Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-09-08
CHAPTER VII.

"To live in henrts We leave bchin6 Is not to die"
/ must touch but lightly the events Of
the next few hours
When Sutherlyn's grief had spent
itself he sadly returned 10 where the
army bad encamped. where he succeeded
| in hiring two negroes, who had run
away from home to follow the army, to
dig Val's grave. Accompanied by the
negroes with pick and shovel he came
back to where Val had died.
While the negroes we're digging the
grave at the root OF a giant pine near by
he brought water in his canteen from
tho little brook at the foot OF the bill,
and bv the light of the small lantern he
had procured in camp, washed tho
| blood from Val'sface. After having taken
his note book and watch and chain to be
some day delivered to his mother he
rolled him in a blanket he had brought
end the soldier was ready for q soldiers
burial.
The grave was soon dug. and assisted
by the negroes Sutherlyn tenderly low
cred tine rigid form into the arms Of
Mother Earth. While the clods were
being rolled in on the dead soldier he
stood by with the lantern, and there
camo into his mind some lines he had
learned III boyhoods days:
1--WE buried him darkly nj tho dead Of night,
| Tho sod Win our bayonets turning,
| By the mOosbeams misty. struggling light
And the lantern dimly burning
After having placed a stone ut either
end Of the little mound the negroes had
raised Sutherlyn mounted bis horse, and
with q heavy heart rode back TO camp.
Peace Once moro the white winged
ongol bends over our laudto bind up the
wounds, to heal the sOrrows which war
lad mndc.
When the war closed. Colonel Sutber-
lyn was stationed in Richmond a few
weeks, and IS soon as possible wrote TO
Helen informing her of the sad circum-
stances Of Walls death. lie told her that
/ he would soon resign his commission IN
the army, and come TO Meadowdene 10
claim his own. lie also told her Of his
promise t. Val TO love and care for Mrs.
| liorson, and offered to bring her sons
body home for reinterment i'll the Old
/ family burying-groundi il it was her wish.
lie received sa7 letter from Helen IN
reply, thanking him in Mrs. Persons
name for his conduct towards Val, and
asking him TO bring his body home.
Walls fate had not been positively known
10 them until they received his letter,
she told him. Several weeks after his
death Jack, the young negro who had
gone with Linn u the army, came homo
with the sorrowlul news that bis master
was either killed or captured. The faith
! ful fellow on the night after the battle had
returned to the field and made diligcnt
search for the body, bat could not find
It. After staying with the army several
days, vainly hoping that his master
might yet be found or come in, although
/ ho had hnd experience enough IN tine
army to know that it was hoping against
hope, he returned home, leading the
horse Helen had given Val. Until Suth-
erlyn's letter came they had oil hoped, and
Mrs. Pierson believed that Val had only
been taken prisoner and would como
home mt tho close Of the war. But jack
never thought this
"Gawd knows ef yer could a-bcen dar,
Miss Helm. and seed what n orful place
it wuz-les' o puilic hell, Yer might say
yer wouldn think at ennybuddy cou.
hep bein' kill" he would cay with
solemn head-shaking.
Helen had never learned of Suther-
lyn's escape into tine northern lines, and
was overJoyed to know of his safety,
though strangely enough he had not
mentioned it in his letter. SO full was it
of tais death.
About the beginning of the summer
Suther1yn went TO his home ii New York
/ State. The old home Of the Sutherlyns
was beautifully situated on the banks OF
/ the Hudson, and though not 80 Injurious
was older and larger than Meadowdoue.
Suthcrlyn's parents had died years be-
| fore the opening OF my story-his mother
I before he could remember his father
{ while he was still schoOl-boy -and he
with an older sister Mary, who was a
confirmed invalid, had grown up under
the guardianship Of paternal uncle.
] When he became of age ana had com
plcted his collegiate course he and his
sister travelled extensively i'll Europe,
/ and at last came home to 1.-Two at River
view, us their Old home was called. They
/ had boon left large fortune by their
! father, and they were enabled to live III
the most elegant style. lie and his Sis
/ ter were passionatoly devoted to each
other. and when he went TO the army on
the breaking out of the war the parting
! from HIM had almos: killed her. She
had seen him only once during the four
! wears OF the great struggle. When he
/ had escaped from Meadowdene and re-
Joined his command he had been given
1 u furlough, and had spent several weeks
at homo.
During his stay he told his sister Of
his engagement TO Helen, and of how
! bravely she had helped him 10 make his
escape. With her usual sweetness OF
disposition she was not displeased as tho
Idea of his marrying. even though his
/ intended were q iire-eater.
Although Sutherlyn was so deyotedly
attached to his sister, the few walks he
epent at home after the close of the war
were not 80 pleasant Gs he had once
thought they would be. he was restless
and anxious to get back to Meadowdene.
So one July morning he turned bis
face southwark. joyously enough at the
thought of again meeting Helen, hut
with hcaviness OF heart when he thought
of the sad mission that would first take
I him 10 the lonely grave on the Virginia
battlefield.
But let us return to Moadowdene
again. Helon's father, General Nc
Gavock and her brother. who had risen
30 the rank of captain. had returned
/ home, as the cause for which they had
( fought WAS forever lost. a large portion
of the McGavock fortune had been de-
stroyed 10y the war, but the family were
still in ehlnent circumstances.
OF course Helen was oyerioyed to
have her father and brother home again,
but her Joy was mingled With sadness.
( Val was not there, Her father and
Geofrey had been in different branch
OF the service from that in which Val
had served, and were not present at the
battle in which he WAS killed. They
/ had reached home when Sutherlyn's let
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