The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-12-24

gentle, truthful S0utnern WOma!. ClaspiDS
her hand implored tidings Of him loved.
For long nay pleading was in vain, bnc at lenGtn
she conscstcd to take me to him. Supported by
her arm tottered into an adjoining room.
There he lay, colorless rs the lily anu as fair
placid as the mountain lake over which Is
brooding the shadow Of the storm. A smile
lnttcred on his lips as he saw me. he was
dying We were alone, and throwing my
| arms round his neck, cried like child. He
comforte,l me aud cheered me! He gave me
loving words Of promise aud Of hope! And ut
the last moment all the pent-up tenderness ol
| his nature burst forth; IL was sadly curious
mingling of deepest feeling and Sportive hii-
mora strange blending OF the doiours OF love
and the gl0res CT war.
.!And iell her ia k, that my last thought
was OF her. She was right. Tell her NOT 10
blame any one but this poor me- She dld IKE
me once IL little; perhaps she will sometimes
| think OF him who loved too well TO be loved III
return. Jack Juc1 I-hiL that big Yankee
square on the head he fell like beet"
bis strength was falling rapidly. i gave him
water, and wiped the clanmy moisture from
| his lace.
''God knows" he continued, ''that nc, man
ever loved woman more fondy than loved
her. And SHE kissed me and said she would
be my wife. II IL could have been Knew
her SO well. And she Tilted inc. But he cannot
nuke her happy as could have done. tho'i%n
| he twne her neck with ORIENT pearls, ana
| chain with gold the autumn sunlight tangled
in her hair. As it is all that is left me is--to
die. Give her this ring; poor companion Tor
her diamonds, You will say. Ask her to wear
it. for nv sake; perhaps she vii! DO that for
me. Aud when She Eo:mattrr. EN- calmer
now. do not repine; and yet TO die--so soon;
Never to sec her again; never 10 near liie yen
of our gallant boys; never ~ fight beneath that
| tattcred has whose every rent and stain Is u
| glorious epic of war. May God comfort hcr.
They may say what they will, loved her to
| the last"
lie tainted. and before an hour.had passed
his pure, lofty and generous spirit had flown
to the seat of Infinite Mercy and Love.
And then they told me that when fell my
horse ran up TO me, and that by jumping upon
| him, in tho confusion, Charlie might have
made his escape. But he threw himself across
my body, and there fought like Paladin,
until he was shot in the back by one OF his
valiant foes.
| WEIGHED II TIE BALANCE
Lecshnrg was near, why WAS | not sent
| there Only 4 dozen men remained aC the
advance post; but knew that the lieutenant
commanding the detachment was awaiting
some important order.
Early the uerL morning. heard The catLcr
| of a horses hoOls on the hard road, and soon
ufterwar,l q Federal officer entered the room
where moodily lay. uf course, he lid not
condescend to Take of his hat or bow, but,
| throwing himself upon the solitary chair, he
| said:
.Wllat Is Your name, ran; and duty ?"
Tuve him these particulars. adding that
| had the honor OF ofbelonging TO The military lami-
| ly OF Lieutenant General james tongStrect,
whose name lie had perhaps heard beloSe.
.What are you doing 80 far from your COM
manu- %
Il am on special duty"
"What is it. and where are vour orders ?"
81 cannot answer your first question, and as
to the second, my orders were verbal, so that
I have not u scrap OF aper oil any Kind about
me to show what am
He remained silent, biting his lips for a
moment, and then s;id
.This game won't do; il has been played
once TOO often. We had determined TO make
an example Of The first man of your command
that we could CATCH and It's rather unllaky
for your friends that we happened on you"
This annoyed. rather than alarmed me.
''For What do you tnke ne, sir--a spy"
sand worse -
s.For General Lre. perhaps, or Mr.. Davis 2"
s.i know you. You are one OF NEOsby's dam
nablc gang of thicving. numbering gicrilils
,Wcll, sir; and what have they done 10 eX-
cite yuiIr wr;.ti! -
"Done! What have they not done We
havcn'la moments rest. They are here, there
and everywhere. Wherever Thy see Il heal
they Iii II. and az, cono b''i.'r,, 'ro can SET ~
thea. \ wagon caunol goa li.iic out 0l emp
without being captured by !WoSbg. y sconiing
parly rOeS UmL aud don't COME hlckcupt1ed
Ly Noslu Our officers are seized in their
beds III night. anti are missing III the morning
-cttutn1ed by MOSlU. We have hunted him
month alter month. but cannot eaten him.
This house is one ol his stopping places, yet
we can never run him 10 earth. tel! you
thai this rlsc;llly guerilla MosUy has done The
United States more real hIrt llluil any one
division IN the Rebel army.
Ny nqnistorial friend booriShly took his Gr-
parlllre.
to sec me. She was sad, very sud, and did
nv best to comfort her. The dllnplcd hand
was clasped in mine; the fair head, with'ils
wealth Of rippling golden hair, rested on my
| breast. Yet, the tears gathered in her eyes,
and when Ienlrcaled her TO tell me the cause
OF her distress she lore herself from my en-
brace and fled from the room.
This set me TO mrlsirg why woman should
weep when she must &c perfectly happy.
NY reverie was cut short By the abrupt en-
trance Of the morose Lieutenant VINO. without
one word of preface, told me that in accordance
with the sentence OF Il rpguental cOnrt-mnrtial
held that morning. w;lS to be shot as one Of
! NosJys spies al sunrise The coming d0y.
DE PIorUNDs!
nv mlnu WAS So CUuit,scIl lHsI IL "aS lVilS
err realized the extent Of my danger. For
| time | could neither think nor determine
| what to do. Then II thousand thoughts and
| fancieS chased each other through my brain,
until it seemed that my senses were leaving
me. Soon became more calm. II was clear
now that Annie had know my doom, and the
guard at my door, touched perhaps, told me
| that this bonnie girl of rhine had so far fur
gotten her woluanly diflldrnce and Southern
pride as to plead for my life, or at least ior Il
| pUstponeneut OF the hOnr appointed for my
| execution. Her prayers were met with words
of insulting disllain. 1t grieved Inc sorcly
| that, for my sake, she had ventllred and borne
so much. / blamed her for what she had
done; yet loved her all the more.
She came TO Me egain. and for hours we sat
| together The sweet misery Of those last mo-
mGnls must live while lite shall last. But it
was now near sunset, anu when day should
| break I mast de. tore myself from my
sweet beirOihed. The first violence of her
grief had passed away, and as SHE Ilitlcd from
! The room, she whispered lie to be hopeful
| still. Poor child
The.e were no relations. far or near, 10
whom coul write. Annie would tell my
| lrlends-te'l them that died like 4 soldier
| with nv face 10 the foe.
Poor Charlie! did not think to meet you
| so soon.
Only a few hours sleep ami then.-thc firing.
/ parly AMI eternal rest. 1t wa strange that
1 could be SO calnl. All my senses We're prefer
naturally acute, and found myself tryin.;
| hard TO solve Il psychological phenomenon -
! myself knew that was TO die--yet it could
not be me. The soul which could not perish