Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1886-12-04
CHAPTER l.

oH Tue dttci VI q iViItet q TIA
Rachel Bond sat beneath an apple tree at the
crest of moderate hill and looked dreamily
away to where, beyond the village of Sardis
at the foot of the hill, the Miami river marked
the beautiful valley like a silver ribbon care
lessly flung upon a web of green velvet.
Rather she seemed to be looking there, for
the light that usually shone outward in those
luminous eyes was turned inward. The little
volume of poems had dropped unheeded from
the white hand. It had done its office; the
passion of its lines had keyed her thoughts to
a harmony that suffused her whole being,
until all seemed as naturally part of the
glorious day as the f1eecy clouds in the sap
phire sky, the cheerful hum of the bees, and
the apple blossoms luxurious scent
Her love, and quite as much her girlish
ambition, had been crowned with violets and
bays some weeks before, when the fever heat
of patriotism seemed to bring another passion
in Harry Gien's bosom to the eruptive point,
and there came the long waited-for avowal
of his love, which was made on the evening
before his company departed to respond to
the call for troops which followed the fall of
Fort Sumter.
After the meeting at which Harry had
signed the recruiting roll, he had taken her
home up the long, sloping hill, through moon
light as soft, as inspiring, as clarifying as
that which had melted even the frosty God
dess of Maidenhood, SO that she stopped from
her heavenly unapproachableness, and kissed
the handsome Endymion as he slept
Though little, and that commonplace, was
said as they walked, subtle womanly instinct
prepared Rachers mind for what was coming
and her grasp upon Harry's arm assumed a
new feeling that hurried him on to the crisis.
They stopped beneath the old apple tree, at
the crest of the hill, and in front of the house.
Its gnarled and twisted limbs had been but
freshly clothed in a suit of fragrant green
leaves
The ruddy bonfres, lighted for the war
meeting, still burned in the village below.
The hum of supplementary speeches
to the excited crowds that still lin
gered about came to their ears, mingled
with cheers from throats rapidly grow
ing hoarse, and the throb and wall of fife and
drum. Then, uplifted on the voices of hun
dreds who sang it as only men, and men
swayed by powerful emotions can, rose the
ever-glorious "Star Spangled Banner, loftiest
and most inspiring of national hymns.
Through its long, forceful measures, which
have the sweep and ring of marching bat
tallOns, swung the singers, with passionate
earnestness that made every note and word
glow with meaning. The swelling pecan told
of the heroism and sacrifice with which the
foundations of the nation were laid of the
glory to which the land had risen, and then
its mood changing to one of direness and
wrath IL fprarpl5 ha i,,ct og
those who broke the peace of happy land
The mood of the Sardis people was that
patriotic exaltation which reigned in every
city and village of the north on that memor-
able night of April, 1861.
But Rachel and Harry had left far behind
them this passion Of the multitude, which had
set their own TO throbbing, even as the roar
of cannon will waken the vibrations of
harp rings Around where they stood was
the peace of the night and sleep. The per
fume of violets and hyacinths, and of myriads
of opening buds seemed shed by the moon
with her silvery rays through the soft, dewy
air; a few nocturnal insects droned hither and
thither, and "drowsy tinklings lulled the
distant folds"
As their steps were arrested Rachel released
her grasp from Harry's arm, but he caught
her hand before it fell to her side, and held ii
fast. She turned her face frankly toward
him, and he looked down with anxious ewes
upon the broad white forehead, framed in
silken black hair, upon great eyes, flaming
with a meaning that he feared to interpret,
upon the eloquent lines about the mobile. sen
sitive mouth, all now lifted into almost ST.
pernatural beauty by the moonlight's spirit
uallzing magic.
What he said he could never afterward
recall His first memory was that of pause
in his speech, when he saw the ripe, red lips
turned toward him with gesture of the
proud head that was both an assent and invi-
tation. The kiss that he pressed there thrilled
him with the int0xication of Unexpectedly
rewarded love- and Rachel with the gladness
of triumph