Pauline, seeing her nervousness and fright, 
 had soothed her with arguments as to the impos- 
 sibility of Peyton's being there; but she very 
 anxiously spoke of the matter to Harrod. Then, 
 after we had made our midnight visit, Kitty, in 
 her loose wrapper, white as a sheet and trem- 
 bling with dread and excitement, had stolen to 
 Pauline's room. Her own window overlooked 
 the balcony and the street, and unable to sleep, 
 as she told Pauline, she was lying wide awake, 
 when she heard rapid hoof-beats on the pave- 
 ment coming from Canal Street, a horse at 
 rapid trot, but with no sound of wheels in com- 
 pany, and the horse halted before their door. 
 Unable to restrain her curiosity or anxiety, she 
 had risen, stolen to the window, and peered out 
 through the slats of the blind. A gas-lamp threw 
 its light upon the street in front, and there,
 
 214 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 plainly illumined by its glare, sat Frank Amory 
 in the saddle, gazing up at her window. She 
 turned instantly, she knew not why, and stepped 
 back. He could not have seen her, yet, in an- 
 other moment, rapidly as he came, he rode away, 
 turned to the left at the corner, and she heard 
 his hoof-beats dying away in the direction of 
 Dauphin Street. That was all, until we came, 
 and not until I had gone had she courage to 
 creep over to Pauline and tell her what she had 
 seen. 
 
 Early in the morning Harrod had gone to 
 headquarters; found Amory's address, and on 
 going thither was told by a soldier that the lieu- 
 tenant was too ill to see anybody. But, on send- 
 ing up his name, the doctor and Mr. Parker came 
 down, and from them he learned that Amory 
 had a sharp attack of fever; nothing like as 
 serious as Vinton's, and one that would soon 
 yield to treatment, provided nothing else went 
 wrong. " There has been some sore trouble or 
 anxiety which has been telling upon Amory," 
 said the doctor, " and that complicates matters 
 somewhat. He may have had some delirium last 
 night, but not enough to cause such a freak as 
 an all-night gallop. In fact, Parker has con- 
 fided to me that Mr. Brandon and himself know 
 something of the matter, and that they mean to 
 have a talk with you." 
 
 "And that," said Harrod, "is what brought
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 215 
 
 me here four hours ago, though I had the grace 
 not to disturb you. Now, what is it ? What do 
 you know ? Has that young cub Peyton been at 
 the bottom of this ?" 
 
 And then I told Harrod the story of our night's 
 adventures. He listened at first with composure ; 
 but when it came to the description of the two 
 skulkers at Gaston's and the conversation I had 
 overheard, he rose excitedly and began pacing 
 rapidly up and down the room, tugging fiercely 
 at his moustache. Every now and then some 
 muttered anathema fell from his lips. He was 
 evidently powerfully and unpleasantly moved, 
 and when at last my prolix recital was brought 
 to an end with the discovery of Peyton, and our 
 fruitless chase, Harrod burst out into genuine 
 imprecation, 
 
 " The doubly damned young scoundrel !" he 
 groaned. " Why, Brandon, I believe there is 
 no cowardly villainy of which that fellow is not 
 capable. I ought to have gone with you. I knew 
 I ought to have gone." 
 
 "Why so?" 
 
 " Then we could have secured him by this 
 time. It is too late now, I fear. He is off for 
 Havana or Mexico." 
 
 "But what good would that have done? What 
 could we prove? What would you want him 
 secured for now that we have Amory safe and 
 warned against him in the future ? You would
 
 216 KITTY'S CONqUEST. 
 
 not care to have the thing made public, would 
 you?" 
 
 " Not if that were all ! By heaven ! the easiest 
 solution of the whole thing would be to let him 
 try to trap Amory once more, and let Amory 
 know all that that we both know." 
 
 " Do you mean that he has been at other mis- 
 chief than this mysterious attempt at Amory ?" 
 
 "Yes. We thought him safely out of the 
 way, in Cuba. He was there, but must have 
 come directly to this point when he heard of the 
 verdict in those Ku-Klux cases. You know they 
 acquitted Smith. No jury could be found that 
 dared do otherwise, I suppose," he added 
 gloomily. 
 
 " I knew that, of course ; but why should that 
 bring Peyton here ?" 
 
 " He had to leave Havana, Brandon. Don't 
 you remember father's anxiety at Sandbrook be- 
 fore we came away ? and what he said about its 
 perhaps being too late for any effort on his part ? 
 I was to have told you, but I couldn't bear to just 
 yet. Why, that damned scoundrel forged father's 
 signature to a large draft, and got the money 
 there where the bankers knew them both. It 
 was only discovered here in New Orleans when 
 the draft came to the Hibernia, and as the loss 
 comes on these old correspondents of father's in 
 Havana, he feels bound to see them reimbursed, 
 for he cannot bear the thought of disgrace to his
 
 KITTY'S CJNqUESr. 217 
 
 name or that of a kinsman. By Peyton's arrest 
 we might secure part of the money. That is all, 
 for he has taken every cent father had in the 
 world." 
 
 " Then the sooner we get to the chief of police 
 and acquaint him with Peyton's movements and 
 description the better it will be," said I, who felt 
 no scruples whatever against bringing master 
 Ned to the bar of justice. 
 
 " It's too late, Brandon, I'm afraid. He saw 
 Amory yesterday and Kitty last night ; he knows 
 by this time we are here, and he is miles away. 
 Father had telegraphed at once that he would 
 refund the amount of Peyton's forged raise, and 
 so suspended pursuit or arrest. Peyton of course 
 has heard of this or he would not have ventured 
 hither in the first place ; but he well knows that 
 with me here it is no place for him. We will 
 go, of course, and start the detectives, but I fear 
 we have lost him. Do you think Amory can see 
 us this evening and tell us what he knows of 
 this affair ?" 
 
 " We must see him, unless the doctor prohibits 
 it ; but come first to the City Hall," said I. And 
 as we rode thither in a street-car, both deeply 
 engrossed in thought, Harrod turned suddenly 
 towards me, 
 
 "Brandon, this is the most extraordinary 
 piece of cross-purposes to me. For three weeks 
 for a month past, Frank Amory has been a mys- 
 
 K 19
 
 218 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 tery. We all thought him growing very fond of 
 Kitty, and after the affair on the Tennessee, 
 where he was hurt, she seemed very much in- 
 terested in him. Now for nearly a month he 
 has avoided her, and she thinks that well, she 
 gave me a message for him the night we started, 
 which virtually begged his forgiveness for some- 
 thing she had said or done to wound him. She 
 would never have sent it if she did not believe 
 he cared for her. Of course I have never de- 
 livered it, because she was here to speak for her- 
 self, and told me not to ; but he has treated her 
 with something like aversion, and she resents it, 
 and now she's flirting with young Turpin, and 
 then there will be more trouble. Great heavens ! 
 what a world of misunderstandings it is !" And 
 Harrod laughed despite his anxiety. 
 
 Having some inkling by this time as to the 
 secret of Amory's hesitancy and strange conduct 
 towards Batty, I told Harrod that a solution of 
 the matter had occurred to me. There was an 
 explanation, I believed, and a satisfactory one, 
 and it would appear very shortly I thought. This, 
 in profound wisdom and some mystery of man- 
 ner, I imparted to the perplexed colonel. He 
 gazed at me in bewilderment, but was polite 
 enough to press the matter no further. 
 
 " A few days will straighten that matter," said 
 I. " We will see when he is well enough to be 
 about again." And in my purblind idiocy I
 
 KITTY'S CONqUEST. 219 
 
 really fancied that letter of mine to Bella Gray- 
 son was going to settle everything. 
 
 Our visit at police headquarters was brief and 
 not particularly satisfactory. It was already past 
 steamer time for both Havana and Vera Cruz. 
 If Peyton were " wanted," a telegram to the 
 quarantine station, with his full description, might 
 establish whether or no he was on board ; but 
 there were no officers there to make the arrest, 
 and an arrest was not wanted in any event, it 
 was the recovery of the money. If he had not 
 left town it was just barely possible they might 
 nab him ; but dozens of river boats left New Or- 
 leans for a dozen different points every evening, 
 and there were hundreds of hiding-places in the 
 city itself. He would try, said the chief, and one 
 or two solemn-looking men in civilian's dress 
 came in at his call and listened attentively to our 
 description of Peyton and his companion ; but, 
 one and all, they said they would like to hear 
 Lieutenant Amory's account of what he had had 
 to do with the pair. So, taking one of the de- 
 tectives, we drove up to Amory's lodging. 
 
 The doctor was there and came down to meet 
 us. I told him our dilemma, and asked it it 
 were possible to hear Amory's story. He looked 
 grave for a moment, and considered well before 
 answering. 
 
 "You might see him, Mr. Brandon, if that 
 will do. I would much rather he did not talk
 
 220 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 until to-morrow, but if there be an emergency, 
 why, he can stand it. He is doing well, has slept 
 well since his medicine began to take hold this 
 morning, and now he's awake and inclined to be 
 fretful. Something worries him, and perhaps it 
 may be a benefit to see you." 
 
 So Harrod and the detective waited, while I 
 went up to interview Mars. 
 
 Bless the boy's face ! It brightened so at sight 
 of me that I felt like an uncle towards him. He 
 was very pale, rather feeble, but eagerly grasped 
 my hand and welcomed me. 
 
 " Mr. Brandon has come to see you on busi- 
 ness of some importance, Mr. Amory," said the 
 doctor, " and you can talk with him, but talk as 
 little as possible. "We want to get you up and 
 ready to travel, if you are bound to go North, so 
 quiet will be necessary for a day or two." 
 
 With that he vanished, taking the nurse with 
 him. Then I told Amory that Parker and I had 
 been in search of him late at night, and fearing 
 he was taken ill, as Vinton had been, we trailed 
 him out to the shell road, and there came upon 
 Peyton and a burly stranger, from whose con- 
 versation we found they were lying in wait for 
 him. The moment they were discovered they 
 drove off in a hurry. Could he give any clue 
 by which we could find them? Peyton was 
 " wanted" for a grave crime. 
 
 " What ?" asked Amory, flushing, and excited.
 
 KITTrS CONQUEST. 221 
 
 "Forgery," I answered. "Now let me be 
 brief as possible, Amory. I hate to excite you 
 at such a time. Have you any idea where he is 
 to-day, or who the other man is ?" 
 
 " None whatever." 
 
 " Tell me, quietly as you can, how you came 
 to go out there alone on horseback last night. 
 Were you ill then ?" 
 
 " Not so ill but that I knew what I was about. 
 I had had some fever all day, probably, and 
 and was worried about something, a letter from 
 mother. She wants me to come North at once, 
 and I would have gone but for this. Perhaps it 
 worked on me a good deal. It was late when 
 we got back from Jeffersonville. I wrote a note 
 to Parker, and left it at headquarters, and went 
 on down-town, hoping to see Vinton, and in- 
 tending to dine with you at Moreau's. I did not 
 feel well, but I wanted to see you. Right there 
 by the City Hotel a passing cab splashed me 
 with mud, and I turned into the barber-shop to 
 have it rubbed off. Quite a number of men 
 were in there, talking a good deal, and seemed 
 to have been drinking, but I paid no particular 
 attention to them, until just as I was leaving one 
 
 of them said, ' There's the d Yank now, 
 
 Peyton. What better chance do you want ?' Of 
 course I turned quickly and went right up to the 
 fellow. One or two others sprang forward. Some 
 one said, ' Shut up, you fool !' but it was too late. 
 
 19*
 
 222 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 The man was drunk, probably, and having put 
 his foot in it, had bravado enough not to back 
 out entirely. He was in one of the chairs, his 
 face covered with lather, and as I inquired if he 
 referred to me, he replied, with drunken gravity, 
 that his friend, Mr. Peyton, had expressed a de- 
 sire to meet me, and ' there he was.' Sure enough 
 there was young Peyton, stepping out from be- 
 tween the chairs to his right, his face black as 
 thunder. I was mad as a hornet, of course, and 
 never stopped to think. ' Are you responsible 
 for this gentleman's language ?' said I. * Just as 
 you please,' said he ; and with that I struck him 
 full under the jaw, and knocked him back among 
 the shaving-cups and bottles. Of course there 
 was a terrible row. He drew his pistol, but it 
 was yanked out of his hand by some stranger. 
 A dozen men jumped in and separated us. I 
 didn't know one of them, but they seemed bent 
 on having fair play. He raved about satisfac- 
 tion, and I said any time and any place. Then 
 a gentlemanly-speaking fellow suggested that the 
 friends or seconds meet at the Cosmopolitan, at 
 ten o'clock ; that would give plenty of time, and 
 obviate any trouble there. And before I fully 
 realized the situation it was agreed that we were 
 to settle the thing according to the code, and 
 our friends were \o meet at ten o'clock. "With 
 that he was led off, and I went out to think the 
 matter over. Of course there was nothing to do
 
 KITTY'S CONqUEST. 223 
 
 but fight. I had knocked him down and was 
 bound to give him satisfaction. But this was no 
 cadet fisticuff; it was a serious matter, and I 
 needed a friend. Of course it ought to be an 
 officer, and now that Vinton was ill, I had no 
 one with whom to advise. I went down to the 
 depot to find Turpin. He was a classmate, and 
 the very fellow to back me ; but Turpin wasn't 
 there. I went to Moreau's in search of him, 
 and well, he was bus}% and I couldn't ask him. 
 Then I went up to headquarters for Parker. He 
 was years ahead of me at the Point, but I knew 
 he would see me through ; but Parker was out. 
 He lived way up-town, and when I got there 
 they told me he had gone to the theatre. Thai 
 is what brought me to the Varieties. It was get- 
 ting late, and I had nobody to act for me. All 
 those infantry fellows were strangers, and at ten 
 o'clock I had to go to the Cosmopolitan myself. 
 Not a soul was there whom I knew, though one 
 or two men dropped in who looked curiously at 
 me, and whom I thought I had seen during the 
 row. 
 
 " It was nearly eleven o'clock, and I was well- 
 nigh crazy with excitement and nervousness, 
 fearing that I had made some mistake, and they 
 could say I shirked the meeting. But just about 
 eleven a man came in, who looked closely at me, 
 said 'Captain Amory?' and handed me a note. 
 There's the note, Mr. Brandon ; read it."
 
 24 KITTY'S CONqUEST. 
 
 Read it I did. It was as follows : 
 
 "LIEUTENANT F. AMORT, U.S.A. : 
 
 "SiR, In some way for which we find it impossible to ac- 
 count, the authorities have got wind of our affair, and threat- 
 ened me with arrest ; but I learn from a friend that you are 
 at the Cosmopolitan unattended. The gentlemen who were 
 present at the time of your outrageous affront this afternoon 
 were total strangers to me, with one exception, but I cannot 
 believe that they have betrayed me to the police. 
 
 " As an officer you must be aware that there can be only 
 one reparation for a blow, and, if a gentleman, you cannot 
 refuse it. You said you would meet me any time and any 
 place, and I hold you to your word. I demand instant satis- 
 faction, before the police can interfere, and there is one place 
 where, if alone, we can be sure of quiet. That is a shooting- 
 and fencing-gallery on the shell road, where there is a room 
 where gentlemen can settle such affairs with swords, and 
 where every attention is paid and inviolable secrecy observed. 
 
 " Leaving my friend here with the policeman who is 
 watching our rooms, I shall slip out by the back way and go 
 out on horseback. If you are a man of honor you will follow. 
 Keep on out Canal Street to the end, cross the canal on the 
 bridge, and then turn to the south. I will watch for your 
 horse and conduct you to the spot. The bearer of this will 
 bring a verbal answer, all that is necessary. Keminding you 
 once more of the outrage you have committed upon a gentle- 
 man, and of your promise to render full satisfaction at such 
 time and place as I should demand, I am, with due respect, 
 "Yours, etc., 
 
 "EDWARD HARROD PETTON." 
 
 I read it through twice before speaking, Amory 
 narrowly watching my face. 
 
 " And do you mean to tell me, Frank Amory, 
 that you could be led into a snare by such a
 
 KITTPS CONqUEST. 225 
 
 transparent piece of rascality as that ?" I asked 
 at last. 
 
 " How should I know ?" said Amory, flushing. 
 " The letter reads straight enough. The barbers 
 or somebody might have told the police, and I 
 knew only that Mr. Peyton was a relative of 
 gentlemen and supposed him to be a gentleman. 
 Of course I went." 
 
 " All the young scoundrel wanted was to get 
 you there alone and unarmed, and then turn you 
 over to that great bully he had for a terrible 
 beating. He would never dare fight you fairly. 
 This thing is a fraud on its face ; no Southern 
 gentleman would ask such a thing of a stranger 
 as a midnight meeting without seconds in an un- 
 known spot. Why, Amory, it is absurd, and as 
 I tell you, and as their talk proved, he only wanted 
 to lure you there and see you brutally pounded 
 and mutilated. The scoundrel knew he must 
 leave town at once, and, hating you, he wanted 
 this low revenge first." 
 
 " Why should he hate me ?" asked Amory. 
 
 " Because of your fight with those villains of 
 Hank Smith's last December, for one thing. He 
 was hand in glove with them all. Because of 
 well, another reason occurs to me that need not 
 be spoken of just now. I ought not to let you 
 talk so much as it is. Tell me one thing, how- 
 ever. You are anxious to go North, the doctor 
 says. Can I serve you in any way ?"
 
 226 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 Amory hesitated. " Mother is very anxious 
 that I should come, if possible," he faltered ; " and 
 she is right. There there are reasons why I 
 ought to go and settle a matter that has given 
 me much distress. I told her of it, and she 
 writes that only one course is open to me." 
 And the deep dejection and trouble in his face 
 upset me completely. 
 
 " Youngster," said I, impulsively. " Forgive 
 me if I appear to intrude in your affairs, but you 
 have become very near to me, if you know what 
 I mean, in the last few months. "We have learned 
 to regard you as something more than a friend, 
 the Summers' and I, and lately it seems to me 
 that an inkling of your trouble has been made 
 known to me (who would have said, ' I have been 
 prying into your affairs?') and Frank, don't 
 worry if it is about Bella Grayson. She is my 
 own niece, you may not know, and I had a 
 letter from her the other day." 
 
 Amory almost started up in bed (capital 
 nurse Mr. G. S. Brandon would make for a fever 
 patient ordinarily, you are probably thinking), 
 but though his eyes were full of eager inquiry 
 and astonishment, he choked back the question 
 that seemed to rise to his lips and simply stared 
 at me, then with flushing cheeks ..turned quicklv 
 away. 
 
 " I cannot explain just now ; try and be content 
 with what I tell you for a day or two," I went
 
 KITTFS CONQUEST. 227 
 
 on. " You can hear more when you are better. 
 One thing I want to ask you for the benefit of the 
 detectives who are looking for Peyton. How do 
 you suppose you were so fortunate as to escape 
 missing him and the other blackguard? We 
 found them just below the bridge to the right." 
 
 " I don't know," was the weary reply. " Things 
 were all in a whirl after I got that note. I re- 
 member telling that fellow to say that I would be 
 there without fail. Then it took some time to 
 hurry up here and get my horse, and to write a 
 line to mother ; then I did not go straight out 
 Canal Street. There were one or two things that 
 had to be done ; but I rode like the devil to get 
 there, and there wasn't a soul that I could see 
 anywhere around the far end of the bridge." 
 
 "But didn't you go down towards the lake, 
 to the right hand, I mean ?" 
 
 " To the right ? No, of course not," said 
 Amory. " He said to the south ; look at the note 
 again and you'll find it; and I had that little 
 compass there on my watch-chain. South was 
 to the left, man, and, why, it seems to me I 
 rode all night; found myself in town and rode 
 back to the swamps ; then gave it up and came 
 home somehow; I don't know. It was all a 
 blur." 
 
 Then, fortunately, the doctor came back, and, 
 with one glance at Amory's face, motioned to me 
 that enough or more than enough had been said.
 
 228 KITTrS CONQUEST. 
 
 I bent over Amory and said, with the best inten- 
 tions in the world of being reassuring, " Re- 
 member, do not fret about going North or about 
 anything else of that kind ; that is coming out 
 all right." And with the profound conviction 
 that it was coming out all right through his min- 
 istration, the recorder of this curious tangle took 
 his leave.
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 Two days elapsed and Frank Amory failed to 
 get better with the rapidity so slight an attack 
 of fever should have permitted ; and when it is 
 considered that my language had been, or ought 
 to have heen, very reassuring as regarded his 
 other troubles, there seemed to me small warrant 
 for the doctor's ascribing his slow rally to mental 
 perturbations. It was beginning to dawn upon 
 me that the doctor looked upon me as something 
 of a sick-room nuisance ever since my interview 
 with his patient about Peyton, and that only his 
 politeness prevented his saying that that inter- 
 view had been a decided set-back. At all events, 
 two days passed without my again seeing Mars. 
 He was sleeping when I called, or had had a rest- 
 less night, and was not to be disturbed. Yet 
 Parker saw him twice, and brought favor- 
 able accounts; he seemed to have the luck of 
 getting around at times when Amory was awake, 
 and, being a cavalryman himself, the aide-de- 
 camp had taken charge of the troop and was 
 able to bear Amory daily bulletins of its well- 
 doing. Yinton was rapidly improving and able 
 to sit up a few moments each day. Pauline was 
 
 20 229
 
 230 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 radiant with Lope and love ; and Kitty whom 
 I had not seen for nearly two days, when we met 
 again at Moreau's Kitty once more looked pale, 
 anxious, and wistful ; I saw it the instant her 
 eyes met mine. 
 
 Harrod told me that he had seen fit to say 
 nothing to her of Peyton's latest escapade. It 
 would not help matters at all and could only 
 cause her distress. Pauline had been told in 
 confidence, and he himself had written full par- 
 ticulars to the judge. The police had made no 
 arrests or discoveries ; but twice I had received 
 visits from members of the detective force ask- 
 ing for further description of the burly man who 
 was with Peyton the night of the chase. The 
 younger man, they seemed to think, had got 
 away to Texas, but for some reason they seemed 
 hopeful of catching the other party, who was 
 apparently " wanted" for something for which 
 he could properly be held. 
 
 It was two nights after the theatre party, and 
 once again we were dining at Moreau's; this 
 time reinforced by Pauline and by Major Wil- 
 liams. It was a lovely evening in the early 
 spring. Already the breezes from the South 
 were freighted with the faint, sweet fragrance 
 of the orange-blossoms; windows were thrown 
 open, and four of us at least were placidly en- 
 joying the spirited scene on the street below. 
 Pauline and the major were in the midst of a
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 231 
 
 pleasant chat; Harrod and I dreamily puffing 
 at our cigars; and over on the sofa Kitty and 
 her now absolutely enslaved Turpin were oblivi- 
 ous to all other objects. He, poor fellow, was 
 bending towards her, his whole soul in his eyes, 
 his whole heart on his lips; speaking in low 
 tones, eagerly, impetuously. She, with feverish 
 flush on her soft cheeks, her eyes veiled by their 
 white lids and fringed with their sweeping lashes, 
 was nervously toying with her gloves, yet listen- 
 ing, painfully listening. Harrod studied them 
 an instant, then looked significantly at me. 
 
 " It is too bad," he said, with a shrug of his 
 shoulders. "I suppose you see poor Turpin's 
 woe?" 
 
 I nodded. It was hard for the boy, and Kitty 
 was by no means blameless, but just now her 
 conduct was the source of absolute comfort to 
 ine. In my fondness for Amory I was glad to 
 see that now that it came to actual love-making, 
 now that Turpin was undoubtedly enmeshed 
 and fluttering in her toils, the little coquette was 
 distressed by his vehemence. She was thinking 
 of another, and my hopes for my own young 
 knight were high. There could be no doubt of 
 the situation, for had we not gathered in honor 
 of the major and his gallant young adjutant? 
 Were we not there to break bread once more 
 before parting, to wish them bon voyage with 
 our stirrup-cups ? Their orders had come. Quiet
 
 232 KITTY 1 S CONqUEST. 
 
 restored to the Crescent City, Major Williains's 
 little battalion was to return forthwith to their 
 station in Kentucky. They were to start that 
 night, and Turpin was facing his fate. 
 
 It was soon time to walk down " homeward," 
 as we had learned to think of Newhall's rooms 
 on Royal Street. Harrod and I led the way. 
 Major Williams followed, escorting Pauline. 
 Kitty and Turpin silently took their places in the 
 rear, and before we had gone three squares they 
 were out of sight behind. At the steps the major 
 said his farewells, with many a hope that we 
 might all meet again in our wanderings. " Say 
 good-by to Miss Carrington for me," he added, 
 with a smile half sad, half mischievous. "I fear 
 poor Turpin leaves his heart here. Tell him for 
 me to take his time; he won't be needed for an 
 hour yet." And with a wave of his hand the 
 soldierly fellow strode down the street. 
 
 Then, even as we stood there, Turpin and 
 Kitty arrived. With her first glance at them 
 Pauline's sympathetic heart seemed to realize 
 the situation. She signalled to us to follow her, 
 and entered at once. Unaccustomed as ever to 
 the interpretation of feminine signals, I blunder- 
 ingly stayed where I was, and Harrod hovered 
 irresolutely in the doorway. 
 
 "Won't you come in?" we heard her say 
 timidly, almost pleadingly, as she held out her 
 little hand.
 
 KITTY'S CONqUEST. 233 
 
 " No, thank you, not this time ; I must catch 
 Williams. Say good-by for me, please." He 
 grasped her hand, and seemed to wring it hard 
 an instant, then, pulling his cap down over his 
 eyes, dashed away. 
 
 Kitty stood one moment looking sorrowfully 
 after him, then slowly passed us, and went in 
 without a word. She did not appear again that 
 evening so long as I was there. 
 
 Early next morning a note reached me from 
 Harrod. A telegram had just reached him from 
 Sandbrook. " Father says he will be here to- 
 morrow. Mrs. ^mory Frank's mother coming 
 on same train." And, leaving everything undone 
 that I ought to have done at the office, I hastened 
 up to Amory's lodgings to see what that might 
 mean. He was sitting up, partially dressed, and 
 would be glad to see me, said the orderly ; and, 
 stumbling up the stairs, I was shown to his room. 
 
 Very pale and rather thin looked our Mars, 
 but his face was brighter and his eyes far clearer. 
 He was far from strong, however, and apologized 
 for not rising, as he held out his hand. 
 
 "Mother is coming," were almost his first 
 words. 
 
 " So I heard. Judge Summers telegraphed 
 Colonel Harrod that he would be here to-mor- 
 row, at noon, I suppose, and that Mrs. Amory 
 was on the train. What a very pleasant surprise 
 for all!" 
 
 20*
 
 234 KITTYS CONQUEST. 
 
 " Yes. "When she heard from me how ill 
 Vinton was, and that I could not get away, the 
 little mother must have made up her mind to 
 come to me. It is a surprise, yet a very glad one. 
 Where can we put her? This house is no place, 
 and yet, it may be two or three days before I can 
 get out, and I hate to have her alone at the St. 
 Charles." 
 
 " Why not with the Summers' at Colonel New- 
 hall's place ? There are one or two rooms va- 
 cant, and the landlady seems very pleasant." 
 
 Mars flushed to the temples. 
 
 " I think not," he said, hesitatingly. " It it's 
 too far away. She would rather be up here with 
 me, or near me. She wants so much to know 
 Vinton, too, has such an admiration for him; 
 but she could not see him just now, I suppose. 
 How is he to-day ?" 
 
 " Very much better last night. So much so 
 that Miss Summers went over and dined with us 
 at Moreau's, a little dinner to Major Williams 
 and Turpin, you know," said I, soothingly, and 
 with calm note of the twinge which seemed to 
 shoot over Amory's features at the mention of the 
 party. " They went back to Kentucky last night, 
 I suppose you know," I added. 
 
 " They ? No, I didn't !" said Mars, with sud- 
 den animation. " I wanted to see Turpin, too. 
 He was here twice, but they said I wasn't well 
 enough, or something, and he went away. Did
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 235 
 
 he go back with the battalion ?" he inquired, 
 eagerly. 
 
 " Certainly. He came around to say good-by 
 last evening." 
 
 Mars settled back in his chair with an expres- 
 sion of absolute relief. 
 
 Now, thought I, is the time to have a few 
 words about Bella Grayson. It was just about 
 time to look for the coming of her reply to my 
 diplomatic letter, and very positively did I want 
 to know just how matters stood between her 
 and my cavalryman. Meddling old Polonius 
 that I was, it seemed to me perfectly right and 
 natural that Mars should reciprocate my warm 
 interest in him, that he should want to tell 
 me about Bella, and that the fact of my rela- 
 tionship to her should give me an added lustre 
 in his eyes. This last, perhaps, was realized. 
 He was more inclined to be very courteous and 
 semi-confidential in his tone, yet he was not at 
 ease. 
 
 It was at the tip of my tongue to make some 
 genial, off-hand, matter-of-fact inquiry, such as 
 " Heard from Bella, lately ?" by way of putting 
 him entirely out of all embarrassment, when, 
 fortunately, the orderly entered, saying a gentle- 
 man asked to speak a moment with Mr. Brandon. 
 Going out in some surprise to the landing, Mr. 
 Brandon there encountered one of the detectives 
 whom he had recently learned to know.
 
 236 KITTFS CONQUEST. 
 
 " Can you come down to the office, sir ? We 
 have one of your birds, if not both," was the 
 extent of his communication. And dropping 
 Amory ; forgetting Bella ; I went.
 
 CHAPTER XYL 
 
 AN hour later, both Harrod Summers and my- 
 self were curiously inspecting a pair of inebri- 
 ated bipeds at the police station. Both were 
 stolidly drunk, and were plunged in the heavy 
 sleep that resulted from their excessive potations. 
 One, the younger, was a tolerably well-dressed 
 youth not absolutely unlike Peyton ; but all the 
 same a total stranger. Neither of us had ever 
 seen him before. But his companion was Hank 
 Smith. 
 
 The two had been guilty of some drunken 
 turbulence in a down-town saloon, said one of 
 the police-officers, and had attracted the attention 
 of the " force." In the course of a wordy alter- 
 cation between them a detective had dropped in, 
 and, after a few moments' apparently indifferent 
 lounging and listening, had suddenly gone in 
 search of a comrade, meantime bidding the offi- 
 cer keep his eye on them. They were still drink- 
 ing and squabbling when the detective returned. 
 Smith was demanding payment of money which 
 the other protested he had never received, and 
 it was not long before the lie was given and 
 a scuffle ensued. This was sufficient to enable 
 
 237
 
 238 KITTFS CONqUEST. 
 
 the officers to arrest them as drunk and disor- 
 derly, and then to notify us. That Peyton was 
 in some way connected with the sudden appear- 
 ance of Hank Smith in the Crescent City neither 
 of us could doubt for a minute, as Peyton's name, 
 with many blasphemous qualifications, had been 
 frequently mentioned in their altercation. It 
 would be some hours before they could be in 
 condition to account for themselves and their 
 motives; meantime the colonel and I were de- 
 voured with impatience and curiosity. The po- 
 lice supposed that they had the big ruffian of our 
 night adventure in the person of Smith, but he 
 was not the man. His presence only added to 
 the mystery. For several weeks after his trial 
 at Jackson he had disappeared from our view and 
 we had heard nothing of his movements. Now, 
 what could have brought him here, and what 
 connection had his wanderings with Peyton's ? 
 I vainly puzzled over this problem while study- 
 ing the flushed and sodden features of this arch- 
 reprobate. Harrod went down home again to 
 tell Yinton of the important capture. I had to 
 go to the office at noon, but late in the day we 
 were again at the station, and now, still bewil- 
 dered and surly, but somewhat freshened by lib- 
 eral applications of cold water from the pump, 
 the ex-leader of the Tishomingo Ku-Klux was 
 sitting up and chewing the cud of melancholy 
 retrospect in place of the accustomed solace of
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 239 
 
 " navy plug." Very ugly and ill at ease looked 
 Hank as the colonel quietly accosted him. He 
 knew us both at once and seemed not at all sur- 
 prised at our presence. 
 
 Our only object in intruding upon his valu- 
 able time and his placid meditations being to 
 find out what had become of Peyton, the ques- 
 tion arose beforehand, who should question him ? 
 Supposing that he would be disposed to conceal 
 everything he might know, we had been plan- 
 ning what course to pursue ; but his first remark 
 put an end to our uncertainty. 
 
 " I'm as well as a man can be who's just over 
 a drunk and can't get a cocktail," he growled. 
 " Have you come to pay me that money for 
 Cap. Peyton ?" And his bloodshot eyes gleamed, 
 fiercely up at Harrod's calm features. 
 
 " How much do you claim, Smith ?" was the 
 evasive query. 
 
 " He knows d d well. It's a round five hun- 
 dred dollars, and I'll foller him to Mexico but 
 that I'll get it out of him, if you don't pay 
 it." 
 
 " Why did you not make him pay you yester- 
 day?" 
 
 " Yesterday ?" said Hank, starting to his feet. 
 " He ain't got back, has he ? If he's lied to 
 
 me again, I'll Say, is he back ?" he asked, 
 
 eagerly. 
 
 " I have not seen him yet," answered Harrod,
 
 240 KITTrS CONQUEST. 
 
 " and I do not wish to see him. I want you to 
 warn him never to show his face among us again. 
 Now, supposing you are released to-night, how 
 soon can you find him ?" 
 
 " Find him ? The young whelp ! He's tricked 
 me. He's gone to Mexico, d n him ! I came 
 here two days ago to meet him as agreed. He 
 was to pay me the money then, and said you was 
 here to get it for him; and then, when I got here, 
 he left word that he was in a scrape, and had to 
 light out for Texas right away, and never said 
 another word about the money, except that I 
 mignt apply to him there for it ('him there' 
 being the bedraggled-looking youth sitting up 
 now on his wooden bench and staring stupidly 
 about him), and and this is what came of it, by 
 God ! The money's mine, colonel, and I earned 
 it fairly that last scrape he was in. He swore 
 he'd pay me if we'd help him out. They'd have 
 jailed him sure at Holly Springs if we hadn't 
 stood by him. It took some of the hardest swear- 
 ing you ever listened to to turn that marshal off 
 his track." And Hank's face was woe-begone 
 as this touching reminiscence occurred to him. 
 
 "And that was the service your people ren- 
 dered him, was it? You could have rendered 
 his people a much better one by telling the truth 
 and 'jailing him,' as you say. What had he 
 been doing to set the marshal on his track ?" 
 
 Hank looked suspiciously at me a moment.
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 241 
 
 He was apparently ready to make a clean breast 
 of matters to Harrod, but I was one of a class 
 he regarded with distrust. Seeing this, Harrod 
 glanced significantly at me, and I withdrew, 
 leaving them to work out their own conclu- 
 sions. 
 
 Strolling up to headquarters and thence over 
 to Amory's, I found him sleeping quietly and 
 Parker reading the newspapers at his bedside. 
 An enlivening conversation was not to be looked 
 for in that quarter therefore, and on my speak- 
 ing to Parker about a room for Mrs. Amory, 
 who was to arrive on the following day, he re- 
 plied that he had already secured one close at 
 hand. This again left me with nothing especial 
 to do, and in my loneliness and lack of occu- 
 pation I went down to Royal Street, and came 
 luckily upon a cheerful gathering at NewhalFs, 
 as we had learned to speak of the house wherein 
 our Sandbrook party were quartered. 
 
 It was a still, balmy evening, and Yinton's 
 sofa had been trundled into the sitting-room. 
 He lay there looking rather gaunt and white, 
 but unutterably happy, for in a low chair by his 
 side Miss Summers was seated, and she had evi- 
 dently been reading aloud before my entrance, 
 for a little blue-and-gold volume of Tennyson 
 lay in her lap. Harrod and Kitty were seated 
 at the centre-table near them, and rose to greet 
 me as I entered, but the moment she had given 
 
 L q 21
 
 242 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 me her little hand, with a rather embarrassed 
 greeting, and I went forward to Viriton's sofa, 
 Miss Kitty dropped back to the dim light of a 
 distant corner. I had barely time to congratu- 
 late the major on his convalescence when he in- 
 quired eagerly for Amory. 
 
 " I have just come from him," I answered. 
 " He was sleeping quietly, and Mr. Parker was 
 there with him. He will be all right now in a 
 day or two. Mrs. Amory will be here to-mor- 
 row, as you doubtless know, and Parker has 
 
 taken a room for her at Madame R 's, close 
 
 to headquarters." 
 
 For some moments we four sat there talking 
 quietly about her coming and its probable benefit 
 to Amory's health, which certainly had been suf- 
 fering of late. Kitty still sat in her corner, ap- 
 parently occupied with a magazine, though it 
 was too dark to read at that distance from the 
 lamp. Vinton, of course, was eager to hear all 
 the particulars of the recent excitements, how- 
 ever, and after a few moments he asked to be 
 fully informed. 
 
 "Yes, Brandon, tell him the whole thing. Do 
 not spare Peyton. Do not imagine that it will 
 shock Pauline, for I have told her all about it. 
 Indeed, I may as well take the lead," said Har- 
 rod, " and give you briefly what Smith confessed 
 to me to-day. It was Peyton who planned and 
 led that ambuscade on Amory's command. Ha
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 243 
 
 ordered his party to try and pick off Amory 
 himself, and but for the darkness they probably 
 would have killed him. The fellow is a scoun- 
 drel throughout, and I'm almost sorry he has 
 escaped now. Smith says he has undoubtedly 
 gone to Mexico, and most of the money with 
 him. Now, Brandon, tell us your story." 
 
 There was a rustle of skirts at the other end 
 of the room. Pauline glanced wistfully over to 
 Kitty's corner, and I could not help looking 
 thither myself. Without a word the little lady 
 had risen and left the room. 
 
 Pauline rose hurriedly. "I must go to Kitty," 
 she said. " She has been very much distressed 
 about all this trouble of late, and she will worry 
 herself to death." With that she, too, was gone; 
 and Mr. Brandon, bereft of his feminine audi- 
 ence, told his story with far less interest and en- 
 joyment than he would otherwise have felt. 
 Vinton was deeply interested, however, and 
 greatly concerned over Amory's adventure. It 
 was some time before Miss Summers' return, 
 and then she brought Kitty's excuses. The latter 
 had been persuaded finally to go to bed. for she 
 was shocked inexpressibly at hearing that Peyton 
 had really had the hardihood to carry out the 
 threat of that memorable day at Sandbrook. 
 "And more than that, she is convinced that 
 Peyton has been striving to harm Mr. Amory 
 here in New Orleans, and I had to promise that
 
 244 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 she should know the whole truth. Is it so, Mr. 
 Brandon ?" 
 
 And once more Mr. Brandon had the gratifi- 
 cation of relating that episode, and before an- 
 other day poor Kitty was in possession of all the 
 facts. 
 
 And yet when I met her the following after- 
 noon her eyes were bright; her color height- 
 ened; her manner animated and almost gay. 
 " So glad uncle was coming," was her explana- 
 tion, and yet she did not care to go to the sta- 
 tion with Harrod, Pauline, and myself to meet 
 uncle. This struck me as strange, and I ven- 
 tured to urge her to accompany us. 
 
 " Oh, no ! the carriage only holds four," was 
 her reply. 
 
 "But you will make the fourth, and you know 
 I'm not coming back. I'm going to drive Mrs. 
 Amory up to see her boy at once. He's sitting 
 up in state ready to welcome her, and we had 
 some difficulty in persuading him that he must 
 not attempt to leave the house. You see there 
 is abundant room, little lady, so why not come ?" 
 
 " Thanks, I think not; I'm not ready to drive," 
 was her confused answer ; and yet I saw that she 
 had been out. Her hat and gloves lay there 
 upon the table. Her costume was perfect and 
 so was her determination. 
 
 The carriage came and we drove off, leaving 
 her smiling and kissing her hand gayly from the
 
 KITTFS CONQUEST. 245 
 
 balcony above our heads. Pauline glanced back 
 lovingly at her as we turned the corner. 
 
 "Isn't she exquisite?" she said to Harrod, 
 whose eyes, too, were fixed upon the fairy-like 
 little figure until 'twas hidden from our sight. 
 
 " Yes, and utterly incomprehensible. Last 
 night she was in the depths of misery when she 
 heard about Peyton's connection with that ras- 
 cally business last December. Long after the 
 rest of us had gone to bed, Pauline went in and 
 told her the whole story of your night adven- 
 ture and Peyton's further rascality, and, by 
 Jove ! it acted like a counter-irritant. She has 
 been in a whirl of spirits all morning; but, 
 Paulie, she should not lush out on the streets 
 by herself. She was out nearly half an hour 
 awhile ago." 
 
 " Not out of sight, Harrod. I had her in view 
 from the balcony." 
 
 " What on earth could she find to do down on 
 Royal Street for nearly half an hour without 
 going out of sight ?" 
 
 Pauline smiled demurely. " Merely making 
 some purchases at the corner, I fancy." 
 
 " At the corner ? Why, it's a cigar store." 
 
 " I did not say in the corner, M. le colonel 
 Kitty is fond of oranges." 
 
 " Then it took half an hour to buy half a dozen 
 oranges of that old Dago at the fruit-stand, did 
 it? Still, that does not account for her blithe 
 21*
 
 246 KiTrrs CONQUEST. 
 
 spirits. One would think that having sent one 
 adorer away heart-broken ; and another having 
 vanished in disgrace (though that was but a boy 
 and girl affair), and a third laid up as the result 
 of the second's rascality ; a girl might be expected 
 to suffer some pangs of remorse. I declare I 
 believe some women have no more conscience 
 than kittens, and our Kitty is one of them," said 
 Harrod, half wrathfully. 
 
 A moment's silence, then, 
 
 " Well, why should she not want to come and 
 meet the judge ?" I asked, with blundering per- 
 sistency. 
 
 " And why should she be bright as a button 
 this afternoon ?" deman ded Harrod. 
 
 Pauline smiled with conscious superiority. " I 
 can understand it readily, and am really sur- 
 prised that you two profound thinkers should be 
 so utterly in the dark. I'm not going to betray 
 her, however; you ought to be able to see through 
 it yourselves." And that silenced me completely. 
 I record it with absolute humility that not until 
 days afterwards was it made clear to me that 
 when Pauline told Kitty the story of Amory's 
 night-ride, the latter was able to account for the 
 first time for his extraordinary conduct at Mo- 
 reau's and the theatre; more than that, the child 
 then knew what it was that had brought him in 
 the dead of night to take one look at her window 
 before going out to .meet- Peyton. As for her
 
 KITTY'S CONqUEST. 247 
 
 refusal to go to the depot, she simply felt unable 
 to meet in that way Frank Amory's mother. 
 
 The train came in on time. Harrod sprang 
 aboard, and in another moment emerged from 
 the Pullman escorting his gray-haired father, 
 and with them appeared the pale, placid face I 
 had so admired in the picture at Amory's tent. 
 Dressed in black, though not in deep mourning, 
 the gentle lady stepped from the car, and Miss 
 Summers, who had extended her right hand, 
 gave one swift glance in the peaceful eyes, then 
 suddenly, impulsively, threw forward both ; and 
 Harrod and I had abundant time to welcome the 
 judge before either lady had a word for us. 
 "When I turned again to look at them Mrs. 
 Amory and Pauline were still standing hand in 
 hand, and the latter's lovely face, flushed with 
 happiness, and with eyes that glistened through 
 the starting tears, was hardly more beautiful 
 than the sweet, sorrow-worn features of her who 
 had found " that peace which the world cannot 
 give," and in the sanctity of her bereaved life 
 had learned the lesson of resignation, the blessed 
 hope of a blessed future. We would not inter- 
 rupt them as they stood gazing into each other's 
 eyes the mother and her boy's devoted friend. 
 It seemed best that from Pauline she should hear 
 of Frank's improvement; of his captain's con- 
 valescence ; and that the bonds of sympathy that 
 drew them in such close alliance should there be
 
 248 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 riveted without my customary interference ; but 
 neither lady was forgetful of us, and turning to 
 me, Mrs. Amory, in that soft, sweet voice men 
 love to hear, all the more winning for its 
 Southern accent, asked, 
 
 " And is not this Mr. Brandon, my boy's 
 friend ?" And then Mr. Brandon had the hap- 
 piness of clasping her hand, and presently of 
 leading her to her carriage. She was impatient 
 to get to her son, and it was soon arranged that 
 Pauline should drive up to see her later in the 
 evening, and then we separated. Ten minutes 
 more and the orderly opened the door, and, 
 obedient to my beckoning finger, stepped out as 
 the lady was ushered in. We only heard the 
 glad ring in Frank's brave young voice ; one cry 
 of " Mother !" and then we closed the door and 
 left them together. 
 
 An hour afterwards, Mr. Parker and I walked 
 over from headquarters to pay our respects to 
 Mrs. Amory and escort her to her lodgings, 
 
 where hospitable Madame R was waiting to 
 
 welcome her and refresh her with tea. We found 
 the doctor there in blithe chat with his patient 
 and that now happy mother. Very sweet and 
 gentle was her greeting for us. She seemed to 
 know just what to say to each and every one, and 
 charmed Parker at once, as she had me, by her 
 lovely manner and voice. Almost the first question 
 was, " Can we not move Frank over with me ?"
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 249 
 
 But Mars protested. Here he was right near 
 his troop ; could hear the trumpet-calls and the 
 voices of the men at times ; and so felt vrith them. 
 The doctor would not let him go to duty for 
 forty-eight hours at the least, perhaps not 
 then, and he wanted to remain where he was. 
 
 Parker laughingly offered to come and occupy 
 the room if he really thought an officer must be 
 with the troop, and then the doctor said his say. 
 A carriage could be there in ten minutes ; he was 
 all dressed; he might just as well move over to 
 Madame's, a square away ; be in comfortable 
 quarters, and have his mother in the adjoining 
 room. The project was decided on in spite of 
 him. Parker scurried over to Camp Street, and 
 came back with information that j ust such rooms as 
 were needed were there in readiness, and when 
 the carriage came, our boy was half lifted, half led, 
 down the stairs, and correppondingly transferred 
 to new and cosey quarters nearly opposite head- 
 quarters. Some of the men brought over the 
 trunk and his few belongings, but when it came 
 time to start, Mars himself had stretched forth 
 his hand and gathered in a beautiful bunch of 
 sweet wild violets whose fragrance had filled the 
 little room. I had noticed them on the table by 
 his side the moment we entered, and now con- 
 ceived it time to inquire whence they came. 
 
 " I'm not quite sure," said Amory, with some- 
 thing vastly like a blush. " They were left here
 
 250 KITTrS CONQUEST. 
 
 an hour or so before mother came, and I think 
 Miss Summers must have sent them." 
 
 And yet that evening, when Pauline and Col- 
 onel Summers came to see Mrs. Amory for a few 
 moments, I was still there. The violets were by 
 Amory's bedside up-stairs; Mrs. Amory made 
 no allusion to them, but I did, unblushingly ; 
 and neither affirming nor denying that she had 
 sent them, Miss Summers silenced me by saying 
 that she was glad they gave Mr. Amory pleasure, 
 and instantly changed the subject and addressed 
 her talk to her lady friend. Driving home, 
 however, she was at my mercy and I again 
 pressed the matter. A keen suspicion was actu- 
 ally beginning to glimmer in my brain. 
 
 " You sent those violets of course, Miss Sum- 
 mers ?" 
 
 " If so, why ask me, Mr. Brandon ?" 
 
 " Well ! Didn't you, then ?" 
 
 "No, sir; I never even knew of their being 
 sent." And Miss Summers was plainly and mis- 
 chievously enjoying my perplexity. 
 
 Leaving me at my rooms, the brother and sistei 
 continued on their homeward way and their en- 
 thusiastic chat about Mrs. Amory, which my un- 
 feeling curiosity had broken in upon. It was 
 quite late and my letters had been brought up 
 from the office. First on the package was the 
 one for which I was eagerly waiting, the answer 
 to my diplomatic missive to Bella Grayson.
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 251 
 
 Ignoring all others I plunged instanter into that, 
 and was rewarded as I deserved. 
 
 *' DEAR UNCLE GEORGE," she wrote. " It was 
 such a treat and so rare an honor to receive a 
 letter from your august hand, that for some time 
 I could not believe it was intended for me at 
 all. Indeed, to he very frank, the closing page 
 rather confirmed me in that impression. You 
 men always taunt us by saying that the gist 
 of a woman's letter lies in the postscript (one 
 cynical acquaintance of mine went so far as to 
 say that it lies all the way through), and yet not 
 until that last page was reached did I discover 
 the object of yours. Now, Uncle Georgy, isn't 
 that circumlocution itself? Confess. 
 
 " But you really do seem ' interested in young 
 Amory,' as you call him ; and his * evident admi- 
 ration for a fair young friend of yours an heir- 
 ess commands your entire sympathy.' "What a 
 cold-blooded, mercenary avowal, M. mon oncle! 
 or, do you is it possible that you mean you 
 too are interested in her ? No ! That is hardly 
 tenable as a supposition. There is something so 
 disingenuous about the rest of the letter that 
 your interest is evidently on his account. Thank 
 you ever so much for ' having half a mind to 
 take me into your confidence.' And now, how 
 can I dispel your perplexity ? With the best in- 
 tentions in the world, how powerless I am !
 
 252 KITTF'S CONqUEST. 
 
 " You believe he has some lady correspondent 
 up North. Well, that strikes me as quite a 
 reasonable supposition. Indeed, I have heard 
 that most of them have ; but what what did I 
 ever say to lead to such a remark as this : 'Know- 
 ing what susceptible fellows cadets are (from 
 your own statements)' ? What could I ever have 
 said to give you such an impression? Why, 
 Uncle George, how should I know whether they 
 are susceptible or not ? and how could you be so 
 cruel as to allude to the dismal fact that I had 
 been up there every summer for six or eight 
 years, and am still Bella Grayson? Does that 
 look as though I thought them susceptible ? 
 
 " But seriously ; you say that Mr. Amory has 
 become involved in * some entanglement there 
 from which he would now gladly escape/ and 
 you fancy that Mr. Amory has done me the 
 honor to make me his confidante; but herein 
 you are mistaken. Certainly I have never heard 
 a word from him of an ' entanglement,' nor do I 
 remember his being devoted to any young girl 
 in particular. Indeed, he struck me as being 
 rather general in his attentions, what little I saw 
 of him. It would be a great pleasure, no doubt, 
 'to help him out of his boyish folly and into 
 something worth having,' to use your own words, 
 but indeed, Uncle George, you overrate my in- 
 fluence entirely. 
 
 " Nevertheless, I always liked Mr. Amory very
 
 KITTF'S CONQUEST. 253 
 
 much, and am greatly interested in his romance. 
 Perhaps if you were to tell me what he said to 
 make you think he wanted to escape from his 
 Northern entanglement, I might be able to re- 
 call some one of his flames to whom the remarks 
 would be applicable. Tell me what you know, 
 and then my 'thinking-cap' may be put on to 
 some advantage. Just now I'm much in the 
 dark, and, except very casually indeed, have not 
 heard from Mr. Amory for quite a while (How 
 definite ! G. S. B.), and as he never mentioned 
 this new charmer to his ' confidante,' I am most 
 curious to hear of her. Do tell me who she is, 
 what she is like. Is she pretty ? of course that 
 is the first question; is she anything, every- 
 thing, in fact? Do be a good Uncle Georgy 
 and write. We were all so glad to hear from 
 you, but as I answered, I shall expect an answer 
 equally prompt. So write speedily to 
 
 " Your loving niece, BELLA." 
 
 WTien Mr. Brandon finally sought his bachelor 
 pillow that night, it is regretfully recorded that 
 he, like Dogberry, remembered that he was writ 
 an ass. 
 
 22
 
 CHAPTER XVIL 
 
 Two days after Mrs. Amory's arrival, I was 
 
 seated in Madame R 's cosey parlor. Beside 
 
 me in an easy-chair, and dressed in his fatigue 
 uniform, was Mars. On the table beside him 
 were two bunches of violets in their respective 
 tumblers. One fresh and fragrant, the other 
 faded and droopy. It was late in the afternoon; 
 Mrs. Amory had gone with Mr. Parker in search 
 of a little fresh air and exercise, and Mars had 
 dropped his newspaper to give me a pleasant 
 welcome. He was a little languid and tired, he 
 said ; " had to write a long letter that morning." 
 And here he looked very strangely at me, " but 
 felt better now that 'twas gone." I could not 
 but fancy that there was a constraint, a vaguely 
 injured tone, in his quiet talk. There was a lack 
 of the old, cordial ring in his voice, though he 
 was every bit as courteous, even as friendly as 
 ever. It was something that puzzled me, and I 
 wanted to get at once at the why and wherefore, 
 yet shrunk from questioning. 
 
 Somehow or other my psychological investiga- 
 tions and inquiries had not been crowned with 
 brilliant success of late, and distmst had taken 
 
 254
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 255 
 
 the place of the serene confidence with which I 
 used to encounter such problems. " Mother has 
 taken the letter to post," he said, " but will be 
 back very soon. I expect her any moment." 
 As we were talking there came a ring at the 
 bell. A servant passed the doorway, and in an 
 instant reappeared ushering two ladies, Miss 
 Summers followed by Kitty Carrington. 
 
 "Why, Frank Amory! How glad I am to 
 see you up again !" was the delighted exclama- 
 tion of the former, as she quickly stepped for- 
 ward to take his hand ; " and here's Kitty," she 
 added, with faintly tremulous tone. " We Kitty 
 hoped to see your mother, and they said she was 
 here." 
 
 " Mother will be back in a moment. How do 
 you do, Miss Carrington?" said Mars, looking 
 around Pauline in unmistakable eagerness, and 
 with coloring cheeks and brow, as he strove to 
 rise and hold out his hand. 
 
 "Don't try to get up, Mr. Amory," said Kitty, 
 timidly, half imploringly, as with downcast eyes, 
 and cheeks far more flushed than his own, she 
 quickly stepped to his side; just touched his 
 hand, and then dropped back to the sofa with- 
 out so much as a word or glance for miserable 
 me. For several minutes Pauline chatted gayly, 
 as though striving to give every one time to re- 
 gain composure. Kitty sat silently by ; once in 
 awhile stealing timid, startled glances around;
 
 256 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 and listening nei vously, as though for the coming 
 footsteps of some one she dreaded to meet. Pau- 
 line watched her with furtive uneasiness, and 
 occasionally looked imploringly at me. 
 
 To my masculine impenetrability there was 
 only one point in the situation. Mrs. Amory 
 had arrived here in town a stranger. Miss 
 Summers and Miss Carrington were not exactly 
 old residents, hut were " to the manner horn," 
 and it behooved them both to call upon the older 
 lady. Why should there be any cause for em- 
 barrassment ? Why should Kitty look ill at 
 ease, nervous, distressed ? Why should Mars be 
 so unusually excited and flighty? What was 
 there about the whole proceeding to upset any 
 one's equanimity ? What incomprehensible mys- 
 teries women were anyhow ! Bella Grayson es- 
 pecially ! What dolts they made men appear in 
 trying to conform to their whims and vagaries ! 
 What a labor of Hercules it was to attempt to 
 
 fathom their moods! What The door 
 
 opened and in came Mrs. Amory and Parker. 
 All rose to greet them, and I could see that Kitty, 
 pale as a sheet, was trembling from head to foot. 
 
 At least I had sense enough to appreciate and 
 admire once more the grace and tact and genuine 
 kindliness that seemed to illumine every act and 
 word of this gracious lady. Mrs. Amory went 
 at once to Kitty ; greeted her in the same low- 
 toned yet cordial voice that had already become the
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 257 
 
 subject of our admiring talk ; then, after a brief 
 word with each of us, had taken her seat with 
 Kitty upon the sofa, and in five minutes had so 
 completely won the trust and confidence of that 
 nervous little body that her color had returned 
 in aL its brilliancy; her lovely dark eyes were 
 sparkling with animation and interest; and 
 though she talked but little, we could all see that 
 she was charmed with Mrs. Amory's manner, 
 and that she drank in every word with unflagging 
 pleasure. 
 
 Mars, though keeping up a desultory talk with 
 Miss Summers and Parker, managed to cast fre- 
 quent glances at the pair on the sofa, and it was 
 a comfort to watch the joy that kindled in his 
 young eyes. Pauline seemed to divine his wish 
 to watch them, and frequently took the load of 
 conversation from his shoulders by absorbing the 
 attention of the aide-de-camp and myself, and 
 this gave him the longed-for opportunity to listen 
 once in a while to the talk between his mother 
 and Kitty. Once, glancing furtively towards his 
 chair, Kitty's eyes had encountered his fixed in- 
 tently upon her, whereat the color flashed again 
 to the roots of her hair, and the long lashes and 
 white lids dropped instantly over her betraying 
 orbs. From that marvellous and intricate ency- 
 clopaedia of family history, a Southern woman's 
 brain, Mrs. Amory had brought forth an array 
 of facts regarding Kitty's relatives that fairly de- 
 
 r 22*
 
 258 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 lighted that little damsel with its interest. Some- 
 where in the distant past a North Carolina Ward 
 had married a Kentucky Carrington ; and while 
 she herself had married an officer of the army, 
 her sister had married a Ward ; and so it went. 
 Mrs. Amory could tell Kitty just where and 
 whom her people had married from the days of 
 Daniel Boone. The chat went blithely on, and 
 BO, when Miss Summers smilingly rose and said 
 that it was time to go, Kitty looked startled and 
 incredulous, the dreaded interview had been a 
 genuine pleasure to her. Mars arose and stood 
 erect as the ladies were saying their adieux. 
 Pauline was saying to Mrs. Amory that by the 
 next day Major Yinton would hope to be able to 
 drive out for the air, and as soon as possible 
 would come to see her ; and this left Kitty for an 
 instant unoccupied. Her eyes would not wander 
 in his direction, however ; and after an instant's 
 irresolute pause he stepped beside her, so that, 
 as they turned to go, she had to see his out- 
 stretched hand. I wanted to see what was to 
 follow, but Parker and I had sidled towards the 
 door to escort the ladies to their carriage. Miss 
 Summers caught my eyes ; seemed instantly to 
 read my vile curiosity, for, with a smile that was 
 absolutely mischievous, she placed herself be- 
 tween me and Kitty, who was last to leave the 
 room. I only saw him bend low over her hand ; 
 could not catch a word he said, and was calmly
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 259 
 
 surged out into the hall with ungratified and 
 baffled spirit. It was cruel in Pauline. She 
 ought to have known that I was even more inter- 
 ested in the affair than any woman could have 
 been. 
 
 " What do you think of Mrs. Amory ?" I deli- 
 cately and appropriately asked Miss Kitty as we 
 drove down-town. She was in a revery, and not 
 disposed to talk ; and Miss Summers, who had 
 invited me to take a seat in their carriage, had 
 given me no opportunity of breaking in upon 
 her meditations until this moment. Kitty started 
 from her dream ; flashed one quick glance at me, 
 as she answered, 
 
 " Mrs. Amory ? I think she's lovely," then as 
 quickly relapsed into her fit of abstraction. Evi- 
 dently Mr. Brandon's well-meant interruptions 
 were not especially welcome there ; then, as we 
 reached the house on Royal Street, Major Yinton, 
 seated at the window, waved us (us indeed !) a 
 joyous greeting, and, despite Miss Summers' 
 most courteous invitation to come in a while, Mr. 
 Brandon felt that he had been interloping long 
 enough, and having thus partially come to his 
 senses, the narrator walked dolefully away. 
 
 In the week that followed, there were almost 
 daily visits between the ladies of the Royal and 
 Camp Street households. Vinton had sufficiently 
 improved to be able to drive out every day and 
 to take 7ery short walks, accompanied by his radi-
 
 260 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 ant fiancte. Much mysterious shopping was going 
 on, Mrs. Amory and Kitty being occupied for 
 some hours each bright morning in accompany- 
 ing Miss Summers on her Canal Street re- 
 searches. Mars had returned to duty with his 
 troop, and almost every evening could be seen 
 riding down to Royal Street to report to his cap- 
 tain how matters were progressing. I was struck 
 by the regularity and precision with which those 
 reports seemed to be necessary, and the absolute 
 brevity of their rendition. Having nothing better 
 to do, as I fancied, I was frequently there at 
 Royal Street when Mars would come trotting 
 down the block pavement. Each evening seemed 
 to add to the spring and activity with which he 
 would vault from the saddle; toss the reins to 
 his attendant orderly, and come leaping up the 
 steps to the second floor. " All serene" was the 
 customary extent of his report to Vinton, who 
 was almost invariably playing backgammon with 
 Miss Summers at that hour; while the judge, 
 Harrod, and I would be discussing the affairs of 
 the day in a distant corner. This left Kitty the 
 only unoccupied creature in the room, unless the 
 listless interest bestowed upon the book she held 
 in her lap could be termed occupation. What 
 more natural, therefore, than that Mr. Amory 
 should turn to her for conversation and enter- 
 tainment on his arrival? And then Kitty had 
 improved so in health and spirits of late. She
 
 KITTTS CONQUEST. 261 
 
 was so blithe and gay ; humming little snatches 
 of song; dancing about the old house like a 
 sprite ; striving very hard to settle down and be 
 demure when I came to see the judge ; and never 
 entirely succeeding until Amory appeared, when 
 she was the personification of maidenly reserve 
 and propriety. Occasionally Mars would escort 
 his mother down, and then there would be a 
 joyous gathering, for we had all learned to love 
 her by this time ; and as for Yinton Miss Sum- 
 mers once impetuously declared that she was 
 with good reason becoming jealous. When she 
 came, Kitty would quit her customary post on the 
 sofa ; take a low chair, and actually hang about 
 Mrs. Amory's knees ; and all Mars' chances for a 
 tete-ct-tete were gone. Nevertheless, he was losing 
 much of the old shyness, and apparently learn- 
 ing to lose himself in her society, and to be pro- 
 foundly discontented when she was away ; and 
 one lovely evening a funny thing happened. 
 There was to be a procession of some kind on 
 Canal Street, no city in the world can compete 
 with New Orleans in the number and variety of 
 its processions, and as the bands were playing 
 brilliantly over towards the St. Charles, Vinton 
 proposed that we should stroll thither and hear 
 the music. The judge offered his arm with his 
 old-fashioned, courtly grace to Mrs. Amory; 
 Vinton, of course, claimed Pauline; Harrod 
 and I fell back together ; and Amory and Kitty
 
 262 KITTY' S CONQUEST. 
 
 paired off both by force of circumstances and his 
 own evident inclination. Once on the banquette, 
 Amory showed a disposition to linger behind and 
 take the rear with his sweet companion, but Miss 
 Kit would none of it. With feminine inconsist- 
 ency and coquettishness she fairly took the lead, 
 and so it resulted that she and Amory headed 
 instead of followed the party. Plainly Mars was 
 a little miffed ; but he bore up gallantly, and had 
 a most unexpected and delightful revenge. 
 
 At the very first crossing, something of a crowd 
 had gathered about the cigar store, and so it re- 
 sulted for a moment that our party was brought 
 to a stand, all in a bunch, right by the old Dago's 
 orange counter to which Harrod had made dis- 
 dainful allusion in connection with Kitty's mys- 
 terious mission of the previous week ; and now, 
 close beside the counter, there was seated a chatty 
 old negress with a great basket before her heaped 
 with violets : some in tiny knots, others in loose 
 fragrant pyramids. The instant she caught sight 
 of Kitty her face beamed with delight. She 
 eagerly held forward her basket; Kitty struggled 
 as though to push ahead through the throng on 
 the narrow pavement, but all to no purpose. She 
 could not move an inch; and there, imprisoned, 
 the little beauty, bewildered with confusion and 
 dismay, was forced to hear what we all heard, 
 the half-laughing, half-reproachful appeal of the 
 darky flower-vender.
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 263 
 
 'Ah, lady ! you doan' come to me no mo' for 
 vi'lets now de captain's up agin." And there 
 was no help for it ; one and all we burst into a 
 peal of merry laughter ; even poor Kitty, though 
 she stamped her foot with vexation and turned 
 away in vehement wrath. And oh ! how proud, 
 wild with delight Frank Amory looked as he 
 bent over her and strove to make some diversion 
 in her favor by boring a way through the crowd 
 and hurrying her along ! We could see him all 
 the rest of the evening striving hard to make her 
 forget that which he never could. But Kitty had 
 only one feminine method of revenging herself, 
 and that was on him. Womanlike, she was cold 
 and distant to him all the evening ; left him at 
 every possible opportunity to lavish attentions on 
 anybody else, even me ; and after all Mars went 
 home that night looking far from happy. 
 
 ~No sooner was he out of the house than Harrod 
 turned to me with an expression of inspired 
 idiocy on his face and said, " What was it you 
 were all laughing at up there at the corner, 
 something about violets and captains ?" 
 
 Whereat Kitty flounced indignantly out of the 
 room, and we saw her no more that night. 
 
 But all this time not another word had I heard 
 from Bella Grayson. In fact, not a word had 
 I written to her. She had parried the verbal 
 thrusts in my letter with such consummate ease 
 and skill that it occurred to me I was no match
 
 264 KITTY'S CONqUEST. 
 
 for her in that sort of diplomacy. "Now the 
 question that was agitating my mind was, how 
 was Mars to get out of that entanglement if it 
 really existed? My efforts in his behalf did not 
 seem to be rewarded with the brilliant and im- 
 mediate success that such depth of tact had de- 
 served ; and, my intervention being of no avail, 
 what could he expect ? 
 
 Fancy the surprise, therefore, with which I 
 received on the following day a visit from Mars 
 himself. It was late in the afternoon ; I was 
 alone in the office and hard at work finishing 
 some long neglected business, when the door 
 opened and my young cavalryman appeared. 
 
 He shook my hand cordially ; said that he had 
 come to see me on personal business ; and asked 
 if I could give him half an hour. I gladly said 
 yes, and, noting his heightened color and his 
 evident embarrassment, bade him pull up a chair 
 and talk to me as he would to an old chum. I 
 can best give his story in nearly his own words. 
 
 " Mother says I owe it to you, Mr. Brandon, 
 to tell you what has been on my mind so long. 
 You have been very kind and very indulgent, 
 and I wish I had told you my trouble long ago. 
 I'll make it short as I can." And with many a 
 painful blush but with manful purpose and 
 earnestness Mars pushed ahead. 
 
 " I met Miss Grayson, your niece, during my 
 first class summer at "West Point, and got to ad-
 
 KITTY'S CONqUEST. 265 
 
 mire her, as everybody else did. I got to more 
 than admire her. She absolutely fascinated me. 
 I don't mean that she tried to in the least, she 
 just couldn't help it. Before camp was half over 
 I was just beside myself about her ; couldn't be 
 content if I didn't see her every day ; take her 
 to the hops, and devote myself generally. Every 
 man in the class thought I was dead in love with 
 her. Mr. Brandon, I I did myself. I never 
 ceased to think so until last until after that 
 Ku-Klux fight at Sandbrook. I made her think 
 so. She really tried to talk me out of it at first, 
 she did indeed. She said that it was simply a 
 fancy that I would soon outgrow ; and she never 
 for once could be induced to say that she cared 
 anything for me. She was always lovely and 
 ladylike, always perfect, it seemed to me. She 
 even went so far as to remind me that she waa 
 as old as I was, and far older in the ways of the 
 world, and cadets especially. She never encour- 
 aged me one bit, and I just went on getting 
 more and more in love with her all that year ; 
 used to write to her three or four times a week ; 
 dozens of letters that she only occasionally an- 
 swered. Then she came up in June, and I was 
 incessantly at her side. She might not care for 
 me, but she did not seem to care for anybody 
 else, and so it went on. She would not take my 
 class ring when I begged her to that summer. 
 She wore it a few days, but made me take it 
 
 M 23
 
 266 KITTY'S CONqUEST. 
 
 back the day we graduates went away; but I 
 went back that summer to see her twice, and 
 when I came away I swore that after I'd been in 
 service a year I would return to New York to 
 offer myself again ; and we used to write to each 
 other that winter, only her letters were not like 
 mine. They were nice and friendly and all 
 that, still, I knew she had my promise. I 
 thought she would expect me to come back. I 
 felt engaged so far as I was concerned; then 
 when I got wounded her letters grew far more 
 interested, you know (Mr. Brandon nodded ap- 
 preciatively) ; and then they began to come 
 often ; and, whether it was that she thought our 
 life was very hazardous, or ,that the climate was 
 going to be a bad thing for me, or that I would 
 not recover rapidly there, her letters began to 
 urge me to come North. I got two at Sand- 
 brook one the very day you were there at the 
 tent and two since we came here ; and then 
 then I found only too surely that it was not love 
 I felt for her; indeed, that I had grown to love 
 you know well enough (almost defiantly) Miss 
 Carrington. I felt in honor bound to carry out 
 my promise to Miss Grayson, and to avoid to 
 well, to be true to my promise in every way. 
 But I was utterly miserable. Mother detected 
 it in my letters, and at last I broke down and 
 told her the truth. She said there was only one 
 honorable course for me to pursue, and that was
 
 KITTY'S CONqUEST. 267 
 
 to write to Miss Grayson and tell her the same, 
 tell her the whole truth; and it was an awful 
 wrench, but I did it that day you were at the 
 house. It came hard too, for only the day be- 
 fore a letter came from her full of all sorts of 
 queer things. A little bird had whispered that, 
 like all the rest, I had found my cadet attach- 
 ment something to be forgotten with the gray 
 noat and bell buttons. She had heard this, that, 
 and the other thing; she would not reproach. 
 It was only what she had predicted all along, 
 etc., and it cut me up like blazes ; but mother 
 smiled quietly when I told her, said that I must 
 expect to be handled without gloves, and warned 
 me that I must look for very just comments on 
 my conduct; and then somehow I decided that 
 you had written to her about me. You said 
 nothing to make me think so, and altogether I 
 was in an awful stew until this morning." 
 
 " And what now ?" I asked, eagerly. 
 
 " Her answer came. Brandon, she's a trump; 
 she's a gem ; and so's her letter. Mother's got 
 it, and is writing to her herself. I'm inexpress- 
 ibly humbled, but somehow or other happier 
 than I've ever been." And the boy and I shook 
 hands warmly, and Mr. Brandon bethought him- 
 self that that blessed Bella should have the love- 
 liest Easter present the avuncular purse could 
 buy. 
 
 " What did Bella say ?" he asked.
 
 268 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 " Oh ! I can't quite tell you. It was all just 
 so sweet and warm-hearted and congratulatory 
 (though that is possibly premature), and just as 
 lovely a letter as ever was written." 
 
 " And we may look for two weddings in the 
 th Cavalry, then ?" 
 
 But Mars' features clouded. "Vinton and 
 Miss Summers will be married next month ; for 
 Vinton says we may expect to be ordered to the 
 plains with the coming of summer, but no such 
 luck for me. I have precious little hope just 
 now." 
 
 "And has Miss Carrington heard of our 
 Bella ?" I asked, mischievously. 
 
 " Good heavens ! I hope not. That would be 
 the death-blow to everything." 
 
 Yes, it struck me that there would be a weapon 
 that Miss Kit would use with merciless power.
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 IT was a gala night at the opera. The grand 
 old house, so perfect in acoustic properties, so 
 comfortably old-fashioned in design, so quaintly 
 foreign in all its appointments, was filled with an 
 audience composed of the music-loving people 
 of New Orleans, and a sprinkling of Northern 
 visitors still lingering amid the balmy odors of 
 the magnolia and the orange-blossoms. Spring 
 had come, summer was coming. The sun was 
 already high and warm enough to warrant the ap- 
 pearance of parasols by day ; while, after it sank 
 to rest, the ray-warmed breezes were welcomed 
 through open door and casement ; and in hun- 
 dreds of slender hands the fan, swung and flirted 
 with the indolent grace our Southern women 
 have so readily learned from their Castilian sis- 
 terhood across the sea, stirred the perfumed air, 
 and rustled soft accompaniment to the witchery 
 of the music. 
 
 Entering that old French opera-house on 
 Bourbon Street, one steps on foreign soil. 
 America is left behind. French is the language 
 of every sign, of the libretto, even of the pro- 
 gramme. French only is or was then spoken by 
 
 23* 269
 
 270 KITTY' S CONQUEST. 
 
 the employes of the house. French the orches 
 tra, the chorus, the language of the play. French, 
 everything hut the music. The ornamentation 
 of the house, the arrangement of the boxes, the 
 very division of the audience was the design of 
 foreign hands, and here, more readily than any- 
 where in our land, could one imagine oneself 
 abroad. 
 
 These were days of triumph for the stockhold- 
 ers of the old company. The somewhat over-- 
 gilded and too ornate decorations might have 
 lost much of their freshness, the upholstery 
 had grown worn and faded ; but the orchestra 
 and the company were admirable. Aiming at 
 perfection and completeness in all details, the 
 managers had kept up the old system of putting 
 everything thoroughly upon the stage. Costumes 
 and properties, though old, were accurate and 
 appropriate ; the chorus was full, admirably 
 schooled and disciplined ; and the orchestra, in 
 the days when Calabresi's baton called it into life, 
 had no superior in the country. Instead of lav- 
 ishing fortunes on some one marvellous prima 
 donna and concomitant tenor, the aim of the 
 management had been to secure excellent voices, 
 good actors, conscientious artists, and so be sure 
 of rendering an opera in its entirety, every part 
 well and suitably filled, instead of turning the 
 grand creations of the great composers into mere 
 concert recitations. One heard the opera in New
 
 KITTF'S CONQUEST. 271 
 
 Orleans as he heard it nowhere else m the coun- 
 try, and there, and there only of all its places of 
 public amusement, could one see in full force the 
 culture and the refinement of the Crescent City. 
 
 It was a " full dress" night. The parquet was 
 filled with men in the conventional black swal- 
 low-tail. The dress and second circles of open 
 boxes, the loges behind them, were brilliant with 
 the toilets of beautifully-dressed women ; and in 
 one of these latter enclosures were seated Miss 
 Summers and Kitty, behind whom could be seen 
 Vinton, Amory, and Harrod. 
 
 Leaving my seat in the parquet, I strolled up 
 to their box immediately after the curtain fell 
 upon the first act of " The Huguenots." Some 
 forty-eight hours had passed since my meeting 
 with Mars, and that vivid curiosity of mine was 
 all aflame as to the later developments. Both 
 ladies turned and gave me cordial welcome as I 
 entered. Vinton made room for me behind Miss 
 Summers' chair, and Harrod strolled out to see 
 some friends. 
 
 Though both officers were in civilian evening 
 dress, the story of Pauline's engagement was 
 known among the few acquaintances she had in 
 society, and her escort, a stranger to the city, 
 was doubtless assumed to be the Yankee major. 
 It was too soon after the war for such an alliance 
 to be looked on with favor by those who had re- 
 cently been in bitter hostility to the army blue,
 
 272 KITTY'S 
 
 and tlie few glances or nods of recognition that 
 passed between Miss Summers and a party of 
 ladies in an adjoining box were constrained- 
 even cold. To my proud-spirited friend this was 
 a matter of little consequence. If anything, it 
 servad only the more deeply and firmly to attach 
 her to the gallant gentleman, still pale and lan- 
 guid from his recent illness, who so devotedly hov- 
 ered about her the entire evening. Her sweet, 
 womanly face was full of the deepest tenderness 
 as she leaned back to speak to him from time to 
 time, and soon, with woman's quick intuition, 
 observing that I was anxious to watch Kitty and 
 Mars, she delightedly resigned herself to my ab- 
 straction and gave her undivided attention to 
 Vinton. 
 
 Never in my brief acquaintance with her had 
 Kitty Carrington looked so bewitchingly pretty. 
 Never were her eyes so deep, dark, lustrous; 
 never I could plainly see so dangerous. Never 
 was her color so brilliant, never were her lips so 
 red, her teeth so flashing! y white ; and never yet 
 had I seen her when all her fascinations were so 
 mercilessly levelled at a victim's heart, even while 
 she herself was tormenting him to the extent of 
 every feminine ingenuity. The situation was 
 plain at a single glance. 
 
 Her greeting to me had been coquettishly cor- 
 dial, and for a moment she looked as though she 
 expected me to accept Mr. Amory's proffered
 
 KITTY'S CONqUEST. 273 
 
 chair at her back. But Mars had risen with so 
 rueful a look in his eyes something so appealing 
 and wistful in his bearing that I had the decency 
 to decline ; and with vast relief of manner he slid 
 back into his seat, and the torment went on. 
 
 In low, eager tones he was murmuring to her 
 over the back of her chair. She with head half 
 turned, so that one little ear, pink and shell-like, 
 was temptingly near his lips was listening with 
 an air of saucy triumph to his pleadings, what- 
 ever they were, her long lashes sweeping down 
 over her flushed cheeks, and her eyes, only at 
 intervals, shooting sidelong glances at him. 
 What he was saying I could not hear, but never 
 saw I man so plunged in the depths of fascina- 
 tion. His eyes never left their adoring gaze 
 upon her face, yet they were full of trouble, full 
 of pleading that might have moved a heart of 
 stone. But Kitty was merciless. At last there 
 came a bubble of soft, silvery laughter and the 
 mischievous inquiry, 
 
 "And how should a lady answer? How 
 Miss Grayson, for instance?" 
 
 For a moment there was no word of reply. 
 Amory sat like one in a daze. Then very slowly 
 he drew back, and I could see that his hand 
 was clinched and that his bright young face had 
 paled. Alarmed at his silence, toying nervously 
 with her fan, she strove to see his eyes, yet dared 
 not look around. Mars slowly rose to his feet,
 
 274 KITTFS CONQUEST. 
 
 bent calmly over her, and, though his voice 
 trembled and his lips were very white, he spoke 
 distinctly, even cuttingly, 
 
 " Miss Grayson would have answered at least 
 with courtesy and good-night, Miss Carring- 
 ton." 
 
 And before another word could be said he had 
 quickly bowed to the rest of us and abruptly 
 quitted the box. 
 
 Evidently she had tormented him until his 
 quick, impulsive, boyish nature could bear it no 
 longer, until his spirit had taken fire at her 
 merciless coquetry, and then, giving her no 
 chance to retract or relent, he had vanished in 
 choking indignation. Kitty sat still as a statue 
 one little minute, turning from red to white. 
 Pauline, who had heard only Amory's sudden 
 words of farewell, looked wonderingly up an in- 
 stant, then seeing plainly that there had been a 
 misunderstanding, and that remark or interfer- 
 ence would only complicate matters, she wisely 
 turned back to Vinton, and the rising of the cur- 
 tain gave all an excuse to concentrate their eyes, 
 if not their thoughts, upon the stage. 
 
 But the opera was an old story to me. Kitty 
 was a novelty, a study of constantly varying 
 phases, a picture I never tired of gazing at, and 
 now she was becoming even more a perfect fas- 
 cination. Pauline glanced furtively, anxiously, 
 at her from time to time, but I, I most un
 
 KITTY'S CONqUEST. 275 
 
 blushingly watched and stared. She was mani- 
 festly ill at ease and grievously disquieted at the 
 result of her coquetry. Her brilliant color had 
 fled. Her eyes, suspiciously moistened, wan- 
 dered nervously about the house, as though 
 searching for her vanished knight, that they 
 might flash their signal of recall. I, too, kept 
 an eye on the parquet and the lobby, far as I 
 could see, vaguely hoping that Mars might re- 
 lent and take refuge there, when his wrath would 
 have time to cool, and he could be within range 
 of her fluttering summons to " come back and 
 be forgiven." But the second act came to a 
 close. Mars never once appeared. Vinton and 
 Miss Summers once or twice addressed some 
 tentative remark to Kilty, as though to bring 
 her again into the general conversation and 
 cover her evident distress ; but monosyllabic re- 
 plies and quivering lips were her only answer. 
 I began to grow nervous, and decided to sally 
 forth in search of my peppery hero. My minis- 
 trations had been vastly potent and diplomatic 
 thus far, and might be again. So, with a word 
 or two of excuse, I made my bow and strolled 
 into the foyer. 
 
 One or two acquaintances detained me a few 
 moments, but during the intermission between 
 the acts I was able to satisfy myself that Mr. 
 Amory was no longer in the house. Indeed, 
 gome of the officers stationed in town told me
 
 276 KITTY'S COKQUEST. 
 
 that they had seen him crossing the street just as 
 they re-entered. Presently I met Colonel New- 
 hall, and his first question was, 
 
 " How is Vinton to-night ?" 
 
 " Very well, apparently. Do you want to see 
 him?" 
 
 "Not particularly. He is here, I believe. 
 You might tell him that his sick-leave is granted. 
 It may be welcome news to him just now." 
 
 " Naturally : as he expects to be married next 
 month." 
 
 "Yes. I'm glad he got the leave when he 
 did," said the colonel, as he turned away to speak 
 to some friends. 
 
 Something in his manner set me to thinking. 
 What could he mean by saying that he was glad 
 Yinton had secured his leave of absence ? Was 
 any sudden move probable? Amory did say 
 that it was current talk that their regiment was 
 to be ordered to the frontier in the spring. Could 
 it be that the order had already come ? 
 
 I went back to the box. Kitty looked eagerly 
 around as I entered, then turned back in evident 
 disappointment. Not a word was exchanged be- 
 tween us until the close of the act ; but for two 
 occupants of the loge " The Huguenots" had lost 
 all interest. 
 
 It was eleven o'clock and after as we reached 
 the lodgings on our return from the opera. 
 Mars had nowhere appeared, though Kitty's
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 77 
 
 eyes sought him in the throng at the doorway, 
 and, as we drew near the house, she looked 
 eagerly ahead at a soldierly form in cavalry un- 
 dress uniform. A corporal of the troop was 
 lounging under the gas-light at the entrance. 
 The moment he caught sight of our party he 
 stepped forward and handed Yinton a letter. 
 
 There was nothing unusual about a letter ar- 
 riving for Major Vinton day or night. Order- 
 lies came frequently to the old house on Royal 
 Street with bulky missives for him ; yet I felt a 
 premonition in some inexplicable way that this 
 was no ordinary communication. It was a mere 
 note, and I thought the corporal said, " From the 
 lieutenant, sir." Yet I knew it meant tidings of 
 importance, and so did others. 
 
 Miss Summers had withdrawn her hand from 
 Vinton's arm as he took the note, and with deep 
 anxiety in her paling face stood watching him ab 
 he opened and read it under the lamp. Kitty 
 too had stepped forward, and, resting one little 
 hand on the stone post at the doorway, gazed 
 with equal intensity and a face that was paler yet 
 than her cousin's. Harrod and I, a little behind 
 them, were silent witnesses. Presently Vinton 
 looked up, his eyes seeking the face he loved. 
 
 " "What is it ?" she asked. 
 
 " Our orders have come." 
 
 For an instant no one spoke. I could not take 
 my eyes off Kitty, whose back was towards me, 
 24
 
 278 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 but \vho I could see was struggling hard for 
 composure. Pauline instinctively put forth her 
 Land, drawing Kitty closer to her side. 
 
 " Shall I read it?" asked Vinton, gently, look- 
 ing at Pauline, after one hurried glance at Kitty. 
 She nodded assent. 
 
 " It is from Amory," he said. 
 
 " DEAR MAJOR, Parker has just met me. The 
 "orders are out. Regiment ordered to Dakota. 
 Our troop goes by first boat to St. Louis. Your 
 leave is granted, so it does not affect you ; but 
 I'm glad to go. Parker says by ' James Howard' 
 to-morrow night. 
 
 " Yours in haste, 
 " AMORY." 
 
 Without a word Kitty Carrington turned from 
 us and hurried into the house. 
 
 "What on earth could take the regiment to 
 Dakota ?" asked Harrod, after a moment of si- 
 lence. 
 
 " The Sioux have been troublesome all along 
 the Missouri and Yellowstone of late, and this 
 is anything but unexpected. "We had a lively 
 campaign against the Southern Cheyennes, yoa 
 remember, and this promises more work of the 
 earne kind, only much farther north." 
 
 Pauline's eyes were filling with tears. I was 
 plainly de trop, and had sense enough left to ap-
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 279 
 
 predate that fact at least. Promising to meet 
 Vinton at headquarters in the morning, 1 took 
 my departure. I had made up my mind, late aa 
 it was, to go and see Amory ; and, late as it was, 
 I found him in earnest talk with his mother. 
 
 " Can you spare me a moment ?" I asked. " I 
 have just heard the news, and if it be true you 
 sail to-morrow night, you will be too much occu- 
 pied to-morrow." 
 
 He had come to the door to admit me, and 
 looked reluctantly back. Hearing my voice, Mrs. 
 Amory came into the hall to greet me, and cour- 
 teously as ever she asked me to enter ; but I saw 
 the traces of tears on her face, and knew that 
 their time was precious. 
 
 " I want to have a moment's talk with this 
 young man, Mrs. Amory. I will not take him 
 farther than the corner, and will not keep him 
 longer than five minutes at the utmost. Can you 
 spare him that long ?" 
 
 She smiled assent, but Mars hung back. He 
 knew well that I was once again coming forward 
 with some intervention, and his blood was up, 
 his anger still aglow ; but I was not to be denied. 
 He seized his forage-cap and stepped out with 
 me into the starlit night. 
 
 " There is no time for apologies from an old 
 fellow like me, Amory," said I, placing a hand 
 involuntarily on his shoulder. " Forgive me if 
 I pain you, or am too intrusive. I heard what
 
 280 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 happened at the opera to-night. Would you be 
 willing to tell me how she came to know any- 
 thing about Bella Grayson ?" 
 
 " I told Miss Carrington myself," said Mars, 
 rather shortly ; and his hands went down in his 
 pockets, and a very set look came into his face 
 as he kicked at a projecting ledge in the uneven 
 pavement. 
 
 "You know how I've grown to like you, 
 youngster, and must know that I can have no 
 other impulse or excuse in thus meddling with 
 your affairs. I'm fond of her too, Frank, and 
 have seen enough to-night and before to con- 
 vince me that she would give a vast deal to unsay 
 those thoughtless words. I do not excuse her 
 conduct ; but she never for an instant could have 
 dreamed of its effect, and it did not take the 
 news of your order to make her repent it bitterly. 
 I could see that plainly. Amory, don't go without 
 seeing her." 
 
 Mars made no reply whatever. 
 
 " Have you told your mother of this misunder- 
 standing ?" I asked. 
 
 "Not exactly. I have told her she saw I 
 was cut up about something and asked that 
 something had been said that was very hard to 
 bear, but that I had rather not talk of it now. 
 I was too much hurt." 
 
 " Well. Then I must say nothing further, my 
 boy ; but if I may ask anything for the sake of
 
 KITTrS CONQUEST. 281 
 
 the friendship I feel for you and for them, tell 
 your mother the whole affair, and let her guide 
 your action. Now, forgive me, and good-night. 
 We will meet in the morning." 
 
 He pressed my hand cordially enough, hut still 
 made no reply to my request. " Thank you, Mr. 
 Brandon ; good-night," was all he said, and Mr. 
 Brandon walked gloomily homeward. Amantium 
 ir(K might be easy things to settle if left to the 
 participants, but were vastly easier to stumble 
 into. 
 
 Clear, cloudless, lovely dawned the morrow, 
 and long before office hours I had breakfasted 
 and betaken myself to headquarters. Mr. Parker 
 was there, and Amory had been at the office, but 
 "Vinton had as yet put in no appearance. My 
 first question was as to the probable time of de- 
 parture of the troop, and Parker's tidings filled 
 me with hope. The quartermaster had been un- 
 able to secure transportation for the horses in 
 the " Howard." The troops could not sail be- 
 fore the following day. Meantime, he said, there 
 was to be a review of the small force in the city 
 that very afternoon, and the general had ex- 
 pressed a desire to have a look at the cavalry 
 once more before they started for their new 
 and distant sphere of duty. It was his favor- 
 ite arm of the service, and he hated to part with 
 them. 
 
 By and by the general himself arrived, and 
 
 24*
 
 282 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 Major Vinton happening in at almost the same 
 moment, " the chief" led the latter into his pri- 
 vate office and held him there for over half an 
 hour in conversation. An orderly was despatched 
 for Mr. Amory, who was busily occupied over 
 at the stables, and that young gentleman pres- 
 ently made his appearance, looking somewhat 
 dusty and fatigued. The men were packing for 
 the move and getting ready for their afternoon 
 exhibition at one and the same time, he ex- 
 plained. Then Vinton came out, called his sub- 
 altern to one side, and gave him some instruc- 
 tions in his quiet way, and no sooner had he 
 finished than Amory faced about and went out 
 of the room like a shot. Then for the first time 
 I had a chance to speak to Yinton and ask after 
 the ladies. 
 
 "Very well; at least Miss Summers is, de- 
 spite her natural concern at our sudden taking 
 off " 
 
 " Why, you are not going !" I interrupted. 
 
 " Yes," he answered. " As far as Memphis, 
 at least. Then I shall leave the troop to Amory 
 and make for Sandbrook, whither the judge and 
 the ladies will start in a few days. That is," he 
 concluded, with a smile, " unless some new freak 
 takes Miss Kitty Carrington. That little lady 
 is ready to tear her pretty hair out by the hand- 
 ful this morning. She did not come to breakfast 
 at all, and I fancy she had an unusually sharp
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 283 
 
 skirmish with Amory last night. By the way, 
 I've got a note for him, and he's gone, gone 
 clear to the foot of Canal Street, too, to look at 
 the accommodations on one of those smaller 
 steamers, and I was enjoined to give it to him 
 at once." 
 
 " Give it to me ; I'll take it," said I, all eager- 
 ness. " What hoat will he be looking at ? I'll 
 get there in short order." 
 
 " He ought to he hack here by noon," said 
 Yinton. " It will take him not more than an 
 hour." 
 
 But I was eager to see Mars myself. The note 
 must be from Kitty, I argued ; and so, indeed, I 
 knew it to be, from the dainty envelope and 
 superscription when the major drew it forth. 
 My theory was that I could get that note to him 
 in less than twenty minutes, and probably be the 
 bearer of peace propositions. It was too alluring 
 a prospect; besides, I was tired of waiting around 
 headquarters doing nothing. Yinton saw my 
 eagerness, smiled, gave me his consent and the 
 note, and in half an hour I was at the levee and 
 aboard the " Indiana." Mars had been there 
 and gone. So much for my officiousriess. 
 
 This time I took a cab, drove rapidly back to 
 headquarters. Neither Yinton nor Amory was 
 there. Mr. Parker said that the latter had gal- 
 loped up not fifteen minutes after I left, reported 
 that the " Indiana" could not take sixty horses,
 
 284 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 and was off again, he knew not whither. Yinton 
 had gone to the stables. Thither I followed. 
 
 " The major has just driven off in the quarter- 
 master's ambulance, and they're gone to look at 
 some steamboat," said the corporal at the gate. 
 " The lieutenant's horse is back, sir, but he's 
 gone away too." 
 
 This was a complication. It was after twelve. 
 The review was to come off at three. I wanted 
 to go down and invite the ladies to drive with 
 me to see it. But how could I face Kitty Car- 
 rington with that undelivered note? Over to 
 Amory's house was the next venture. New de- 
 spair. He and his mother had taken a street- 
 car and gone up-town only a few minutes before 
 I arrived. Now, what on earth could I do ? 
 
 " The lieutenant's horse was to be sent to his 
 quarters," the corporal had informed me, " at 
 quarter before three, and the lieutenant probably 
 would not be back at the stables again before 
 that time." 
 
 For the next hour Mr. G. S. Brandon was as 
 miserable a man as the city contained. No one 
 at headquarters could tell where Amory had 
 ^one. No one knew when Vinton would be 
 back. I fumed and fidgeted around the office 
 some few minutes. Neither Colonel Newhall 
 nor Mr. Parker could help me out in the least. 
 There was no telling where to look for Amory. 
 Vinton might be found down along the levee,
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 285 
 
 but what good would that do? Twice the old 
 general came trudging into the aide-de-camp's 
 room, and looked at me with suspicious eyes 
 from under his shaggy eyehrows, my ill-con- 
 cealed impatience and repeated inquiries made 
 him irritable, or my undesired presence during 
 business hours was a nuisance to him, perhaps ; 
 at all events, after I had for the tenth time, 
 probably, repeated my hopeless remark of won- 
 derment as to where that young gentleman could 
 have gone, just as the general came promenading 
 into the room with hands clasped behind his back 
 and his head bent upon his breast, as we New 
 Orleans people had grown accustomed to seeing 
 or hearing of him, the old soldier stopped short, 
 and, raising his head, testily exclaimed, 
 
 " Mr. Brandon, what is the matter? Does that 
 young officer owe you any money ?" 
 
 " Money, sir ? No, sir !" I answered, in all 
 haste and half indignation. " By heavens ! I 
 wish that were the matter. The boot is on the 
 other leg, general. I owe him something more 
 than money. A letter, sir, a letter from a 
 young lady, and I undertook to deliver it two 
 hours ago." 
 
 April sunshine bursting through storm-cloud 
 could not more quickly soften and irradiate the 
 face of nature than that wonderful smile of the 
 old general's could lighten every lineament. 
 Who that ever saw it could forget it ? It beamed
 
 286 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 from the wrinkles around the kind old eyes. It 
 flashed from his even teeth. It dimpled hia 
 cheeks into a thousand merry lights and shadows. 
 It was sunshine itself, and with it all the old 
 courtly manner instantly returned. 
 
 " I beg your pardon, sir. I beg his pardon, sir. 
 God hless my soul, what an inexcusable blunder ! 
 A note from a young lady. That charming little 
 friend of Major Vinton's ? Here, Parker, you 
 go. You see if you can't find him, sir. Bring 
 him here, sir. Help Mr. Brandon any way you 
 can, sir. God bless my soul, what a blunder !" 
 And by this time we were all laughing too heart- 
 ily for further words. My indignant and im- 
 petuous reply had virtually betrayed the situa- 
 tion. 
 
 My cab being still at the door I decided to 
 hurry right down to Royal Street, notify the ladies 
 of the coming review, and of the fact that the 
 troop would not sail until the following day, 
 though I felt sure Yinton had done that ; then I 
 could return to headquarters. Meantime that 
 precious note was placed in Parker's hands. 
 
 Whirling across Canal Street, the cab was just 
 turning into Royal when I caught sight of Miss 
 Summers and Harrod on the banquette, and 
 obedient to my shout the driver pulled up. They 
 turned back to greet me. Yes, Vinton had sent 
 word about the review and the good news that 
 there was yet a day before they could sail. The
 
 KITTY'S CONqUEST. 287 
 
 colonel and his sister were going to attend te 
 some business on Canal Street, and hurry back 
 to meet him at the lodgings at half-past two ; then 
 they would all drive up to see the review near 
 Tivoli Circle. Would I join them? Amory was 
 to command the troop, as the doctor thought 
 Major Vinton not yet strong enough to ride. 
 But where was Amory ? had I seen him ? 
 
 All this was asked rapidly, as time was short, 
 and almost as rapidly I learned that Kitty was at 
 home, and Pauline's eyes plainly said waiting 
 and anxious. I decided on driving thither at 
 once and confessing the enormity of my sin of 
 omission. I would find her in their kind land- 
 lady's parlor, said Miss Summers. So in I went. 
 
 In ten minutes Kitty Carrington fluttered into 
 the parlor where I was awaiting her. No need 
 to tell that hers had been a night of unhappiness, 
 a day of bitter anxiety. Her sweet face was very 
 pale and wan, her eyes red with weeping. How 
 to break my news I did not know. She looked 
 wonderingly, wistfully, at the solemnity of my 
 face, gave me her hand with hardly a word of 
 greeting, and stood by the table waiting for me 
 to tell my errand, forgetful of the civility of ask- 
 ing me to be seated. 
 
 " Miss Kitty, I am in great trouble. Nearly 
 three hours ago I volunteered to hurry down to 
 the levee with a letter that Major Vinton had for 
 Mr. Arnory, but Mr. Amory and I missed each
 
 288 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 other, have missed each other ever since. He 
 has gone somewhere with his mother, and yet 
 must be back in time for the review, but I felt 
 certain that letter ought to get to him at once. 
 Yet you know they do not sail until to-morrow, 
 do you not ?" 
 
 Her head was averted, her slight form was 
 quivering and trembling, her bosom heaving vio- 
 lently in the effort to control the sob that, despite 
 all struggles, burst from her lips. She had been 
 waiting for him all the morning. In another 
 moment, for all answer, she had thrown herself 
 upon the sofa, and was weeping in a wild passion 
 of unrestrained misery. Poor little motherless 
 Kit ! and this was my doing. 
 
 In vain I strove to soothe her. In vain I pro- 
 tested that the letter would soon be in his hands, 
 that no possible harm could come from the delay. 
 Nay, in my eagerness and ludicrous distress I 
 believe I knelt and strove to draw her hands away 
 from her face. Then she hurriedly arose, rushed 
 to the window, and leaning her arms upon the 
 casement, and bowing her pretty head upon her 
 hands, sobbed wildly. Good heavens ! what could 
 such an old idiot do ? I was powerless, helpless, 
 wretched. 
 
 Suddenly there came a springy slep along the 
 lower passage, a quick, bounding footfall on the 
 stair, the clink of spurred heels upon the matting 
 in the hall, and Frank Amory, with a world of
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 289 
 
 sunshine in his glad young face, stood at the door- 
 way. One glance showed him where she stood, 
 still weeping piteously, still blind to his presence. 
 One spring took him half across the room, one 
 second to her side. I heard but one quick, low- 
 toned, almost ecstatic cry. 
 
 " Kitty ! darling ! Forgive me !" 
 
 I saw his arms enfold her. I saw her raise her 
 head, startled, amazed. Saw one wondering 
 flash of light and joy in the tear-dimmed eyes, 
 but of what happened next I have no knowledge, 
 not even conjecture. For once in his life Mr. 
 Brandon had the decency not to look, the sagac- 
 ity to know that he was no longer needed, if in- 
 deed he ever had been, and the presence of mind 
 to take himself off.
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 LATER that lovely afternoon an open carriage 
 whirled up St. Charles Street towards old Tivoli 
 Circle. Its occupants were Miss Summers and 
 Kitty Carrington, Colonel Summers and myself. 
 At the Circle we were joined by another, in 
 
 which were seated Mrs. Amory, Madame B , 
 
 and Major Vinton. We were late, it seems, and 
 the review had already begun, so there was no 
 time for conversation between the carriage- 
 loads; but smiles and nods and waving hands 
 conveyed cheery greeting, and Kitty's cheeks 
 flamed ; her eyes, half veiled as though in shy 
 emotion, followed Mrs. Amory's kindly face 
 until their carriage fell behind; then, detecting 
 me as usual in my occupation of watching her, 
 she colored still more vividly, and looking 
 bravely, saucily up into my face, remarked, 
 
 " "Well, Mr. Brandon, have you nothing to say 
 to me ? Are you aware that you have not even 
 remarked upon the beauty of the weather thia 
 afternoon ?" 
 
 And this was from the girl whom, hardly two 
 hours before, I had seen plunged in the depths 
 of woe and dejection. Verily, there was nothing 
 
 290
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 291 
 
 I could say. Such alternations of smiles and 
 tears, storm and sunshine, exceeded my compre- 
 hension; but it was not a tax upon even my 
 poor powers of discernment to see that my little 
 heroine was now blissfully, radiantly, joyously 
 happy. 
 
 Suddenly our carriage slackened speed. Crowds 
 began to appear on the sidewalks of the broad, 
 dusty thoroughfare. "We were off the pavement 
 now, and driving along the " dirtroad" of upper 
 St. Charles Street. I could hear a burst of 
 martial music somewhere ahead, and presently 
 Pauline exclaimed, " Here are the cavalry !" 
 
 Kitty, sitting on the indicated side, had said 
 never a word. The next moment we rode past 
 the line of troopers sitting stolidly on their horses 
 and looking blankly into space ahead of them. 
 Then, riding backwards as I was, I saw Kitty's 
 soft cheek flushing redder, and happening to ex- 
 tend my left arm outwards at that instant, my 
 hand almost came in contact with the nose of a 
 tall chestnut sorrel, much to that sorrel's disgust, 
 for he set back his ears and glanced savagely at 
 me ; but by that time, I had lost all interest in 
 him and was gazing in amaze at his rider. For 
 something absolutely incomprehensible, com- 
 mend me to military love-making! Less than 
 two hours ago I had bolted out of a room down- 
 town leaving that deliciously pretty young girl 
 opposite me sobbing in the arms of Frank
 
 292 KITTF'S CONQUEST. 
 
 Amory, who, with all a devoted lover's tenderness, 
 was striving to comfort her. Yet here she sat, 
 apparently indifferent ; yet there he sat on that 
 very horse whose feelings I had outraged, and 
 though we no, she was right under his eyes, 
 so close that she could stroke his charger's mane 
 with her little hand, he never so much as 
 glanced at her. Mr. Frank Amory, as com- 
 manding officer of his troop on review, actually 
 disdained to look at his lady-love. 
 
 " Now if at any time," thought I, " this little 
 imp of coquetry will flash into flame and wither 
 him when they meet, perhaps flirt with me, 
 faute de mieux, meantime," but to my utter 
 amaze Miss Kitty took it as admirably as did 
 Pauline. Each gave him one quick, demure, 
 satisfied little look, as much as to say, " All 
 right, Frank, I understand." They had learned 
 their tactics already, I suppose, and I was an 
 inferior being, unable to appreciate the situatioi. 
 in the least. 
 
 The review went off all right, I also suppose. 
 It was all a blank to me. The general and his 
 aides rode down the line and our carriages had 
 to get out of the way in a hurry. Then the 
 troops marched over to Camp Street and down 
 that thoroughfare, giving a marching salute as 
 they passed headquarters. We sat in our vehicles 
 on the opposite side of the street, and I simply 
 stared when Amory lowered his sabre in sweep-
 
 KITTYS CONQUEST. 293 
 
 ing, graceful salute and positively looked away 
 from us, and at his chief. Why ! up to this time 
 I had been ready to take his part, and upbraid 
 Kitty whenever there had been the faintest dif- 
 ference between them. Now, now, I actually 
 wanted her to resent his conduct ; and, with the 
 unerring inconsistency of feminine nature, she 
 did nothing of the kind. The instant the march 
 was over, Frank Amory came trotting up beside 
 us, a glad, glorious light in his brave young 
 eyes, sprang from his saddle and to her side. 
 The others he did not appear to see at all. His 
 eyes were for her alone, for her in all their boy- 
 ish adoration, in all their glowing pride and ten- 
 derness. Tearing off his gauntlet, he clasped 
 her hand before a word was said, and she looked 
 shyly, yet steadfastly, down into his transfigured 
 face. 
 
 " I shall be down right after stables ; mother 
 will come sooner," was all he said. Then he 
 condescended to notice the rest of us. 
 
 Right after stables indeed! Could you not 
 even resent that, Kitty Carrington ? Were you 
 already so abject that a newly-won lover dare 
 tell you that after his horses were seen to he 
 would look after you ? Are you already falling 
 into the cavalry groove ? learning that unwritten 
 creed that puts the care of his mount as the 
 corner-stone of a trooper's temple ? 
 
 In a state of daze I drove homeward with the 
 
 26*
 
 294 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 ladies. Nobody talked much. Everybody was 
 happy except my perturbed self. Pauline and 
 Kitty sat hand in hand. We reached the lodg- 
 ings, and were but a few moments in the parlor 
 when Vinton appeared at the door ushering Mrs. 
 Amory. Kitty was at the window arrangiDg 
 some flowers, but turned instantly, and, blushing 
 like one of her own rosebuds, walked rapidly 
 across the room, looking shyly up into the elder 
 lady's face. How could I help seeing the moist- 
 ened eye, the slightly quivering lip, when Mrs. 
 Amory bent and, with one softly-spoken word, 
 " dear," kissed the bonny face. 
 
 We masculines took ourselves off for a while. 
 It was plain the women had much to talk about, 
 and when they have, the sooner husbands, 
 brothers, and lovers leave, the better for all con- 
 cerned. 
 
 " Mr. Brandon," said the major, as we settled 
 ourselves on the back veranda, "it looks as 
 though your prognostication had come true. 
 Our Sandbrook Ku-Klux affair has brought its 
 romance with it." 
 
 " Two of them, major ! Two of them ! We 
 might call them, in view of your modest estimate 
 of army attractions, * Miss Summers' Sacrifice' 
 and, and " 
 
 " Kitty's Conquest," said Harrod. 
 
 Swiftly through a tawny waste of whirling
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 296 
 
 waters a great steamer ploughs its way. From 
 towering smoke-stacks volumes of smoke stream 
 back along the tumbling wake and settle on the 
 low-lying shores. Breasting the torrent, we have 
 rushed past crowded levee, past sloop, and ship, 
 and shallop, past steamers of every class and 
 build, ocean cruisers, river monarchs, bayou 
 traders, swamp prowlers. Lordly up-stream 
 packets lead or follow ; churches, domes, chim- 
 neys, cotton-presses, elevators, warehouses, give 
 way to low, one-storied, whitewashed cottages, 
 or deep-veranda'd frame homesteads on the one 
 side, to flat and open plantations on the other. 
 Eastward there is naught to span the horizon 
 but one far-reaching level of swamp or trem- 
 bling prairie. Westward, two miles back from 
 the river-bank, bold barriers of forest, dense, 
 dark, and impenetrable, shut off the view. In 
 front lies the eddying, swirling, boiling bosom 
 of the Mississippi, the winding highway to the 
 North, sweeping in majestic curve through 
 shores of shining green. Behind us, nestling 
 along the grand arcs of its doubling bend, New 
 Orleans and Algiers, close clinging to the mighty 
 stream that at once threatens and cajoles. The 
 river is master here, yet dreams not of his 
 power. 
 
 Precious freight our steamer bears this bright 
 and balmy eve. Proud of its strength and grace, 
 it surges ahead, rumbling in the vast caverns of
 
 296 KITTFS CONQUEST. 
 
 its seething furnaces, panting in the depths of 
 its powerful lungs, straining with muscles that 
 glory in their task, hurling aside from iron-shod 
 beak the burdened billows of the opposing river. 
 Black as Erebus the clouds of smoke from tower- 
 ing chimneys, white as snow the screaming 
 steam-jets, deep and mellow the note of signal- 
 bell, clear, ringing, rollicking the farewell chorus 
 of our swarthy crew. Boom ! goes the roar of 
 saucy little field-piece in parting salutation to 
 the sun, redly sinking through the forest to our 
 left, and then, from the lower deck, what un- 
 accustomed sound is that ? A trumpet, a cavalry 
 trumpet sounds the final tribute to departing day, 
 and a moment later a young officer comes spring- 
 ing from below and joins our group upon the 
 hurricane-deck. 
 
 Here enjoying the scene, the gliding rush of 
 our gallant craft, the balmy softness of the South- 
 ern air, we are seated, an almost silent party of 
 seven. We are Mrs. Amory, Miss Summers, and 
 Kitty ; Major Vinton, Mr. Amory, Harrod, and 
 myself. We are fellow-passengers for the even- 
 ing only. The troop, men and horses both, is 
 billeted below, and under command of its young 
 lieutenant goes through to St. Louis, thence up 
 the Missouri to its new sphere of duties in the 
 far Northwest. Vinton is a passenger as far as 
 Memphis, where escorting Mrs. Amory, he takes 
 the train to Washington. The rest of us, Pauline,
 
 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 297 
 
 Kitty, Harrod, and I, go only up to Donaldsonville, 
 where we arrive late at night, and take the local 
 packet back to the city. In all the excitement 
 and perturbation consequent upon the sudden 
 departure of the troop ; in all the hurry of prep- 
 aration, requiring as it did the attention of both 
 officers, there was no time for the interviews, the 
 fond partings, the " sweet sorrows" incident to 
 such occasions. An unusual thing occurred, a 
 bright idea struck Mr. Brandon. He proposed 
 that the quartette should accompany the troop a 
 short way up the river and there drink with them 
 the stirrup-cup ; and at last a proposition of Mr. 
 Brandon's was regarded worthy of acceptance. 
 So it happens that we are here together. 
 
 Evening comes on apace, and while Harrod is 
 smoking somewhere forward, and our cavalry- 
 men are paired off and slowly promenading the 
 deck with the ladies of their love, Mrs. Amory 
 and I are chatting quietly in the brilliant saloon, 
 and we are talking of Mars. Her voice is soft 
 and tremulous; her face is full of trust and 
 peace ; her eyes fondly follow him and the sweet, 
 girlish form that hangs upon his arm as they 
 stroll forward again after a few loving words with 
 her. 
 
 " You have been a good friend to my boy, Mr. 
 Brandon, and you will not forget him now on 
 the distant frontier. It will be late in the fall 
 before be can come East."
 
 298 KITTFS CONQUEST. 
 
 " So long as that ! I had cherished some wild 
 notion that we might have a double ceremony, 
 when the major and Miss Summers are mar- 
 ried." 
 
 " No. That would be too precipitate. She is 
 very young yet ; so is Frank for that matter, but 
 he is thoroughly in earnest. It is not that I an- 
 ticipate any change of feeling, but it is best for 
 her sake there should be no undue haste. She 
 will spend the time with Miss Summers until 
 that wedding comes off, then visit relations in the 
 Nortn during the summer. Then * Aunt Mary' 
 will doubtless claim her. You know that as yet 
 ' Aunt Mary' has had no intimation of what has 
 been going on. Indeed, but for their sudden or- 
 ders for the field, I doubt very much if the young 
 people would have settled their outstanding dif- 
 ferences. She is a lovely child at heart, and 
 Frank has been a truthful and a devoted son," 
 the dimmed eyes are filling now, and a tear starts 
 slowly down the warm cheek, " but he is im- 
 pulsive, impetuous, quick, and sensitive, and, 
 sweet as Kitty is, she has no little coquetry. It 
 will not all be smiles and sunshine, ' bread and 
 butter and kisses,' Mr. Brandon." 
 
 "Perhaps not, dear lady, perhaps not, yet I 
 have no fear. He is true and brave and stanch 
 as steel, and she is loving. God bless them !" 
 
 " Amen."
 
 KITTY'S CONqUEST. 299 
 
 Late at night. The lights of Donaldsonville 
 lie over our larboard bow. The broad river 
 glistens in the glorious sheen of silvery light from 
 the moon aloft. We are gathered in the captain's 
 cabin on the texas and our glasses are filled. 
 Moe't and Chandon sparkles over the brim. 
 
 " My charger is jangling his bridle and chain, 
 
 The moment is nearing, dear love, we must sever, 
 But pour out the wine, that thy lover may drain 
 A last stirrup-cup to his true maiden ever." 
 
 Mr. Brandon has the floor, and eloquence, 
 forensic, judicial, social, is fled. His idea is to 
 eay something stirring and appropriate, but his 
 heart fails him. He can only stammer, " Bon 
 voyage, boys, and safe and speedy return I" Then 
 he slinks out into the shadow of the huge paddle- 
 box, a vanquished man. 
 
 What a thundering uproar is made by the sig- 
 nal-whistle of these Mississippi steamers ! The 
 boat fairly quivers from stem to stern in response 
 to the atmospheric disturbance created by the 
 long-drawn blasts. For two minutes at least, in 
 protracted, resounding, deep bellowing roar, that 
 immense clarion heralds our approach to drowsy 
 Donaldsonville. Three long-drawn blasts of 
 equal length, and while they din upon the drum 
 of the sensitive ear, not another sound can be 
 heard. I clasp my hands to my head and shud- 
 deringly cling to the guards. All other sensations
 
 300 KITTY'S CONQUEST. 
 
 are deadened. Quick light footsteps approach, 
 but I hear them not. Two young hearts are 
 painfully beating close behind me, but I know it 
 not. Clasping arms and quivering lips are bid- 
 ding fond farewell so near that, could I but put 
 one hand around the corner of the narrow pas- 
 sage-way, it would light on a cavalry shoulder- 
 strap (the right shoulder, for the other is pre- 
 empted), but I see it not. Not until the deafening 
 uproar ceases with sudden jerk, am I aware of 
 what is going on almost at my invisible elbow. 
 I hear a long-drawn sibilant something that is 
 not a whistle, is not a hiss, yet something like ; I 
 hear a plaintive sob ; I hear a deep, manly voice, 
 tremulous in its tenderness. And again the mis- 
 erable conviction flashes over me that I'm just 
 where I ought not to be, am not supposed to 
 be, and yet cannot get out without ruining the 
 impressive climax. Forgive me, Kitty ! Forgive 
 me, Frank ! For years I've kept your secret. For 
 years you never suspected that you were over- 
 heard. Nearly all your story was jotted down 
 that very spring, but not this part, not this ; and 
 now that the brief chronicle is wellnigh closed, 
 now that " this part" is as old a story as the rest, 
 and as the rest would be utterly incomplete with- 
 out just such a finale, can you not find it in your 
 hearts to forgive me for hearing your sweet and 
 sad and sacred farewell ? It was hard, it was 
 bitter trial ; it was so sudden, so brief. Yet my
 
 CONQUEST. 301 
 
 heart went out to you, gallant and faithful young 
 soldier, when I heard these words, " Five long 
 months at least, my darling. You will be true 
 to me, as, God knows, I will be to you ?" 
 
 And you, Kitty, rampant little rebel Kit, you 
 whom I had seen all coquetry, all mischief, all 
 tormenting, was it your voice, low, tremulous, 
 fond as his own, that I heard murmur, "Yes, 
 even if it were years." 
 
 A few moments more and four of us are stand- 
 ing on the wharf-boat, while the steamer, a bril- 
 liant illumination, ploughs and cnurns herway out 
 into the broad moonlit stream. Pauline is waving 
 her handkerchief to the group of three standing 
 by the flag-staff over the stern. Kitty, leaning 
 on my arm, trembles, but says no word. Tears 
 etill cling to the long, fringing lashes. Lovely 
 are the humid eyes, the soft rounded cheek, the 
 parted lips. She throws one kiss with her little 
 white hand, and, as the gallant steamer fades 
 away in the distance, her myriad lights blending 
 into one meteoric blaze upon the bosom of the 
 waters, the cousins seek each other's eyes. Pau- 
 line bends and kisses the smooth white brow 
 and bravely drives back her own tears. Kitty 
 leans her bonny head one moment upon the 
 sheltering arm that is then so lovingly thrown 
 around her, relieving mine, and lays her little 
 hand upon her shoulder. A new ring glistens 
 in the moonlight. Tiny crossed sabres stand 
 
 23
 
 302 KITTY'S CONqUEST. 
 
 boldly in relief upon the gold ; beneath them a 
 bursting shell, above them gleams the polished 
 stone with its sculptured motto. I know it well. 
 'Tis Amory's class ring, and his is the proud 
 device, "Loyaute m' oblige" 
 
 THE END.
 
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