The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1865-01-03
TOM PATS0N'S REVENGE.
BY JACK PERCY.

Il III auu uetT, UibLiiS uP WIN ioh =
tongues offame, ortwinkling like stars
on hill and plain, were the camp fires
Of Kilpatrick's cavalry division.
1t was about eight o'clock in the eve
ming, as Tom Patson sat near one oi
the camp fires of his company. Tom
was third sergeant of company l.
Regt. of cavalry.-The loud laugh and
merry song of his comrades resounded
on ali sides of him; but Tom sat with
his chin resting on his hands, as silent
as the grave. His hair fell in black cur
ling masses over his head and brow,
and the lower part of his face was COW
cred with a heavy black beard. He
wore an old battered drab felt hat. and
the collar of red flannel shirt was turn
ed out over is jacket. Long boots
splashed with mud reached up to his
thighs. Toms fits of abstraction were
ofso common occurrence that they
were scarcely ever noticed by his COM
panions. AT times he would be the gay
est Of the gay, and then, in the midst
of his hillarity, a cloud would come
over his spirits, and he would not utter
o word Except when answeringa ques-
tion) for hours together. Every one
liked him, for he was generous to fault,
and would share his last cracker with
a comrade. Kind though he was to
his friends, still he never was known to
show quarter to rebel-he turned a
deaf ear to all appeals for mercy.
"Tom's got the blues again." said
one Of those near him as he noticed his
position near the fire.
"He'll be lively enough when we at
tack the Johnnies in the morning." said
another.
"What makes him so down-hcarted!"
asked new recruit. "He was as full
Of fun as he could be for couple of
hours this afternoon, and then all on a
sudden he became as speechless as a
statue"
"Very few of the boys know the real
reason of Toms conduct" said the
man who had first spoken, and who
was known as Jack Dwight; $50 Ill
tell you. Tom is native of New York
State but for a couple of years before
the war broke out he was acting as
foreman of a large mandatory in Rich
mond, Virginia, where / was also ems
ployed. While in this position, Tom
became acquainted with a young girl
named Kate Chester. She was of the
same station in life as Ton, and he fell in
love with her. For omemonths every
thing went well and Tom fancied his love
was returned. Paul Arden, the son of
rich planter now became acquainted
with the girl, and she, dazzled by his
wealth, treated Tom with GOODNESS. /
think she really liked Patson, and she
wo'd have recovered from her fancy
for Arden, but her parents forced his
suit and forbade TOMS visits. ! never
liked the young planter, and as you
may readily suppose, my dislike was
shared by Tom. Arden was too smooth
and polished to suit my taste. He had
the reputation of being a roue /; but
Kate's parents were so blinded by his
riches that they could not see his faults.
"Kate Chester and Paul Arden were
married, and Tom Patson was almost
heart-broken. Almost six months af.
ter the marriage we heard that Paul
Arden had deserted his wife. The
marriage was sham. The minister
was a tool of Arden. The disgrace
was to much for Kate too bear, aud she
died, saying, with her latest breath,
that Tom Patson was the only one she
had ever truly loved.
h "When Tom first heard of her death,
he went almost crazy. He would have
killed Arden like a dog ifhe could have
found him, but the villain, fearing the
consequence of his crime, had sailed for
Europe. .e
"FIlled with hatred of the South and
its people, Tom gave up his sitTation
and returned TO New Yark, and 1 ac-
companied him. aai
"a few months after our return the
war broke out, and Tom enlisted In
one of the three months regiments. He
was badly wounded at the first battle
Of Bull Run, and was in the hospital