The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1884-12-04


The days and the weeks passed on
into history, as before, until at length
the very air quaked with rumors Of a
battle more terrible in its results of
mortality than any which had preceded
it,
Rachel heard the rumors in the air,
rs she sat in her quiet little drawing
room, but she did not, rs before, hasten
away for the paper. Something whis-
pcrcd to her of dark and dismal fore
bodings. She felt rs sho had never
felt before
Heretofore sho had been eager to as
sure herself of her husbands safety,
but now tho feeling came TO her that
she did not dare to know.
But little Eddie was moved by no
such dark forcboding.
When he heard them talking of
great battle, in which he knew his papa
must have taken n part, he ran away
to the post-oflico where there was
stand for the sale of papers and per-
lodicals, and he got q paper, telling
the man, Mamma will pay you for it."
And away he went to his home.
Mamma! Mamma! Another big bat
tie. Read to us about papa"
With trembling hands, she took tho
sheet and opened it.
She saw the wilderness of flaming
head lines, and she allowed her eyes to
follow them down.
A few seconds, and then, with a low
stiiled cry, and n catching of her hand
over her heart, she let the paper fall
and sank sensclcss upon the floor.
Eddie caught up the sheet, and
looked where his mothers eye had
tnl 10 h,,l l.,
words, and those bold headlines he
two-thirds of the way down, he found
it.
Colonel Edward Dorrance among
tho killed."
For days and weeks Rachel Dorrauco
lay lowering between life and death.
But for her children, she would have
given up and passed over to join her
husband; but the thought of her little
ones left all alone to battle for their
weak young lives turned tho scale, and
she lived.
When the warm Springtimc had como
again, and the birds sang in the great
trees near her door, her eyes brighten
cd, her face took on something of its
old color, and she went once moro
about the duties of q mother.
But she was broken in spirit; marks
of age had como upon her lovely face,
and the smiles were gone to return no
more-so she felt in her heart of hearts.
She had thought at first that she
should never care more for life, but as
time passed on, and the first terrible
agony gave place to settled melancholy,
and that, in turn, to true Christian res
ignation, based upon Christian faith
and promise-aftcr this, she entered
society once more, giving herself, with
every energy of body and spirit, to tho
work of caring for other widows and
orphans moro unfortunate than her.
self, for her husband had owned the
neat pretty cottage in which they had
lived, besides nearly two acres of land
around it, and Edward had left nearly
five hundred pounds in the bank when
he went away.
Nor was this all. She had not q par-
ticlc of trouble in obtaining a generous
pcnsion; in addition to which she es-
tablishcd herself rs Il teacher of music
whence, in the course of q few months,
she derived enough to support herself
and children; SO that when, as the
value Of real estate greatly increased
IN the village, wealthy man offered
her large sum for u portion of her
land. she would not sell. She had no
need OF the money, and since her sons
father had left it, to that son should it
descend intact when she had done with
it,
Many of the soldiers-both officers
and privates-of her husbands reoi-
ment called upon her; and they never
tired Of sounding his praises. The adj
Jutant of the regiment-he who was
AdJutant ut the time of tho battle
called, and gave her more particulars
than she had before received; for ho
had been with tho advancing column,
and close by his coloncls side.
Said he:
1--WE should have had tho body om-
ballncd and sent home, had tho thing
been possible; but he was killed by tho
bursting Of q shcll-onc of the largest
and most destructive shells I ever saw.
We were hand-to hand with tho enemy
at the time, and am very suro that
the same missile tnat killed the colonel,
killed more than one Of their own num-
Der. He was--- But | will not tell
you any more"
Yes, yeS--tcll nc all. | would
rather know. | have wondered why
his body could not have been cmbalmed
and sent home to me-"
And then he told her that tho shell
had literally torn her husband to pieces.
They could only gather up the poor
manglcd mass and consign it to grave
by itself, which they had carefully
marked.
The days and tho wcoks and the
months passed on, until thrco years
had gone since that dreadful day on
which her husband had fallen on the
field Of battle, and Rachel sat in her
little parlor with her children by her
side, reading to thcm the glorious ncws
of tho closing of the war.
Eddie had now grown to be stout
robust boy of eight years, while little
Ella had rounded out into II beautiful
rosy-choekcd miss of six years. They
were blessed children, and blessing
to thcir mother
"On, If Edward could only have