Newspapers / Forest City Courier (Forest … / May 5, 1927, edition 1 / Page 6
Part of Forest City Courier (Forest City, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
It was one of those hot South ern midnights, when the stars them selves seem overtaken with drowsi ness and drop from the ranks as weary soldiers do. Street-lamps threw a circle of ligTit on the pavement; beyond the circle's rim was soft, impenetrable blackness. Out of this a slender young man suddenly emerged and leaned against the lamp-post for a moment, breath ing sharp breaths. A short rest seemed to revive the youth. He straightened, clicked his heels together—and stepped forward. The dim yellow light held his back in view for half a dozen steps. The youth did not reappear in the next circle of light. The quality of the street was good. The flanking rows of brick res idences with their white marble steps, presented a dignified front in the daytime. Into one of these houses the young man had gone. Silently he mounted the stairs to his room, en tered and flung himself upon the bed, burying his face into the pillows to stifle the wild and pas sionate sobs he could no longer re press. ❖ s.* Along the road to the north, be yond the grim cordon of sentries, eleven men were racing their horses. They rode like furies. Death was not only behind them but lay in ambush before them. Death was ready, but the sleeping telegraph operator was not. Ey the time he awoke, sensed the message hammering at his key and gave the alarm, the nightriders had slipped through into a passively friendly zone. As dawn kindled the tree-tops they drew down to a walk. There was no chatter, no jesting, no expression of thankfulness over their escape. Only one made speech. It was a matter of direction, for now each man must go his own way, as once more they were in a hostile country. They di , vided at the first fork in the road, divided at the next, and so on until each man rode alone. Ten eventually reached Washing ton. The eleventh, when he was pos itive that his comrades were well on their way, wheeled about his horse and returned to the main pike, and in leisurely stages wended his way back to Richmond, through blue lines and butternut, magically. :; When the brilliant morning sun shine poured into a certain window in that beleaguered city (for it was in the summer of 1864), it gilded a grimy, tear-stained face, small, grimy hands flung out upon the pillow, and powdered with fine sparks the tousl ed locks of hair which matched the color of the copper-beech. The tenant of this room might easily have passed as a boy at night, for the figure was boyish; but in the daylight the male _attire could not wholly disguise the delicate contours or the satiny smoothness of the skin. The tear-stained face did not speak of a higher order of courage; yet Jeanne Beaufort was as brave and daring as any wpman in the South. At that time the North knew her neither by name nor by feature; but it had often sensed the danger of her; it had often, through her wit and re source, seen a carefully built cam paign tumble like a house of cards in the wind. So it began to grope for her as one person gropes for another in the dark. So the tears had no bearing upon that attribute called courage. The room she' occupied was in the house of her aunt, her moth er's sister, a widow. Mrs. Wet more never questioned her niece in regard to her mysterious absences. Upon a lowboy, which served as a dressing-table, stood three pho tographs. Each rested in a little frame of mourning: Jeanne's father and her two brothers. * * * Presently the girl on the bed sighed, turned and awoke. She blinked a little, rubbed her eyes and smiled. But the sight of that 1 / Mac C. 3 Illustrated by Henry Joy Lee / byHiroia M« G.-.A - R*l«.eA thru Au.toc«rter Service CHAPTER I. grimy hand obliterated the smile instantly. Sfie jumped up and stood in the middle of the room, palsied with terror. With fumbling fingers she felt into the inner pocket of the coat she wore and drew out a crumpled sheet of paper. It was true, then! This thing, this abom inable, cowardly thing had hap pened. She made a wild gesture as if to tear this dreadful testimony into tatters, and paused. She laid the paper on the dresser, discarded her male attire, bathed, dressed and then sat down on the edge of the bed and studied, not the body of the document, but the hieroglyphics which cascaded from there to the bottom of the sheet. John Kennedy, D. I). C-WG-L H-RD-M A-NK-S P-PA-F G-RD-A J-NK-F J-WG-A F-BN-S F-WG-S W-BE-H What the literal translations were she had not the least idea, but she did know that they were code-names belonging to a free-lance oi'ganiza tion known only to the War Office and the Secret Service in Washing ton. She had heard of this little band, but never, until last night, had her path and theirs crossed. This or ganization was composed, with one exception, of young men educated, well-born, daring and reckless be yond belief—in other words, spies who individually performed as many wonders for their cause as she per formed for hers. And for weeks they had been here in Rjchmond, stealing its heart's blood, drop by drop! They had had the daring to permit her to carry away these code-names! Was it be cause their work here was really done and that they would now scatter and keep scattered until the war was at an end? Only one face she had seen, but she would remember that—ah, she would remember that until she died. Eleven men against one woman— so be it! She took up the gauntlet; and woe to them! One by one would she track them down, ruthless, without mercy. They had trampled N her pride in dust, mocked her; so would she trample upon their honor and mock them. Not for nothing had she been given beauty and a facile tongue. She placed the paper in the bosom of her dress, rose and went down to breakfast, smiling. She had the strength to do that. Jeanne Beaufort was the daugh ter of Lawrence Beaufort, a wealthy Virginia tobacco-planter. There were five in the family: Beaufort, his spinster sister, his two boys and the girl. The mother had been dead since Jeanne's youth. Father and sister took care of her mind, and the brothers saw to it that she should be sane in body also. She sang and played delight fully; her wit was nimble, in argu ment she was wise; and her brothers taught her how to walk through a forest without crackling a twig, to break and tame fiery thoroughbreds, to shoot, swim, run. v The plantation was like hundreds of its kind: enormous feranda pillars and rambling wings and LVench win dows. Below, on the river brim, was a clean little gathering of cabins for the plantation slaves. Upon the peace and plenty of this happy little duchy fell the thun derbolt of war. Beaufort accepted a colonelcy in a local regiment, and the boys sought glory under Pickett. When the news came to Jeanne that her father had fallen' at Manassas and that his beloved body had been buried there, her grief had been terrible. The death of her two brothers at Cemetery Hill left her outwardly unmoved. She did not the piano; she did not wear mourning; and when the spinster-aunt mildly remonstrated with this conduct, which she said was lacking inreverence to THE FOREST CITY COURIER THURSDAY, MAY 5, 1927 dead, the girl whirled upon her: "I'm a woman. I can't shoulder a musket; I can't go forth and de mand of the North an eye for eye, a tooth for a tooth. But hear me, Auntie: 'l'll have that eye, I'll have that tooth!" * * * A week later Jeanne said: "I am going to Richmond." "To visit your Aunt Delia; I think it a good plan, child." , "I'll be home from time to time, unless the enemy stands in be tween. And even then I'll come." "Shall we win?" "God knows, but win or lose, the Yankees shall pay a price." Jeanne knew but little of Rich mond. This turned out very well for her later; neither friend nor foe knew anything about the per sonality of Jeanne Beaufort. This time, however, she dabbled a little in the frivolous, Dut all with a grim purpose. Step -by step she maneuvered until at last she stood in the presence of the one man she sought." "But you are so young," he pro tested —"scarcely twenty." "I am very, very old," she re plied with a dry little smile. "And I am all alone, besides." "There are terrible risks—death ;■ -HI- i THE ASHEVILLE TIMES | SKST ! VOL \XXI, NO. 26 ASHEVILLE. NORTH CAROLINA, SATURDAY, APRIL», 1927 PRICtTTivE CENTS SOVIET STARTS | FACING OEATH j; 15 CRACKSMEN I" Littlest Egg" [STRIKE C RISI WelayHendoni WATERSPOUT FLOODS FOUSDIVISIONS SPEND 3 HOURS NE\R AS IINION7/ UAN^Y^ SE > FAIICP HFATH OF ?? TOWARDS CHINA f LOOTING SAFE ,GETSOLTIMAm ™ iLwc > f Ml J of ».i« ha« b*.•*.»«• m. nw»m«n J _ I »mf« U* ItoMf IIU iV) JI I WH \ I AflLJl IH\ I _ H (tut a fern efg a« Mf «SC | " | !*♦ * T Hefai 1 II WW |j|l I jStaf» One Entnt Art >y Unit Machine Gun Squad Burns , Contractors Say $1 Wages l ™ JIF f FSwayln'-j Vault With Acet- . ! Must Be Accepted f Important News ... Happens Daily ... Read It Daily f % TH FRP * s * Dut one way k eel 3U P the im portant news of Western North Caro lina and of the world at large. You must read it Daily, because it happens Daily! Therefore, besides your local newspaper, you need to read a good Daily paper, too! . . . Western North Carolina's Own NEWSpaper, if you please, The ASHEVILLE TIMES. x Delivered to your door, every evening*, and when you have , the most time to read, The ASHEVILLE TIMES tells you all the important news, the constructive news that has happened during the day. It is a NEWSpaper not many - folks in Western North Carolina are doing without. Sien the coupon below and send us your subscription . . today! THE ASHEVILLE TIMES "Western North Carolina's Complete Evening NEWS paper" i- - - - i Use This Convenient Co'jpon TM-L _ nr*T\ /fT?C TV 1 * Th * %Bhevl,,e rime*, 1116 1 IJVLrJS Reaches i Ashni " e ' N - c - Gentlemen: " • - Forest City J 1 enclose $ for which please senti we I TV* V.u'vilH* Times for - About 5:00 P. M. | - | Rates (by carrier) . One Year .... Sl#.oo | Three Montbs 9.90 Address One Week SO •••••••• I always to face, and perhaps dis honourable death." "I am ready. I want revenge." "To play at love, to suffer the touch of men you despise, in order to gain their secrets —that is not a pleasant task for 'a well-bred woman. War is not always won by bullets; duplicity plays its part." "You are trying xo discourage me. You are wasting time." "Do you love any man?" He eyed her exquisite beauty. "Do you expect to go through life with out loving?" "I don't know," - she answered frankly. "But I hope that I may. I want revenge. My father, my broth ers, whom I loved, have given their lives freely. I wish to add mine." So young and so terribly ser ious! "Jeanne Beaufort, you siiall have I your revenge. Come; I will take 1 you to the President himself. We I need women, need their arts and j guile. Tomorrow you shall start j for Washington. You shall become a member of some family there we trust. Choose some name, and al ways in Washington be known by it. And find a man by the name of Par son Kennedy. Bring him, into our lines, and you will have served the cause to a far greater extent than your father or brothers. To-morrow I shall give you all your instructions, codes and so forth." * * * An officer came into the room. He looked like a Creole, Spanish in color and French in He paused, undecidedly. "Ah, Morgan," said the Secre tary: "this is Miss, Beaufort. Just a moment, until I see if the Presi dent is disengaged." Henry Morgan fell in love with Jeanne on the spot. Jeanne, on her side, saw a handsome young officer in butternut. She forgot all about him the moment he was gone. Later she learned something defi nite regarding Henry Morgan. He gave to the world the impression that he was a rattlepate; vain he really was; but underneath this vanity was a matchless valor. This discovery rather interested her; for no woman is left untouched in the presence of a brave man. Soon she reconstructed her opiru ] ion of him as a whole. His grace i was due to muscles as strong and highly tempered as watch-springs; and his rattle-patedness cloaked a mind as sinister and flexible as Machiavelli's. In their frequent en counters in Richmond he fascinated and repelled her at the same time. He was always about to join his regiment at the front, but somehow he never did; and yet for weeks he would disappear completely. When he returned he was always a little thinner, a little harder, a little less effervescent. When he began to make love to her, she was at first amused. But when she realized that he was in earnest, she broke up his dream 3omewhat rudely. That was the last of it, appar ently. He disappeared again, and her duties compelled her to return to Washington. (Second fine installment of this story in The Courier next week. Read it every week.) CARD OF THANKS We wish to thank our many kind friends for their kindness and sympa thy during the ijlness and death of our dear sister and aunt, Miss Docia Bostic. We are also appreciative of the beautiful floral offerings. God's richest blessing on you all. T. A. Bostic, Milson Bostic, Mrs. Irene Murphy, Inez Laughter Exi&e BATTER IES Made by the world's largest manu facturers of Storage Batteries, for every purpose. Broadway Garage Forest City, N. C. Nervousness. Miss A. R. Henry, Case 2057-L. For two years following an abdominal operation the patient was ! extremely nervous, conditiQn be coming worse under treatment. At the suggestion of a relative she com menced taking adjustments and states i that within eight months she was | in better health than ever before. DR. B. M. JARRETT CHIROPRACTOR Mrs. B. M. Jarrett, Lady Attendant Office Hours: 2 to 7 p. m. * Tuesday, Thursday and Sat urday j 2nd Floor Farmers Bank Building
Forest City Courier (Forest City, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
May 5, 1927, edition 1
6
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75