Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1861-10-04
S ELI 7 TALE.
From Peterson's Magazine
W EGat Z Owe The War.


hundred other women, young and cid
q crowd Of noisy children. and here ant
there an old man, or half grown LAD, al
assembled to wait the passing of the trair
that was bearing the = regiment on it!
way to Washington.
There was a company from cur villagt
among them, though they had started, to
day from the State capitol; and many s
mother, wife and sister in the crowd was
waiting for last look from the eyes that
should mees hers again no more-''it might
be fer years, it might be forever !'-sc
that they wore for the NEST part very quiet
aad subdued, though burning with sort
ofinward fever ofimpatience, for the meet
ing, that must be, after all so sadly brief,
SO terribly unsatisfying.
Faith was excited Her cheeks glowed,
her eyes shone Ike stars; and rs she stood
there her brown curly hair waving in the
breeze, I could not but think that it was a
great pity that she had no brave young
lover among the approaching volunteers,
who would carry away, in his heart, this
radiant picture Of girlish grace and beauty.
But she had not-only some old aequains-
aDces and ckildaaod friends SO that
there was but dash of regret to temper
her exultation in her bravery, and in the
holy cause thay were going SO nobly to up
hold.
As for ne, was very, very sad. My
heart achad terribly, because-strangest
Of ali reasons-T had no one to grieve for !!
No, thought. bitterly, there is not enc
in all shese thousands that are marching
steadfastly, day by day, to meet death, if
need be, to whom I can say, God bless
and keep you, and bring you safe home to
me again mot one to whom this parting
will be the wrencbing asunder of heart
strings for my sake,
And then came back to me, or rather
grew more vivid in my remembrance-for
its image lag always, night and day, in the
shadewy recesses Of my heart-the love
that two years gone BY, had made one sum
mer Of my life long, bright dream of per
feet centent, without single shadow Of al
10y, until, all in a mement arose the terri
bio storm thai was to mako such utter
shipwrsck Of my happiness.
How had ii come about? could hard
ly tell even now. It seemed ike some
horrible nightmare dream, from which
there could be no full and froe awakening,
| had never doubted him rot for a monent.
No enc who looked INTO Cloudlessly Car
rolls honest hazel eyes ever did, or could,
possibly, mistrust him. And yet [ had
listencds5o SANDERS and foul misrepresent-
ations from those | knew hated him with
al the petty spite Of their low, yenomous
natures, and feeling all the while, in my
inmost soul, that he was as innocent and
true as heaven In my miserable pride |
had let him 60 without a single word or
line Of explanation, single effort to clear
myself from the stigma my own conduct
had fixed upon me--ficklo, false-hearted
coquette!
Well it mas all ever now: and God
knew that with what measure [ meted, it
had beeen measured to me again, Had
there been, in bis heart, the most insatia-
ole desire for revenge, it had been more
than satisfied, could he have known my
sufferings in the weary year that followed !;
but there had not, that knew. Bitter
anger there might have been at irst--sor-
row as deep and lasting as his love had
been pure and true ; but never, never one
cruel or wicked thought in that miad, that
had once seemed 10 me, in my foolish self
conceit, almost quizetic in its high-minded
ehiyalry.
Oh it had borne faIseheod on its face,
the lie they told ms-that be had courted
me for my wealth, that he boasted of hav-
ing trapped the heiress!" / had felt it a
lie, / had known it enc; and yet-well,
well. it was worse than folly thinking Of
all this now Cloudlessly was far away,
knew not where, only l knew that be was
doing God service wherever and whatever
he might be. And I-wby I was stand
ing here beside the railroad track, waiting
to give "God speed" to the New Jersey
Volunteers; and SO let me think of that
and nothing else--and heart, be still give
me an hours respite? you have done aoh-
ing enough in the past, God knows!
And so I came back to the csntempla-
ton eff Faiths sweet face gazing earnestly
up the road.
They are coming, Natalie, I am sure
That certainly was the whistle!
| Indeed, Faith, l think net.
! Oh, dear will they never come ?Ns'vt
been here st least an hour and half.
Twenty-Five minutes by the watch Anc
Squire Ross the middle aged neighbor whc
was locking after US. held bis old fash