Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1889-07-26

mildred, " he said, with great effort,
looking at me wistfully, and vainly try
ing to say more. His lips moved for a
moment but no sound came from them;
then the jaws relaxed, an ashen pallor
spread over his face, and with a few short
gasps he was dead.
placed the package in my breast
pocket, and just at that moment the call
sounded to reform in line of battle, and
we were hurried away to another part of
the field. In half an hour we were again
in the thickest of the fight.
At the first charge a ball passed
through my leg, and the battle of Dru-
rvs Bluff was over for me, and the war,
also, it proved, for after several weeks in
the hospstal l was discharged from the
service and returned home.
All this time l had carefully kept the
package Carl had given me. I had
morbid desire to give it to Mildred in
person, and waited my return home, which
l knew from the first must soon come.
The day after my return lay on the
large, old fashioned lounge in the living
room of my fathers house when Mildred
came to me. Wan and wasted with suf
fering, with one leg gone, [ was scarcely
more taan the wreck of my former self.
She had changed almost as much as !;
all the girlish freshness and bloom had
faded, and the grave, quiet n.anLer
seemed more BETTING a woman of fifty
than girl of twenty three; yet to me
she seemed dearer and sweeter than ever.
81 am so glad to see you home once
moren' she said, as she grasped my ont
hand.
There were tears in her eyes, and her
voice trembled.
How good it seemed to look into her
face to hear the sound of her voice, and
feel the pressure of her hand once more!
Could she-could she care for me, now
Carl was dead! I found myself so eager,
even now, for her love, that I would be
only too thankful for even a small part she
had given him.
But Carls letter must be delivered first,
thought it might be the means of separat-
ing us still more widely.
After few mutual inquiries and re-
plies, drew the package from my pocket.
II found Carl on the battle field of
Drurys Bluff, and he gave me this for
you as he was dying" said, holding it
out to her, and Immediately turning
away my head that might not see her
emotion.
"For me?" she said in tones of sur
prise. II don't understand"
cit probably explains ITSELF" I said,
why she should think it strange
that Carl should send dying message to
her.
[ heard the rustic of paper as she I'M
did the package, and in another instant,
with strange cry, she dropped on her
knees beside the lounge.
"OPhilip, Philip! what does it mean?"
she said, her face as white as the letter
she held out to me with trembling hands.
I took it, and the first line brought ME
to sitting position, with an astonish-
ment great as her own. read in her
handwriting the words:
''DEAR PHIL: There is no need that you
should teach me to love you. I learned that
lesson long ago. You have been dearest of
all in the world to me since our childhOod's
days. Come to me at eight this evening and
you will find, Your own love, MILE"
Faint and giddy with the surging tide
of emotions that swept over me, [ caught
both her hands in mine.
'You wrote that, Mile, wrote it to
me?" I said, scarcely believing such good
news true.
81 wrote it in answer to your letter the
day you went away; and you never came
i heard nothing from you until knew
you were gone next day. could not
understand it.
''But received an answer" said in
bewilderment; ''you wrote you had never
thought of me except as a friend that
you loved another"
ooh, no, no! / wrote that to Carl in
answer to one 1 received from him at al
most the same time as yours. And
[ must have enclosed them in the wrong
envelopes. o Philip, to think of all
these years of sorrow to us both, for such
a stupid mistake! How can you ever for
give me?"
''There is nothing to forgive, if you
only love me now" said eagerly.
II never loved any one else, [ never
could; you seemed part of my life, and
I've been so wretched, so very wretched!
It's like heaven itself to have you back
once more!"
ooh, thank God! thank God" was
all could say as [ caught her in my arms.
Oh, the delirious joy of the moment, af
ter all those years of sorrow, to know she
loved me, had always loved me; could
heaven hold any rapture to equal this2
All the wretchedness Of the past seemed
to vanish as dream, in the glad joy of
the present. Then, suddenly there came
q reaction of feeling What was nnM2