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About The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 1, 1896)
CorvnoHT. iIm. iv bmt Kami. B If "Well, I don't wonder! Here are all the women nuking me who is that good looking Mephistopheles, with the burn ing eye, who is prowling around my rooms as if searching lor a victim. Why, you're sniilng for all the world like poor Jim, when he used to do the Bed Avenger." Susy's voice, an illustration, recalled him to himself. "Furious I may well lie," he said, with a gentler smile, al though his eyes still glittered, "furious that 1 have to wait until the one woman J came to see, the one woman 1 have not seen for so long, while these pup pets have been nightly dancing before her can give me a few moments from them, to talk of the old days." In his reaction he was quite sincere, although he felt a slight sense of re morse as he saw the quick faint color rise, as in those old dors, even through the to-night's powder of her cheek. ' "That's like the old Kla'uns," she said, with a slight pressure of his arm, "but we will not have a chance to speak until late. When they are nearly all gone you'll take me to get a little re freshment, and we'll have achat in the aronserratory. But yon must drop that awfully wicked look, and make your self generally agreeable to those worn-, n until then." It was perhaps part of this reaction which enabled him to obey his hostess' commands with a certain recklessness that, however, seemed to be in keeping u illi u.c previous Satanic reputation he hod, all unconsciously, achieved. The women listened to the cynical flippancy of the good-looking soldier with an un disguised admiration, which, in turn, ' excited curiosity and envy from his own sex. He saw the whispered ques- turning, the lifted eyebrows, the scorn ful shrugging of shoulders and knew ' that the story of his disgrace was in the air. But I feor this only excited him to further recklessness and tri umph. Once he thought he recognized Miss Faulkner's figure at a distance, and even fancied that she had been WBtching him but he only redoubled his attentions to the fair woman beside h im, and looked no more. But he was glad when the guests be gun to drop oft; the great rooms thinned, and Susy, appearing on the nrm of her husband, eoquettishly re minded him of bis promise. "For I want to talk to you of old times. Gen. Brant," she went on, turning explana torily to Boompointer, "married my adopted mother in California, at llobles, a dear old place were I spent my earli est years. So you see we are sort of relations by marriage," she added, with delightful naivete. Hooker's once vain glorious allusion to his relations to the man before him flashed across Brant's mind, but it left now only a smile on hiBlips. He felt he had already become a part of the irresponsible comedy of life around him. Why should he resist or examine its ethics too closely? He offered bis arm to Susy; they descended the stairs; but instead of parsing in the supper-room, she simply passed through it with a significant pressure of hiB arm, and drawing aside a muslin curtain stepped into the moonlit conservatory. Behind the curtain there was a small rustic settee; without releasing his arm she sat down, so that when he dropped beside her their hands met and mutual ly clasped. "Now, Kla'uns," she said with a slight comfortable shiver as she nestled beside him, "it's a little like your chair down at old Robles, isntrtr Tell me. And to think it's Ave years ago. But Ida uns, what's the matter? You are changed " she said, looking at his dark lace m the moonlight, "or you have something to tell me. "I have." "And it's something dreadful, I know," she said, wrinkling her brows with a pretty terror. "Couldn't you pretend you had told it to me and let us go on just the same? Couldn't you, Kla'uns? Tell me," "lam afraid I couldn't," he said, with a sad smile. : "Is it about yourself, Kla'uns? Ton know," she went on with cheerful ra pidity, "I know everything about you I always did, you know and I don't care and never did care, and it don't and never did make the slightest difference to me. So don't tell it and waste time, Kla'uns." "It's not about me but about my Wife," he said, slowly. ;," Her expression changed slightly. "0, her!" she said, after a pause. Then half resignedly: "Go on, Kla'uns." , lie began. He had a dozen times re hearsed to himself his miserable story, always feeling it keenly, and even fear ing that he might be carried away by emotion or morbid sentiment in telling It to another, but to his astonishment he found himself telling it practically, calmly, almost cynically to his old ploy mate, repressing the half devotion and even tenderness that had governed him, from the time that his wife, disguised as n mulatto woman, had secretly watched him in hie office, to the hourthat he had passed her through the lines. He with held only the incident of Miss Faulk ner's complicity andsocrifioe. "And she got away after having kicked you out of your place, Kla'uns?" said Susy when he had ended. Clarence stiffened beside her. But he felt he had gone too farto quarrel with his confidnnve-, "She went away, I houMtir teuiri tfaat ws ttall fee 1 i4ilii UtttiM you this!" "Kla'uns," she said lightly, taking his hand again, "don't you believe ltl She wont let you go. You're one of those men that a woman when she once has hooked os to won't let go of even when she believes she no longer loves him or meets bigger and better men. I reckon It's because you're to different from other men maybe there are so many different things about you to hook on to and you don't slip off as easily as the others. Now, if you were like old Peyton, her first husband, or like poor Jim, or even my Boompointer. you'd be all right! No, my boy, all we can do Is try to keep her from getting at you hen.: I reckon she wont trust herself in Washington again in a hurry I" 'But I cannot stay here my career is in the field." "Your career is alongside o' me, honey and Boompointer. But nearer me. We'll tlx all that. 1 heard some thing about your being in disgrace, but the story was that you were soft on some secesh girl down there and neglected your business, Kla'uns. But Lordyl' to think it was only your own wife! Never mind, we'll straighten that out. We've had worse jobs than that on. Why, there was that commissary who was buying tip dead horses at one end of the field and selling them to the government for mess beef at the other; and there was that general who wouldn't make an attack when it rained, and the other general you know who 1 mean, ivui uns whu wouldn't invade the state where his sis ter lived but we straightened them out somehow, and they were a heap worse than yon. We'll get you a position in the war department here, one of the imreeu offices, where you keep your rank and your uniform you don't look imd in it, Kla'uns on better pay. And you'll come and see me and we'll talk over old times." Brant felt his heart turn sick within him. But he was at her mercy now! He said with an effort: "But I've told you that my career nay, my life now is in the field." "Dont you be fool, Kla'uns, and leave it there. Yon have done your work of fighting mighty good fight ing, too, and everybody knows it. You've earned a change. Let others take your place." He shuddered as he remembered that his wife had made the same appeal. Was he a fool, then, and these two women so totally unlike in everything right In this? "Come, Kla'uns," said Susy, relapsing against his shoulder, "now talk tome! You don't say what you think of me, of my home, my furniture of my posi tioneven of him! Tell me!" "I find yon well, prosperous, and happy' he said, with a faint smile.i r "Is that all? How do I look?" " ' She turned her still youthful mis chievous face toward him in the moon light. The witchery of her blue eyes was still there as of old, the same frank irresponsibility beamed from them; her parted lips seemed to give him back the ureath of his youth. He started, but she did not. . "Susy, dear!" It was her husband's voice. "I quite forgot," it went on, as he drew the cur tain aside, "that you ore engaged with a friend, but Miss Faulkner is waiting to say 'good night,' and 1 volunteered to find you." "Tell her to wait a moment," said Susy, with an impatience that was u undisguised as it was without, embar rassment or confusion. But Miss Faulkner, unconsciously fol lowing Mr. Boompointer, was iilread upon them. For a moment, the tvhol. four were silentalthough perfectly composed. Senator Boompointer, unconwiciiwoi any Infelicity in ui interruption, ivas calmly waiting. Clarence, opposed sud denly to the young girl, whom lit: lie lieved was avoiding his recognition, roue, coldly imperlurbuble Miss Faulkner, looking talleraiid inoieerect in the long folds of her satin cloak, neither paled nor blushed, us she re garded Susy and Brant with a smile of well-bred apology "I expect to leave Washington to morrow, and may not be able to will again," she said, "or 1 would uothaveo particularly pressed a leavetaking up on you." "I was talking with my old friend, Gen. Brant," said Susy, more by way of introduction thun apology. Brant bowed. For an instant the clear eyes of Miss Faulkner slipped icily across him as she made him an old- "I tu unuug to my old fnod, Otn. Brut," Hid Suay- fa-Uionecl colonial courtesy, and taking busy's arm she tit the rooai.., Uiumii 4 Uai lift'lsr. iut ttoli Uavi w hit hail ai- most in the same breath. At the front door a well-appointed carriage of one of the legations had Just rolled into waiting. He looked book and saw Miss Faulkner, erect and beautiful as a bride in her gauzy draperies, descending the stairs before the waiting servants. ' He telt his heart beat strangely. Ife hesi tated; recalled himself with an effort--hurriedly stepped from the porch into the path as he heard the carriage door close behind him In the disianae, and even felt the dust from her horses' hoofs rise around him as she drove post him and away. S CHAPTER IB. Although Brant was convinced as soon as he left the house that he could not accept anything from the Boam polntaj Influence, and that his inter view with Susy was fruitless, he knew , that he must temporise. While he did not believe that his old playmate would willingly betray him, he was uneasy when he thought of the vanity and im pulsiveness which might compromize him or of a possible jealousy that might seek revenge. Yet he had no. rea son to believe that Susy's nature was jealous, or that she was likely to have any cause, but the feet was that the climax of Miss Faulkner's reappearance when they were together affected him more strongly than the real climax of his interview with Susy which was her offer. Once out of the atmosphere of that house, it struck him, too, that Miss Faulkner was almost as much of nn alien to it as himself. He wondered what she had been doing there. Could it be possible that she was obtaining Information for the south? nut ne re jected the idea as quickly as it had occurred to him. Perhaps there could be no stronger proof of the unconscious influence the young girl already had over him. He remembered the liveries of the diplomatic carriage that had borne her away nnd ascertained without aim culty that her sister had married one of the foreign ministers, and that she was the guest in his house. But he was the more astonished to hear that she and her sister were considered to be southern unionists, and were greatly .; petted in governmental circles for their sacrificing tldenty to ine nag. mo in formant, an official in the state depart ment, added that Miss Matilda might have been a good deal of a madcap at the outbreak of the war, far the sisters had a brother, in the confederate serv ice, but that she hod changed greatly, and, indeed, within a month. "For," he added, "she was at the white house for the first time last week, and they say the president talked more to her than any other woman. The indescribable sensation with which this simple .information filled Brant startled him more than the news itself. Hope, joy, fear, distrust.and de spair alternately thrilled him. He re cnlledMissFaulkner'salmost agonizing glance of appeal to him in the drawing room at Susy's, and it seemed to be equally consistent with the truth of what he had just heard or same mon strous treachery and deceit of which she might be capable. Even now she might be a secret emissary of some spy within the president's family; she might have beau in correspondence with some traitor in the Boompointer clique, and her imploring glance only the result of : fear of exposure.; 0rr again, she might have truly recanted after her escapade at Gray .Oaks, and feared only his recollection of her as go-between of spies,. And yet both of these presumptions were inconsistent with her conduct In the conservatory. It seemed impossible that this impul sive women, capable of doing what he had himself known her to do, and equally sensitive to the shame or joy of such impulses, should be the same heartless woman of society, who had so coldly recognized and parted from him. But this interval of doubt was transi tory. The next day he received a dis patch from the war department, order ing him to report himself for duty at once. With beating heart he hurried to the secretary. But that official hod , merely left a memorandum with his assistant, directing Gen. Brant to ac company some fresh levies to a camp of occupation near the front for "organi zation." Brant felt a chill of disap pointment. Duties of this kind hail been left to dubious, regular army nurneuiy ; uipiwu. iiwmi . ivmw and favored detrimentals. But It It was not restoration, it was no longer inaction, and It was at least a release, from Washington. It was, also, evidently the result of some influence, but hardly that of the Doompointers. for he knew that Busy i wished to keep him at the capital. Was. there another power at work to send him away to Washington? His pre vious suspicion returned, Nor were they dissipated when the chief of the bureau placed a letter before him with the remark that it had been intrusted to him by a lady, with the request thatj it should be delivered only into his own hands. . "She did not know your hotel address, but ascertained yot were, to call here, , She said it was of impor tance. There is no mystery about it, general," continued ihe official with a mischievous glance at Brant's hand some, perplexed face, "although it's from a very pretty woman whom we all know." ,! "Mrs.' Boompointer" suggested Tl arttat;llfl,MM It was a maladroit speeftli.i;,Theofil - ciol's face darkened, ,"Ws have not yet become a postal .department for the Boompointers, general," he saii, drily, however great their influence ' else - ffhere. It was from ratnera ainmem ITyie vi woman mian rauiKnvri- iw will receive your papers later t your note), and leave-to-night."-- - Brant's unlucky slip was still potent enough to divert the official attention, or he wogld have noticed the change in his visitor's face, and the abruptness of his departure. Once in the street, Brant tore off the euvelop. Bat bsMaik, U.waa asothar, Stt til WvWSl&w sSU.M' fined hand: "Please do not open this . unt il you reach your destination." Then she knew he was golngl And I his was her Influence. All his suspi cions again returned. 8he knew he was going through the lines, and Oils very appointment, through her Influence, might he a plot to serve her and the en emy. Was this letter which Bhe was Int nistini? to him the cover of a missive to her southern friends, which she ex pected him to carry, ns a return for her own act of aclf-saurillce? Was this the appeal she had been making to his chivalry, his gratitude, his honor? Tha perspiration stood in beads ou his fore head. What defect lay hidden In his nature that seemed to make him an easy victim of these Intriguing women? He had not even oheexcuse of gallantry. Less susceptible to the potencies of the sex than most men, he was still com pelled to boar that reputation. He re membered hie coldness to Miss Faulk ner in the first days of their meeting, and her effect upon his subalterns. Why had she selected him from among them, when she could have modeled the others like wax to her purpose? Why? And yet with the question came a pos sible answer that he hardly dared to think of; that in Its very vaguenes seemed to fill him with a stimulating thrill and hopefulness. He quickened his pace. He would take the letter and yet be master of himself when the time came to open it. . That time came three days later, In hlstent on Three Pine Crossing. '! Ashe broke open the envelope he was re lieved to find that it contained uoother inclosure, and seemed intended only for himself. It began abruptly: "When you read this you will under stand why I did not apeak to you when we met lust night; why I even dreaded that you might speak to me, knowing what I ought to tell you even at such a place and moment something you could hear from me alone. I did not know you were in Washington, al though I knew that you were relieved! I had no way of seeing you or sending to you before, and I only come to Mrs. Boompoirrter's party in the hope of n(ariAg newa 0f you. "iou miow that my brother was cap tured by your pickets, In company with another officer. He thinks you sus pected the truth, that he and bin friend were hovering near your lines to effect the escape of the spy. But he says that although they failed to help her she did escape, or was passed through the lines by your connivance. He says that you seemed to know her, that from wIiatKoc,themulnttowomau,toldhun, yon and she were evidently old friends., I would not speak of this, nor intrude nion your! private affairs only that I think you ought to know that I had no knowledge of it when I was in your house, but believed her to be a stranger to you. You gave me no intimation that you knew her, and I believed that you were frank with me. But I should not speak of this at oil, for I believe that it would have made no difference with me In repairing the wrong tluitl thought I had done you, only that as I oui forced by circumstances to tell you the terrible ending of this story you ought to know it all. . "My brother wrote to mo that the evening after you left the burying par ty picked up the body of what they be lieved: to be a mulatto woman lying on the slope. It was not Base, but the body of that very woman the real and only spy whom you hod passed through the lines at daybreak. My brother thinks she was accidentally killed in the first attack upon you by her own friends, and so fell a double martyr, , But only my brother nnd his friend recognized her through her blackened face and disguise, and on the plea that she was a servant of one of their friends, they got permission from the division commander to l ike her away, and she was buried by hur Mends and among her people in tlie.iMlcajm. etcry of Three i'lncs crossing not tar 'from where you have gone. Mj brother tliought I ought to toll you this; it wenut that he ami his frii'cid had itlrttnge.syujpaUiy for you in ' ill they appear lo Know or guess of yym ie!a- tions with that woman, and 1 think he was touched by what he thought was your kindness and chivalry to him on account, of his sister. But I do not t 0Mk eTer pr wlu kn0Wi hoB great is the task that he has Imposed upon me, "You know now, do you not, why I did not speak to you when we first met. It seemed to Impossible to do it in an atmosphere and a festivity that was so incongruous to the dreadful message I was charged with. And when I had to meet you later perhaps I may have wronged you but it seemed to me that you were so preoccupied and interested with other things that I might perhaps only be wearying you with something you oared little for, or perhaps already knew and had quick- Iv forirotten. 1 (To be continued.) : New subscriptions for the Weekly Oregonlan taken at this office, You can get 25 lbs of good rice and 40 lbs of beans at Peebler'H for 91 00; and 100 lbs of the best dry granulated sugar for $5 06 spot cash. ... Measure your rooms accurately and bring size In feet nnd Inches with you. ; , yo ......iiu - v,- , ,Jet "wed by the Albany " jurhlture Co., Albniiy, 'Oregon. I Farmers who store their wheat at 1 (be Lebanon mill Ihls year will re- ' lve Albany prices for same when they wish to sell. See ad. of the Champion Mill. Debility, Bllhiusness, Loss of Appetite, Indigestion and Constipation. Grove's Tasteless Chill Tunic, removes the cause which produces these troubles. Try It and you will be delighted, SO cents. To get toe genuine ask fot (Ji . W. amity ,B8T with bit B. BlMkwtUI Gonulae Bulk tiarnm u in tteiua ty iimu. ioa win nnu ooupon Iniid wub two ounce bu.ud two poni iuitile tool, lour ouoe tag of Blackwcll's Gsnuino Durham Smoking Tobacco Bo a bas or this Mlsbratsa tobasso and rsad the oon pon- Wli'vaiaUatofvaiasMepMssnuaaduowuifotuita i Victors Are Best. aTiiiiiiisViii m im nn, mm, in nm , mm i ' h"" Victor Non Puncturable running wheel on earth. The beat is the cheapest in the end. Largest stock of second-hand, wheels on the coast. Everything as represented. Headquarters for sundries Street and 311 Alder Street,' Albany Furniture Co, (INCORPORATED) BALTIMORE BLOCK, Albany, Oregon.: Furniture, Carpets, Linoleums, matting, etc. Pictures and Picture molding, . Undertaking a Specialty. SEAS1DR EXCURSION T1CKET8 Summer excursion tickets, good to return until October 10th, to Yaquloa Bay, are now on sale by the Oregon Central & Eastern R. K. at Albany and Corvallis at the usual reduced rates), viz: Albany to Yaqulna and return 3 60 Corvallis , " " " 8 36 . In this connection , arrangement hove been made whereby the tug "Resolute" has been placed In regular service between Yaqulna and. Newport for the accommodation of excursionists. The "Resolute" Is one of the largest and most commodious tugs on the Pacific coast and will take fishing par ties to seaand return whenever desired the weather permitting. SUNDAY EXCURSIONS, ' Beginning with Sunday, June 21st, and on eaoh succeeding (iunday, a special excursion trulti will leave Albany at 7 A. M Corvallin 7:30 A. u,, arriving at Yuquina at 11:16 A, M. Returning, boat leaves Newport at 6:80 F. M. Train leaves Yaqulna at 7 P. M., arriving at Corvallis at 10 P. M. and Albany at 10:30 p, H. Fare, good on this tram only, from Corvallis, Albany and Philomath to Newport and return, $1.30, CuItVALT.IB, June 17. 1806. H. L WALDKN, H. 11. IiOWMAN, Agent, Albany. Agent, Corvallis. Edwin Btonr, Manager, Corvallis. . To The Mothers. You have nice children, you know and nothing pleases them better than a Dice nobby suit of clothes that keeps them warm and healthy. Baker has th ru and for hut little money. Can you stnnl $1.00 fur a suit of clothes, or up to 4 ittir All these low prices you will Dud at Hiram Baker's, During our closing out sale no goods Will b. aolfi except fr spot cash . oon X, uua Tire, No. 103, is llio lightest Write for list. " " and athletic goodF, 130 Fixth Portland, Oregon. OVERMAN WHEEL COMPANY. W. B, Kkrnan, Manager. 0 regon Central & Eastern, XL. It. CO. 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