Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1880-04-23
t he was for her boy sgettin'

that ne was for her boy "gettin' i"
sut.
Controlling her excitement with q
strong effort, she caught up the paper
and abruptly left my tent. The simple
factis that Capt. Keith had deceived her.
He had repeatedly and uniformly told
her that he would favor her sons, dis
charge, had written out her application,
and, instead Of approving as he lad
promised, he disapproved it, as he after
ward SAFE, trusting that she would never
know it. He supposed she would bring
it to me, and that Iwould take ana in
dorse it-and forward it up, and his du-
plicity would never be discovered. It is
q curious fact that simple uncultured
natures ike hers are always suspicious,
and she intuitiyely sought to verify the
correctness of his statements.
THE MALED1cTIoN.
The end Of the old creatures visit to
our camp was dramatic. Her sense Of
wrong at Capt. Keith's hands was deep
and intense. Probably she would hard
ly have been less resentful and indig-
nant if he had struck her. But to dupe
her, to toy with her hopes, assent to her
wishes, give her sympathy in her plan
day after day, and then finally deceive
her, was cruel beyond measure, and it
awakened in her deep, implacable fury
that knew no bounds. She had enter
tanned high respect for him, and gave
him thorough confidence. The transit
ton was complete. Every fibre of her
strong, coarse nature was wounded to
the quick. It was wonder, with their
ungovernable spirit, that she did not at
tempt personal violence upon him. But
she reserved her revenge for something
more tragical. In her intense excite
ment she began to drink, and the liquor,
Of course, infamed her rage. Finally
Just about dusk, she came to my tent
pretty we'll intoxicated, and the scene
that ensued is wildly impressed upon
my recollection.
Her disordered appearance added to
the effect she made. Her hair hung
rough and uncombed about her flushed
face. Her eyes gllstened with excite
ment.. Her countenance we'll indexed
her turbulent soul. Hes massive frame
shook under her fiery agitation. She
poured out volume of talk. speaking
none the less deliberately because of the
vehemence of her tones. Her language
was singularly and effectively dramatic.
She began by telling me that she had no
quarrel with me. 1t is true l refused to
do her will, but have been candid with
her and never deceived her. I had told
the truth like man. But Reub Keith
bad acted like dog, As she spoke his
name it seemed to intensity her wrath.
She deliberately, and, it must be said, ell
oquently portrayed his perfdy, giving d
graphic picture Of her hopes, her plans,
her love for her boy, her strong yearning
to get him home, her labor, her appeals,
her trust in Keith, his ready, sympathetic
CO. operation in her fervent desire, his
base betrayal of her confidence. The
stern old soul got right pathetic
and touching in some of her al
lusions. Her tale was told with the
finest simplicity and effect of finest art.
The conclusion was as striking as it was
unexpected. Throwing herself upon her
knees, the declining sun casting sort of
illusion around her homely but express
sive old face, its marked features an
guished and vindictive, she uttered such
an imprecation upon Keith as Mortified
me and those that heard it. The malig
macy of that malediction was something
dreadful. She invoked deadly blight up
on his mind, heart and home. She hoped
that he might never know peace or hap
plness; that he might live in misery and
terror, and when he died that he might
die like hunted hound, trlendless, IN
pitied, away from friends. and his body
be left unburied and uncofincd as food
for carbon. And she frenziedly declared
that her curse would be fulfilled.
There was nothing in the scene to
break the solemnity of the old woman 8
demonstration of hatred. She preserved
her rude dignity through it all, and new
or lowered her tragical effectiveness.
She certainly thrilled her hearers and left
an uncomfortable horror for the Object of
her imprecations. The deep words, the
falling twilight, the martial surrounding,
all were fit accessories of the picture.
Rising slowly, composing her features
and stalking silently into the woods and
IN the night, she disappeared, leaving
only the dark, hideous memory OF her ap-
palling malcdiction.
THE FULFILMENT.
Old Rachel Stone passed out of INN e.
date memory. The swift and changing
drama Of war left no time nor opportu-
nifty for retr ospection. But the old crca-
lures curse sped none the less surely to
seeming verification. The passage of
Gen. Sherman's army through Georgia
left IN the northern section OF the State a
frightful condition of things. This tav-
ored section of the state-rich, healthy,
beautiful-was continuous ruin. It
exemplifed fully the horrors of war.
The white section of the state, it fur
nished the bulk OF the Union element.
The arena for contending armies for a
long period, it was desolated in its en-
tirety. Lett for months outside of the
protecting aegis of both governments, the
hiding place Of guerillas of both armies,
the theatre of that worst of all strife that
exists between inimical local factions, it
realized in all its dread malignance the
miserable suffering conveyed in the word
anarchy. The melancholy condition of this
section was the sadtlest picture of all the
sad ones Of the late war. Those able to
flee fled. Those unable to get away.
stayed in armed despair, ever present
peril, and subject to daily rapine and
death. Courts were silent, schools emp
ty, churches deserted, dwellings were
burned and fences destroyed, until the
civilizing demarkations of home and
farm were lost in indistinguishable ruin.
Strolling bands of deserte1s and robbers
herded in the mountain caves, made pre-
datory excursions from their Businesses,
and in their inhuman collisions and muir
derous orgies, kept up reign of terror
It was once smiling country, peaceful,
prosperous and happy, converted by the
tell Moloch of war into bloody scene of
utter desolation. And to these awful
horrors, universal and unmiigable, the
appalling possibility of starvation was
added. No crop could be raised in this
hldeous time, and charity could moi pen
citrate this wilderness of devastation.
Capt. Keith's family lived IN this Sec
ton. He obtained leave of absence to
visit and provide for his people, and
never returned. The desertion was q
surprise to those who knew the high
and noble character of the man, but there
was allowance to be made tor any one IN
the necessity of protection for q mans
family where he was powerless and the
red hand of violence was sovereign ru-
Ter. Intelligence from that country was