Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1886-09-08
TOUCHING STORY OF DEVOTION.
A Soldiers Noble Loyalty to His ErrinS
Wife Healing q Broken Heart.


A decrepit little old man stood on
Broadway down near Trinity Church try
ing to sell lead pencils, but bad luck at
tendel his enterprise, and finally dis
heartened he fell back from the road
ways edge and leaned Against the iron
rails that inclose the historic old church
yard.
And the old man cried. His antique
hat was down over his eyes, and hurry
ing passers-by did not office his grief,
but he sobbed loud enough at last as he
edged off Of Broadway and around into
the narrow lane of Rector street.
A stock 5roke RS attention was attract
ed then, and the weeping old man was &C
costed. lie had no story totell, he said.
and wanted to go his way unquestioned,
but Wall street curiosity is not so readily
to be waved aside, and the broker in the
end ELECTED the tale that he had de-
manded.
1t was a rather strange story, and it
was sad enough to make that broker
open his purse.
The poor jisconsolate old fellow was
a Southerner. He was in the prime OF
life, husband and father, when the
Rebellion broke out. and he, in devotion
to his State marched into the field for
the Confederacy.
Before the war was over he lay in a
prison, and afterward was in hospital
for months at deaths door.
The fortunes of war had shut off COM
munication with home: the village where
that home had been was in ashes, the
site of a battlefield. But as soon as he
was free he hurried TO his native State
seeking tidings of wife and children.
The boy and the girl Of his household
were dead; the wife-their mother-a
worse fate than death had claimed her.
She was changed. Those who knew the
woman told of her coquetry with man
of money and position-a man who.
though not brave enough to wear the
blue, had come to the South in the Union
Army's van.
He was New Yorker. and finally he
had borne the migrate wife away to the
North in his company. she avowinS her.
self his wife, her first husband, she in
sisted, having fallen on the battle
field.
When the husband heard this story he,
too, started North. Four years he
searched this city and this State over.
In one particular he disbelieved the
tale that he had heard South; he could
not accept as true the assertion that his
wife had willingly wronSed him; he be-
lieved that she had really thought lin
dead nor would he put his faith in the
story that aught but sacred marriage
ceremony had given her to this second
husband.
At the end Of four years his quest was
rewarded. And he found that the South
ern gossi2s had spoken truly. When he
ventured to seek her presence she spurn-
ed him.
This was fifteen years and more ago
years that brought no brightness to the
old soldier; that had a change of for
tune for the misled woman.
A year ago her rich husband died. She
was left penniless, cast adrift on the
world. Somehow the news got to the
ears of the husband working on a far
Southern farm, recognized by all as
mental wreck, and he scraped together
few dollars and hurried to the city
again.
He was still in love with the erring'
wife, anxious to take her back, full OF
faith that if he and she could again be
reunited That all would 90 well. that
pro, yr * >onii a.terd him. aad that Il
hat , nome T. y ; certain. II idn't
lin lcr. si," Na- &c ID
On.y Il !"a GAYS Il o ne learned this.
Then his aim was 10 add a few more dol
lars to his 30 r,!ed pittance, and have
her coffin tai ~. from this towns Potter's
Fie,Gto The aro ma Teighoorhood where
she spent lex innocent maidenhood,
where she was happy ere the glitter OF
gold came TO tempt her. But his pencils
wouldn't sell; he was heart-broken, de-
spondent, weary Of life.
The stock broker who heard this story
has no wife; some men have called him
heartiess. But he acted like mortal
all heart nOw-he put more money in
that poor old fellows hand than the sell
ing Of lead pencils months on months
would have produced.
And the recipient OF this largess was a
new man in a moment; his last dream
will be realized New York Times.