The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1870-01-14

Il llhEl Ills IN-tGkE anu Ills llu-k.
They were honorable.
"At last, she left the house anC
went somewhere else to board" hC
said. 81 think they had been a littl,
cool with her for treating me 50, anC
she didn't want 10 stay. Besides,
suppose she hated the sight Of me
When she went cut of the door tht
last time, came from the parlor Il
bid her gOOd-by, and she turned he
head away"
Ibid you ever have any talk, or at
tempt any explanation with herr"
asked.
mo. We never had anything on
the subject, either understanding ol
misunderstanding"
"Master Heine,U I said, emphat
ically, ait is my private opinion that
You have been made dupe Of"
He smiled family a. he shook his
head.
"Oh, ifyou knew them, you wouldn't
say So"
fHave you ever heard from her since
YOU came here?" ! asked.
Il "NOt a word"
] was silent a moment, wondering
if the poor little yellow haired school.
mistress might not have been break
ing her heart slowly during the last
year, and if she could know just where
/ was at the moment, If she would
not consider me the most enViablC
woman in the world.
al wonder none of the Van DOrms
came out to see you, said presently.
f'Oh, they wanted to come" was
his quick reply; "but Mrs. Van DOrms
has been sick, and there was no one
else who could leave. Liza had to
take care of her mother The boys
and their father are driven with busi-
ness. Besides ] wrote them that
was only slightly hurt; and you know
! / am going to have a furlOugh in q
few weeks" rIa...
Our conversation was interrupted
here, for more sick and wounded were
/ brought in, and 1 had to attend to
them. The ward already seemed nearly
! full; but many were cOnvalescent,
and those we wished banished to the
cOnvalescent's room, and crowded all
! the beds We could get into the ward,
The next morning, the man in the bed
next to Heine's died. As the custom
was, as soon as he died, the card con-
tanning his name, age, place of birth
regiment, company, rank and disease,
was taken down from the wall at the
head of his bed, and carried to the Of
flee to be recorded, and reported. The
weather was cool, and his funeral was
put off till the next afternoon.
The next day, just after funeral
time, as / sat in the ward taking a
few minutes rest, after giving the
three o'clock medicines, / glanced to-
wards the door and saw two spectres
there. To be sure they We're men,
stout and tanned, but their faces were
in spite Of the tan, of a sickly white,
and their eyes were open and fixed
glaringly. They both were staring at
Heine, who sat up in bed reading the
Washington Star newspaper. .H 9.
/ approached them, though half
afraid. If they Were madmen it
would be well to have them stopped
on the threshold. If they were clair
voyants, who beheld some vision of
horror to us unseen, felt safer to be
near their piercing eyes. f.-.
"YOu wish to see any One" asked
politely, much as in q dream we conf
pliment Il wolf or panther which
we expect will deVnur- Us the next
minute. t
One of the men never stirred, nor
seemed to hear me; but the other,
without turning their eyes from their
terrified gaze, pointed mutely and
with a shaking hand to the man who
sat so calmly reading the newspaper.
''That is Bernard Heine,"I said.
''Did you wish to see him?"
The man shuddered, H.u,
"He is deadv' he said. 1--WE have
just been to his funeral"
30, no; it is a mistake,"I | replied,
sOOthingly, beginningto see what was
the matter, though not knowing how
the mistake had occurred. "He is
getting along nicely. There is not
the least likelihood Of his dying at
present"
HBut," the man persisted, still star
ing, "his death was reported, with his
age, place of birth, his regiment and
company, and we have been together
the whole year. We heard it, and
saw it in the mornings paper, and We
came down from Camp Distribution
to his funeral"
BY this time the other man had
got his jaws together, and looked at
me.
"Did you get near enough the Chap.
lain at the funeral to hear the names
read?'' asked.
'NO, we Were late, and the names
had been read" " was the reply. "But
we saw the paper with all the particu-
lars on it."
1 could but smile at his persistence.
"Well, you can go and ask him if
he is dead" / said, turning away TO
attend to my business.
They crossed the ward warlly, with
their eyes intently fixed on the object
of their mcredulOus fear, and when
they were half way across Heine
looked up and saw them. A bright
smile broke over his face and he held
out both hands. AHHltltE.
"HOW are. you, Herman; and you,
Matt? Pm glad to see you" =
At the sound OF his ringing voice,
and the sight of his CHEEKY face, their
last doubt vanished, and they sprang
forward to grasp his hand, and one
hung about his neck and kissed him
and burst into tears, while the other
stood silent, but with brimming eyes
and quiveripg lip. 1t made my own
eyes fill. ~ '-oRl
At first Heine listened to their sto-
ry with wondering incredulity, and
suddenly turned about and reached
the card above his bed. He glanced
over it md then looked at me.
"Have you succeeded i'm conYinc-
your friends that you are not dead?''
l asked, going to him.
He gave me the card. fs.I
t'That explains" he said. ''You
know our beds were pushed along
night before last, and we forgot to
move the cards, suppose, in the
hurry, when Thompson died, the ward
master took down the card ever his
bed and sent it to the Office without
looking at it," .a#r. ..s trrt-
Heine seemed moved, not so much
at the thought of death associated
with him, he had become too familiar
with it for that, but at sight of his
friends unexpected devotion.
] left them, and they sat long with
him, not going till the very last min
ute thatleft them time to get to camp
before their pass should be over
stayed. '-.. a.ae
1 found that Heine's name had not
been read out at the funeral, the chap
lain, who was acquainted with him
and had seen him that morning, per-
ceiving that there must be some mis-
take.
''Well; Heine,', I said, s'you see
you were wrong in one thing. There
are others beside the Van DOrms who
would mourn you dead.n Flt.
He looked up with glittering eyes.
''Yes, God bless the poor fellows!
didn't dream they cared half so Iauch
about me-"
Learn one thing by this,p L said,
significantly. at is not the deepest
or truest affection that processes the
most" ..t.-tf. ....-E g..
He dropped his eyes and for mo-
ment was silent Then he said:
s'Phey will all hear of my death
Ned Thsk, who told those fellows,
told them that he had written to Van
DOrms, and sent him the papa. 2 n
ssSuch an unIucky mistaken said,
and went in a fever of annoyance TO
seOld the wRrd-master and Send the
right card To the office,
Later in the afternoon Heine beck
oned me TO him. There was little
unusual color in his face, and light in
his a7ah flant,.zb laa Iod If x1re,ss