Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-12-13

| torn up the flowers and crushed the LIE
out of them cannon-balls have crashed
through the windows perhaps in the very
room where lay and watched her, some
Internal shell has shattered all the sweet
daintiness out of existence and the rain
of shot has battered the dear old house
into dust"
But he sat and looked at the dust until
| it gathered itself together once more, and
rose into the stately house he had remem-
bered. 1t was almost as real now as then.
Why or how he had ever been taken into
| it he did not know. He remembered the
utter WEAKNESS with which the last few
miles had been made, how his head ached
under the merciless sun, and how he had
stumbled blindly along the glaring road.
And he remembered vaguely halt, IN
which he knew he was being discussed, but
to which discussion he was utterly indiffer.
emit, and allowed himself to drop helpless
burden upon his comrades hands, glad
that the time had come when he could be
irresponsible.
After that there were days when he was
conscious of nothing but pain. Then there
was one day when toward evening he
opened his tired eyes, and looked about
once more. He had closed them upon
burning heat which shimmered over the
fields, framing in hot, dusty column OF
men moving steadily into an enemy's land.
1t was silent procession to his dulled ear,
and only the monotonous tramp of heavily
clad feet came with muff1ed sound from the
earth. Even when his eyelids dropped
over his red eyes they did not seem to shut
out the sight The men still filed on ahead
of him and behind, and the heat still
shivered in waves over the empty
fields. When he opened them, cool
white curtain was swaying fitfully
to and fro before an open window.
AS it would blow back he could see the
boughs of trees dripping and glistening
with rain-drops. He lay and refreshed
himself with the sight; then he looked at
the clean mating with which the floor was
covered, then at the simple sweetness of
the room, and attempting to raise himself
upon his elbow, he asked, "Where am p
At his question some one on the veranda
came, and gathering the curtain aside,
looked in.
"Oh, you are awake" said girlish
voice, and a moment later young girl
came into the room. She came close to his
bedside, and looked at him with almost a
professional eye, then she laid her hand
on his forehead, and said, triumphantly
Your fever is all gone. You feel much
better, I am sure" He gradually sunk
back upon his pillow. Eyes. you had
better lie down again. We mustn't try
to get well too soon y then slipping her
arm under his head, she took glass from
stand, and lifting his head, placed it to
his lips. "Of course you are better, still
you must take your medicine, or you may
have relapse, you know, and can't have
that" and she smiled brightly at him.
The draught she had offered him was as
bitter as only thorough army surgeon
could prepare, but no nectar ever tasted
sweeter.
He had allowed himself to be put gently
back, still content to be Irresponsible, and
made no reply, not even to thank her. She
settled his pillow, smoothed out the quilt,
then brought chair and sat down beside
him. After regarding her patient critic
ally awhile with the loveliest dark eyes he
had ever seen, she began
=" Do you know how sick you've been ?"
81 don't know" he echoed.
you've had fever" she informed
him.
"Yes?"
"You do not suffer now, do you!"
"No."
"And it doesn't make your head ache
when I talk p
"No, indeed. am glad to hear you.
You are the first white woman who has
spoken to me for two years"
"Humph ! That is because you were
on the wrong side. But l mustn't excite
you, SO we won't talk politics +; besides, we
are within the enemy's lines now"
'The enemy's?"
eyes, your lines.
"Then you are rebel ?"
Eyes; but I've taken care of you
that is, I've given you your medicine. And
now if you feel like taking anything to eat,
I'll go and prepare it.
mo, don't 60" he said, reaching out
and taking hold of her sleeve. i don't
want to eat"
She settled herself in her chair again,
and gazed at him in the most unembar-
raised manner Then leaning forward,
she placed her hand on his forehead once
more to note its temperature. Evidently she
was accustomed to looking upon him simply
as case" and she held her head upon
one side, and then said, rather reprovingly,
"Your talking has made you feverish.
Now you must go to sleep"
every well only don't go away"
81 may have to; perhaps mamma will
call me. However, you shall not be neg.
lected. Mamma will be glad to know you
have come to yourself again.
"And are you glad? ?" he asked, idly.
"Oh, you think, because I'm rebel, l
would have been glad to have you die.
Now think that is very unkind of you !"
| and the dark eyes were filled with indig
nant protest.
mo, 1 couldn't think that. How did 1
come to be thrown upon your kindness p
"You were brought here and left, and
although mamma and 1 hated the sight of
your uniform, you looked so sick that we
were willing to take care of YOU"
Chow good you were !" And he lay
silently staring at her a long time without
speaking. She was dainty and sweet
enough to charm any man, but to Rex,
who had for years looked only upon men s
weather-beaten laces, she seemed an angel.
Her dress was coarse, for fine fabrics were
hard to get in the heart of the Confederacy
at that time, but it photographed itself
upon his memory. At length he put out
his hand and took a fold OF the sleeve be.
tween his fingers 1t was calico of dull
dark ground, over which were sprinkled
dots of a brilliant red. He felt it thought
fully, and said, "That is beautiful dress
you have on"
i She glanced over it inquisitively, and
then burst into merry laugh. 81 don't
think you know much about dress, if you
call this beautiful y and taking fold be-
tween her thumb and finger, she held it
off, and regarded it scornfully. Why.
it is simply an cd cotton dress but
| Well, we are poor now," she added, in ex.
PLANTATION, with defiant toss of her head.
"And not proud.
He looked at her with laugh in
his eyes, which she answered by merry
shake of her pretty head.
"No; very, very humble" Then, after
pause, she said, "But if you are well
enough to try to tease me, you are well
enough to eat, and she fitted from the
ROOM Almost Immediately an elderly lady
entered, whom Rex easily recognized as her
mother. She came directly to his bedside,
and took his hand, telling him, in pleas
ant voice, how glad she was to learn from
her daughter that he was SO much better.
To her our hero tried to express in a
more conventional manner than to the
daughter his thanks, and his apprehensions
that he had given them great deal OF