“Save me! Save me!” he cried, “I am a Confederate spy,” and he gave the sign of the secret order.
The young lady who had not fallen was terribly frightened, but she grasped the situation in a moment.
“Upstairs,” she gasped, pointing the way; “tell mother, the secret place.”
Calhoun lost no time in obeying her. The girl flew to the back door and opened it, then back just as her sister was rising, her face covered with blood, for she had hit her nose in falling.
“Quick, Annette, in the parlor,” said her sister; “assent to everything I say.”
Annette staggered into the parlor hardly knowing what she did, for she was dazed and terribly frightened. The sister, whose name was Inez, was now at the door, which was giving way before the blows of Calhoun’s pursuers. All this happened in less than a minute.
“Stop!” she cried, “I will unlock the door,” and she did so, and when the soldiers rushed in, crying, “Where is he? Where is the spy?” she stood wringing her hands and sobbing, “My sister! Oh, my sister! he has murdered her.”
The words brought the soldiers to a halt. “Who murdered your sister?” asked a sergeant who seemed to be the leader.
“The man! the man who ran in here!”
“Where is he? He is the fellow we want.”