, 1874-10-17
THE STORY OF A RING.


tell you you nhonld hoar II so.nc t!n,o. md don
Ike unfuIflliod promises TO remember.
You've oftou hoard mo speak Of that surnme
on tho Island what now experience It was Il
bo 40 isolated from lilo great, busy world, nns
mover 10 know whom to expect thu malls, ait
sometimes not to Bao daily paper for Il woe!i
Occasionally a transport-boat would laBs, loatot
to tho hurricaue-roof with jolly boya III blue
bound for ,hn Ted Niver OF Mobile, who "o'l't
give y ringing cheer from q thousand hoart,
voIcos vi They swcrt their way sonthwasd. Ant
again great hosptnl-bont would gittlD silentll
up-rlycr, frogiscd With uutofa suffering, hoans
for DubuQuo ur some other NorthGsn hosl'tnl lt
hopes that tho bracing air, nouria!,'ng 'ooo, aut
bottor caro, might rcstprt 7;or to tho EXHAUSTION
frames, wounded nn,hr. aaa attouantcd hod'ee'
That had given so much for tho country '"cs
loved.
Onr 1.,onf, was n Government woodward.
md atoemrrs frenucntly ran In 10 wood up, ad
,hon our ht;;o hu1nlet presented o 1n1sy seeno.
nnr c,i,aco wps roar the laudiug, anil, whon tic
.,ca,nor-whlstlo blow tho signal for stopping,
mr. housohold WAS aliva with hope aud oxreota-
linn. from Fatler Heilstrom to tho 1ntachloSoua
litt,n 1,lcl in tito kitchcn-Annt Janos yolllE-
cat woplly.patett hopeful. What !etters from
friends might thoro not be ; what nova from
the War, what Bupplics for our scai1sy
ar1or tn add to tho absolute ncccesarlen of orr
.o1d;er-rationB! ThlH last was no little itctu to
ladies accustomed to tho comforts and nla'iy Of
The Iuzurcs of civilized life; anil our cont
mIssary generally prevailed upon tho boats
stowarl to part with fow fresh eggs, pound
nr two Of b1ttcr or q nice. juicy steak; sud Tue
co,orod people strucs lively bargains with tho
boatmcn for largo supplies Of luscious water
melons and yGriotioa of lnuEkinolon, tho iiko OF
.s,s,. ,n..nr rrn,x in our too.rirorous climate
"nen "u'.4 .... ,,o,,ra ., ,ro,s n, wo
As II tooS 'lo''. oae ~ uo ~ ~ .a
usua!y received Il e"'' 4'o" eo,e'@' W .no e""-
senecls aud officers, who gladly a'a1lcd shcm-
,o,vcs ri tho opportunity OF exploring our
,sr.i,, island, and enioyug ,ss many bcautios OF
".os ,r,'o ,,,ndioc r,o1,,o,aa ,1s.
ha1u1hl eeen''S' '.,...,.n.,s ,.,s,.s :.
closed somo exceedingly plesu,ehque sloSe' u ~,
bors, formed by lusnriant vineB climbing tall
troes on one side Of tho patl, then throwing
the1f chnSips u.tA' ~ ' ~ ,...,.s.
on the other side +; nrcl'eu ehto"ass, apparently
made by tho accidental bending OF eapnG liko
1ken hnv. Which was shortly fossooned with
nA..s:.,a ,,,,,o0 a. hr,ut;fp]tv ns ever saw II
ao"e1lnG ',n'' "a ~. -; a,,,nr,.,,..i a,r'
aope ny rue nanu u NV III "a A""A'e"'"' e~'7
dcuing,
Visitors wcro very welcome, rs thcro WIS but
wv, uo "a..o H.. .: a,roen,,s viii, whom, tbo POST
lllAt was 1no a..s9 - "4. ~. tss.. .1,,,,,s..
Commandant lodged When up from v1cks1nrg.
Sometimes friends from Goodrich n1ntlo ils fly
under soldlor-cap woulL beam Upon. US most
unexpectedly, by solno OF tue odtl cs'anceH Of
war, bringing together old ac1natnhcen who
did not know they were within thousand miles
Of each othcr You who have but to c1oss tho
street, OF take 1cw minutes drive, any time to
leo friend, eau know nothing or the exquisite
jov Ut sucll meetings. Our rough lite lad it's
compensat.ons. ~...-,
Ono warm afternoon. after our merry, noisy
little freedmen had been dismissed for tho day.
dinner was over, and VIC lad taken QUE usuul
sicsta, tho hoArso scream OF Il whistle announced
tho coming Of welcome ynrint[on to tho daily
lnonotony Of our lives. Tho 'Duko Of Argyle"
was ratllor fasorito boat as, from moro fro
Win its officers 20, as sAo drew ncar cnougl, 10
reveal her name, wo waved o greeting
With hats aud l,andherchiofs flom ths
bluffy bauk, which vas henttily rotnrnGa,
or " Gilt aH he wns generally called, always
!an up to our donclt, to give uH tie lnlest fapors
and have a l'tt,e cnat. IN former calls he had
:onfided to me tue fact that ho was friendly to
believed from The first TINT }twou'd DO hut throw
Ing aWny otlort 10 loslng ctuse NotWltlHtand-
Ing tho anlagonism Of our sentiments, liked
his gona! goetl-hu'oor, tropical warmth III man.
Ger. lively 'masinatior, and Eallan5 conrtcsy.
As We attolled leis,trc'y down ono of tho shady
roaas frequently meeting 'a,ilc-tcanIs with heavy
loa3B of wood for tic yard, often driven by
1omen, as most Of tho ablo-bodied freedmen
Mero away III tho army obberyed tint hn grow
thoughtful: and failed to hail each Erinning
driver with merry NONSENSE az 'sas his won't
ue slowly turned II very heavy gold ring, which
lifted too loosely on h's little finger, and d.
ylnod his secret Cltt,' eatd !, "yon Invent
told me tho most important news; .E:onrc in
love-" uo coloicd aud Laughed, held up his
hand to show mo tio heavy band. a'ld alsr eret,
- You are right; | nm caught inst "lell Mo
hbout it, | aald with tho frcc'iom lady may
uso toward 9. junior masculine 'rlont:
Well, lrs little un'o1tnnHtn tint sho is
most unqualified little Aebel anu acnla'ldn TINT
don Confederate glay Rna JOIN tue glorious
becesh. would do nnytlllhg tor my Bossio,
and I have promised to lcaye the Argyle when
when To get back TO New or,leans, md enlist
under the stars nnd lars. Nov, between you
and me, consider tho war nearly over, md
could join either sldo without much fcarof firing
shot at the other.
Or course lecturcd him aoundly, hut Ao light
" laughed at my ,repr!mants, in his airy nay;
and, aB re nearcd tllc landing Oh oir return. ho
nhook hands cordially. thanked Mo for keeping
bis secrot concerning bis disloyai svu'patiies,