riek of the hoot-owl
just above her head. At length they found themselves in a dim, narrow
road, and the negro stopped.

"Dess keep dish yeh road fo' 'bout half mile an' you strak 'pon the
broad, main road. Tek de right, an' you go whah yo' fancy tek you."

"Good-by," whispered Mary.

"Good-by, miss," said the negro, in the same low voice; "good-by, boss;
don't you fo'git you promise tek me thoo to de Yankee' when you come
back. I 'feered you gwine fo'git it, boss."

The spy said he would not, and they left him. The half-mile was soon
passed, though it turned out to be a mile and a half, and at length
Mary's companion looked back, as they rode single file, with Mary in the
rear, and said softly, "There's the road," pointing at its broad, pale
line with his six-shooter.

As they entered it and turned to the right, Mary, with Alice again
in her arms, moved somewhat ahead of her companion, her indifferent
horsemanship having compelled him to drop back to avoid a prickly bush.
His horse was just quickening his pace to regain the lost position when
a man sprang up from the ground on the farther side of the highway,
snatched a carbine from the earth and cried, "Halt!"

The dark, recumbent forms of six or eight others could be seen,
enveloped in their blankets, lying about a few red coals. Mary turned a
frightened look backward and met the eyes of her companion.

"Move a little faster," said he, in a low, clear voice. As she promptly
did so she heard him answer the challenge. His horse trotted softly
after hers.

"Don't stop us, my friend; we're taking a sick child to the doctor."

"Halt, you hound!" the cry rang out; and as Mary glanced back three
or four men were just leaping into the road. But she saw, also, her
companion, his face suffused with an earnestness that was almost an
agony, rise in his stirrups, with the stoop of his shoulders all gone,
and wildly cry:--

"Go!"

She smote the horse and flew. Alice awoke and screamed.

"Hush, my darling!" said the mother, laying on the withe; "mamma's here.
Hush, darling!--mamma's here. Don't be frightened, darling baby! O God,
spare my child!" and away she sped.

The report of a carbine rang out and went rolling away in a thousand
echoes through the wood. Two others followed in sharp succession, and
there went close by Mary's ear the waspish whine of a minie-ball. At the
same moment she recognized, once,--twice,--thrice,--just at her back
where the hoofs of her