The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1865-04-22

Hattie was a bright, wholesome, practic,
girl--hsalthv of mind and body, and pret,
enough to makesyen want cfthe sentiment,
In herself seem aprightly and attractive. ST.
had no d. bubt US to Frcd's decision. ON tE
volunteer question. OF course he would 2,
and by bis bravery win Generals commi
sion. She did not even think it necessary ,
ask him If he intended TO go.
Bat Freds moiher-a lady with an Z,
eentive npse and likewise an executive di!
Position +had decided it the other way 70
him. She was not particularly patriotic
and having husband that she saubbed an
did not love exces.ivelJ,'TTas prone to cor
centrate all the sentiment of her nature w
on the sole scion ''ofher heart and house,
/ as Fred truly was. Moreover, Fred bein,
OF fgentlelyield!ng disposition in all ordnar
matters. bad never disputed question witt
bb mother IN his life, or if be had. certainl
II was TO Ecrne off second best. So Ms Har
per had iorie to think that she was to rul
her son all his life. And she did not lik
| Hattie EYans overnuch, bu. she comfortet
herself H.;h the reflection that she nigh
rule her sons wife cs well as her son, if b,
MUST get inarried-she was too sensible tt
expect that he wOgId live single AL bis life.
So when, Mrs, Harper said, "Yoi shan
u
| that Hattie woul1 sav, "You MET &C." HI.
| mother threatened TO go into e decline aad
die out Of hand if he persisted in expo.ine
himself to the chances of beng sun-struck o;
bullet-struck, while Hattie would doubt his
courage if lie remained behind. Finally. hab.
it and Mrs. Harper gained the MASTER and
Fred succumbe1. He went to Hattie and
told her OF it ; she saw that evan then she
could have iniunccd him 10 make a far dif.
ferent decision. And at first her cves fash
ed, and spirited words sprang TO her lips,
then sne thought-"lT Is HIS MoTFEe' God
forbid that ] should come between mother
and son!' And her head dropped. There,
fore, she said no word in opposition 20 his
determination. bu; she was rer7 silent Tor the
rest OF the evening.
She had the night to think over the matter
and in the morning she arose, pale but strong
and wrote 20 Fred his letter:
'.You must be ever dear to ne Ny ter
ribie struggle With my hear. last night ha
told me through sobs of pain now dear. But
with me pride is stronger thnn love. Fred,
| viii not say q word 10 you agains. what
you have decided upon. canno. stand be-
tween . mother and son. But should be q.
hypofEite II did not tell you at once for all,
that csn never marry man whose SENSE
OF DUTY IS not paramount 10 al earthly al
fecion--evea foy myself
Fred needed some such shock as tLis -
reuse him 10 the stern realities OF life. Here
tofore he bad been draaIner, and had been
nurtured into manh0cl, 80 tenderly by q
mistaken 70 )'her that be was wcll-I;gh spoilt
for all manly purposes.
With ., womsn's instinct, HATH kncw this
and she also knew that the present crises was
tho turning point Of his life.
He sighed and protested and wrote dole
II, verses, all to no r-1pnse, Hattie MAS
frin-,hc engagement vas hr2ken-snd Mrs
Harper exulted greatly ,hereat. -
Bal Fled grew gloomy aad. thoughtful !;
and one NJ oraiug hi= mother found q letter
under her plat at the b-sa.;fas: Ialle, bidding
her good bye and stating that he had
taken the early train TO Join his regiment at
Washington. She went into awful Mysteries,
and on coming Gu. of them went directly to
murderer of her only SON. laying Ut all to
her ctarre. and declaring il he shocld die or
be killed, bis blood would be upon her bead.
ard then went OFF into q secord fl. Hattie
felt as If some one had stabbed her in the
heart she .cl, that Fred was righ:iR go.ug
and she loved him much better than cve-
for II bat IL WAS ,.rribl, feel .l,r. he II -ht
have gone 10 his death and worse If he should
lie killed tha, while shed 90 mourning all
her life. his mother would l=7 that terrible
responsibility upon her shoulders. Bat wha;
could sne have done? She could no; nave
married coward.
Thereafter, Hattie lived as one lives who
holds his breath IN cons ant dread of some
awful catastrophe Time went on: he was
well. getting in lore with q soldiers Ete =:
he had been in several battles, and I'd been
promoted Oh, how proud poor Hattie was
OF him il had needed only this trial-t;ne 10
being out is really noble character in all its
strength Hattie was Satisfied, and leant
upon her love for him with perfect faith.
Rv and by came the news. "HookeTs
across the Rappahaunock. And the tidiugs
came that Captain Fred Harper had been
brough; TO Washington fatally wounded. it
was thought.
Mrs Harper went Wild.
.Oh Hattie Evans, yo- have killed nv
son - and took TO her bed.
But Hh;tie rose up and began for jour
ney.
;Where are you going o. they asked.
AID she answered them:
80 Washington to bring MIN home, or to
stav with him tothe last"
And she did go with an escort that went
for that purpose. Every hour and every min
ute she was haunted by vision of 4 dead
face and Inotinnless figure stitfened INTO
that terrible qaict which comes to Us ouly
once. Oh, God how hard to realize il
With this figure before her eyes, she step,
ped from the cars at the Washington depot
and did not see AN olicer with his am in a
sling, who was likewise looking at something
in the distance, until she came in collision
with him and was nearly THROWN down He
raised Lis cap and tnrnad quickly to apollo
gise; and the living face uSurped the place OF
the dead one! TWAS Fred Harper
Coming bacl: GU. OF death is something
like the way in winch she fslt whea she fally
realized that he was a flesh and Llcod verify
though a very pale one. and no OPTICAL de
lusion She clung to him as if size, would
never let him go again He had been
wounded in the arm, at first dangerously
the surgeon thought. bat there had been a
very careless mistake in reporting it fatal
lie had not krown it. All the danger which
the surgeon had feared -mortifcation-was
now past And he was on the point oi
starting for home when he jostled agains,
Hattie.ssz--zs~a-srsrs---.
Hattie went home as Mrs. Colonel Harper
| las the Jenkinses of American society had
a way of expressing titles.) But the morn.
| ing after their rencontre-they had been mar
1