The Difference

"You are charged with bemg drank and disorderly, but as this is your first offense I will ouly fine you $3 or send you to prison for one day." "I'm obliged to you, your honor, bní really I haven't got a cent of nioney." "See, that comes froin drinking Now, if you hadn't got drnnk you coulci easily pay such a small fine as $3."Fliegende Blatter. The window was quickly thrown dowH, f astening the flagstaff down and holding it in position, where it continued to gently wave defiance to the Tory throng low. Meanwhile Patty had heard the order for her arrest and ran like the wind down the rear steps, through the plat of ground at the rear of the house and out into Garden lane. Across the way the door of the old meeting house stood invitingly ajar, the aged sexton having forgotten to close it af ter the day',s garnishing. Into it Patty ran, but not quickly enough to escape observation by the soldiers. One of thern caught a glimpse of her flying skirts as she entered the door and gave the alarm. In a moment the etitire command, forgetful for the time of all discipline, rushed headlong after her. Just as they had all reached the meeting house "slaml" sounded the solid door in their faces, and as they gathered angrily around, baffled, they could hear the sound of the heavy iron bar as it dropped into place on the inside. "Crash!" went the bullet through the pane, sent by some dastardly soldier's pistol. "Stop thatl" shouted one of the junior officers of the conipany. "The nest man who shoots at that girl will be placed under arrest!" On the inside Patty crouched in front of the center pillar of the building breathless and a good deal frightened. The bullet whirred over her head and buried itself in the wood about a foot aboye her. In a moment one or two of the men outside, assisted by their comrades, had climbed to the window sill and had succeeded in raising the window about six inches. By degrees they widened the distance sufñciently to allow a soldier's body admission to the room. He clambered over the silJ and dropped down on the inside. "Ah, my pretty one," said the soldier to Patty, who was now thoroughly frightened, "so we've got you at last, have we?" Major Derrond looked grimly down from his high se:it upon his horse as Patty was led, trembling and tiinorous, before him. "Take this girl. to my quarters and keep gr.ard over her." The colonel's quarters, which had been made in a stanch stone mansion in another part of the village, were reached soon, and Patty was forthwith taken to a room on the second floor and locked in. while a soldier stood guard without the door and another in the street just under the one window. Two hours dragged their slow length away before Patty heard anything more from the soldiers. Then she saw them coming toward the house in groups of twos and threes. Shortly, too, the major rode up, and throwing his horse's reins to a servant dismounted and entered the hall. Patty saw one of her three friends - the lieutenant - accoinpauying him. After perhaps 15 more minutes had passed the same soldier who had locked the girl in came and unlocked the door, beckoning for Patty to come with him. The soldier took her along the passageway and down to the lower floor before Major Derrond again. That officer seemed a trine less stern, she thought, than when she was at first taken before him. "I have decided," said the major, "to release you on condition that you do not repeat the offense to his majesty that was the cause of your being here. Are you willing to give that assurance?" Patty hesitated a moment, and finally deciding that by promising she need in nowise be untrue to her father's and lover's cause, gave the required promise. Upon a night soon after a heavy rain had begun to fall about dusk and had continued drearily the night long. Shortly after 9 o'clock the little village was locked in slumberj Patty had retired soon after 9 and had fallen immediately asleep. Nothing disturbed her dreams until just after midnight, when a shower of gravel rattled sharply against her chamber window. The girl was awakened almost instantly, and jumped froin her bed to investígate the cause of the strange proceeding. "It's me, Patty," carne a low voice from below, which she iinrnediately recognized as that of John, Jr., her lover, who was supposed to be far away to tht wars. Hastily she threw on her clothes, and in a moment had unfastened the heavy kitchen door and had admitted the soldier youth, dreuehed and bedraggled, to the welcome warmth of the open fire, which, altliough the season was summer, gave out a generous heat to the chilled and dripping youth. "Now," said Patty as John removed his coat and stood bef ore the fire, "teil me how you carne to come home?" John made no answer for several minutes. Then he said: "I suppose that I might as well teil you, Patty, that I've deserted." The girl failed to coniprehend for a moment and sat with wide, wondering eyes. "You don't mean, John," she finally said slowly, "that you've run away from the army, do you?" "You said yourself that you wouldn't blaine any man for being afraid," he said feebly. "Yes," answered Patty, "but I've changed since then. I'in not a coward any longer. The tables seem to be turned now," she added significan tly, and John flushed uneasily. And then the girl recounted the story of her adventure with the British soldiers. At this the weeping soldier lad dried his eyes and sat up a little straighter. "You must havewalked a good way," Patty said after a time, a little more kindly. ' Where did you leave the armyr" "Not very far from here," answered John. "Our general heard the British were fijdng up a headquarters down here somewhere and sent a coinpany down to see. They're in catup now about seven miles to the north. None of the men saw me slip out," he added in a shamed way. '' A moment lateT and n glorions