Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1891-07-04

VSEsI|lNtS.% M in the Blue Grass
csrHe--s t,tJhS region of Ken
lucky. 1t was the
calm before the storm Already the black
clouds of war had arisen along the eastern
and southern horizon, and the rumblings
and mutterings of battles thunder could
be heard from Sumpter and Manassas.
There was a dread upon the land, and old
men looked each other sadly in the face,
as if to say: 1T has come at last" The
conflict between the North and South had
been long expected, and wars portents
were more awful there than elsewhere, lor
there it meant father against son, and
| brother against brother, indeed.
There was then ridiculous talk in Ken
lucky of armed neutrality" That state
had declared its intention of forming
hollow square, facing outward, and whip
ping both sides If they dared to attempt
| to invade her sacred soil.
The village of Leroy was one Of Hover
! frOnted cottages, ana all around clean
woodland pastures lay along the valley and
! climbed over the hillsideS, the sod of the
deep rooted blue grass never died. grand
oak, elm, ash, hickory and poplar trees
stood in avenues in every direction; the
/ green turf made Verdant carpet along
the yistas and grew to the edge of bah
| bling brooks, where graceful willows and
stately sycamOres bent lovingly oyer the
streams, and sometimes met in a sun
screening canopy above the crystal
/ waters.
In the village and on the adjacent
| farms were boys who had been brought
up together, brothers, cousins and school
mates, friends by nature, comrades by
/ habit.
The strangest Fourth of July celebra
/ tiOn that Leroy ever saw was that Of
Independence Day, 1861. Two companies
| OF young men had been raised in the vii
| lage and surrounding country, and every
member of each, officers and all, were
as intimately acquainted with each
other as il they had been raised under
| the same roof. In many instances
there were sons of the same mother
| in both companies, and yet one Of the
/ companies had been recruited for the con-
| federate army and the other for the fed
eral ranks. The usual picnic was held
with the usual basket dinner There was
animated discussion Of the situation, but
no quarreling, and about the middle Of
| the afternoon the two companies drawn
up in line in the village streets, bade each
other Individually and collectively good
! by, ana each LOOK up their separate line
OF march toward the nearest camps of the
respective armies for which they were in
! tended
The girls of the village babe the boys
goodbye with tear stained, dimpled
cheeks and quivering rosy lips, and among
one most tender of the partingS were those
between Eunice Hart and Charlie Dean,
amid the ranks of gray, and Dora Dean
and Harry Hart, amid the ranks of blue.
The war went on, just as If they had
come to settle it. The gallant country
men from Leroy for both armies were but
a drop in the vast ocean Of men arrayed
on both sides, and as the months sped on
every man who held up against privatiOn,
hardship and exposure grew TO be vet
eran soldier, bronZed and bearded and
dreadfully in earnest.
As the war progressed, the old men and
the women, the girls and matrOns grew
wider apart, and there was social want at
home. The father of Eunice and Harry
Hart was the banker of the village, while
the father of Dora and Charlie Dean was
a well-tO-do farmer, the owner of slaves.
Matthias Hart bought gold, which in
creased In value with every success of the
Confederates or sank with victory for
the Federals.
At last the order came to recruit the
negroes for the field, and Matthias Hart,
whose feelings were naturally with the
COnfederacy, and intensified by his inter-
est in gold, laughed at Bassett Dean, the
farmer, who was staunch Unionst. and
chafed him with: II told you So" When
Deans lusty negro men went away to the
army. Farmer Dean was equal to the
emergency, however, and said: MY
neighbors and myself gave their sons to
the country, and Heaven knows that !
| should be, and am willing, to give my
negroes as we'll"
| The two became bitter enemies; some
times they almost fought, old as they
were, and at last they ceased to speak to
| each other, and the families became
estranged. Both Eunice and Dora were
! forbidden to think of their soldier sweet
hearts who had marched away to opposing
armies few months before, and the plan
| for sending the two girls to one school to
finish their education was dismissed. In
| stead OF both going TO the famous Danyille
seminary, Matthias Hart decided that
Eunice should 90 to the Daughters college
| at HarrOdSburg in order that she might
| not be brought in contact with the daugh
ter of the hated neighbor.
In different schools as they were, the
| sympathetic, though forbidden, inter-
course OF the two girls was kept up, and
Eunice and Dora Informed each other of
the Whereabouts Of their respective
brothers as well as they themselves were
| informed, and the same old love that has
always laughed at locksmiths smiled
through their tears and the letters that
| passed between them.
Between Danville and Harrodsburg the
distance was only ten miles, over one of
the beautiful white turnpikes of that
country, and along this road about half
way between the two towns Law the broad
and undulating acres of Jabez Hart aud
his handsome mansion.
Jabez was a decidedly different man to
his brother Matthias, the banker Of LEROY.
He was jolly, wholesouled, hearty.
country gentleman, as free from all sorts
OF prejudice as an egg is from adulteration.
He thought the war was great national
calamity, and his generous heart went out
to both sides. He only prayed for peace
to all the country.
AT the hospitable home of Jabez the
two girls often met, and their secret was
well kept, for Uncle Jabez was one OF
those who loves lovers, and he was the
ally of those with whom this chronicle
deals.
At last, in the autumn of 1868, Genera
Bragg and his gray legions marched from
Tennessee, menaced Louisville, and
finally. fought with Buell. and his blue
coats, among the stone fences and over the
woodland pastures of Perryville.
Where kinsmen met in mortal strife,
To brave each other life to life;
Within the woods and pastures green;
Amid the leafy autumn sheen,
Where boys together, they had played
Beneath the spreading forest shade.