The daily Cairo bulletin., 1884-10-24


her large sum for a portion of her
land. she would not sell. She had nc
need of the money, and since her son $
father had left it, to that son should II
descend intact when she had done with
1t.
Many of the soldiers-both officers
and prlvates--of her husbands regi-
ment called upon her; and they never
tired OF sounding his praises. The ad-
jutant of the regiment--he who was
AdJutant at the time of the battle
called. and gave her more particulars
than she had before received; for he
had been with the advancing column,
and close by his colonels side.
Said he:
I've should have had the body en-
balmed and sent home, had the thing
been possible; but he was killed by the
bursting of shell-one of the largest
and most destructive shells ever saw.
We were hand-to-hand with the enemy
at the time, and am very sure that
the same missile that killed the colonel,
killed more than one of their own num-
Der. He was But I will not tell
you any more"
Yes, yes-tell me all. would
rather know. have wondered why
his body could not have been embalmed
and sent home to me-"
And then he told her that the shell
had literally torn her husband to pieces.
They could only gather up the poor
mangled mass and consign it to grave
by itself, which they had carefully
marked
The days and the weeks and the
months passed on, until three wears
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 them the glorious news
Of the closing of the war.
Eddie had now grown to be stout
robust boy of eight years, while little
Ella had rounded out ihto a beautiful
rosy-eheeked miss of six years. They
were blessed children, and a blessing
TO their mother.
"Oh, if Edward could only have
lived to see them thusv' How often the
cry went up from her heart
The lamps had been lighted, and
mother and children sat by the center
table, she with the days paper in her
hand, when the door-bell was rung.
Since she had such excellent success
in her music pupils, Rachel had found
it for her interest to employ servant,
and that servant answered the sum-
mons at the door; and presently she
came in and reported that a soldier,
negro. was at the door asking for food,
and for shelter, and rest for the night.
He had been told, he said, that he
would be sure to find it at the home of
the widow of his old colonel.
"What.-a man of Edwards regi-
ment?'
80 he says"
'Then bring him in. No-I will 90
myself. =" And she took the lamp and
went into the front hall, where the ap-
plicant stood He was colored man
utterly black-habited in a soldiers
garb, appeared neat and clean, and OF
pleasant, honest countenaDce.
Something in his look appealed to
her woman's sympathy, and captured
her at once.
She led him into the room where
they had been sitting, and motioned
him to seat. His head was of goodly |
shape, though covered by thick mat |
of close-curling wool, while his face,
by far the greater part OF twas like
wise ornamented.
She had never seen woolly beard so |
thick and 50 heavy.
"Ah," he said, slowly shaking his |
head, "dey tole me f could find mas'r
colonel's widdcr I'd find friends. suah.
Yaas'm | wer' de colonel's cook. |
Didn't he ebbcr write to yer bout old |
Pompey? Oh, we lost a good man |
when he felin'
Rachel wiped her eyes and presently |
asked thepoor man il he was hungry. |
He answered her that he could not tell |
how hungry he really was; whcreupon |
she got up and went out into the kit
chen; and as she opened the door Lead
ing to the hall, the old dog, Prince. a
beautiful English spaniel which Ed |
ward Dorrance had purchased as a pup |
when his son was born, eight years be-
fore, came bounding into tie room.
He saw the negro soldier, gave a sharp |
yelp, and Eddie called to him |
to Gle down.
But the dog did not obey. He drew
nearer TO the stranger, and presently
with a cry that was almost human-a
cry of joy and jubilation-a cry not to be
leaped upon the man,
fairly clasping his forclegs or arms |
round his neck, tapping, and kissing,
and painting and struggling to get
nearer and nearer, like one possessed.
Eddie stamped his foot and shouted
with yigor of authority that ought to
have quieicd the brute at once; little |
Ella cried with terrible fear that old
Prince would eat the poor black man
up; while Rachel, having heard the
frightful racket, had come in from the
Kitchen to see what in the world the
matter could be. She knew that old
Prince was fastdious dog, and per-
haps he was trying to eject the dark
skinned invader
AS Rachel stepped across the thresh-
old into the parlor wonderful thing
happened. The dog, in his frantic ei-
forts to get at the face of the strange
guest, had got his paws entanglod in
the matted wool, and nrosentlve-loo mud