The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1874-11-23
A Love Story OF The War,
from Dom Plat. in tho Capital

AoNo QUIT VI tuo "dTS
From Dom Plat. in tho Capital
We wero sitting In our room at III,
Glades Hotel, Oakland, Md, ore da,
with q charming lady who had dropped
In on visit. Ono oil our windows loOkGC
into that oil another room 30 placed by thu
position OF the main building that hall o
lis interior could be seen. We were look
ing up and admiring little chubby
blIe,eyed two'yeas.Old, white as snow
who was pulling bcquet TO pieces and
tossing out Its fragments, or clapping her
hands with delight as q train went thun-
dering by.
"These rooms" said our visitor, "hAve
some very lender associations Tor me"
"Wby sug" VIC asked.
"Woll," she answered, "during the war
the greater part OF the hotel was siezed
by the government as a hospital, and we
were crowded into few rooms. My sister
and | had this. LII that room where that
little beauty Is we're two Union officers,
one sick Of the lever and another OF o
wound. Il was hard TO tell whether they
were slowly dying or slowly getting we'll.
| never saw such costly skeletons to be
alive. We were 'secesh' and not modest
about II either, bnt still our hearts ached
for the poor young men, so III, perhaps
dying, far from friends and relatives"
ut bothers one to know how this should
DO a hospital" VIC said, ''it Is so far re-
moved from active operations"
ut was thought" she answered, "thst
the mountain air oil the glades would be
more favorable TO recovery than else.
where, 80 this was made a hospital. One
day one oil these officers dragged him
self 10 the window, and under tho i'm
pulse Of the moment my sister asked II
we could do anything for them, and he
answered, gasping Tor breath, that lit.
tie chicken or soup would save their lives.
Chickens were rare 10 those days an
army Is hard on poultry. The men will
work all night, after marching through
the day, to secure few Chickens; SO that
when the hospital nurse and physician
had an unlimited supply Of luxuries in
tho way OF wines, potted meats and
csnnedE1Vegetatio1, they were With
out anything fresh, We knew where
a few chickens were hid in q cellar
by neighbor, and We coaxed one out Of
the owner, aad after deal oil vexatlous
troublc-lor At every turn We were met
by q fixed bayonet and an insult-we got
the soup ready, and as the guard in the
hall would not permit US 10 approach
our patients, my sister attempted 10
hand the bowl to tho officer in the win
dow. Just as he was feebly reaching for
it and she stretching herself half out 10
give 1t to him, harsh, ugly voice be-
low cried aloud, Look out, there-poi-
SOL! She nearly dropped herself, coup
and all. Drawing back she hesitated a
second, and then she took the spoon and
eating the broth. 'Oh, botheIp cried
the oflcer, Don't waste it that way;
I'm not afraid and she gave him
the soup. 1t seemed to revive them, and
they continued steadily TO improve, as
day after day we supplied them with
chicken broth until the cellar was empty.
During this time we stood ct the window
talking and we sang 10 them My Mary
land and all the Southern songs we knew,
until they were well enough TO leave the
hospital and return to duty. They both
seemed sorry TO go, and forced on US
quantity OF hospital stores and some
coffee, which last we needed sadly. Then
one gave ring and the other a brooch,
as tokens Of their kind feeling"
"And did they never return?" we
asked.
zone did not, for, poor fellow, he was
killed in the very next battle in which
he was engaged. His companion wrote
us about it, and the writer insisted upon
opening correspondence with my sister;
and soon his letters grew into love letters,
and after q time they were engaged
Nearly year subsequent to this our pa
tient got leave Of absence and came on
10 be married. He put up at a hotel, and
will you believe it3-our own brother
who was in the Confederate service,
and knew nothing OF my sisters affairs,
led band Of guerlllas at night into town
and caplursd his intended brother-in.
law from his bed. This not only defeat
ed the marriage, but deprived the young
West.Pointer of his promotion, that had
been promised Tor gallent service in the
field. 1t was really aggravating, for ex-
changes had almost ceased, and It looked |
as il the lovers would have to wait until |
this cruel war was over before they could
be united"
You should have appealed to Abraham
Lincoln TO give married brigadier for
an unmarried lieutenant"
We did better. Procuring passes, we
went through the lines and appealed to
JEFF. Davis. Jel said he would put nv
brothers prisoner in his sisters keeping,
They have been happily married these
many years. He is Brevet Bngsder-
General now, and it all came Of our nurs-
ing the enemy in that room.
Here is the foundation OF drama supe.
riOr to that given by Boucicault in Belle
Lamar.