The National tribune., 1890-07-03


At LAsT-Bow 1T Is RECEIvED-EvERY-
BODY GLAD OF CHANGR-LAN GREEN
PAYS A PARTING VISIT TO MISS SAMANTHA
LoMAX.
CAMP DEFIANCE,
NEAR LEwISsvILLE VA, Nov. %, 1861.
! DEAREST MOTHER: At dress parade last
evening we were startled by the publication of
orders TO draw three days atons to-day. cook
them, and get ready TO break camp at daybreak
tomorrow morning. ] cannot give you even
1 faint idea Of the excitement that followed.
We had settled down 10 the idea of remaining
here till Spring, aud thought of nothing else.
As soon as parade was dismissed we gathered
in groups and eagerly discussed the news.
Where were we going2 What were we to
dor
The officers could give Us no information.
| All that Ezra Grimsted could get from the
/ Colonel was that we were 10 march back TO
Washington, and there receive further orders.
Before tattoo warned us 10 get ready for bed
! my head fairly aehed with my excited specua-
| tions and the endless coniecturcs and surmises
I poured into my ears By the others. Each
imagined n different destination, based upon
/ what he had read in the papers of the various
! movements of the armies Everyone was full
! OF good reasons why we should be sent every
where, from directly advancing upon Rich
mOnd, 10 assisting 10 turn the flank of the
whole rebellion by movement through Mis-.
souri,.
Il don't care h'-penny-bit where we're
/ going" said Job. as he crawled between his
| blankets so longs il means business"
Dyil the bit do oi, ayther," echoed Quin,
| following him.
Il enlisted for jance TO dravel unit see dc
| voFldt," remarked Herman, rolling up his
blouse for a pillow. Dey CANT sdart Us of
/ too soon for me"
4" Change OF pasture makes fat calves. philoso-
phizcd Web. - I'm gettin' awful tired OF these
old Yirginny clay knobs"
Som ], coincided Cad.
Ian alone remained sitting at the FIRE by my
side.
Tracy" said he, in low tone, 81 must 90
out TO the LOmax house aud see Miss Lomax TO-
morrow before We leave"
Why must you 20 :" / asked
' Because ] feel IN my heart that cannot
leave here without doing So"
Nonsense. She's not worth onetenth tho
risk you'll run. She's not a wonderful beauty
She won't hold candle 10 some Of the girls
around Cohosh. You'll End shoals Of better
looking, moro attractive girls where we are
going-wherever that may be. wouldn't give
anybody Eve cents 10 insure me that"
My dear Tracy" said Ian with gentle ear
nesiDcss +" don't know Whether she's a won.
derful beauty or not. I'll not try TO convince
you that she is worth the risk run ia going TO
see her, / really hope that you'll hnd whcre
we're going, girls thatll suit you vastly better
than she does. All that has not the sightest
bearing on the case. The all-mportant thing
is that she suits nae better than any woman
/ ever saw, or ever will see. Whether she is
worth the risk taken in going 10 see her or not
Im going 70 take the risk all the same. I'd
take il If il WAS ten times as much, and she
not worth one-tenth what she is"
why, Ian r. / could only gasp.
" i don't wonder you're astonished, Tracy
/ am, myself at times. But there's q power
drawing me toward her stronger than ever
felt before in all my life, aud believe it's tile
Lords will that she should be my wife ! am
sure / should not feel SO IL il were not. il is
His prompting that makes me sure, after having
seen her bat once, that she is the one woman
in all the world for me, aud that my life will
be nothing if / fail in getting her. which
/ shall not"
=" IL you arc so determined 10 CO." I said
when / recovered my breath, "let US all 20
together as wc did before"
No; il il not fitting that ! should 90 on
such an eTrand ia company with brawlers aud
gamesters. I'll not seek her with such asso-
ciatcs. Besides, 20 merely mention it 10 Job
would provoke jokes and jeers that would be
worse 10 meet than the dangers. No; I'm
going on the Lords errand, oven as Isaac aud
Jacob did, and I'll put myself in His hands
III 20 alone"
"At least, let me go with you"
No i will not. It's my aifair-my risk
my gain. I'll not allow you or anyone else to
endauger himself for me. j only tell you Of it
that you may know what's become OF me in
case shouldn't come back. Goodnight, now
Please don't say a word Of this TO anyone
unless you have TO-"
The next morning there Teigned the turmoil
OF breaking camp aud preparing for the march
1t was astonishing how much non-portable
stuff we Lad accumulated during our few weeks
stay in camp. We remembered our march out
from Washington, and resolved not 10 burden
ourselves that way again. Still, each of us had
more than he could comfortably carry of things
that he dearly wished 10 take along.
noticed that Ian packed up his things
quickly and quietly, and then disappeared
AZ the hours wore without his return, |
became anxious. / walked out TO the picket
line and strained my eyes toward the Lomax
house, but could sec nothing Of him. ] in
quired Of the piekets. They had seen him 20
out IN the morning, carrying some books, and
armed only with an officers revolver ia belt
They had seen nothing moro Of him.
Have you heard any firing out that way"
"Ycs; ii seems 10 us there were two or three
shots fired over behind the hill"
Sick at heart with apprehension / hurried
back 10 camp, and detailed my fears 10 Job and
the rest. They sputtered some abuse of Ian
for his fOolhardiness and snatched up their
guns and loaded them, while / ran TO Ezra
GrimSted Tor q pass OUTSIDE The lines. i met
them with this. as they were sweeping along mt
q quick-step toward the picket-line. by tho
time we were outside of this our pace increased
almost 20 a run, stimulated by our anxiety for
poor Ian.
At the top of the first hill we stopt moment
| for breath and 10 look around.
" If they've only taken him prisoner well
capture JEFF LOmax or someone else 10 hold as
hostage for him. If they've killed him well
burn up everything in this dodgasted neigh
borhoOd," said Job, wipiBg his forehead.
We looked again 10 the caps on our guns, for
we had 10 pass through the lonely rayine de-
seTibed in former letter.
maybe they've bushWhacked him there on
his way out" / Whispered 10 Herman, who re-
piled with q look that expressed his fear of
that calamity. We slipt Down into the ravine
slowly and cautiously, looking for bush whael-
ers at every step. but nothing occurred till we
were nearly through the gloomy pass.
"Hush," said job throwing up his hand
with warning gesture and cooking his mus
ket; 4" j hear voices"
We halted, hardly breathing. The hammers
Of our guns clicked with startling sharpness
as we drew them back