The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1874-03-27
UP THE CUMBERLAND.

L
saw one night at German turnfest.
had ceased dancing q round -dance-one
of those gallops that, to be thoroughly
and heartily appreciated, has to be
danced under the branches, upon 8
warm summer night to good music, with
excellent partner and utter abandon,
Breatbless, overheated, and vigorous.
ly applying my fan, I leaned back
against the rude pine railing surround
ing the neutrality-suspicious., while nv
partner FASTENED to one of the many
refreshment tables thickIy dispersed
throughout the briliiantly-lightedg grove
IN order to procure some cooling bev-
erage.
"Well. what have you decided to
do ?" asked man close beside me. and
in very Indifferent tone.
| Nothing. What can I do? All is
lost" answered a woman, in a quiet,
even voice.
On hearing the strange words, I
turned to behold the speakers. l saw
a large, handsome woman, seated upon
the pine railing, in a careless, almost
wanton position. One white hand rested
| upon the shoulder of her male COM
| panion, who stood in such close prox-
| unity that he almost rested upon her,
while the other tenderly, thoughtlessly,
threaded the hairs of his head. The
| face, as l said before, was the fla lest
| that l ever beheld--one of those rare
| faces that the most favored of us be-
| hold but once in a lifetime one of til Ose
| fair, full faces, with clear, welI-opened
eyes, and skin not only delicately fair
but healthy, without speck or flaw: the
| remaining features perfect, with a slight
TeutOnic dash over all. The almost
white hair was rolled becomingly back
from the brow.
"Do! What can I do! have been
doing all my life and what has come
to me A broken heart. 1 have been
scheming, planning. through long years,
casting aside all hope of heaven for
grot of earthly happiness and what
has come to me? bitter disappointment.
Tonight / sit in the midst of broken
plans, bhghted hopes, and lost faiths.
And yOu-you quietly tell me to think
of the future. You are cruel but I
deserve it ALL deserve it all ! [ should
have been wiser. l never should have
forsaken all that was gool for love
out of which nought but evil could
| come. Do What can I do?"
With a wild gesture, the woman
| raised her interlaced hands, and pressed
them to her cheek. For moment she
sat with reverted face then, slipping
from the railing, she glided aeross the
platform, and descended the stairway.
knew by the expression of her face
chat the grand old love had surged back
INTO her heart, carrying before it, like
straws before the wind, wounded pride.
vanity, anger, hatred, indignation. She
would not part with him thus. Through
out the long coming years, lovely and
and full of sorrow, she must remember
him in better light. There must be
some kind parting word or lock to think
of in the bitter day and darksome night.
She hastened after him for minute;
then she stood still. Following,
watched her eagerly. A few feet in front
OF her / saw her lost lover cross her
path. His wife hung upon his arm.
They were in company with several
Jovlal friends. They laughed and
talked in loud voice. They did not
seek her. She peered after them. with
straining, hungering'eyes, till they were
lost to her. She turned like a whirl-
wind, an9, as she shot past me, and dis
appea ed among the trees, her face was
like the face of the dead.
II.
1t was a soft, warm evening. An ex-
ceedingly fine mist fell from the heav-
ems. There was every indication of a
night coming on full Of drizzle, dark
ness and desolation. Nevertheless. we
few passengers of the little dispatch
boat, the ''Hazel Dell" were gathered
together upon the deck, watching the
great fleet of steamers and iron clads
coming gracefully around the curves of
the Cumberland river.
The boats were laShed four abreast.
We were passing a dangerous point. It
would never do, through carelessness,
to lose our wealth of ammunition-the
ammunition destined to still many a
brave heart, and so, rhaps, bring us
vlctory-victory and success.
The mist came down. The FURNISHED
accoutrements of the thousands of troops
and the bayonets attached to the thou
sands of guns, stacked in rows, and
ready for the eager hand to grasp at
moments warning, struggled in vain 10
flash and gleam in the light of the de-
parting day. Still the mist came down.
Several times we made an attempt at
light conversation. Each attempt
proved a failure. Wit had taken unto
itself wings and flown away. More
over, it absolutely refused to be lured
back. Instinctively we shrank from dis
cussin2 topics of war. We were pass
ing dangerous point. We were not
sure of sn hour. We were dumb. We
sat in silence. We sirove to amuse
ourselves by watching the feet, and ad-
miring the great, tattered fragments of
dark mistletoe swaying from the naked
arms of the noble trees, SCARED by the
lightning of war, reft of beauty and
s'reng b by shots from a hundred guns,
and left to perish. forsaken and alone
Every now and then we beheld group
of negroes upon the embankment. Poor
things having heard the sbrill shrek
of the whistles, they had fastened down
TO the rivers edge to see the feet pass
by. Poor things worn to skin and