Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-09-20

| both have received but little attention. Ys
theirs was the hardest task of ALTO labor ant
wait
There wore little farms to be tiled So the
women and children plowed and sowed, cult
waited and garnered the crops. happy that in
SO small a part they could help the Union cause.
Thousands of women were the wives of day IL.
borers. Pitiful indeed was their hard lot
with little ones hinderin2 them they sewed and
washed, scrubbed aud ironed for richer neigh
bors to earn pittance for present succor. Yet
from this miserable wage they we're always able
to contribute something. be itnever so little. to
the fund for the sanitary supplies which went
to the hospitals for 'everybody"-husbaud and
lover. All this labor. to which most Of them
were totally unaccustomed, was hard enough,
but with II these women carried az q familiar
spirit the fear Of danger 70 the absent loved
one.
WAR WIDOW"
-'Oh, that awful Thanksgiving Of 1862" said
the wife of a veteran today. II had been but
few years married and had three little stair
steps when my husband enlisted. We were
just well to do still / had never known a
days care or privation in my life. but had my
share Of ali then. / could not get my hus-
bands letters regularly, and that added to nv
trials. In July came Malvern Hill. knew nv
husbands regiment was in that battle. Then
came a month-two months Of unbroken 81
lence. Was it not a wonder that did not 20
crazy? Finally came a letter from one of my
husbands comrades. He is wpunded and q
prisonerr l donst remember today another
word that was in that letter. Everybody began
to prepare for Thanksgiving. just as though
there was no war. l couldn't; wouldn't be
thankful, though the women whose husbands
were towards or contractors came and stalk ID
with me and urged me to at least be grateful
that my husband was not dead! But / only
saw those words wounded and a prisoner.
There were five OF us IN the town whose hus-
bands were wounded aud prisoners The good
women met and made plans to help US keep
Thanksgiving. few days before Thanksgiv-
ing, two, think. at each of the FIVE doors was
LETT II fine turkey, bearing on its breast a card
inscribed, For the War Widows / have the
card yet in my collection Of instruments of
cruelty. They meant it kindly, but OF ell the
brutalIy cruel kindness of those days of blum
ders that was the cruelest While my tears
blstered my face dressed that turkey, those
two now words war widow eating into my
heart beside wounded and prisoner The
next day my nearest neighbor, expecting an
influx of guests, asked me to sell her the tur-
key, as none could be had in the market.
gave it to her tree gratis for nothing, for
felt that could not eat 1t and was glad it was
gone. In the evening she sent the turkey back!
Il was out Of wood and had no money to buy
any, so broke up an Old chair and with a few
Jumps OF coal baked the bird. Then l went
across the alley and rendered it to Norah, who
had been my washvomap In happier days.
- Bad cess to ye,' she cried angrily. as l set
the pan her table. Sure it's the war
wildly" burrud, an amt war wildly meself
at all, since it's only the yes sherdav that me own
Denny hev gone to be a sojer! wants none Of
yer burrud NV il! omen!
II took the turkey home. About night word
came that lunches were to be prepared for
some recruits passing through. donated the
war wildly turkey, and that time it didn't
come back" With the stair steps" grown to
men and women and her stalwart husband
marching in the ranks the .'war widow" could
relate her story with many laughter-crea,ins
embellishments, but in repose her fine face
displayed In every line the sorrows and trials Of
those four long years.
TRUE TO THEIR LOVERS IN BLUE
In that crowd today were a great many
women who arc referred to in testing way as
of uncertain age" And numberless are the
jokes made at their expense by the thought
less. But if the hands On the dial could be
turned back thirty years, those women would
not stand
'Wrinkled, loveless and alone"
They would be radiant in maidenhood's
bloom, just graduated from seminary. conser.
vatory and studio-girls who had never known
sorrowful care. before whom life opened a
roseate vista in love-crowned homes There
we're thousands and thousands of these girls
whose first love dreams we're shattered by the
Smelling of Sumter. They could not fight.
They could only sacrifice. so what they had
t:ey gave. They put aside with firm though
m nnl hnd hna $hn - h,,~.-
that ever come to bless young lives and to
many, very many, that first bright dream was
the last There are thousands of unmarked
graves in the lonely south and crosses to
thousands of unknown dead in every at:onal
cemetery. The records Of southern prisons
ur fold tales that history will one day record rs
fabulous. Many Of those unmarked graves
are lied with the lovers who wen: to do battle
at the bidding of women whose lives, because
OF these, have lacked the sweetness of COM
pleted existence. Many of tine names on those
prison records could be found signed to letters
tied with q faded ribbon, and put away with
those letters are rings carved from laurel wood,
pressed magnolia leaves. q brass button with
Z. s. A. on it, old shoulder straps and faded
photographs OF a beardiess youth In all tine
misery OF mlsfit uniform. these treasures
are packed i'll the deepest depths of cavernous
boxes. and do not see daylight once in a
decade now. but because OF them those ''old
maids" are true to a dead love.
Some of the stalwart fellows who went out
50 blithely came back physical wrecks, but
their sweethearts seemed to love them the
Ill ore. One brave woman said to her lover
who lost an arm and leg: I'm only happy to
know that your voice is left and that they
didn't cut out your tongue, for at least can
hear you say you love me. You would have
worked for me, now I'll work for YOU" And
she did She WIS the proudest woman in that
crowd today. Her husband-lover then-was
too i'll TO ride beside Custer in the grand
review in 1865, but he was OF hand today, lively
as a cricket, on wooden leg.
lie WAS NOT ACCEPTED.
In the long wait a group Of ladies on the
Treasury steps got to telling war" stories.
Il was a giddy graduate In the June after the
war broke OUT" said ha ndsome matron, land
was engaged to a splcndid-looking fellow, who
was rich and quite devoted. l wondered
vaguely that he took SO little part in the all
exciting issues but not until my brother en-
listed and my father tried, too, and couldn',
because of weak lungs, did l get really inter
ested. Our wedding was put off till quieter
times. and was in no hurry to resign nv
belledom anyway. One day during the first
draft excitement Donald came to call i have
escaped he said merriy.
Escaped whatY asked in amazement. i
ddn't know you were in danger
"'Well, / was in great DANGER he returned
seriously; Il was drafted
And how did you get OFF, asked
''Iwas paraly zed for a moment Then exc used
aud Aav tn OF 4