The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1874-10-27
1Misstf:.,Aanu.. Misstf.,
A. ROMANCE OF THE WAR.

A ROMANCE OF THE WAR.
; :. We were sitting in our room at the
Glades Hotel, in Oakland, Maryland one
day, with charming lady who had drop
ped, in on visit. One of our windows
looked into that of another room so
plsced by the projection of the main
building. that half Of its interior could
be seen. We were looking at aud admi.
ring little, chubby, blue-eyed two year
old, white as snow, WHO was pulling a
boquet TO pieces and tossing out the
fragments. or clapping her little hands
with delight, as a train went laundering
by ,s9z9iJ 4 ...lu1I' uaa q
"These rooms" said our fair visitor,
shave some very tender associations for
nae ,-. ry
"Why 80 ~ we asked. ......,as .,
isWell," she answered, during the war
the greater part of this hotel was seized
by the Government as hospital, ,and we
were crowded into few rooms. My
sister and / had this. In that room,
where that little beauty is, were two Un--
ion 'oiHeers, one sick of fever and the
other of wound Itwas hard to tell
whether they were slowly dying or slow
ly getting well. 1 never saw such ghast-
ly skeletons to be alive We were 'se-
cesh,' and not modest about it either, but
still our hearts ached for the poor young
men so III, perhaps dying, far from
friends and relatives" .p.nv v4.,
"It bothers one to know how this
should be a hospital" we said !; sit is so
far removed from, active operations.
n -t'lt was thought" she answered, "that
the mountain air of the Glades would be
more favorable to. recovery than else
where, so this was made hospital. One
day one of these, officers dragged him
self to the window, and under the i'm
pulse of the moment my sister asked if
we could do anything for them, and he
answered, gasping 'for breath, that a lit
tie chicken soup would save their lives.
Chickens were rare in those days-an
army rs hard on poultry The men will
work all night after marching during
the day, to.secure afew chickens $50 that
while the hospital nurses and physicians
had ananlimited supply of actual luxa+
ries in the way of wines, potted meats,
and canned vegetables, they were with
out anything fresh. We knew where .
few chickens were hid in q cellar, by q
neighbor, and. we ooaxed one outlof the
owncrs and after O deal of yeXatious
trouble-for. at every turn We were met
by. fixed bayonet and an insult-we
got the soup ready, and as the guard in
the hall would not permit US to approach
plr patient, my sister attempted to hand
Tie bowl to thefoficer in the window
just as he was feebly reaching for it,and
she was stretching herself half out to
give it to him, a harsh, ugly voice cried
aloud, Look out there-poison She
nearly dropped herself, soup and all :
Drawing back, she hesitated second,
and then took the spoon and began eat
ing the broth: 'Oh, BOTHER cried The
officer, don't waste it that way-Itn not
afraid : and she gave him the soup 1t
seemed to revive them, and they contin-
ued steadily to improve as day after day
we supplied them with chicken broth un.
til the cellar was empty. During this
time we sat at tile windows talking, and
we sang to them-sang fMy Maryland
and all the southern songs we knew, un
til they were well enough to leave the
hospital and return to duty, They both
seemed sorry to g, and forced on us c
quantity of hospital stores and some
coffee, which last we needed sadly. Then
one gave a ring and the other brooch
as tokens of their kind feelings" a.,
"And did they never return ?" wc ask
led. ....i't '.','' "a, :, -''o'
"One did not. for, poor fellow, he was
killed in the very next battle in which ht
was engaged. His companion wrote te
US about it, and the writer insisted upor
opening a correspondence, with my sis
ter; and soon his letters grew into lov'
letters, aud after time they were en-
gagged. Nearly a year subsequent to thi
our patient got leave Of absence, ant
came on to be married. He put up at
hotel, and, would you believe it,our owl
brother. who was in the Confederate ser
vice and knew nothing of nay sisters af
| fair, led band of guerillas at night int
town and captured his intended brother
lin law from his bed. This not only de
ferred the marriage, but deprived tn
young West Pointer of his promotion
that had been promised for gallant ser
vices inthe field. 1t was really aggra
) waiting, for exchanges had almost ceased
/ and it looked as il the lovers would hav
10 wait until sthis cruel war vas over
before they could be united" sdl Ilg 4
"You should have appealed to Abrs
lam Lincoln to give married Brigade
for an unmarried lieutenant" :.
"Wesdid better Procuring passes, W
went through the lines and appealed
JEFF. Davis. JEFF. said he would put m
brothers prisoner in his sisters keeping
They have been happily married thes
: many years He is, a brevet brigade
general now,. and it all came of OF
+, nursing the enemy in that room" ."-Col
tal. 49,, a.,..sr.l .........,..t..5 =.