The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1892-12-02
ROMANCE OF THE WAR.
now 4 NORTHERN WON ABRIDE KEAn
RICHMOND.

There were three OF us out on
tue gallery-,he old soldier, his
wife and |. We had been chatting |
and laughing merrlly, and then
influenced, perhaps, by the calm.
ness of The night, we, too, became
quiet and thoughtful. And so we
sat, watching the soft moonlight
playing over the broad, green
lawn and The twinkling stars peep
iny between great snowy clouds
and listening toa lonely katydid
calling its mate and and mock
ing BIRD warbling softly 10 its
Young. The old soldier looked
around thoughllu'ly for awhile,
says the Philadelphia Times, then
toying with The buttons Of his coat,
said ha.f aloud and more to him.
self than 10 us:
"lt was just such night as this,
Just such a night. The moon was
full and gave a soft mellow light.
Such a night as it was. | couldn't
forget il if lived forever. 1t was
shortly b, tore the capture OF Rich
mond, and We were ordered to
burn Banks place and keep the
fiery work up along The line AS far
up as The Hea,h's, where one Of
our camps was.
When soldiers are commanded
they must obey, whether 10 charge
"A battery or burn some gray head.
ed mother out Of a house and
home. While the order sometime,
meant barns alone, there wasn't
one chance IN five IF any house
escaping after the barn was fired.
Only those troops detailed to carry
out the order can realize what il
meant and the hardSlips entailed.
: The order was imperative. NJ
warming was given. unless the
great smoke rising up here and
there to signify destruction were
: taken as warnings Of what was to
come.
A squad Of men galloped up, the
women and children were told the
substance Of The order, and tht
match was applied. An hour la
, ter the sat on tie grass houseless
and homeless and nearly dumt
with terror. War brought on
thousand hardships, but this orde
) brought ruin and desolaiion. Ont
might pity, but one could not pro
; test. On the night Of which
speak We rode up to the Bank
place, a quaint, old farmhouse. hal
. hidden among fruit Tree. Their
d was no need to knock ON the dool
= for every one being on the aler
a for anything and everything, W,
e were seen and met by a little gir
who wore gray tor her country, bu
t. had eyes as blue as her Yanke
l. lovers coat.
,r She was trembling so that sh
p dropped on the steps in order I
v keep from falling. One of tn
IN windows opened, and The whit
head of a man raised up off hi
O. pillow, but through nervous el
4e ci,ement he fell back without say
re ing a word.
at We told the g,rl our order
u whereupon she tell upon her knee
ut before me and prayed US 10 hav
mercy and leave them their hom'
m She sobbed, pleaded and prayet
er ill tears ran down my cheeks lik
er rain. Then, taking mo by III
a hand,she led me into room whei
ct lay This white. haired old man, il
he helpless, and bed-ridden then !
sy another room where lay girl !
lie The last stages OF consumption
Then, leading me quietly out 0
by The gallery again, -he said betwee
he her sobs, still holding my haht
d, between her sobs and looking inl
ve my eyes:
ng 20, leave US our homel ~
no nowhere 10 60, no one 10 go |
he What will my poor old cranlfat
H. Ell dot Lie on The grass und
,hat tree and die ' And my sist