Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1892-09-22
A PRETTY ROMANCE.
Three Young Girls Rescued From a Burn
ing House by "a Gallant soldier.

Three Young Girls Rescued From a Burn
ing House by "A Gallant soldier.
Shells were flying over Latham court
house that 25th of May, the year before
Lee gave up his hope and north and
south clasped hands over the chasm of
four heart-breaking years.
The federalS had marched upon the
town in the morning, bringing across
the peach orchards from the south their
guns of death and destruction and
planting them upon the ridge.
With the daylight they had opened
fire. Before noon the little city's prin-
cipal building was but pile of ashes;
shells had torn up the earth in many Of
the thoroughfares; jets of smoke pulled
up here and there where some building
had come within range of the firing;
homes had been burned; the devastation
of war was all about
In a room over a little store in the
center of the town three children were
sitting as children sit when a terrible
thunder storm is passing, their faces
white and scared. War, though SO old,
was new to them. Their father had
gone out in the beginning and had
never come back Their mother had
died and left them alone
Julia, the Oldest was sixteen. She
was a womanly girl and had kept the
little family together. She held the
hands of the others and they sat there
in silence, not knowing what the next
minute would bring forth.
In their fear they had not noticed the
cracking of fire in the store under
meath. If there was a smell of smoke
they thought it came from the cloud of
war.
Then there was sound of music. Is
there in all the land child who will
remain deaf to the sound of brass in
struments? They rushed to the window
and saw the bluecoats marching in
! struggling squads down the street.
Then puff of smoke rolled up be-
tween them and the soldiers. They
leaned out of the window and looked
down There was brittle cracking of
glass and mass of flame poured ont of
the window below and reached up to-
ward the children. Julia started back
toward the landing. The flames were
pouring up the stairway and ESCAPE was
cut off. Then the children began to
scream. The soldiers looked up at the
white faces in the window. Scarcely
one of that -begrimmed lot but had
dear little faces at home. War is heart
less but human nature is merciful
Out of the squad young man rushed.
There was no ladder. There seemed no
way to reach them BY the side of the
house grew a Virginia creeper, strong
with many years growth. He cut it
off close to the ground with his bayo-
net, ierl1ed it loose from its fastening
and threw the heavy end in at the win
dow above. Julia caught it and made
it fast Then he climbed up and brought
the little ones down wrapped in his
army blanket, for the flames burned his
face and hair as he went. Julia bravely
followed and all were safe.
The war was over and the soldier came
back to the north and never heard of the
southern children he had saved until
last May, when he travelled back over
his old battlefelds. In the little town
he looked up the children They were
married, all lat Julia, and as the sol
der and she We're both alone in the
world he brought her north with him