Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1872-06-12

No society would open its doors to her
save that of her own class, and she
hated that. She lookedupon her soul
killing associates as fends who had
rendered her bread when she was starry
ing, and swallowed up her whole in.re-
turn as greedily as she had the crumbs
she got. Yet with this stain upon her
she was woman. She had nothing TO
hope for in the future; yet she had felt
that one day her present life must end,
and she would be in measure happy.
But how? The terrible gulf that sepa-
rated her from the very humblest and
poorest in all the world had never SEEM
ed so broad. Thehappines8 now could
not be self centered, and the gulf must
be crossed. For she loved -
Sarah's hero was law student-one
Of the hundreds OF young men who
yearly leave comfortable country homes
to win success in the great cities. He
maintained himself by copying, and
study and work were making him blind.
Sarah Loche learned it all from
friend, and was terribly affected by the
news.
Nothing could come to her from his
well or ill-being, but she had learned to
.I /
enough
She had some money saved by, and
from that moment she began to re-
double her efforts to save more. She
resolved to do what money could do to
save him. He had none of his own,
and he must be saved. Every day
when the blinds were open she could
see him at work, and every day his pa
tient head seemed bent closer over the
table, and his moments of rest more
frequent. Once she saw him grope
with his hands in the broad daylight,
and then, as if true knowledge of his
true condition had just come to him, he
bowed his head, and the anxious watch
er knew that he was crying like girl.
Her tears fell as fast as his own.
That night her gaudy jewelry went
to the pawnbrOker, and it's price was
added to her hoard. The desired
amount was reached, and the next day
Charles Hilton, kneeling with blinded
/ eyes in his poor room, praying for
death, received a bank cheslz for sum
sufficient to secure him the best treat
ment. Not word accompanied the
gift.
i Then it was time for Sarah to set
about her plans for her own future.
/ goods we're packed and taken away,
and, alone in her room, she made q
/ solemn VOW that if the utmost penance
could suffice to wipe out the sin, if not
! the stain-O God! that they should be
separate-of her past life, she would
/ yet be worthy to love honestly, if she
could not be its object. One look
about her deserted room, fearful
glance at the closed shutters across the
way and the door closed and with the
closing-let us hope-shut in all her
sins.
+ Charles Hilton was restored to sight
After his release from the care of the
physicians, he sought his benefactOT in
every way his limited means would al
low, but without avail.
He rose rapidly in his profession, and
political hOnors as we'll as legal honors
awaited him. Then came the rebellion.
Ali the land was darkned with the shad-
ow of Sumpter's battle smoke, and the
ablest and bravest of two mighty sec
tiOns of one nation went forth to do
each other battle. Hilton was among
the first to offer his aid to the North.
We need not follow his life for the
long anxious months that ensued It
was the life Of colonel of the army of
the Potomac We lose him in his
marches and counter marches, and find
him again during those bloody days in
the Wilderness. Fighting like heroes
by day and falling back by night before
/ overpowering numbers, wefnd his regi-
ment. The wounded lay on very hand,
suffering, dying. Mere youths, fami-
liar at home with every comfort, lay
numb and pitiful in blood-stiffened
( garments, without even the simple sol
ace of a cup of water The hateful
smoke of cannon stifed their last
breath, and heated messengers of death
Kissed past the ears Of victims already
manned, to win fresh ones from the
ranks Of the living. It was terrible
There was but one nurse with Colonel
HiltOn's regiment-a young lady who
had attached herself to it some months
before, under the protection of broth
er, and who was noted throughout the
{. division for both skill and courage in
the performance Of her duties as we'll
as for the uneXcepti 3nable character Of
her life. In defiance of positive orders
from the Colonel, she had always been
upon the battlefield, and she did not
shrink now.
On the third day, Col. Hilton was
severely wounded, and she was called
to his side.
F." IF your quick fingers have not lost
the skill. nor your brown eyes the
! charms my poor boys yonder ascribe to
/ them, you Will have me on horseback
in week Or two," said the gallant Co
lionel Hilton, with smile upon his pale
face, as the nurse approached bis rough
couch.
"Always modest, Miss Morgan.
Why, do you know that every man IN
the brigade swears by you, and"
"You are not to talk, the surgeon
says, sir, " interrupted the nurse.
"Ah! you are my master see, and
[ must obey"
There was a great deal for Miss Nor
gan to do in all those days of slaughter
but she found time to remain with the
Colonel an hour each day.
''I am so miserably lonesome, he
said one day, "that [ am sure [ shall
never get well without company. An
hour of your presence is worth more
than an ambulance Of medicine" She
colored deeply, but made no reply.
The Colonel had spoken true, how
ever, and he worried i'll way to utterly
discourage his kind-hearted attendant,
if Miss Morgan's light step was not
heard at the usual hour. He did not
stop to think how it would end, lying
there III the Virginia woods, with the
sound of battle roaring in his ears, and
his whole thoughts fixed upon his sad
eyed nurse. He only knew that an ele-
ment seemed cut from his existence
when she was not present, and that was
the best definition he could have given
of his feelings if he had had a mind to
try, which he had not; and, selfish as
we all are, who among our readers
W ould have done differently?
The retreat soon came Flesh and
blood could not stand in line in that
wild forest, with the enemy on every
side. With the wounded Of her regi-