San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-10-07
The Daily Eight.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1891.

cret, awful burden that weighed upon
her girlish heart All through that FL
tai month. in which the March winds
clothed the woods with beauty, the days
went by in that old house, wrapped in u
mist of fire and blood and carnage Nc
news of the outside world reached them.
No communication stirred the pail OF
dread and anxiety which had settled
down upon them, but at night they could
see the red light of fires blazing against
the quiet skies, and Shuddered in their
beds when the sullen boom of cannon
shook the earth. Not one word or line
came from the absent son and brother,
and to the anguish that WAS whitening
her mothers hair Glen dared not add
one pang by disclosing this traitorOuS
disloyal, nameless feeling that had grown
up in her heart. On! that she cOTid
crush it out like a poisonous thiug-thiS
Strange madness which had changed her
from a careless girl to an anxious, sad
dened woman. The old rooms and the
quiet wood where she often wandered
to escape her mothers eyes seemed to
mock her with memories OF things that
had passed away forever.
1t was one day late in April, when she
was returning from one of these aimlesS
rambles. that she saw a body of horse
men moving along the road before her.
They might be Il squad of cavalrymen
like those who had passed and halted
many days before, she thought, uncon-
sciously quickening her steps. But no.
they wore the Confederate gray, strag-
Cling, disorderly band. torn and tattered,
with unkempt hair and boards. Many
of them reeled in their saddles, with
songs and reckless laughter, but sha felt
no fear Of them. She put her hands to
her mouth. trumpetwise, and shouted:
What news: Has Lee surrendered
And the leader, sway!ng heavily over
his horses neck, shouted back with an
oath:
No, miss. and he'll never surrender"
He'll never surrender they all yelled
in wild chorus, as they put spurs to
their maddenel horses and disappeared
IN cloud OF dust.
When she reached the house her
mother met her, with a new light on her
stricken face, and led her gently in, and
there upon the sofa lay her brother, pale
and worn and wasted indeed, but sound
in body and limb. lit is all over, Glen"
he said, springing up to meet her and
clasping her in his arms: lit is all over,
and Lee has surrendered" He broke
down in burst of sobs
And now strange hope awoke in
Glen's heart and lived there. 1t budded
with the spring. and blossOlned with the
summer flowers that opened this year to
shed their petals upon many graves; but
when the autumn came and the wood
dove moaned all day in her plaintive
tones and the wind awoke in the pines,
newspaper, the first in many weeks,
POUNDS its way to them. t was ont Of
date, but still welcome, and Glen went !
to the open window to read it aud there. |
in list of the dead, she saw his name.
She was alone, but she did not cry out
or faint. She had never been guilty of
anything so weak and wUmanish but
once in her strong young life, but she
stepped out upon the lawn, though it
was raining heavily, and went like
wounded thing down the long dark ave
nue. of moaning cedars. He is dead"
she said to herself, when at last she
reached the great gates and stopped;
dead, and he will never know that |
prayed he might come back to me-that
no matter what happened he might
come bacI-that he might only only
come back"
Through all the wind, and the falling
rain, and the darkness did he hear that
despairing cry? For he was there, clasp
ing her in his passionate arms.
1T was not |. This is not my ghost.
darling" he was saying, as he sLowered
kisses upon her white face; IL have come
back in the flesh to claim you mine,
Glen-mine-always miner
And to think" she said, lifting her
happy eyes to the tall man who leaned
against Il tree beside her, leisurely smok.
ing and watching her as she rested on
her royal couch of pine needles ito
think that in this very spot was once
o. NolS' Nely angry Will SOu' hldn.
And to think" ne answered, bending
down to pat the sturdy youngster who
seated in his mothers lap, was pulling
all her bright hair down with his brave
hands, that just four years after
southern girl-a Virginian of Virginia
should confess that she blessed the day
when Lee surrenderedr"
THE END.