The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1878-07-06

rather than run the risk of any sort OF
acquaintance with her which would de-
note her Indifference. | chose to keep
on cherishing her and imagining how
heavenly life would be with her instead
of subjecting myself to what would
have been, of course, an inevitable and
bitter disappointment. This did her no
harm; I'm not sure that it did me any.
1t is true, devoted much time to the
selfish pleasure of watching her on the
stage, but it might have been worse
spent, and it did one thing--it kept me
from thinking any but pure, good
thoughts of women, always"
This from the lips of a man dying in
the shade of tree, between two armies,
a thousand miles away from the woman
who had so strangely won his heart,
and who, at that moment, was as ig-
norant of him, his name, his fate, as if
he had never been born. One of his
pale hands held fast to mine. Occa-
sionally shot from one of Early's bat
teries crashed along to the right. The
pickets were alert, and from time to
time the nasal ping" of a conical
musket ball sang through the foliage
overhead.
"You never saw her, then, except
upon the stage?''
" Never. Her looks, her voice. her
movements, threw over me a kind of
enchantment. She used to have the
most graceful ways with her arms
No one who had seen the artistic to
whom this last allusion was made could
| have IN ha St1 with
ing felicity. Letting a few seconds pass
in silence, | asked what message it was
that he desired to send.
"Only this" he answered, solemnly:
'Tell her what have said Add that
| shall die with the same feeling. 1t
might have troubled, annoyed her to
know Of it if lived. But a man who
feels in this way" he continued, with
an ineXpressibly affecting smile, lean
hardly help wishing-that the LADY,
(his lips quivereD "may remember at
least his name-after he is gone"
promised again to attend to his re-
quest. He then made me the deposi-
tary of number of papers and of some
messages to be delivered to a surviving
member of his family in New England,
and to some of his brother officers on
the field, in the event of their not find
ing him soon alive. All this having
been concluded, prepared to 90. But
Just as | was about to arise he detained
me by another glance, and | fancied
that slight flush tinged his wan
cheeks.
" Bend down. he said weakly.
| bent over with NV cor ,,oor bic
lips.
Tell me-" he implored in a whisper,
do you think, do you really think, she
would be offended to receive lock of
my hair?n
l assured him, as | believed, that no
true woman in the world could fail to
be reverently moved by such token of
such devotion. This earnest response
seemed to crafty him almost as much
as if he had received the assurance
that his life would be spared. Unable
to lift his hand, he indicated what he
would have done. Using little single
bladed penknife that | carried, man
aged with difficulty to cut off quite a
lock from one of his temples. As held
this up between my fingers he closed
his eyes approvingly. Drawing from a
side pocket some slips of writing paper,
| folded the lock of hair in one of them,
he watching the proceeding with hun
CRY gaze. Next | drew out my memo
randum book, and was about to place
the packet between its leaves, when he
asked feebly for pencil.
Supporting his head on my right
knee | put the pencil between his
fingers and held the packet in
which the hair was enclosed close
against the cover of the memorandum
book, in such a way that, with little
more assistance, he could write his
name. He wrote it (f my memory is
accurately near the left hand corner of
the paper, and, when he lay back again,
seemed infinitely relieved.
You will give it her?n he said
Il will give it to her with my own
hand"
Leaving the canteen and flask, and
evading a farewell, set off for the hos
pital, hoping to send him succor. A
surgeon promised it at once. For hours
afterward all thoughts of the stranger
were banished from my own mind by
concerns of close interest-the fate of
army acquaintances and personal
friends. Detained until the afternoon
at the side of the dying hero, Gen. Bid
well (who held the extreme right wing
of the Army of the Potomac against the
first attempt to flank it in the Wilder
ness, and whose valOr had repeated it.
self during the struggle of the Sixth
corps against odds on this eventful day.,
it was not until the sunset of the after
noon had begun that | again urged my
horse toward the battlefield. The dis
Judgement and retreat of Early forces,
the recovery before night of the lost
Union position on Cedar Creek, the
pursuit of the enemy after nightfall and
the overwhelming victory and its tro-
phies which were gained at last are
familiar facts, which have, however,
never been adequately depicted in the
meager stories of the campaign.
Galloping hard down the turnpike
reached the vicinity of the little glen
where | had left my officer. The line
of battle had just passed through and
beyond it. | turned aside and de-
scended into it again wondering
whether he had been removed.
There he lay, his head still resting on
the cape | had unstrapped from the
saddle. Very likely life had elapsed
| hi, an fn,u &c NV In,>, ,,t,,yo