The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1861-09-25
What L owe the War.
BY NAFALIE HEATH.


We were standing together, Faith and l.,
by the railroad, with some two or three hun
dred other women, young and old; crowd
of noisy children, aad here and there an old
man, or half grown lad, all assembled to
wait the passing of the train that was bear
ing the regiment to on its way to Wash
ington.
There was company from our village
among them, though they had started, to-
day, from the state capital; and many a
mother, wife, and sister in the crowd was
waiting for last look from the eyes that
should meet hers again no more-"lt might
be for years, it might be forever !'--so that
they were, for the most part, very quiet and
subdued, though burning with sort of in
ward fever of impatience, for the meeting,
that must be, after all, 50 sadly brief, so ter
ribly unsatisfying.
Faith was excited Her cheeks glowed,
her eyes shcne like stars; and as she stood
there, her brown curls swaying in the breeze,
could not but think il great pity that she
had no brave young lover among the ap-
preaching volunteers, who would carry away
; in his heart, this radiant picture of girlisa
grace and beauty. But she had not--only
some old acquaintances and childhood friends
so that there was but dash Of regret to tenn
per her exultation in their bravery, and in
the holy cause they were going so nobly to
uphold.
As for me, was very, very sad My heart
ached terribly, becanse-strangest of all
reasons--I had no one to grieve for!
"No," thought, bitterly, "there is not
one in all these thousands that are marching
stcadfastly, day by day, to meet death, if
need be, to whom can say, God bless .apd
keep you, ard bring you safe home to me
again r--not one to whom this parting will
be the wrenching asunder of heart-strings
for my sake"
And then came back to me, or rather grew
more vivid in my remem5rance--for its i'm
age lay always, night and day, in the shad-
/. owy recesses of my heart-the love that,
two years gone by, had made one summer
| Of my life long, bright dream of perfect con-
tent, without single shadow Of alloy, until,
a.lin moment, arose the terrible storm that
was to make such utter shipwreck Of my
happiness.
How had it come about? I could hardly
tell, even now. It all seemed like some hor-
rible nightmare dream, from which there
could be no full and free awakening | had
never doubted him-not for a moment! No
!. one who looked into Cloudlessly CAROLS
ket \st hazel eyss ever did, or could, posi-
ucA istrust him. And yet had listened
4 sure lers and foul Misrepresentation from
ms Il knew hated him with all the petty
.nce of their low, venomous natures, and
keeling all the while, in my inmost soul, that
he was innocent and true as heaven. In my
miserable pride had let him go without a
single word or hue of explanation, a single
effort to clear myself from the stigma thai
my owa conduct had fixed upon me- tickle
. Use hearted coquette!
n Gil, IL WaS uli OVeT HOW aHu 0ou huoW
that with what measure meted, it had beer
measured to me again. Had there been, in
hi, heart, the most Unsuitable desire for re
yenge, it had been more than satisfied, coult
he have known my sufierings in the wesyy
year that followed but there had not, that
knew. Bitter anger there might have been
at first-sorrow as deep and lasting as hi
loye had been pure and true; but never
never one cruel or wicked thought in tha
mind, that had once seemed to me, in m!
foolish selfconceit, almost quixotic in it
high-minded chivalry.
Oh! it had borne falsehood on its face, tn
lie they told me--that he had courted me TO
my wealth, that he bad boasted Of havin
trapped the heiress! had felt it lie,
had known it one; and yet-well, vol, !
was worse than folly thinking Of all this now
Cloudlesly was Far away knew NOT where