"All right, Miss. Ter begin with, my name's not Brown. Nary a time.
Hit's Fortner--Jim Fortner--the 'noted Scout,' ez I heered ye readin'
'bout 'tother day, when ye war givin' the boys the war news in the
papers. I'm well-known ez a secret-sarvice man--tu well-known, I'm
afeered. I could git 'long 'ithout quite ez menny 'quaintances ez I hev
gethered up lately. More 'specially o' the kind, fur menny on 'em ar'
only waitin' a good opportunity ter gin me a gran' interduction to
'tarnity. I'd ruther know fewer folks an' better ones, ez I wunst heered
Harry Glen say."

"What do you know of----" Rachel started to say, but before she could
finish the sentence Fortner resumed:

"I'm now 'bout ter start on the most 'portant work I ever done fur the
Gover'mint. Things ar' ripenin' fast fur the orfulest battle ever fit in
this ere co'ntry. Afore the Chrismuss snow flies this ere army'll fall
on them thar Rebels 'round Murfressboro like an oak tree on a den
o' rattlesnakes. Blood'll run like water in a Spring thaw, an' them
fellers'll hev so menny fun'rals ter tend thet they won't hev no time
for Chrismuss frolics. They've raced back an' forrard, an' dodged up an'
down fur a year now, but they're at the eend uv ther rope, an' hit'll be
a deth-nooze fur 'em. May the pit o' hell open fur 'em."

He watched Rachel's face closely as he spoke. She neither blanched nor
recoiled, but her eyes lighted up as if with anticipation of the coming
conflict, and she asked eagerly:

"O, are you only quite sure that our army will be victorious?"

His eyes shown with gratification.

"I knowed thet's the way ye'd take the news. I knowed the minit I sot
eyes on ye thet ye war good grit. I never git fooled much in my guess o'
people's backbone. Thar wuz Harry Glen--all his own comrades thot he
wuz white 'bout the liver, but I seed the minit I laid my eyes onter him
thet he hed ez good, stan'-up stuff in him ez ennybody, w'en he got over
his fust flightiness."

Had this man some scheme that would bring her lover and her together?
"But what do you want of me?" Rachel asked, with all the composure she
could summon.

"Suthing a cussed sight more hon'rable an' more useful ter ther
Gover'mint then stayin' 'round heah nussin' these loafers," he answered
roughly. "Hist! thar's a shadder nigh yon winder." He crossed the room
with the quick, silent tread of a panther, and his face darkened as
he saw the objectionable red-headed and black-bearded men