The South western news., 1888-05-16
0uB M0NERN; {
roo LATE.
THE HISTORY or A CON
FElERATE MILITARY
EXECUTIVE.
Virginia Dare m Philadelphia Tmea.

Virginia Dare m Philadelphia Tmes.
The scene Of my tale opens in
title catin in the Alleghan,
mountains in West Virginia, TWEEN
ty- five years ago. A woman WI
anxiously bending over sick chilc
tossing and muttering the unrest Of
fever. Every now and then tax
word father escaped the child's
lips.
That child grieves powerfully
after her father, said one of the
neighbors, who had cone to helr
the mother nurse the i'll child.
That she does, replied the poo,
mother, with a weary sigh. He al.
! ways sets world Of store BY her.
1t almost broke her little heart
when he went to the war, and since
she has been sick she has begged
for him the pitifullest you ever
heard.
Can't he come to see herY asked
the Eeighbor.
NO replied the woman; his
colonel said he couIdn be spared
now. He had a Through last sum
mer. If he just had known about
this and waited. Seems to me she
might get well if she could just see
her father, and it wouldn't tall so
hard on me, either, if be was just
here
Several days went by and little
Sallie, the sick child, grew worse.
At length the mother wrote an ur-
gent letter to her husb9nd. out of
the agony OF her heart, imploring
him to come home at all costs If he
wished to see bis little daughter
alive again. Once more he asked
for a iurlough and again he was re-
fused. An engagement was pend~
ing. The enemy's force was great
ly superior to ours and not man
could be spared.
John Bail was brave man; and
had proved that in many an EN-
gagement. Nothing could have
tempted him to swerve from his
duty as a soldier, except his frant-
&c desire to see his child once more,
Under the pressure Of this feeling,
he left the camp against orders, and
fled to his rude cabin among the
Alleghapies just in time to see lit
tie, Sallie's face light up once more
with a CLEAN Of joyful recognition
ana 0 receive her paltiug Kiss. 10
t is he lad incurred the brand Of
deserter, and had taken his lie in
to his ban5ls.
RI TURNING To THE ranks.
Scarcely vcro The 5hiId's renrains
iaterrel than he, without waiting
to comfort his sorrow stricken wife,
started back to camp, intending to
throw himself ca The mercy of his
commander for exculpation of an
ofense committed under SO over,
whelming a pressure, or if the
worst to. meet his fate like a man.
But a new complication had arisen.
During the few days he had been
absent the men on either side had
changed their position like the fig
ures on d chess-board, and the en-.
emy's troops had come between him
and his command. He bad tray,
eied through cold. drenchinr
rain, sleeping at night in forest
to lessen the risk OF falling into the
enemy's hands. He began to feel
a STANCE stupor creeping over him
and was Just able to drag himself
to the house OF 4 friendly country
man, who took him in aud kept
him for the next few weeks. DUR
ing which time he lay i'll of pneu>
monia. just as he was beginning
70 convalesce, and before he had
tine to voluntarily give himself IN.
he was arrested as deserter, His
wife followed him to camp and
pleaded for him, telling the cause
of his desertion with all the rude
eloquence that strong emotion
could dictate and taking the blame
on herself In vain; he was tried
and condemned by every rule OF
war as a deserter. The command.
ing officer, however, made this con.
cession to the agouized wife-he
would dster the executions for
three DAYS so rs 10 give her tim y,