The Somerset reporter., 1890-05-29


As may be supposed, Helen and Oar
rell correspondent, and their letters were
very much no doubt, like those the ma
jority of young men and women write
who are in love with one another. The
correspondence may have been more ro-
mantle, for their environment was more
romantic and their emotion quickened
with uncertainty and peril. She was, for
the first few months, in constant fear
that every newspaper she took up would
inform her of his death. But, as the
time heightened and as he passed
through battle after battle unframed.
her terrors diminished, though her anxi
cites continued.
She became, as men become who are
habitually exposed to danger, kind of
fatalist, without any process Of reason
ing. She wrote, soon after the battle of
Bull Run, that Clarence Williams had
again proposed to her, encouraged, as She
believed, by her father to renew his suit.
His second rejection had apparently as
tonished him more than the first, and
had SO visibly excited his anger that she
was forced to the conclusion that he
wanted unaccountable as such motive
seems, to marry her from something like
malice. The next month he sailed for
Europe. to be absent Indefinitely. and her
! father upbraided her for what he pro-
nounced her extreme folly in once more
declining rich. handsome. well con-
nected fellow, whom most of the girls in
her set would he overjoyed to get
Months and seasons passed, very, very
| slowly, for the horrors of the civil war
seemed to stretch out time immeasurably
Darrell had taken active part III most of
the engagements in Virginia serving
under Mcclellan, burnside, Hooker,
! Meade, and finally Grant He hod gone
unscathed through the bloody battle of
the Wilderness, and in the summer of
! 1864 was sent with his regiment, which
4 he now commanded as colonel to be
siege Petersburg. He had been greatly
! opposed to asking for leave of absence,
! but had several times, during lulls ot
| active hostility seen, with increased love.
i his 55tTotSi1a 'i5, ii,'lJ' gone or u :" ASH
/ ington under chaperonage of a maiden
aunt. Helen had been anxious to serve
as voluntary nurse in the hospitals of
that capital, but her father, who was not
very well, had persuaded her that he
needed her care ut home. The lovers
had often been tempted to marry clan
destinely, but they had resisted the
temptation. even when she had. in de
spairing mood horrible presentiment
that he would die in the field.
| Remember, my darling" he would
say in mock heroic tone, that it Is
written in the stars that our natrimo-
NAL war shall begin after the nations
peace"
In the winter of 1SG4-5 he was ordered.
with his regiment and Il considerable
| Union force, to make another attempt to
| get possession of a railway to the south
of Petersburg. They started at dawn,
and had sharp engagement with
| larger Confederate force, cncountoring
an admirably managed battery, which
threw his regiment into confusion.
number of the men had been killed and
several of the officers wounded. While
attempting to rally his command shell
exploded over his head. fragment strik
|
SCATTERING his left leg. He fell under
the animal. and sudden charge of the
enemy, in overwhelming force. drove
back his regiment A southern soldier
was on the point of thrusting bayonet
| into him as he lay there stunned, when
"A captain of the command knocked the
! fellow down with the fiat of his sword.
The Unionists soon rctrcatcd, and OAR
rell on recovering his senses found him
self prisoner and suffering intensely.
After "A while be WAS removed 10 tenn
porary hospital, where the Confederate
captain visited him and did what he could
for his comfort The two men, about
| the same age. appeared to have an aim
4 ity for one another. and soon became.
as they called it, very friendly enemies.
The succeeding weeks were full events;
the cause of the south was rapidly disin-
| tegrating. As soon AS possible Darrell
wrote to Helen what had occurred, but
| the letter was lost Everything in the
south was chaotic. lie was sent TO Mo-
| bile where his wound refused to heal, and
where fever was consuming his life. lie
was not aware when Richmond fell. be-
1
| ing semi -lelirious at the time. Mean
while he had been reported killed and
his body missing. The New York news
| papers contained touching obituaries OF
him. and poor Helen Morley, wishing
| that she had died with him, mourned
without hope. Her father had failed in
business, and the shock of his failure
made him an almost hopeless paralyttc
| As the daughter carefully attended to
his wants in smaller and humber home,
she frequently whispered to her despair
ing heart, My presentiment was the
projected shadow of destiny"
Two months after the surrender Of the
last of the southern forces-our foes no
| longer. but our common countrymen-l
met lame, pale man in Broadway, who
accosted me warmly. | recognized him
not. He told me his name was Darrell
Seaton, and then | saw in his altered
features my old friend.
"How is it with you now, my dear
fellow
at is all we'll married Helen Nor
ley week ago, and with such woman
as my companion defy fate"