Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1888-05-24

And that was the end Of Kate Nl.Un's
pilgrimage. II was mid-April when she
opened her eyes ~languidly upon the room
where for weeks she had moaned and
tossed In pain and muttercd In delirium.
She looked a moment at the pleasant-faced,
white haired lady who sat at work 10 a low
chair, al a tall darN man with IN
empty sleeve, who stood by the lady's
side; her gaze wandered over the appoint
meuts Of the room, and then the eyes
closed again, and She sank into a restful
sleep. The lady, who had watched her in
silence, rose and bent over her a moment,
and then, crossing to her son, said: Tho
danger IL over. she will recover. When
she wakes again she will be conscious. i
truly hope that. as all or inquiries have
failed to discover any friend who was in
terested in her or waiting her coming, so
no unpleasant results or serious shock
mas follow when she learns Of her long
sickness aud detention Kate did get
well. but her recovery was very slow.
When good Mrs. Gardiner. with kindly in
touation and many "a motheriy careea
told her how she came to b. among
strangers, the tears hat flowed were tears
Of gratitude and thankfulness. The kind
ness and devotion shown TO her, Q
stranger, touched her deeply, aud won up
on her loving nature. She grew accus-
TONED 10 the coming and going Of Alex
rs biz mother called him, simply as II he
were yet a boy, and received with a gli.d
humility the kiuducsscs that were showertd
on her. Little by little she told the story Of
her life, her love and pilgrimage. The at
mospherc about her seemed so r~estful; she
felt such a strap % content in her helpless
ness and dependence that she began 10 AJAX
herself il she wsyr too content, If she b vi
grown disloyal - the dead. 1t was one of
the things that troubled her, that the pa u
really seemed dead now; not forgotten, bat
dead and buried Us It should have been
long ago. She had tried to embalm her
dead and keep it with her rs a living thing.
Now Il was buried. Often she tried Ia
renew her grasp upon the old, but it eluded
her. 1t seemed impossible, in this new at
%mOsphere, to rehabilitate that old life.
Perhaps, she thought, when | 20 away, the
old feeling will return. But did she wish
il 10 return, Was it not better buried,
since il was dcadi Often she questioned
herself in this wise after one of the
Colonel's daily visits, visits she had grown
10 look for aud expect. There was a
mighty magnetism about the man. fIe was
80 courteous, SO unobtrulve. He seemed
10 divine her wishes aud ministered Us
thouEhtfully rs gently 10 her wants. One
day he had dropped a bouquet OF her ~favorits
roses on the coyerlid of the bed. "How
did he kno the flowers she best lovedf'
But this was the South; this man was
one Of hS murderers. Nay, she
had been unjust; wrong he may
have been, but never wicked. SO she vexed
I.raA ,-ssl ii. -
strove To reconcile the past and present OF
her life. Strange, that we will not be con
tent to follow nature without this attempt
at reconciling the differences Of her dis
pensntions. With her slow cdnvalescencs
came the month Of May. She was able 70
rise now and to walk n little. and passed
much Of the pleasant morning upon the
cool shady veraEda, upon which her win
dows opened. There, among the climbing
roses, the color came back to her cheeks
and the brightness 10 her eyes. She began
to talk Of the time of her return 10 the
North, From tho edge of the vcranda the
large garden stretched away. as yet unex
plored for her, save only when she had taken
a brief tour among the flowers leaning
on the Colonel's arm DO you know what
day this ist' said the Colonel one day,
1890 AAA' "kN btEAAAAAAh ~ ANt1 that III
excuse was left her for the Incidence OF
invalidism. at 4, tho thirtieth. isn't itPr
she said. a flush came 10 her face. II was
Memorial bay. and she had forgotten. The
grave in the village graveyard in the North
rose up before her; and l." she thought,
sit in the house of the enemy Yet she
felt the thought was foolish: there was nc
enemy. Come with me, said the Colonel
presently, "y0u have never been 10 the end
Of the laurel walk, and | have some thing
there To show YOU. There was a certain
seriousness in his manner, and he was ur
usually silent as they walked slowly dow q
between b laurels. They paused \,
the end of the walk, where was ~
open space borJered about with low shrubs
In the center Of this inclosure two graves
lay close together, the narrow path that led
between alone dividing them. She looked
nj them in surprise. and then glanced Quos-
tioningly at her companion.
You wonder" he said, "what these
graves are and why | brought you here
Sit down a moment on this bench n ]
will tell YOU. | had a brother, an only
brother, who fell at my side at Petersburg.
There was no time TO halt or help, for We
were driven back by an impetuous rush OF
the soldiers OF the Union. At night VI
sought him, | and a faithful negro servant.
hen we found him he was dead. and by
his side, hand clasped in hand, was "a fair
haired soldier OF the North. What passed
between them none may know, bu'
they went out into new life smiling. and
a in hand, as little children
might wander into the strange world Of the
meadow, beyond the pasture bars. And
we brought them here and laid them sid,
by side, the unknown stranger and IN.
loved son, the boy in blue and the boy II
gray. Never an anniversary oil .hefr death