The Grant County herald. (Big Stone City, Grant County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1883, 1880-06-12

"Gone-Wlll gone. Oh, nc, no! Il,
cannot be. And yet this cruel, cruel
letter only tour little lines!'
You have chosen your way and have
chosen mine. All desire in this world
| is speedy and brave death, and I go
to meet it as joyously as ever bride
groom went to meet his bride
That was all. No name, No date, but
she knew only too well its meaning She
pressed it to her lips, her heart. She coy
cred il with tears, all the while uttering
the poor, pititul cry:
"Oh, Will, VIII, forgive me- You
must forgive me--you must come back
to me or let me go to you"'
But alas ncr repentance came TOO late !!
VII was hundreds OF miles away, and
between him and Grace's peaceful home
cannon were laundering their Or cad
alarm, anu wars heroic victims were
falling by the tens Of thousands.
They found her lying unconscious and
apparently lifeless under the NAPLES,
with her still white face ali wet with the
night dews, and the little cold hands
claspinS close 70 he. heart Wills short,
last letter.
Private Thornley, seer won for himself
the reputation Of being the mos. desper-
ately daring man in the army. II any
thing particularly dangerous was to be
attempted, Thornley, was always sure to
oter his services.
He never seemed to sleep, ;.nG was for
ever putting .imself in the most danger
Gus places; but ae what he would, and
tempt tate as he might, nothing harmed
him.
Three years Of bloodshed, tu.mo.l, anA-
je.y and alternate hope and tea passed
away-years that had been % Grace one
long agony Of sorrowfal regrets and slow
wearisome waiting; for she did wait, and
Heaven only knows how patiently and
rayerfully-Waated for some sign from
Will-waited to know that lie still Jared
tor her, Or al least rememDeree .ha. she
had once been his wife.
She knew that Colonel Thornley, was
somewhere in Tennessee, uus for the rest,
she knew no more than the merest stran-
ger who read his name and aa account O.
lis brilliant deeds in the daily papers.
The tabled Lethe is a stream never
found this side OF the grave, search long
and faf as one may, and those three stir
ting wears, active az was his lite and haz-
ardous his march J fame, had by no
means brought .o'aet1ulness TO Will
Thornley's troubled heart.
Grace was SO young and lmpulsiyel He
should have been more patient more
iorebearine, more forgivlng. He fe!. re-
morsetul and self-condemmed but how
make the matter up now
Some thoughts as these We're passing
gloemily through his mInd, one evening,
as he sat alone in his tent, pondering
over the subject. What a sad, sad ruin
the madness 6 an horr had made of his
| life,
Trae he had no small share Of fame
ana Il was ne, altogether egotism, per.
haps, 70 say il was 1airly earned; but
happiness he had lost, and wife and
home, though the el9 love still remain
ed, and tonight, somehow, seemed very
near.
"A LADY q see you, colone.," !" said the
tai Irish orderly, enterih., lie .ea., an
saluting. :
Il cent see anybody tonight, sergeant
| Some begging refugee, / suppose, Refc
her to Major Clinton testify replied tht
colonel.
But she's no. a refugee, 81 anything
of that sort, and says she mus. see you
She's kinder weakly looking. and as pal
as a ghost, wid the trayelin' ana trouhl
she's had and begging your pardon, col
oael. Id rather 60 to the guard hous
for week than take your message t
her stoutly urged the honest orderly.
! An impatient trovn darkened the col
onels brow, for he had grown stern an
irritable during the past three years, an'
was no more the Will Thornley, he ha
formerly beer thar the merry-heartc
sehool-boy is ike q grim, iron handle
old field marsha.
..shov the lady d, then. and be auicl
alout it. he said shorty.
rhe orderly promptly obeyed. an
J soon reanpearei, conducting lady, VII
, tremhled ylsibly, and seemed half afra
i to enter, though she had but momen
before begged the orderly to procure th
| interview tor her.
he SeI5cisAA AuAldHtiN lIAilSAs oil
! with sharp interrogat;ve, well, mao
, am!.' Colonel Thornley, turned ( kro'
: the pleasure Of his strange visitor.
| The light from the single tallow cal
lle, burning on the table, was 50 dim {
I to barely admit of readily dlstinguishln
the feature of one in the corner whel
the small. shrinking figure stood, 5
' white and nerveless as statute.
"Well, madam" and this time Colon
/ Thornley's tones were not quite SO shar
"What is your business with me?'
a The woman took step forward, ar
n in g second down at his feet tell tn
:.xa.,o,, Cow, col On IL n