The post. [volume] (Middleburg, Snyder County, Pa.) 1864-1883, 1870-08-11
A soldier Romance.


During the late war, n grcat many
articles Of clothing for tho nso of the
army We're manufacture in st. Louis.
Nearly oil tho sowing was done by poor
girls, huddlcd together in upper ro oms
Of tail buildings with but few windows
Tho work was tedious, hard and the
pay small, Greedy army contract ors
hal no room in their avaricous green
back.loving hearts for pity of poor
sewing girls The city was full Of sol.
diers gathered from all parts of the
West. The prospects for cyor marry.
ing, to many of those girls, often no
doubt, seemed smsll.-The temptation
to exchange the needle and want, for
shame aod q guided palace, to many
of them was great. Fow OF them, how
ever, choose to make tho exchange.
But this has nothing Z particularly to do
with what We started out 10 write.
One day, in 1863, q pretty girl cm-
ployed in one Of those cothcs-making
establishments, rather uuthoughtedlv
stitched hcr name aud address inside
q gray WOODEN shirt, which she had
inst finished, insuch place that when
on soldier the letters would como
Just over his heart. Tho garment was
passed to tho foreman. accepted rs be.
ing all right, and placed in box with
hundreds OF others to he shipped, and
tho fair worker Of the name scarcely
again thought of what she had dono,
until, one unusually cheerful day,
some four months afterward. sho re-
ceivcd letter. 1t was from the army,
too from stranger, in strange reg
imcnt from strange State Sbe won
dered what it could mean. Shc didn't
know who the writer was, but made
up her mind no harm could result irom
answering his letter, and consequent
ly did 50.
Many letters followed. The soldier
was modest and elegant in his language,
and tho girl had reason to respect him.
The soldiers letters, after while be-
came worry interesting, and were looked
for anxiousy v BY the sowing-girl. Ditto
with the soldier. lie whiled away many
an otherwise monotonOus hour writing
to her. Many an otherwise sad and
lonely evening she pleasantly passed
in scribbling to him. One evening in
1861. while on his way home on re.
enlistment furlough, The unknown
writer called at tho humble home of
tho girl on Morgan street, aud intro.
duccd himself 1t would sound story
like to say thcy both came to the cons
clusion at the first meeting that they
loved each other, but such is the truth
lie stayed in st. Louis several days
longer than hc intended. lie came
near forgetting that he had mother,
father, brothors aud sisters, with prior
claims upon his society. lie finally
went home, but when ho returned to
iha'feld, hc returned via. st. Louis
aud, while there, called again at the
little house away out on Morgan
street.
lie returned to his regiment at the
proper time. The girls letters then
were the joy. Of his life. Without
them, camp lite would have been uncn.
durable, She was quite as deeply IN
terestcd iu his illusions. She would
sit and sew for hours, and wonder if
he would not wear some OF tho gar.
ments she was making, and think if
sho wore certain he would, how nice
she would make them. No use Of
leugthenng out short story. Somo
such state of affairs as described existed
until the final disbandiug Of the army,
At that time ho did not return via.
Tie city so dear to him, for the treas
ure ii held. lie went home first, aud
when he did 40 down, he brought
away the sewing-girl as his wife.
Shortly after the ending Of this cere-
mony he explained to his blusbiDg
bride how he procured her address by
showing her pieco Of course gray
flannel with "Julia--, ST. Louis,
No. upon IT, lie was an Iowa Ed
itor, and now lives in Polk county.
The same girl makes shirts for him yet,
and also for five year old boy, who
calls the two pa and ma-D-smoaes
{ (Iowa) Stute Register.