The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1884-03-27
ACROSS THE MERIDIAN.
How a Philanthropic Young Physi-
clan Won his Pretty but
Willful Wife.

Kortlandt drew his horse to halt as
he breasted the brow of the hill, and
lifted the cap from his head that he
might enjoy to the full the soft, deli
cous breeze. Perhaps only one who like
himself had newly come from the
crowded amphitheatre of the lecture
room of a medical college, and from
daily witness of mental and physical
sufferings by the bedsides of its hospit-
al wards, could have felt as did he, in
tensified by powerful contrast the still
ness, beauty, and peace of what he
looked on.
1t was the field of one of the great
battles of the late war, ground made
holy by heroic blood-heroic, whether
the hearts which throbbed it forth were
bursting with triumph or breaking with
defeat.
So thought the young physician as
his eyes wandered over the scene, dis
covering few marks to indicate that
once this valley had seethed with fire
and smoke and struggling human
forms, and the whole air had been a
shrek of agony and strife. Twenty
years had done their work, and nature,
which permits no desolation, had sown
the furrowed land with grass and
blooming flowers which swayed and
swung in the spring air as if in unison
with the humming of the bees above
them. But as he dismounted and led
his horse down the hill he discovered
traces of the battle which had escaped
his eve from above. Now and then
his horses hoof struck the rusty metal
of dismantled gun, buried beneath its
brambles, and further on he found
himself in wilderness of little mounds
marked here and there with wooden
slab, its inscription etfaced by the rains
of years.
As kortlandt rose from a vain at
tempt to decipher one of these, figure
appeared from the woods near by, and,
after the momentary pause of the first
surprise of seeing him, continued stead
lily to advance along the path which led
within few yards of his side. The
figure was that of a woman, poorly
clad, but tall and graceful, and moving
with peculiar strength and freedom of
motion. Kortlandt waited until she
was near him and then said:
Il beg your pardon, but can you in
form me what graves are theseP
The woman stopped abruptly as the
tones of the clear northern voice reach
ed her, and suddenly turned upon him
nj cd I, Ia
the broad brim of the broad straw hat
which she wore 1t was that of girl,
brunette and brilliant, Illuminated with
q pair of glowing eyes, which now fixed
themselyos upon him.
You must have come from very far
away not TO know whose are the graves
that YOU are standing on" she said in
q voice which did not owe its peculiar
intonation TO the southern dialect in
which she spoke.
you are right" he replied, surpris-
ed at her beauty and manner; my
home is as far away as the SHOWS of
winter from these southern flowers
A look of intense bitterness entered
the girls face. ''You are from the
north" she said. Her eyes flashed.
81 will tell you whose are the graves
upon which you are treading. They
are those of the rebels you defeated"
proudly; 'they are those of the mar.
tyrs, the heroes, who starved and froze,
who gave up home, family, wealth,
and life in attempted protection of their
rights and freedom, and whom you OF
the north in your oyerpowering strength
OF wealth and numbers conquered and
Killed. Ionder upon the hill are those
OF my father and mother-he killed by
your bullets and she by the agony Of
his death. And all these are mine,
mine, since | own the sacred earth in
which they rest. o. that | possessed
the power TO protect their resting-place
from the insult of Yankees pres.
encer'
,hortlandt looked into the girls flush.
ed and flashing face in a very maze Of
asto1ishment, But her concluding
words aroused his anger and he drew
himself up with the color mounting to
his brows. Controlling himself with
an effort he lifted his cap, and, bow.
ing, said with cold courtesy, in singular
contrast to her fire, That being the
case, Mademoiselle, / shall not iinger
to bid adieu. But permit me to reas.
sure you; you possess power to protect
your heroes resting place-in a two.
edged sword, and, with another bow
and straight look into her angry eyes,
he drew his horses bride over his arm
ana led him back to the road.
AS he mounted and rode on he found
~ hlo surprise that his hand was shak.
ns WIN excitement. He was very an.
gIy; lie had never before been insult.
d woman and the feeling OF
neiP!eSshess with which it affected him
was irritating in the extreme Ha d Col,
TINS TO be a weakness, and endeavoroa
TO throw 1t of. But that EVENING -,
supper he could not resist giyip5a :"
crisp little description of his late an
counter on the old battlefield to hi
neighbor at table, ending with an in
quiry if such violence of feeling and ey
preston were usual.
Hardly, now" was the replv. "e,
cepting among the most ignorant an
prejudiced. But this girls is a nee,
liar case. Her name is Ellen Eyrest
Before the war her father was the ricl
est planter in the State. He put ever
dollar he could command into th
cause, and finally was killed on tn
field over there fighting for il. The
nar.;nI L;p, tn ~, h.,,or ..,l.aL