Kimball enterprise. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1883, 1883-04-13
neutrality-suspicious.

at that time QI777) still hangs in the Cut
lance mansion on ~the..eastern shore-it
seems funny to call him colonel. A mere
STRIPPING. with light hair colored almost
like the young shoots of certain spring
leaves before they had ever become
green {and the colonel, as we know, was
green enoush in those days.; a youth
with q fine old-fashioned sanguine COM
plexion, and something unsophisticated
about his well-formed lips, full of sensi-
tive affection. This is all there is Of it; q
boy, yet one of those revolutionary boys
who somehow accomplished things far
greater than many of our fu~ll-grown
men nov succeed in doing.
He was simply Captain Cuttance then,
but promotion was rapid in the field and
one day, when his regiment had been
nearly cut to pieces, he found himself at
the head of it. Ali the higher officers
bad been killed.
Then came Monmouth, and a transfer
to another command, followed by a brief
furlough.
q understand, colonel" Lafayette
said to him as tneyiparted, "that you are
going home to welcome a new recruit"
Col Ralphsmiled, yet with ananxious
mien. Il hope so. general he replied.
II hope it will be a boy.n
And it was q boy. How f~uriously the
colonel had posted all the a from
campl He passed straight from the sad
die into the husband bedroom of his
wife in the old mansion, with the spring
mud splashed all over his boots; yet his
steps were light as a woman's. He did
nor the proud and pla i'd mother-his
girl-.lfe Margaret.
.Ah, how happy Iam!" exclaimedthe
colonel to his sister Sally, as they walked
the versnda together a few days later.
lift We're only not for this CHASTITY
war, ] should have nothing to pain me.
Doesn't 1t seem strange, dear Sally, that
men should 90 butchering each other,
when we see all the trouble it is to bring
human being into the world, and
the JOY that his coming giveso9"
Sally clasped her hand. HHAh, yes."
she sighed, SIT it were not for the war;"
She gazed out over the serene land.
scape in frontofthem. TWAS May-time,
and the tints of early summer enriched
the whole scene. The trees around the
house were in full, fresh leaf; the lawns
looked fair; the sea, dim and blue, was
soft and beautiful as the eye of a maid
en- when the first sweet sorrow of love
imbues it; and far OUT from the beach
silent white breakers fringed Assateague
and Chincoteague, where the colonel
and his sister could discern at times the
h rd a ~ n ~NrSnc rto-,~
the shore. In another direction lay the
small family cemetery of the Cuttances,
the occupants of which no roar Of battle
nor fear of marauders could disturb.
Miss Cuttance's brother regarded her
more carefully. Clad in her long, high
wasted white dress, with a single gold
ornament on the front. at her bosom,
she was %singularly graceful. She was
beautiful, he we'll knew, and he saw in
her face also a peculiar sadness. But
the war; he said, gently, brings no
such peril and anxieties to youa a to me-"
You foIgetrthe danger on this ex-
posed coast, Ralph"
Not IL he replied; 81 would 'twere
possible to forget. But I suffer trebly-
for Margaret and the baby and you;
while at the worst you can suffer only in
own person"
You do wrong to my heart, brother.
But, allow YOU, your ties are deeper
and more than nine"
Col. Ralph laid his hand on her arm.
sDo YOU really fear the enemy landing?"
he asked, his h%alf-boyish face growing
stern and cloudy.
Miss Cnttapce turned her eyes toward
the tilnid blue of the Atlantic. 'The
house, you surely know, can be seer for
miles nn fbu unfnr Gnn,o nry1icor-O *
wait, Sally" he cried. "You, at
least. must not stop here. Margaretwill
soon be about again. Why shouldn't
you cross the bay and go to Cousin Dins-
more,s, at Culpepper?"
"Oh, Ralph! Leave them all heref"
But you could do no good if q party
landed. My two little brothers know
hoWto use their pistols; and Margaret,
toe. on an emergency might perhaps
Listen to me, SALLY should be easier
= have you out Of danger. That's one
less. Dye hear?"
Sally became piteous. "Don't, don't
send me-" she begged. "Oh, indeed,
I'd rather not GO" She clasped her
hands to him. Then she turned away
suddenly and looked wistfully at the
ocean.
a change came over the colonel. Sal
ly," saidle very gravely, what does
this mean? You are still thinking Of
S~eatop??' She hung her head and was
silent. Have you been in correspond
ence with him?" continued her brother.
At this she glanced up again, half de-
tantly, yet with tears. Gould l help
it If he sent me a letter."
"You could have helped reading it.
You should have sent tito me" declared
Ralph. Suddenly his blue and buff arm
was raised; he clasped his forehead.
my God!" he exclaimed; "for my own
sister to do this-a Cuttance in cores
pondence with an enemy ofpur country!
Oh. why was | not killed at the Brandy
wine, rather than live for this?"
ralph, don't-don't. There is no
harm. And Seaton wasyour own friend;
you know he was. But for you"
But for me you would never have
met this man who is now trying with the
rest to destroy our liberties. Well what
did he write? "You are aware" Ralph
went on, sarcastics lily, "that he is a lleu-
tenant in his majesty's marines? Posi-
bly, his information might prove useful.
What did he write, ! say"
only that Sir Georges fleet would
Don sail this way-Sir George Collier
and-and-that he might, perhaps, come
ashore, and"
"Oh, it wa this you were afraid OF
then? This was the deadly peril. What
. loving sister I have! You were afraid
forsooih. that your lover would not
come to burn and rob, and to murder