FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61  
62   63   64   65   66   >>  
the general. "Come, my boy, I want to help you," said the veteran officer, persuasively. "Who, or what, detained you? Where were you detained? It must have been some man--or was it a woman? Tell me, and, by heavens, I'll make such an example of the traitor as will never be forgotten in South Carolina or the Confederacy!" "I cannot, sir." "Think! Your rank, your honor, it may be your life, all depend upon your reply. You are concealing something from me. You do not answer," continued Beauregard, keenly scanning the face of the young man standing before him in stubborn silence. "I see that you are shielding some one, sheltering some unworthy person. Who is it?" Still no answer. The general's patience was gradually vanishing in the face of such obstinacy. Yet he restrained his growing displeasure, and continued his questioning. "Where did you go after you left me?" "To my quarters, sir, to write a letter." "Were you there all the time?" "No, sir." "Where did you go after the letter was written?" No answer. "Major Lacy said--" began the general, changing his tactics. "Did he tell you?" cried Sempland, in sudden alarm and great dismay. "He knew then?" exclaimed the general, triumphant in his clew. "No, he didn't tell. He never will tell now. I have learned from a picket boat that was captured last night by our patrols, that nothing was seen of the _David_ after the explosion." "Poor Lacy!" said Sempland. "Well, sir, he died the death of his choice." "Yes," said Beauregard, "little in life became him as the ending of it." A little silence fell between the two in the room. "And I might have been there," said Sempland at last. "I had rather see you dead, sir, than in your present case," commented the general, deftly. "Yes, sir, and I'd rather be there myself," returned the young man, "but I--I beg your pardon, General, were they successful?" "In a measure. They missed the _Wabash_, but blew up the _Housatonic_." "Did the cotton ships get out?" "Unfortunately, no. One of them was sunk. The other two returned in safety. But all this is beside the question. We are losing sight of the main point. For the last time, will you tell me why you failed to be on hand?" "General Beauregard, as I said, I would rather be where Lacy is now than have failed as I did, but I cannot tell you what detained me" "For the last time, Mr. Sempland, I beg of you to answer me. You know the conseque
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61  
62   63   64   65   66   >>  



Top keywords:

general

 

answer

 
Sempland
 

Beauregard

 

detained

 

continued

 

letter

 
returned
 

General

 

silence


failed

 

explosion

 

ending

 
patrols
 
choice
 

Wabash

 

question

 
losing
 

safety

 

conseque


Unfortunately
 

pardon

 
successful
 

commented

 

deftly

 

measure

 

cotton

 

Housatonic

 

missed

 
captured

present

 

depend

 

Confederacy

 
concealing
 

standing

 
stubborn
 
scanning
 

keenly

 

Carolina

 
officer

persuasively

 
veteran
 
traitor
 

forgotten

 

heavens

 

shielding

 

sudden

 
tactics
 
changing
 

dismay