How Beauty Was Saved

a modest little schoolhouse called the "Dove's Nest." To that school came two young girls

dangers, and rode on horseback (both on the same horse)[12] three miles through forest and field to attend school. They had no fear, for both could shoot a pistol, and always carried a loaded one, and a small Spanish dirk for self-pr

bling, uncomfortable gait, but the girls determined to teach

girls narrowly missed being shot on one occasion, as some soldiers were firing down the road for practice, and the bullets whistled near their heads as they turned a curve in the lane. The booming of cannon could be heard from the Mi

st little teacher decided to close the term with a thoro

day of the exhibition dawned bright and fair, the woods were full of flowers, and nature seemed to laugh in the glad sunshine. The two girls arrived early, and one of them dec

come to take the little teacher to the schoolhouse. When she dismounted she fastened her horse under[15] the same tree, in full view of the road. The house was surrounded by spacious grounds, some distance fro

o service that they could find. Turning to a soldier he said, "Take that horse from the buggy, saddle him and see if he is[16] fit for use." This caused the girl some uneasiness about her friend's horse, but she hoped the side-saddle would save him, as it had done when the Southern army were pressing horses. Anxiously she w

he told him no, the horse belonged to a schoolgirl friend. He looked incredulous and said that[17] he suspected it belonged to a rebel soldier; and, bowing an

et me try h

or riding skirt, she slowly started down the avenue in front of the house. She let the horse shamble along in the ugly way he liked until[18] he reached the large gate where the company of soldiers were stationed. They looked surprised to see her riding down alone on one of the horses they had stopped to take, but thinking it must be all right, as the Col

e "Dove's Nest" was in sight now, but the soldiers were gaining ground. She could hear the clanking of swords, the rattle of spurs, and the hoof beats. On she flew, faster and faster, for Beauty seemed to feel, with the rider, that an enemy was

nel.[20] She told them that she would not do anything of the kind; she was a Southern girl, not subject to Federal orders, and that they could not compel her to return. The owner of the horse said she

at his men did not overtake the other one. The owner of Beauty was very pretty, very eloquent and spirited, and she could swear that the horse was hers, and prove it by people present,[21] so the Colonel allowed her to k

utlaws that kept in hiding from both armies an