The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1886-01-14
Vac 1NClDEnTs.
70. 3.

| ccAs 1uU bSouu4uB bnC OSAAAAB o"-A-S
the old fellows eyes began 70 brighten
"Let me see,' he said, Il agreed TO tel
you incidents OF army life that werI
never Published" "Yes," replied tbs
reporter; ayour two last stories were o.
. character, 70 say the least, very unusu
al in print. Indeed, but for the lapse Of
time, hardly think you would have
been justified in giving them for publ
cation. You said they were true fH
"Certainly I did-every word. The
records of the war department win show
their accuracy, and names. If any one
cares to hunt it W. But 1 win tell you
story now OF s little different kind
There Is no blood in this, but what q
soldier likes Just as we'll, lovep
"LoVew exclaimed the reporter, "a
love storyf''
"Yes," replied the soldier, regular
love story"
"Go ahead"
"Well, 1t happened this way I was
at the reunion in Topeka last season,
and met an old army chum Of mine.
Our meeting was great surprise to both
Of us. We had been brIgaded together,
and had formed quite q friendship,
which both OF as had retained. Well,
after hobnobbing together bit, we took
stroll across the capitol square. and
sat down on the big stone steps. Ny
friend had been lieutenant IN q Michi-
gan regiment. I remembered him as q
well educated. good dispositiOned young
man, with hosts of friends. Now he was
more refined, more staid, and with dig
nIiy Of bearing which rather abashed
me for q time. But HAD done him q
substantial service which he had never
forgotten, and he perseyered in develop
ing anew friendship should have re-
linquished, though regretfully. AS We sat
there we grew quite communicative. AT
ter the war We had both drIfted TO Kan
sas. BY friend is quite a prominent
lawyer IN his section, and has
been named repeatedly for the bench.
He was married found, and had
charming and sensible daughter
of seventeen. Four boys of differing
ages, with an excellent wife, made up his
family. He informed me that he was In
good circumstances. had q lucrative
practice, and was as happy and flourish
ing as a man could hope to be. Our
drifted to army life and be
told me this love story, some of the de-
tails of which personally knew. He
said:
you remember how we swept down |
the Maryland and Virginia peninsula |
driving the rebels across the bsyG"
"Yes"
swell, you remember our regim ent |
went into camp on plantation about,
three miles east of Eastville. When We
got there, we found the family had fled
but the house servants were left, and
they and the household effects were
n charge OF a brother of
the lady of the place. Our
colonel took possession OF the family
and the servants had to wait
IN him as though he were lord of the
ISOLATED and beautiful home, right
On the Atlantic coast, was q girl about,
should say, seventeen years of age.
She was beauty and no mistake. She
vas five-sixths white, nicely dressed, and
lad the department of q well.educated
Ind refined lady. She had lustrous
black eyes and hair, and touch of rose
n her dark cheeks. tell you the truth,
was STRUCK" on that girl, colored and
/ slave though knew her to be. Find
ng an opportunity, learned that she
mad been raised right there in the house,
Ind from infancy had been a Pet of the
entire family, particularly of the owners
wife, VIII Ise maid she was.
She could not read nor write.
put her conversation through associa-
lion, was perfectly tree from any Local
laws or peculiarities. She had been
left in the haste Of escape to care for the
household gods of the owner. I had
never met q woman who appealed 80
to my ardent nature. Even
ing after evening we used to stroll away /
together in the grand old park and gar
den which surrounded the house. Of
course l did not want TO be seen with |
her, and took every precaution to keep
my friendship for the girl close secret |
from my mates. and succeeded finely, |
but to tell the truth I felt
that 1t would not compro. |
mise me in the eyes Of sensible |
men, for the girl was as pure an d viz
tuous as a girl could be. We stopped |
on that plantation three months. My |
friendship for ZIpp. tor that was the
only name she had. had Tipened and |
matured. Will you believe it, I loved her |
or thought did. Well, one fatal day,
an order came which, in an hours notice
swept US down to the Chesapeake bay
coast, where we took ship for Balti-
more, and then Joined the army of the
Potomac For some time felt bad and
blue, and once or twice came
nearly deserving and going back
to ZIpp. But time makes q wonderful
change. soon began to realize that
should never see her again. and so l for
got her. Well, after we we're mustered
out, went back to Michigan, and hnist-
ed my Law studies. Finally opened en-
Office of my own, and having found
lady who commanded my love by
reason of her pre-emiment qualities. in
tellectual and moral, 1 proposed, and
we were married. Then commenced
new lie TO me. l met with bad luck
after few years in some investments,
and becoming discouraged, gather d
together what little money could from
a sale of almost everything. and moved
TO Kansas with my wife and four chill
drsn. We settled in , and after
y ears OF uphill work, IN which my wife
nobly Joined and iightened my burden
We turned the point of niggard economy
and lived in comparative comfort.
built down town Office, and have my
residence only few squares away. Well,
only two years ago. was sitting in my
Office surrounded by a dozen open books
studying authorities for brief in . case
1 had to take TO the supreme court. It
was summer time, and my doors and
windows were open. There we're
only few passers, and those 1
did not care to see, so alb
sorbed was l in my work. But fig
ure darkened the door and l looked up
unconsclously TO nod to q friend. But
the man saw was q stranger. He Was
young, very nicely dressed, and with 9
marked face-One never should have
forgotten. he fastened my attention in
stanIly "a he stood there. lost my case
in a moment, and was curious and all