San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1886-03-06

moment her heart ceased to beat, she
was dazed, then With the abandon of
tigress that springs To the aid of her
cubs she pushed the people aside.
When she saw the body she uttered one
scream and fell lifeleSs under her hus-
bands corpse.
For weeks she fingered between life
and death, but finally recovered and
gradually came to move about and re-
gain part of her former strength.
The war was over, the Union cause
triumphant, peace smiled in pity on the
| graves of the victims.
Thousands of those who survived
found the nOmaGic character of a sol
der untitled them for the domestic life
they lived before the war. hence many
both northern and southern soldiers
found the quiet of home umsuited to
their habits, and continued to wander
and drift about to find resting place.
In this way. some three years after
the above occurrence, Phillip Bruce a
discharged southern soldier. drifted
into =
He was a tall. gOOd-lOOFing type of
the southern people; he settled down in
the neighbOrhOOd, and in fewmOnths,
Nellie and he met under circumstances
which gave confidence to their desires
for it was a case of mutual love. Be
fore the Autumn leaves had fallen. they
were married and were really happy.
One evening during the following
winter they were sitting in their neat
parlOr before comfortable log fire. en-
tertaining an Old comradc of Phillips.
named De Ache.
Nellie with her little girl. now four
years old, sat sewing at one side of the
fire while Phil p and De Ache sat on
the other, and fought their battles over
amidst the clouds of smoke that curled
upwards from well COlOred mper-
schaum. De Ache suddenly turned to
Phillip and leaning over the table that
stood between them said Phillip Iney-
er want to see another war. it develops
deyiliSh spirit IN the breast of man.
nevertheless ! suppose if my country
called on me would again do my duty.
There is one act n my life | regret
more than can tell. it was the part we
at the crossroads three years ago.
Suddenly Nellie dropped her sewing,
pushed her little girl aside, who had
been leaning on her lap, rubbed her
hands across her eyes, as if attempting
to grasp some indistinct idea that float
ed in her Imagination, then rushing
over she caught Phillip by the arm. bent
over him and placing her face close to
his she looked into his eyes with an in
tense gaze and spoke in suppressed but
vehement voice.
"Phillip tell me, Oh! speak. you were
not one of those unhuman butchers
that hung Frank Gilmore, the Union
DON'T say you We're"
Phillip trembled in every limb, for
something in his wife's look was so UNI
natural and desperate. that he who had
faced death in every shape now felt his
blood cOngealing under her terrible
gaze. lie could not utter a word, his
tongue seemed paralyZed. he could only
nod his head at which Nellie threw up
her hands and pressed them to her tenn
pies while her. body trembled as if
shook by ague. From between her
ClinChed teeth a moan so sad and sOr-
rOwful came forth that it chilled the
blood of her listener.
MY God! my Cod" she said, "What
have | done that so fearful an ordeal is
put upon me-"
She paused for q moment, looked
around her like one that was daZed,
then as if realizing the fullmeasure of the
situation and with fenzy that can only
come from maniac, she flung open the
door leading to the street, pointed her
bare arm outward and with the vehe-
mence of madness she hOarSely scream
ed.
Out! out! out. of my house. have
been folding TO my arms my husbands
murderer"
De Ache and Phillip moved toward
the door as if propelled by some unseen
power, without taking their eyes from
the now seemingly supernatural wO-
man and passed out, thankful to get
away from her gaze. For a moment
she stood like one in dream, who had
been under the strainOf some eXtraOrdi-
nary excitement, the cause of which
had suddenly disappeared and left her
mind in a state of doubt as to what was
really the matter. Suddenly her eyes
fell on her child the sight of which re-
called the situation in all its horror,
then looking upwards she clasped her
hands over her head and said in that
confidential self satisfied manner of
insanity.
"My God you have cursed this house.
let this sacrifice appease Thy wrath"
then going over tOthe fire place she scat
tered the fire over the floor, and grasp
ing her child, she rushed out into the
midnight air and ran towards the woods
like one that was fleeing from some
terrible danger. Soon the burning
building brought the neighbOrs to the
scene. When the circumstance was re-
lated to them, a party went in search of
Nellie; they found her the next morn
ing in the woods few miles from her
former home. She was clasping her child
to her breast, and speaking to some
imaginary person as though she was
trying to convince them that she was
not to blame. 1t was with great diff
Guilty that her neighbOrs could secure
her for she seemed to fear the sight of
them and fled from them when they APP
preached. Phillips face, she could
never look upon without it causing