Pomeroy weekly telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy, Meigs County, Ohio) 1860-1866, 1865-10-12

side to tine lett, though ne nau Mally lFiellus
there when he went away He was looking
off across the fields to where, mile away, a
single light glowed steady as a star .-,e,ItI.i
"Christie's up yet Likely enough she's
thinking of me this minute, VOICE and hand
both atremble with excitement as he turned
up the collar of his overcoat, for protection
against the wind that came sweeping, bitterly
cold across the bit of open country. 1..y.at
A friendly hand was laid on his shoulder
as he turned away and q friendly voice said
'Good night, comrade. God give you hap
|py Homecoming" Then the hand was gone
| from his shoulder, the train dashed on, and
the soldier struck out cheerfully across the
fields, steering straight for the light which still
glowed in the distance. The air was still bit
ing cold, but he did not feel it How should
he when his heart was a7glow? ,I ,, y, !, '..
"Its early yet, hardly eight | shall find
them all up Dear christiel E what will VIII she he
say, wonder 10 'i''',..'l -. ~,
No shadow of doubt or fear dlnmed the ca
ger Joy of anticipation; no thought Of change
And yet two years is such long, long time
This was his home he was coming to, his and
Christies and Christie loved him. It was
Christie he thought of, always Christie.
How familiar the old gate looked, and the
Lars beyond. He would not 60 in. that way
though; the gate used to creak, he remem.
bered, and he wanted to surprise them-want-
ed, too, to get one look at them all before he
made his presence known. The blinds were
up, and the light shone full-in his eyes as he
approached the window, stepping lightly that
no football might betray him, Nearer and
nearer till he stood close to the sill
What pleasant room it was with its pretty
carpet and FURNISHED stove and the pictures
on the walls A little boy sat with book and
slate beside the lamp. That was Eddie, stu
dious Eddie, and the pink checked child who
leaned ou his knee was baby Floy. A woman
sat in rocking chair before the stove, q fair
young woman with Chrsties face and smile
and Christies bands Of dark hair.
But who was the man beside her, who held
her hand in such confident, lover like way
and even bent down and kissed her, right
there in the broad light, before the children,
before the very eyes of the husband whose
presence none of them suspected? In God S
name mhat did it mean2 er.....
n Mark Ryder clenched his hand and took o
step nearer the door, but stopped as u voice
| that thrilled to his heart, as it had done sc
: often before, said, "Comc Floy. Eddie, its
7 time for little folks to go to bed" The
: younger child came obediently and the mar
: standing outside saw this other man catcl
! her out of the mothers arms and swing hei
!, high above his head while the little ono
laughed and shouted in glee, and Christie
. said pleadingly "please don't, husband, 4
i makes me afraid to see you throw herup so.
, Husband! oaa asaf Es .i ~
!, ~ The mystery was growing clear now.
: The moonlight fell on a white, eonvulso'
!, face, and the angels seeing it, must hav'
! pitied the man. There was none other t.
1 pity; no kindly human face or voice, only, th
rpiremberance of the conductors face whiel
@. stayed by him somehow, and the words tina
t curiously enough recurred to his mind now
n "God give you n happy Homecoming. III
1 uttered no syllable of reproach, only the word
o that were almost cry "Oh! Christie +! Chris
r tie!"H sj}9ot n9is'Fpg ap-Hf.r i,1 ~.
a AS if in answer she turned towards tin
f window, but the figure that had stood ther
|, was gone now. me a1a'i.a! tF G2ra'
V Even in this moment of bewilderment ant
i torture the wronged husband saw clearly ho,
the wrong had been done. He had been rt
e ported dead, and Christie, timid, dependen
d woman always, had married again. She ,ha
+ been married many months-his eyes toll
n him that-and he could not bring shame an
r disgrace on her. Another train would pas
in two hours He would take it and 60 ia
s away, back to the army, perhaps anywhere
o it did not matter, and she should never kno1
& but that he was really dead ltwonld be bes
a lSo. .,i,, U r, ,,,-.. ,,--..s --.,,,
! Oh! Christie, if you had only known who's
# eyes looked upon you that night Whose III
: selfish heart was planning for you, placin
Q your future peace and wcll-being before hi
6 |own craving hunger for home happiness an
1t childrens love. ..t.r,...,. .,-,'.. .. "a
q When Mark Ryder glanced again towar
/ the window the strange man had moved aside
! out of his range of vision, and he saw onl
: Christie sitting there with her child in he
/ Ilap, while Eddie leaned on the arm of tn
( chair. Home, and wife, and children IA
h that he had hoped and prayed for throng
q three years of absence and eighteen month
4 of captivity before his eyes, within his reac
4 at last. think none but God knew wha
J, was in the man soul then, when he CAV
t them all up and elected to become war
l. ierer One long look at the dear faces h
s should never see again this side Of Heaven
then he turned resohtely away.
It He had his hand on the fence to get owe
K when dog came out Of a kennel near, by
E growing savagely, "Brnno's good fellow !!
Hearing his name in that voice, the dog knc'
/ his master and sprang up with quick, gla
y whine, licking the hand that caressed, hi
|, shaggy head, and the face that bent dow
e close for an instant as the man knelt on ON
5 knee upon the frozen ground, his arms abo,l
j the dogs neck. va s'..l&H ii@GRt, ~.
I "You will see them all tomorrow, old fel
: Ilow-Christie, and Eddie andlbaby Floy-bu
g | shall never see them again until l NEE
y them up yonder They'll never know that
e have been here tonight, and you can't tel
+ them, csn you? You'll keep my secret, an
when all the rest have forgotten my dog will
v remember No, you must not follow. Back
r I say, anda!!good-bye. 5t 9fs'i seg1sE yb8
!, F. He did not look back once as he WENT
e kept straight on across the fields towards tn,
n station, in the same path be had come owe
S less than an hour before. The wind was il
e Ibis face now, that bitter, piercing wind whicl
= seemed to penetrate the blue overcoat ST
t ieasily, chilling him through and through
f He shiyered ut first and shrank as it, swep
over him, but after whleqhe did not feel i
- lso much. 3al 90 sl2St g3dio EgG atua 5a
4 HT II must be getting late, he thought, he wa.
!, getting very sleepyA-walkiug slower and
!, Slower, pausing once as the mourfns howl of Q
E dop fell ON his ears. a'.Poor Bruno He's
= griieving for me- Nobody else'll grieve No
N..s. 4. o..